This is the first part of a mini-series on back to school tips to get you organized and motivated with using the least amount of your energy as possible.
Even though it’s only the middle of July and some schools got out not too long ago, I know many of you are already preparing yourselves physically and mentally to get back to school. It’s time to start thinking about what to do before school starts.
I know, I know, it’s rough. But the reality is, that it is a reality. And the struggle is real. We are playing mental gymnastics here…we want to enjoy our summer, spend time with family, do all the things on our personal “to-do” list, but in the back of our minds, school is calling.
We are going to discuss three easy, actionable, and manageable things that you can do now to quiet that nagging voice in the back of your mind. If you accomplish these three things, I believe that you will actually enjoy the end of your summer more because you will feel less stressed overall. I truly believe that thinking about a task is much, much worse than actually doing that task. So, take a deep breath, hold your nose, close your eyes, and dive in with me. I promise, you will feel relieved and much better after doing these 3 easy tasks.
First Thing to Do for Back to School: Your Planning Calendar
Let’s make this as quick and painless as it needs to be…sort of like ripping off a band-aid. The first actionable item on our list is to make your planning calendar. Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that you plan out every single lesson. What I am suggesting is that you fill in what I would call a “skeleton calendar”. You simply create a calendar for the year with the dates, fill it in with your units, the basic activities, and you’re done.
To make this really, really easy for you, I have a freebie. I have filled in all of the dates for the coming year, which is really the most time-consuming part. Just download and fill it in.
Although this might sound like torture, I can assure you from many years of experience, once this is done, you will feel a relief that is like no other. You can absolutely change the calendar as the year goes along, but just having a well-laid out plan of how you will fit everything because after all, isn’t that the hardest part of planning? Will help you mentally so, so much. I struggled with this for probably the first 10 years of teaching until I came up with this system. And every time I got a new teaching partner and shared it with them, they were like, oh my goodness, this is a lifesaver. I’m not trying to sound overly dramatic, but it will change your life when you walk into your room on the first day back.
Make it (somewhat) enjoyable
Here’s what I suggest…look at your week ahead. Is there a day that the weather is going to be gloomy and your family is otherwise occupied? Or can you get them occupied on that day for a little while? My parents were always clamoring to take my daughter places, so I would use one of those chunks of time on a rainy day to do this.
And once I sat down to do it, it really didn’t take me long. Honestly, it took the longest to put the dates in and set it up, but I’ve done that for you already. I also suggest having some sort of treat to go along with this planning time, whether it is making your favorite iced coffee or lighting a candle and having music playing. Do whatever you have to do to make it a positive experience. Go to wherever you work best, and also consider the time when your mind is the clearest and sharpest. For me, that’s the first thing in the morning, but everyone is different.
I’m here cheering you on! Nothing would make me happier than for you to do this and post a comment on how it went.
Must Do Item on Your To Do Before School Starts List: First Day Activities
The second actionable task that will make your back to school life so much better is to have your first day activities ready to go. We all know how crucial it is to have an engaging but easy activity at our disposal. We want to have a fun icebreaker, and even if all of our kids get devices through the school, they aren’t always all ready to go. Therefore, I highly, highly recommend a printed activity. There are so many activities you can do, but I recommend that whatever you pick meets these three criteria:
- Interactive
- Specific activity
- Shared and/or displayed
Example #1 First-Day Activity
Here’s a suggestion of something I used that worked perfectly, kept my kids engaged with each other, and made a great display. I used a set of printable icebreakers that I call “First Day of School Stations“. If you do this, pick maybe 5 activities. Let’s say you have 20 kids. Make your desks into tables with 4 at each. Put a different set at each table. I’m sort of setting this up as centers here.
I put all the materials out and have kids rotate through them. I’ll give you an example of an activity… kids create a diamante poem. I have all the directions and templates printed and ready to go. This diamante poem is about them, so the first word is their name. They can chat with their group and create and decorate their poem. It makes a really nice display as well.
Example #2 First-Day Activity
Another activity is a written “4 corners” activity. I have templates with different categories…for example, one is a food category. The page is divided into four sections: pizza, pasta, tacos, and sushi. Kids write their names in the category they like the best. Again, keeps kids interacting, and makes a really cute bulletin board display.
Example #3 First-Day Activity
My other favorite is my “Getting to Know You Color by Code“. It’s a series of questions to get to know kids better, such as their favorite subject, food, how much they like certain activities, etc. This one is not quite as interactive, and would be great to just have on their desks as they first come in. As you know, it’s so chaotic as kids are dribbling bit by bit into your room and you are trying to get them set with lockers and other things. It will give them something to work on that is fun and also makes a great display.
Example #4: First-Day Activity
I think this is my favorite! It’s a collaborative poster that reads “Success Begins with Small Steps”. You’ll just print the pieces, have kids color and write in what they can tangibly do to be successful, and hang them in order. It’s so simple and so cute.
Example #5: FREE First-Day Activity
You are in luck because I have 2 free resources to offer:
Try this FREE back to school flipbook! I know your kids will love this one. Just print, trim, and have it on their desks as they come in. It’s my way of thanking you for reading my blog:
For ELA teachers, I also have a free pixel art activity for parts of speech. It’s fun, easy, and super engaging. The picture appears as kids answer correctly. Take a look!
Low on Time? Grab them in my TPT Store!
At the risk of shamelessly promoting my own products, I have to tell you that these activities come from years of experience on how difficult the first few days can be. These products are all very inexpensive, all under $5, and will save you time in preparation and are tried and true.
Bulletin Board
The third and final actionable task that will make your life better is to plan one of your bulletin boards. If I’m being honest, this is my least favorite part of getting my room ready. I don’t know why…something about having to hang paper and get it looking good is just hard for me. Although I have endless ideas, executing those ideas and getting it all centered and even gives me nightmares.
So bite the bullet and get your paper and border up ASAP. If you don’t have it ready, no worries. You can do this while your kids are working on one of the activities I mentioned above, and then you can grab a kid or two to help hold down the paper.
Keep it simple
Put up a simple phrase such as “Meet the Cast” or something like that. Honestly, keep it simple because it’s the kids work that should shine here, not your clever saying. And this is where you really want to read my blog, because I will often give my blog audience paid products in my TPT store for free. I have a really cute set of language arts doodle letters, valued at $3.99, but I am giving them to you for being part if my blog audience.
Then, as kids are finishing one of the activities that we mentioned, start hanging them up. This way, you are not setting aside valuable prep time. As they hand them in, you can look it over, make a big deal over something they wrote like, ”Oh my goodness, I also love sushi the best! What is your favorite roll?” and now you have some sort of opening connecting with your students.
One More Thing
You really want to establish a good routine with your students. Using bell ringers is the way to go. Bell ringers show students what to do as they walk into the classroom. Below is an example. You can grab bell ringers in my TPT store for every season!
Not enough time to read? Try the Podcast!
I recently started a Podcast for middle school language arts teachers. Check it out!
You’ve Got This!
I truly hope you will take me up on these suggestions because as a newer teacher I would get myself absolutely frantic about this and chaos would ensue. I guarantee that if you use these 3 steps, your first days are going to run so smoothly.
Look for the next blog in my Back to School series, where we will be going over what to consider when setting up your classroom.
Wishing you and your students all the best!
-Linda A. “All in One Middle School“
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