11 Tips to Help Teachers get Ready for Back to School
It’s not just the kids who have to adjust to new sleep schedules, a return to harried days and even a worry of how to manage all that homework. Teachers are also under a lot of pressure to make back to school a success each and every year. Lucky for you, with a little foresight and planning, you can make the most of summer vacation for a seamless return to school.
We spoke with a few teachers and thought we’d share their tips for helping their colleagues go back to school.
1. Spend your summer vacation resting and renewing your mind, body and spirit.
2. Get your room ready at least two weeks before school starts so that you aren’t rushed or overwhelmed. This can include minor repairs, decorations, desk arrangements and even creating your own space in the room.
3. Talk with other teachers about their former students to gain insight, tips and techniques to help manage your new students.
4. Think through your discipline plan and make any updates based on last year’s experiences. Know how you want it to look and how to not only implement it, but make it stick.
5. Make an overview plan of the year for each subject. They don’t have to be deep or final plans, more of a road map to keep you on track during the year
6. Talk with other teachers on your team and determine how you will all work together. Get to know the new members!
7. Buy a ton of glue sticks, pencils, erasers and other miscellaneous school supplies that you’re sure to go through quickly. Carefully watch the back to school sales and dollar stores for good bargains. And always ask or a teacher discount!
8. Review or create a homework plan. Will you grade it? Will it be based on learning or review?
9. Be prepared for deadlines. Know when your deadlines are and focus on one thing at a time. Review the school calendar in advance to get a feel for what lies ahead.
10. Buy good shoes! You’ll be on your feet all day and staying comfortable is largely based on the footwear you choose.
11. Set boundaries and remember the separation of home and school. Time flies when you love what you do, so make sure work isn’t interfering with personal family time. Set a time to leave the school each day, and possibly even set a late night, where you allow yourself to stay late one night a week to catch-up. While at home, set a cut-off time to stop grading papers or doing other work-related tasks.