Getting Ready For A New School Year?
Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned pro, planning for a new school year is exciting and daunting. A good time to start your classroom set-up is 2 months before school starts but where to begin? What steps can a person take to be productive and not spin around in circles?
I’ve set up a classroom many many times.
It all comes down to People, Paperwork, Planning, Prepping, and Place.
Where Do I Start?
It really depends on your experience and your grade level. I’ve found that the newer you are to your teaching assignment the early you should begin. Also, the younger your students the sooner you should begin.
If you are a first year teacher or new to the grade, then planning up to 2 months before the first day is not unreasonable. As an “old” teacher I usually started planning at the 2 month mark as well. Why? There is a sense of hope and anticipation for a new school year and I always wanted to dive right in.
The People
Get to know the people that work at the school in the summer. They are going to become a big resource over the next year. Having a good relationship with these people will make your life and theirs grrrrreat.
Office Personnel
The first is of course (drum roll please) the secretary/office admin. (Not sure what you call this person in your school….. Let’s just call them angels without wings.) They are going to help you in more ways than you know. Be extra nice to this person. Bring them cookies, coffee, whatever makes them happy. You want them happy.
Maintenance
The second person (trumpeting chorus) is the maintenance person. Again, such an important person in making your life happy. I’ve got one word to motivate you…. puke. That’s right…. puke, hurl, vomit. It will happen and they will help you. Bring them cookies now.
Tech
Third (horns blaring) is the tech person. Now my husband is a tech guy so I am a little hard on these people but always be very kind. It is a fact that our classrooms are becoming more and more reliant on tech and when “Tech ain’t happy, there be nobody happy.”
Smart board goes out, document camera goes black, printer won’t work? As a primary teacher the last luxery you have is to troubleshoot a tech issue while you have 25 little bodies raring to go. (Makes me have heart palpitations just thinking about it.)
Instructional Coach
Instructional Coaches (loud fanfare) are the fourth and final people on your “be nice” list. If your school has them, use them. If it’s your first year or your last they are usually the ones you can cry to and get resources from, whenever you are having one of those moments. They can also be a great advocate for you if your administrator is less than involved.
Free Resource For You To Build Strong Relationships With Others
So here’s a little freebie for you to help you establish, maintain or repair a relationship with one of these VIPs.
Click Here or on the image below to claim your freebie.
It is a simple thank you postcard type printable. Just print it on some colorful paper and stick a little writing of gratitude on it. Attach it to a bag of M&Ms or something. You won’t believe how happy it will make these amazing people.
What's Next?
The next post will be: The Paperwork and The Planning that you will need to do 2 months before school starts. Then we will tackle The Prep and The Place.
Comment down below and tell us a person at your school that has helped make your teacher life better.
Don't Forget...
Don’t forget to click here to grab “The Blueberry Pancake Problem” pdf book. Watch the youtube video and then check your inbox for the ever growing library of freebies to go with the book.
Now go be your awesome self and go let those 4 people at school know that they are pretty dang cool themselves.
