Back to School Tips for Teachers - other than lesson plans
Hi friend! Before the teacher-tired of the first week of school hits you, let me help you get some things out of the way! I’m listing ten things you can take care of right away to make sure you have a smooth first week of school! Some of these things you can even tackle at home in your leggings before August gets here!
To-Do Lists
First thing’s first: figure out your most effective to-do list. Is it pen-and-paper? Is it Google Keep? Is it Google Tasks? Is it reminders on your iPhone? Is it the Todoist app? Or is it a bunch of random sticky notes on your computer? Whichever it is, find out which works best for you, and get it ready! Break it out, because I’ve got some ideas for you!
Dress up your To-Do List!
Grab some free Google Keep labels - trust me, it’ll make you more excited about your to-do list!
Seating Charts
The next tip will have a big impact - seating charts. I’ve worked with some teachers who loved the idea of letting students choose their seats on the first day. However, I taught middle school. And, I have to say. When I tried this, my poor students were incredibly uncomfortable. It reminded me of the scene in Mean Girls when Cady enters the cafeteria at her new school. I have found that students, especially middle school students, are much less stressed and uncomfortable if they are forced to “choose” who to sit by on the very first day. They will already be worried about whether or not they’ll have any friends in the class. Let’s not add to the stress! Let them know where to sit. Have it planned, and have it clear. They should be able to walk in and find their designated spot. Feel free to change after a few days, once you get to know their personalities!
Post your Class Schedule
One question students are always itching to know the answer to is: when is lunch? Fair question, in my opinion. Make sure you have a schedule displayed for the first week or so. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a permanent display, but leave it up for the first couple of weeks. This will help you avoid answering the same lunch question over and over. It might not keep the kids from asking, but we can try!
Post your Class Expectations
Next, I recommend making sure your class expectations are visible. You probably already have a set list of expectations for your classroom - just make sure they are easy for students to see. Remember, your expectations should be few in number but powerful. Having these easy to see will help everyone stay on the same page.
Homework Procedures
Let’s talk “homework procedures”. If you’re a new teacher, don’t make the same mistake I did. During my very first Open House, a parent asked what my homework policy was - and she asked how often I would assign it - and she asked how much it was weighted in the grade book. Talk about “deer in the headlights”! I had ZERO answers to those questions. I stammered around, and she forgave me for being a new teacher. However, it was embarrassing and you better believe - I spent the next day asking all the teachers I knew what their policies were! You do what’s right for your students and your classroom (or what’s in compliance with your school’s policy). I just want you to make sure you can answer those “good-parent” questions: what is your policy, how often will you assign homework, and how much is it weighed in the grade book.
Handouts for Open House
While we’re talking about Open House, this is my friendly reminder to have all of your deliverables ready. Are you handing out a brochure? A syllabus? A newsletter? Will you have a “get to know the teacher” slideshow? If you’re not sure, talk with your team teachers. In my middle school setting, it was really important for us, as a team, to have similar setups for Open House. It made us feel like more of a united front, which is helpful in 7th grade and 8th grade! If you don’t have team teachers, talk to your mentors! See what they do. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s ready and welcoming!
Emergency Sub Plans
Emergency lesson plans are not something I always had ready at the beginning of the year. Then my third year teaching, we were required to turn in a 5-day emergency sub plan before school started. Since we’re friends, I’ll be honest. I was a little frustrated - I rarely ever miss school! I’ll be honest again. I’m so glad it was a requirement, and I’ll always have it prepped before school starts whether it’s required or not. I recommend that you have 10 days planned out in your Sub Tub or Sub Binder. If you have enough time to prepare, I recommend having two sets of 5 days, so that you can split it up if you need to. You probably won’t miss 10 days in a row unexpectedly - well, let’s hope not. It’s more likely that you’ll be out 3-5 days. If you have 2 sets of 5 days, you won’t have to come up with something new once you use up your first set of 5. Make sense? Long story short, get some sub plans ready, girl!
I’ve already done the work for you!
Go ahead and check off this part of your to-do list!
Class Website
Next up is your class website. If you don’t have one and are considering it, go for it! For me, this was a major game changer in my 7th grade classroom. I work in an area that is very rural and low-income, but it still had a major impact. Go ahead and have at least the “shell” ready, so when school starts, you can just fill it up. Not ready for a website? Don’t worry, I’m not judging! Make sure you’re using some sort of platform to communicate regularly and easily to parents. This could be Class Dojo or Remind. At least have something set up and ready to use!
Sanitizing Procedures
If you taught in-person for the 2020-2021 school year, you may already have this tip covered. The tip is to make sure you have scheduled in, or at least considered, extra time for sanitizing. That includes sanitizing desks, Chromebooks, books, iPads, desktops, extra hand washing, etc.Your school may already have these things in place, so be ready!
Check your Closet
My last tip is a bit more fun - check your closet! It’s so easy to forget to shop for our back-to-school clothes when we’re spending so much time down the Flair pen aisle! We all know teacher-tired hits pretty hard that first week of school. The last thing I want you to go through is the stress in the morning when you realize you only have leggings and crop tops in your closet! Have some fun and venture out of the scented markers and glitter aisles to stock up your teacher wardrobe!
Don’t forget anything!
Use this free digital checklist!
Tackle these ten tips before back to school, and you will sleep like a baby! You’ll be able to focus on the excitement of new students coming into your life!
