Get Organized: Two Weeks Planned and Ready to Go
Why is it that non-teachers enjoy asking us if we are ready to go back to school? I honestly have a few friends that start asking me in June! I would be lying if I said that I was. I mean let’s face it, none of us are overly excited to give up the freedom summer allows us.
That being said, when I do get asked that question, my response is always the same. “If I had to walk into my classroom and start teaching within the hour, I could.” That usually gets a funny look and the question is ‘dead in the water’.
You see, that while I may reluctant to say goodbye to summer, I know full well that I have left everything in place back in the classroom. So the response is accurate..I am ready. How is this possible? Before I leave for summer break in May, I have my first two weeks (technically 7.5 days with kids) completely planned and ready do go. I even clear a space on a bookcase so I can lay everything (materials, copies, directions, etc.) out by day. My plans are detailed enough that a stranger off the street could walk in and attempt to lead the class. I say ‘attempt’ because we all now that teaching is much, much more than leading a class in activities.
By having everything in place before leaving in May, I find myself thinking about school less and enjoying my summer more. Now don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of things to do the days leading up to the first day with our students. Having what I will be teaching ready to go ahead of time is just one less stress in what for most of us is a very chaotic time.
Keep in mind, I teach only science and math and I generally teach three sessions of each daily. This gives me a slight advantage over a self-contained classroom teacher. How, you might wonder? I have to plan a third of what a self-contained teacher would need to plan. If you are self-contained, it is going take you a few years to nail down what your first two weeks will look like. Start with just a subject or two. Keep the activities that work, get rid of those that don’t. From there build each year, so that by year three or four, you’ll feel confident in what you will be doing those first two weeks. I am not self-contained, and it took even me a few years to know exactly what I wanted my first weeks to look like.
Obviously, I don’t know my students, so whatever I plan has to be generic enough that it would work with literally anyone. So, what types of activities to I plan?
As any experienced teacher understands, the consistent implementation of classroom procedures serve as the foundation for a productive and fruitful school year. Consequently, our daily schedule is thoughtfully structured to allocate ample time for honing these procedures, fostering a smooth and conducive learning environment. Additionally, I place great emphasis on team-building activities to strengthen the bonds among my students, promoting collaboration and a sense of unity within the classroom community.
I prioritize team-building activities that not only foster a sense of community but also align with the science and engineering standards I am mandated to teach, often integrating STEM challenges that inspire curiosity and problem-solving skills in my students. Furthermore, we place a strong emphasis on nurturing a growth mindset within our classroom, conducting interest inventories and sociograms across all three of my classrooms. To ensure a holistic approach to education, we also incorporate mindfulness breaks into our daily routine, promoting emotional well-being and resilience among our students.
We are a one on one iPad school, so time is spent on internet etiquette and safety as well as digital citizenship. We set-up our iPads by downloading apps we will use regularly. We create logins. Once a new app is installed, I model how the app works and give the students time to familiarize themselves with the app as well. These apps include: Seesaw, Apple Classroom (a monitoring student activity app), Canvas, Reflex (math fact fluency) and IXL (math). There are a number of additional apps I will use with my students, but these are the ones I focus on first.
Does this always all go off without a hitch? No, of course not. There is always a hiccup here or there. The unplanned assembly, fire drill, etc. Some years it doesn’t all get done and that is okay. I am an over planner, and an over planner’s main goal is to not run out of things to do! I will also say that, I have done this long enough, tweaked it enough, that I can pace it out pretty darn close, lol!
But whether I get through it all or not is not what I am most concerned about. It is about having quality best practices activities planned for my students, whoever they might be, before the final bell rings in May. This, in turn, allows me to leave for the summer feeling organized and ultimately less stressed.
