Preparation is key when it comes to kick-starting the new school year right. Here are a few tips for how you can make life a little bit easier during those first weeks back in the classroom.
Prep your classroom
Whether you are staying in the same classroom or moving into a new one, the classroom environment will have a huge impact on yourself and your students. Think about arranging desks so that everyone is able to see you when you are teaching but can also collaborate easily with each other.
Make sure your display boards have new backing paper and borders to keep them looking fresh. There is no need to fill these up yet. Add a few visual prompts that will be useful during the first weeks of school and leave space to showcase students’ work or add to the learning over time. I found a working wall was a much better use of display space as it allowed for a touch point to refer back to throughout a module or topic of work.
Decide on your rules and routines
If you have been teaching for a while, think back to what worked and didn’t work last year. It might be time to try some new techniques so think about what you are going to set out for your class at the beginning of the year, and be prepared to stick to it. Having a simple, easy-to-follow routine with clearly communicated expectations can help to create a more effective learning environment.
I always found it helpful to let students choose where they sat for the first week or two before deciding on a seating plan. This allowed me to get to know them a little bit and think about who might work well together. It can be a good idea to change the seating plan for different lessons to allow students to interact with different members of the class.
Get ahead with lesson planning
Remember, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. If something worked well last year, chances are it will work just as well this year. If there is something new you are teaching, you may want to spend a bit of time getting your subject knowledge up to scratch for those inevitable questions. Try to get the first couple of weeks planned to help you get ahead so you don’t feel like you are chasing your tail from day one.
Get organised
Start by adding all planned events (report writing, any meetings that are already booked in) to a teacher planner or calendar so you are aware of those important dates. This will help with the day-to-day planning as you can factor these in.
If you don’t already have a system for keeping your resources organised, now is the time to start. Think about using drawers or folders to keep the master copy of each resource in for each day of the week. Then it’s just a case of getting those photocopied in time for the lessons that day.
Stock up on classroom stationary – make sure you have a good stash of glue sticks, whiteboard pens and pencils in your classroom ready for the start of the new school year.
Make time for life outside work
This is probably the most important tip and the new school year always starts with good intentions after a well-earned summer break. Make sure you plan in time for yourself, for seeing family and friends and for keeping up with hobbies. Be strict with yourself about when you are going to do school work throughout the week and stick to it as much as possible.
Taking time for yourself is crucial for your physical and mental wellbeing and will help you to go into each half term and holiday feeling good and able to enjoy your breaks!
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