Five Things to do in July to Make Back to School a Breeze
Are you ready for it? We are entering the back-to-school zone. Does back-to-school time fill you with joy or dread? Maybe you have both, wherever you fall on the back-to-school emotion scale; these 5 things will eliminate some of that dread.
Remember, if you are not ready to plan for back to school or you are choosing only to work contract hours, you are supported! Do what makes you happy and productive.
If you are ready to knock to-do items off your back-to-school list, join me for some tips to start the year off right.
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Melissa Burch 0:00
Hey friends, welcome to another episode of Annotated ELA. Are you ready for it? Because I'm going to say it, it's time to start thinking back to school. Unless you're not ready, then don't start thinking back to school. I am a bit of a pre-planner. And full disclosure, some of these items on my five things to do in July to make back to school better were done in May before I left school. That is because I knew what I was teaching before I left, and I am changing grades, I am moving from sixth to seventh grade. So I knocked a few of these off my list after meeting with my new teammate. If this brings you joy, you are a pre-planner, and you are ready to do a few things before you go back to school, do them. But I also encourage working our contract hours. So if you want to save these until you get back to school, do it, do what works best for you. With that being said, I did a very unscientific poll. I asked teachers if they were pre-planners or no planners, because there are teachers out there who crush it on the daily - winging it. I admire you. I am a pre-planner. And every single response I got was that every teacher that responded was a pre-planner, with one response that they were having some anxiety about planning because they weren't ready, and I get it. If you're not ready, don't have anxiety. Enjoy your summer, enjoy what's around you. I know that's easier said than done. The back-to-school season can bring some undue stress. So I'm hoping that these five things will alleviate that. If you're looking for resources to help with back-to-school planning, I have what you need. Check out the show notes for everything mentioned in this episode at annotatedela.com/episode13. Without further ado, let's get to it.
Melissa Burch 1:57
Number one, have a classroom setup and decor plan. Have you ever stood in your classroom and planned it all out in your head, making all the configurations of your desks where your classroom library will go, where you'll store the supplies, and maybe felt like Goodwill Hunting? I know I have, I have tried to configure my desks in my mind's eye in all of the possible ways. And then I always end up doing the same thing. And especially because I am moving into a slightly smaller room this year with my grade change. I have decided to sketch it out, because it makes my head spin, and I waste so much time visualizing it, and then moving them, moving them, and moving them. So if I sketch out the configuration, it will save time when it comes to setting up. It will also help me intentionally plan before moving all the desks. Then there's decor. I like to think that my room looks decent, but I am by no means the best at decorating, it took me a while to get everything to match. So I started making a mood board. Whether you are a minimalist, love to have all the decor, keep it the same every single year, or like to change it up; whatever your style, having an idea of what you want your class to look like, will eliminate some of those last minute runs to your favorite school supply store. And I say eliminate some because we might all find ourselves making last minute runs. Consider making your own mood board because changing up decor can lead to hours scrolling the web or searching stores for that just right idea in your head. Listen, a mood board might create the same situation; you might spend hours scrolling, but if you have an idea and then you go out to buy it or to make it yourself, it might streamline finding it. We may not find our exact wants and needs. But we'll at least have an idea and be able to pivot because I know as a pre-planner, having a plan makes me feel better. I find it easier to change that plan when I know what I want than if I had no idea at all and I'm just grasping at straws. No matter what, I hope it will focus your efforts to have a classroom setup and decor plan.
Melissa Burch 4:13
Two, have a first-week plan. Yes, having the first-day plan is a huge win. But nothing beats that first-week teacher tired okay, maybe holiday and end of the year teacher tired; or any time of the year teacher tired ranks up there. But getting back into the swing of teaching that first week is exhausting. And that first day always leaves me especially tired. Your future teacher self will thank you for having your entire week planned with copies and lessons ready to go. I know that some teachers may not know what the first week is going to look like until they speak with teammates and administration. That's okay. plan something anyway. It's so much easier to change plans than to have to make plans last minute, when exhaustion and frustration are involved, so have a loose plan in mind. And even after speaking with other teammates and your administration, you can either scrap those plans or insert them in the empty spaces that will be there.
Melissa Burch 5:17
Number three, have a plan for your days. Last year, Monday was library day, this was a glorious thing. Monday was planned. We did our bell ringer or do now, I did first chapter Monday, we'd go to the library, and then finish with silent reading. Oh my gosh, I loved Mondays there were no Sunday scaries for me, because Monday was library day - our librarian gives us 20 minutes in class on our specified days; that was the flow. On any other day the flow of class was - our bell ringer or do now, instruction or directions for the day, work time for the students to complete and practice anything that we had learned or that we are currently working on, and then we would end class with a read aloud or silent reading. Knowing how class is going to be structured, helps planning for the teacher, but also creates a safe space for learning with the students because they know what to expect. And if you can plan certain days, like Mondays and Fridays to be something specific; it is really great to bookend your weeks with planned out activities already. I will not have library days on Monday this year. But I plan on making Monday's a grammar or punctuation or some sort of review day so that it's just planned out. And I know what we're doing. It really does eliminate that Sunday scary. And I believe that my library days will be Thursday, so there will be a change up but the flow for class is always the same. This will depend on the length of time you have. But it can work for any amount of time that you are given. For example, I have 56-minute class periods this year. So I'm going to do a 50-minute class, we would do the bell ringer or the do now for 5 to 10 minutes, instruction for about 10 minutes, work time for 20, and then silent reading or read aloud for another 10. This can feel idealistic because students always, without fail, take longer to complete work than expected. But I have really been working on guiding my students to manage their time. I know that apathy, time management, and a plethora of other challenges crop up with our students. All of this has to be taught. Time management is not an inherent skill. I always preface my timers with my students to remind them that it is not to stress them out; because I have had students tell me that the timer makes them very anxious, I let them know that is not at all the intent of the timer. The timer is a tool to help us stay on task and to keep us accountable for what we're doing. Because that is a skill we all need in life. With that being said, it can still be hard. It's a work in progress, and do what works for you and your students.
Melissa Burch 8:15
Number four, draft your syllabus. If you give a syllabus, this is a simple task, or it can be and it's one less thing that you have to do when school starts. Even if you're a new teacher, moving to a new grade, or are waiting to collaborate with a teammate - draft a template. It will be easier to fill in, then create a whole new syllabus. If it turns out that you have to use a different template. That's okay. There's still benefits to thinking through expectations and how you want your class to run. It can clarify your thoughts on late work, how you'll handle absences and other items that might be important to you and how you handle them in your classroom. So if it feels right, draft your syllabus.
Melissa Burch 8:57
Number five, map out the year, or at least the first quarter, if it's possible to map out your year. This is not meant to be a specific daily lesson plan type of planning. It is a 30,000 foot view of the year. It will help you lay out the pacing for major units and attach your standards so that you have a big picture idea. Before inserting units and standards; insert days off, holidays, testing dates, any dates that you have at that time, and insert them onto the calendar so that you are planned and prepared for them. It's guaranteed that things will change. Things will happen and the plans you made will have to be amended, but having an idea of the pace for the year or the first quarter will save a lot of stress. It is so much easier to know the plan and move it, than to have to deal with what's being thrown at you in the moment, on top of then having to completely plan from scratch.
Melissa Burch 9:56
Let's recap the five things to do in July to make back to school. a breeze. Number one, have a plan for classroom setup and decor. Number two, plan lessons for the first week. Number three, have a plan for each day and the flow of each class. Number four, draft your syllabus, and number five, map out the year or at least the first quarter.
Melissa Burch 10:22
If you're not ready to plan, don't plan; enjoy the rest of your summer. Kick back, enjoy your favorite beverage, hug the ones you love a little tighter, and don't even think about back to school. But if you're ready, let's get started. Remember to check out the show notes for everything I mentioned at annotatedela.com/episode 13. Until next time, friends, the magic is in the process.
