Ahhh, the end of the school year. What does this make you think of? Typically, we spend time wrapping up projects, participating in field day, and having all kinds of fun with our class. It's an amazing time of year, but it can also be the busiest. In years past, I've gotten swept up in all the busyness and neglected to prepare my mind and classroom for the new school year. Don't let this happen to you! With a few simple teacher tips and tricks, you'll be able to actually enjoy this time of year and get ready for the new school year too! Come along to find out how.
Make the Most of the End of the Year
We all know that the end of the year can feel a little bit crazy. With everything else you have going on you may not even think about what the beginning of the next school year will look like. This can leave you feeling unprepared and scattered in September. No one wants that! If you're looking for a way to avoid that feeling come fall, I know you'll what I'm sharing today.
Today we're going to talk about my top 7, teacher tips to get ready for the new school year BEFORE you leave for summer. Yes, you heard that right! All of your fall prep doesn't have to happen in those few weeks before the new session begins. In fact, setting some time aside in May or June for new school year prep will likely be a total game-changer for you! I have found that when I have some things already prepared and ready to go I feel more confident and ready for the first day, week, or even month of school.
If you'd like to cultivate this feeling too, let's talk about how to do just that - without losing your marbles in the process! I promise it's possible! Here are 7 ways to get ready for the new school year before you leave for the summer.
1. A Special End Makes Room for a New Beginning
At the end of the school year, I like to present my students with an Amazing Work Folder. While I don't keep every single paper from each student, I do display some of their most successful work throughout the year. By combining the student work display with the actual folder it makes a quick and easy end-of-the-year keepsake.
Each student will take home a folder filled with writing samples, directed drawings, art, and exceptional work. These keepsakes remind them of all their hard work and just how far they've come in one year.
To create these, I use manilla folders as the base for the Amazing Work folders. These folders are displayed in the classroom and throughout the year I added new "amazing work" to the display. At the end of the year, each student gets to take home their Amazing Work folder. It's a keepsake that is loved by both students and parents.
Once I have taken down the Amazing Work folders for the current year, I have the space ready to set up for the next year. I can put new manilla folders up and add a cover that says "Amazing Work Coming Soon!" I like to use the legal size folders so that there is a space at the bottom to add each student's name. When the new students come into the room they are excited to see their names and know that their amazing work has a special place to be displayed.
2. Declutter For Success
This might seem like a no-brainer, but finding time to clean out your cabinets is super important. Starting the year without last year's clutter gives you a clean slate. It is helpful to start the new school year by knowing where everything is in your room. This is something that can be done in stages and doesn't all have to be completed in one day. I can work on organizing one cabinet at a time when my students are at lunch, recess, or specials. I usually start organizing and decluttering my cabinets at the beginning of May. Not only does it make me feel great to get rid of things I haven't used, but it also helps me do a quick inventory of my supplies. Knowing exactly how much I have at the end of the year, will help me to plan purposefully when I put in my supply request for the following year.
Sometimes, I even turn decluttering into a fun activity for my students and a great end-of-the-year classroom management system. Usually starting after spring break, students start to earn tokens or classroom money for our special end-of-the-year auction.
I sort through my "toss" pile for anything I think kids might be excited to take. This can literally be anything from sticky notes to old math manipulatives I haven't used in years.
We designate an auction day for students to "bid" on the items in the auction pile. Students will use their collected tokens or classroom money for this exciting activity. You will be amazed at the excitement students have and you will love knowing that it goes to a good home instead of the trash bin.
You can also pull names out of the jar to have students choose something from the pile or add the items directly to your treasure chest. And . . . as you are decluttering don't forget about the other teachers in your building. Just because you no longer want to use it doesn't mean another teacher wouldn't love to have it. If you know of any first-year teachers who have been hired, consider adding things to a welcome basket to help them start their new career off with some supplies.
3. Lesson Plans To Start The Year Off Right
It may feel strange to start thinking about what lessons you are going to be doing in the fall when you haven't even finished May or June yet. Trust me though, you will thank yourself for putting together some lessons to get your students focused and ready to learn the first week or even the first month of school.
I want to be sure I'm giving my kiddos some opportunities to review what they already know, to help them feel successful and ready to jump into their new first-grade learning. I pick and choose the perfect activities from my no-prep language arts resource and my daily number sense sets to put in a folder for the first few weeks of school.
Some of the skills I focus on at the beginning of the school year include printing capital and lowercase letters, common nouns, writing numbers, number sense, and hundred chart activities. Not only does reviewing these skills help them ease back into school but it also gives me an idea of where we are starting.
In addition to making review packets, it's also great to think about your go-to favorites for morning work or homework. These can be copied and ready to go for the first month leaving you valuable time to work on other things. Trust me, you'll be SO happy you took the time to prepare these ahead of time!
4. Print, Laminate, Cut
If you have been a teacher at the beginning of a school year, you know how insanely packed the teacher workroom will be the first few days before students arrive. You will be lucky to get everything you need printed let alone laminated. Don't waste precious time at the beginning of the year running back and forth from your classroom to the workroom every 5 minutes. Do your printing and laminating NOW!
You will be the envy of every teacher in your school when someone asks "Do you need the copier next?" and you can say, "Nope, I already have everything done." While you may feel like you don't have the time now, trust me, you will have even less time during the first few weeks of school.
Remember those beginning of the year activities you pulled together in step 3? Go copy them now so that they are done and ready to use. Also, take time to think through other beginning-of-the-year handouts or activities that you use every.single.year.
Some of the things I like to copy in advance include parent information sheets, class handbooks, calendars, and student readers. But keep in mind that you can do this with any of the resources or activities you KNOW you will use again!
I also like to take a few minutes of my prep time to print out, cut, and laminate some resources for the classroom. Sometimes an anchor chart needs to be reprinted or a center game needs new pieces. Try to do those in advance. If I already know the classroom theme or decor I will be using I like to get a jump start on those items as well. I might not be able to do any items with names on them, but many other things can be done.
This is by far the most helpful thing you can do for yourself to start your new year out feeling less stressed and ready to take on your new class. If you do nothing else, do this!
5. Set-up Bulletin Boards
Spending time putting up bulletin boards during those few precious days before your students arrive is not an ideal or efficient way to spend your time. You probably already know the type of bulletin boards you want for the beginning of the year. So get them set up and give yourself a head start. If you aren't sure what you'd like to do, you can at a minimum add new paper backing or border to help you save time later. Once you are done, cover them with an inexpensive plastic tablecloth from the dollar store to keep them from getting dusty or damaged during the summer.
You might even consider letting your current students help you design a bulletin board. Students could write letters or tips and advice to your new students. Let the students draw a picture to match and create a bulletin board that will help kick off the new year. It will be loved by your new students and makes a great discussion starter for classroom procedures and rules. And . . . it makes a great end-of-the-year writing activity for your current students. Win-win, right?!
If your school frowns upon putting up a bulletin board for the following year before your current students have left, you can still do some planning. If you are able, plan out your classroom bulletin boards starting sometime in early to mid-May. Think about the themes and supplies you will need to complete the bulletin boards. Gather as much of your supplies together as possible and paperclip them together, or put them in plastic baggies with labels. This will make the actual display process so much faster because everything will be right at your fingertips.
6. Reflection Time
The end of school is a great time to reflect on the year you have had. There are always going to be highs and lows. Identifying what you feel great about and what needs to be improved is the key to feeling like a confident teacher. Maybe there was a time this school year when you felt like things were a little more chaotic than normal. Take a minute to think about what you could have done differently to make things turn out better.
When it's time for me to narrow down my goals, I take a look at my list of successes and areas that need of improvement. These aren't lesson plans or projects, but personal and professional goals; things I know I have direct control over because of what I say or do. I am also very careful to make purposeful goals I know I can realistically accomplish. Be sure to check out this post if you need help crafting goals for the new school year!
Once I have my goals, I have my focus area for my summer thinking and preparation. After all, you might take the teacher out of the classroom but you can't make them stop thinking about school! Instead of spending my summer getting sucked in by all the new ideas on Pinterest, I can be intentional with my summertime looking for things that will help me reach my goals.
Oh and try to focus on goals you know you can achieve. Being realistic will lead to success and self-improvement. I've found that by doing this at the end of the year when I'm #teachertired my goals are more realistic than when I wait til mid-summer when I'm rested, rejuvenated, and ready to take on the world.
7. A Few Of My Favorite Things
One of my favorite things to do to help me prep for the new school year before I leave for summer is to take 15 minutes to reflect on my favorite activities, lessons, and projects for the year. Sometimes I remember to start this list in the fall and keep notes on my desk calendar each month. Most often, I don't remember until much later in the year, but that's okay. You can also ask your students to help you list some of their favorite activities and memories from the year.
I use categories for my lists such as favorite lesson plans, easiest lesson plans, projects that students loved, projects with high student engagement, projects parents were most excited about, and more. Using categories helps me reflect with purpose and recall what we did throughout the year!
This practice in turn helps me decide which lessons to keep or expand on and which ones to scrap. Not to mention, doing this at the end of the school year, when the lessons are fresher in my mind is MUCH easier than trying to remember it all after summer vacation.
I use this information in the fall to help me lesson plan and every single year I am SO glad that I took the time to do it. It's great to read through my notes and plan my lessons based on what I have written down. This makes it much easier to plan based on what worked and what didn't!
Take the Time Now - You Won't Be Sorry!
Set yourself up for success by planning ahead and getting things ready for the new school year before you leave for the summer. The more you can do at the end of the year, the easier the beginning of the year will be for you. Share these tips and tricks with your teacher friends to help everyone start the year off feeling calm, confident, and prepared. You can also pin this to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so that you can come back when you are ready to start winding down your school year.
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