Sometimes, the end of summer for a teacher is exciting. A new school year. A fresh start. But you may be dreading the end of summer. The last couple weeks of summer, I try to get back in the swing of things by preparing myself for the start of school. I want to make my job as easy as I can those first few weeks of school since it can be a tough transition for me and my students! This list may help you get back in the school mode and help to make the transition easier.

I like to make sure I take all the extra time I have over the summer to think about my teaching. I reflect on the previous school year and make plans for the upcoming school year. I find that putting in the time to do this over the summer really helps throughout the school year, when I have less time to plan and reflect.

This is a list of the 7 things I do to be better prepared for the new school year.

1. Read a Book

If you are like me, you have no time to read during the school year. I feel like all my extra time during the school year is spent on lesson plans, grading, data, etc. So if you have any book that you have been wanting to read, the summer is the time to do it. I love to read some education books throughout the summer to learn new ideas or teaching strategies. Sometimes, I want to learn about something new. Other times, I just like to read books that inspire me to be a better teacher. Below, I included some of my favorite books to read.

2. Look over standards/curriculum map

Whether you are teaching a new grade or teaching the same grade, I recommend looking over the standards you are teaching. I love to print out my standards for each subject I teach and read over them. While reading each standard, I like to make notes about lesson ideas or things I have previously done that I don’t want to forget.

I also make a curriculum map for each subject I teach. I will map out which standards I want to teach each nine weeks. This way, I will know that I will teach all standards by the end of the year. I just map my standards by weeks, but sometimes I will map out what the weeks will look like if I have time. This saves me a ton of time when I am planning each week. It also helps me stay ahead of planning and I can collect the resources I need in advance, so I am not in a panic the day of the lesson.

Also, take some time to look over all the different curriculums you use. Sometimes, I don’t necessarily follow the order of the curriculum book or sometimes I have ideas to add to the lessons. I like to look through all my teacher’s manuals and just add some post-it note ideas so I know what I want to do when the time comes to teach that section during the school year. Also, if you want to read my view on curriculum problems and how to fix them click here.

3. Think about any changes you want to make

Teaching is a profession where you can always grow and improve. I love to reflect on my previous teaching year and think about how I can improve. My suggestion is to only improve a couple things, so you don’t get overwhelmed. For example, you may notice that you need to have a better plan to deal with bad behavior or a better way to transition during stations to save time. You might even want to add in more technology or use digital testing this school year.

The summer is a great time to do some research and fix any problem areas you might have. This will make the year go so much smoother. Even if you are a veteran teacher with years of experience, we all have improvements we need to make. During the school year, I keep notes on my phone (or in a notebook) of things I need to change or research so it makes this process easier during the summer.

When you are thinking about changes you want to make, you may want to check out our article on 6 Tips to Simplify your Teaching here.

Take the extra time in the summer to improve your teaching and it will pay off!

4. Review First Days of School Plans/PowerPoint

If you don’t have a plan for the First Days of School, I would highly recommend you have one! Basically, a First Days of School plan or “script” is what you plan to teach during the critical first days (or weeks) of school. This is when you need to teach and model all the classroom and school procedures. We have a complete article on a Teacher’s Guide to the First Days of School with more details on this subject, check it out here!

Before school starts, I review my First Days of School PowerPoint. I look it over and make sure everything is how I want it. I will make any changes that I need to. I use this PowerPoint to guide all the procedures I teach at the beginning of the year. If you want to check out the PowerPoint I use, click here.

5. Review Your Management Plan

The summer is also a great time to consider your classroom management and decide if you need to make some changes. You can make changes throughout the school year, but it is best to start the year strong with a good management system so students know what to expect and how to behave in your classroom.

Teaching procedures is a big part of your classroom management, but you also need to consider your rules and consequences. You need to evaluate your system to make sure you are fair to all students. I have a very detailed consequence list. Students know what to expect every time they break a rule. This helps to keep student behavior under control. Students also respect fairness and the same treatment everytime. It sets up a good classroom environment where students know what to expect. Students really need stability in the classroom to learn the most. 

Below are some classroom management articles you may want to check out!

6 Ways to Build Relationships in the Classroom

Classroom Rules and Consequences 

16 of the Best Classroom Procedures

6. Clean and declutter your classroom

Sometimes I clean and declutter my classroom at the end of the school year, but the summer is also a great time to clean your classroom. I find that I always work better in a clean, organized environment. It will also help you save time during the school week if you are organized and know where everything is. Take the time during the summer to do this and it will be beneficial all year.

Here are some of the organizing articles we have, be sure to check them out!

7 Essentials for an Organized Teacher Desk

9 of the Best Ideas to Stay Organized During the Teaching Day

8 Tips to Declutter your Classroom

7. Decorate Classroom

This doesn’t have to be done during the summer, but I like to have my classroom decorated for the school year the week before I have to go back to school. This saves me a lot of stress of trying to decorate and get everything ready for the first week of school.

You may get some time before students start school to get your room done, but I find that I spend that time catching up with teacher friends. I much rather have my room ready to go before I go back to work. If I have a few days before the students start school, I usually use it to work on lesson plans and copies for the first few weeks of school so I am less stressed the following weeks. Also, if your school is like mine, we usually have meetings during those days anyway.

I do not go overboard on decorations. I just like to make my room functional for me and my students. I do have to put everything away for the summer, so even though I don’t “decorate” a lot, I do have to take time to put everything out, fix my whiteboard, and put up bulletin boards. It is so much easier on me if I do this during the summer before school starts!

I hope this list is helpful to you! You want to start the school year as prepared as you can; teaching is hard enough!

Thank you for Continually Learning with us!

Kyle and Sarah

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