"The old man cried, and said he'd been a fool, and fooled away his life; but now he was a‑going to turn over a new leaf and be a man nobody wouldn't be ashamed of, and he hoped the judge would help him and not look down on him."

From "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain.

When you decide to do something different to change your life, usually for the better, you are turning over a new leaf. This expression alludes to turning the page of a book to the next page. Turning over a new leaf is like turning over a new page in your life. You commit to change your course; to improve your comportment, attitude, or behavior; to break a bad habit; to correct past errors; to forgive others, make amends, and begin anew.

Now is a great time to reflect on how you've done things in the past and resolve to do better in the future. The new year provides an excellent opportunity to make a fresh start, especially if you feel that things weren''t going very well for you before. So when you change the calendar this year, maybe you would like to make some other changes as well.

Here are a dozen suggestions for ways in which you can turn over a new leaf and improve your life:

Exercise every day.

Do your homework.

Practice politeness.

Quit smoking or drinking.

Stop biting your fingernails.

Break up with a bad crowd.

Start going to church.

Get enough sleep every night.

Eat a variety of healthy foods.

Save more money.

Behave in class.

Think positive.

Can you think of any other changes that you may need or want to make?

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/inspiration/leaf.php – "Turn Over a New Leaf" classroom project designed to start the year off well by helping students think of something they have done in the past that they wish to change or improve (i.e. not doing homework, being a problem at school, etc.). The students learn what "turning over a new leaf" means, then they write a story explaining how they would go about turning over a new leaf of their own.

"Class Clown," by Johanna Hurwitz. (Lucas Cott, the class clown of the third grade, finds it difficult to turn over a new leaf when he decides to become the perfect student.)

"A New Leaf" (1971) – This movie is hard to find, and few people have ever even heard of it, but it's well worth watching. It's a wonderfully witty, touching comedy adapted by Elaine May from a much darker short story entitled "The Green Heart" by Jack Ritchie. Walter Matthau plays Henry, a spoiled rich man who discovers that he has spent all of his fortune but he doesn't want to lose his life of leisure. So he decides to marry a rich woman and then murder her. He picks a shy, naive, socially awkward botanist named Henrietta. Henry attempts to carry out his plan, but encounters more than he expected in Henrietta. She wins his heart and in a clever twist at the end, he turns over a new leaf both literally and figuratively.

Turn over a new leaf activity

You will need: brown and green construction paper, scissors, tape or thumbtacks, and a crayon, marker, pen or pencil. Discuss the tradition of making New Year's resolutions, and how this relates to the expression of turning over a new leaf. Think of several simple resolutions that you would like to make. Cut out a brown tree trunk shape with branches, and green leaf shapes from the paper. Write one resolution on each leaf. Place the tree trunk on a wall or bulletin board. Mix up the leaves and stick them to the branches, with the resolutions on the reverse side so you can't see them. As the new year begins, pick a leaf at random and do what it says. Once you have accomplished that resolution, go back and turn over a new leaf on which to start working.