It’s that time of year again!
As we all know, this year feels completely different from every other year due to the Covid-19 Global Pandemic. Many teachers have yet to start back to school and are not entirely sure what their classroom or school year is going to look like. Despite all the uncertainty, there are still things that we all need to do to get ready to best meet the needs of our students. These are my three must do’s every year, even for this unprecedented 2020-2021 back to school season.
One – Do the Prep Work
Okay, so this one is pretty obvious. We’re all going to be making copies (or setting up our Google Classrooms and Seesaw accounts) and decorating our classrooms. It took me years to learn this – granted, things that are obvious to other people aren’t always obvious to me at first sight – that prepping my class lists beforehand is a must do! This means getting my physical or digital gradebook set up, setting up checklists for turned in paperwork, setting up data charts and data folders. It is crucial to get all those tracking systems put into place. Often they are at the very bottom of our list as we busily decorate and arrange our classrooms and set up engaging activities to promote a positive classroom environment.
Why do I do this before school starts? Because it makes my year go so much more smoothly once those systems are set in place. The first week of school flies by and I don’t know about you, but in my district, we start collecting data within the first 2-3 weeks of school – Accelerated Reader, Achieve3000, MAPS, and other baseline assessments. If you have your data and grading systems set up before the start of the year, you can immediately start plugging those numbers in as soon as you get them!
In years past, we have also been responsible for collecting the paperwork that comes in from parents as they complete registration packets. Fortunately, my district has transitioned to a digital version, so that paperwork collection is a thing of the past for me. However, I know that is not the case yet for everyone! Having a checklist, whether physical or digital, at the ready to mark off pieces of paper as they come in is a frustration and time saver!
Two – Plan Your Routine
I am NOT talking about your class schedule here. I am talking about all the things that you are going to do during the day and the week to take care of YOU!
This is especially important this year as we transition from summer (and many of us from virtual learning in the spring) to the school year mentality. Whether you are teaching in person or virtually from home or school, having a routine helps keep the stress a bit tamer!
How many of us have woken up 20 minutes before we have to leave for school with no idea what we are going to wear, nothing packed for lunch, and have gotten in the car with no time to spare only to find the gas tank on empty? Make a plan for how you will prepare for the week and the things you need (and want!) to do each morning before leaving for school in order to have the smoothest day possible.
I do not have kids of my own, but many teachers are also parents, so of course, include your children’s needs for the week and the day in your plans. Have pets? Make sure feeding and walking and all of those care tasks fit into your schedule and routines as well!
Three – School Supplies
This is probably another area that goes without saying, but have a plan for school supplies. If you are lucky enough to work at a school or district where you are able to create your own school supply list, well…first of all, I’m super jealous and secondly, you probably already have a pretty good grasp on what you plan to do with those supplies as they come rolling in.
If you are in the same boat as me and your district makes the decision about what supplies go on the annual school supply list, then keep the following questions in mind:
- Will students keep all supplies in their desk, locker, or cubby OR will you collect some or all of the supplies to store? If you take up supplies, where will you store them? How will supplies be redistributed throughout the year?
- Are you a self-contained teacher or departmentalized? If you are with your same set of students all day, you will have full reign over how supplies are utilized. If you are teamed, meet with your co-workers to determine who will need what supplies for their classes. For example, the math teacher may need a composition book and a bradded folder, while the reading teacher just wants his or her students to bring a composition book. Will students need to travel with supply boxes (oh, the horror when those are dropped in the hallway during transitions and everything scatters everywhere!) or will teachers provide community or personal supplies to be used exclusively in their classroom?
- Do you want students to keep their notebooks, textbooks, and folders in their desks or lockers? Do you plan to store these items elsewhere in the room? If stored elsewhere, how will they be redistributed each day – notebook managers, students collect the items when they enter the classroom, or something else?
There are probably a million more considerations to think over when planning for how supplies will be used and stored, especially right now when social distancing is a part of our lives and sharing supplies is not likely to be common practice.
These are just three key areas I focus on to help me provide a smooth start to the school year for myself and my students! I hope they help you and give you some ideas for setting up systems for your classroom and your best teacher life! What are YOUR three must dos for back to school?
Special thanks to The Resourceful Teacher for the image used in this post.
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