My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Check out our Guest Blogs for Education, Parents, Travel, Tutoring, Sports, Music and College.
Well, it’s finally here…. Back to school week.
Weigh In: One thing that takes the backseat during the first weeks of school is exercise and health and die on the first day of school up on scale. Write down your way. And do your best to maintain or decrease this throughout the year. It is important to make exercise a priority. You will be a better teacher if you are healthy.
Plan Out The 1st Week. The first week will be busy with lots of unexpected events. Do your best to keep the first week as free as possible.
Plan the 1st Day of School: Administrators vary on when they share the schedule for the first day. Look at the schedule closely to see how you can be most efficient around scheduled activities of opening day.
Sleep Schedule: A teacher’s summer sleep schedule is very different from the school year sleep schedule. Some people like to get up early and exercise. Some are in the building well before the bell rings. Others have school drop offs, exercise class, and may walk into the school just before the bell rings.
No matter what the morning routine is, it will be a shock to the system. And like so much of the teaching profession, adjustments can be made at any time.
Plan Your Departure Carefully: this can be a little tricky depending upon personal circumstances. A lot will depend upon your household and commitments to others. Are children going to school? Is a spouse going to work? Do you have to leave your pets?
Allow For Extra Time: There may be an unexpected situation that needs to be addressed at school. This could involve a classroom change, a shortage of textbooks, meeting with a co-teacher. We all know Murphy’s Law. There WILL be an issue that you did not plan for that will require your attention.
There will be a teacher, hopefully not you, that will have a MAJOR curveball thrown at them. Even a simple conversation with a colleague could impact your day.
Print Class Lists: Depending upon the level that you teach, this list could change significantly in the first two weeks. This is more of an issue for high school teachers.
Print The Teaching Schedule: When is your prep period? When is your duty? What is your duty? Some schools have rotating schedules. Some schools have the same order of classes every day. Be familiar with your schedule because this is probably the most important information for how you will schedule your school day.
Identify IEP‘s and 504 Plans: Be sure to review student IEP‘s and 504 plans. This will be useful as you plan your lessons and assessments for the year.
Prepare for the 1st Day with Students: Often schools have a professional day or two before the students are in the classroom. The first impression and first five minutes with the students set the tone for the school year. So be sure you are ready! Know how you want to introduce yourself, your teaching style, and your classroom expectations.
Commute: It has been quite a long time since the last day of school. Traffic patterns and construction projects could be quite different. Also, what will you do during the commute? Will you voice type some thoughts on the school year and school day? Will you make phone call? Listen to a podcast? Or simply listen to the radio?
Good Luck! Check out our posts about A Teacher’s Year.