Goodbye Summer, Hello New School Year!

 

Simple Tips for Starting off a Great New School Year

Every teacher experiences the same dilemma each year, “How am I going to make this new school year great?”. It’s been said a thousand times before but how will you turn those words in to actions? Gather supplies, develop policies and classroom rules, etc. But it is so much more than being physically prepared. Here are a few ways to better prepare yourself and your students for a great new school year!

1.    Create a class webpage!

By creating a webpage, you eliminate the need for paper parent letters. The webpage can list all of your contact information, homework assignments, class schedules, project dates, field trip dates, and class pictures. This is a fun and creative way to engage with your students and make sure everyone stays informed, even before school starts!

2.    Come up with fun morning work packets or games.

By starting every morning with a fun interactive activity, you wake your students up and it can be a great way to get to know your students during the first week of school. Creating a small learning center for games assures that students stay fully engaged and learning.

3.    Spend time learning each student’s names and interests.

By getting to know each student through games, personality quizzes, and icebreakers it can help you plan future projects, trips, and assignments. Planning based off the interests of the students promotes participation because they will be doing things they are interested in.

4.    Prepare fun and creative bulletin boards.

Bulletin boards are a fun way to post rules, pictures, or fun facts. You could even use them to introduce yourself to students during the first week of school.

5.    Set up your classroom for efficiency and fun

Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it’s nice to provide students with an environment where they are comfortable. Small additions such as a free time library or sitting area give students small incentives to finish their work and behave well.

6.    Develop classroom pride

Small things such as a classroom name or a chant create a sense of pride among the class. It also gives you a fun and positive way to get the attention of students when needed.

7.    Set a positive tone to start the year.

By remaining positive as a teacher, students will often mirror the same attitude.

8.    Finally, make sure you have a plan.

It is important to have a plan for everything, but being absent from class is often unpredictable. Make sure your substitutes are fully prepared to care for your class with our Effective Substitute Training. It eliminates the need for training days because it is all online! It also ensures that substitutes are being trained on procedures specific to your district. Adequately trained substitutes provide an ease of mind when you do have to be absent. So head on over to our website to learn more about our Virtual Substitute Training!