1) Get to know your curriculum and plan.
I think this applies for most any teaching position - whether you've been there none, one, or twenty years. For me? I'm starting at a brand new school with a brand new grade in a brand new state. So - you guessed it - everything is brand new. (*panic attack* any new teachers/teachers switching out there?) Here's something a retired teacher told me once that really stuck with me - your curriculum is the most important thing for you to learn as a teacher. When I first heard this, it crushed me. I LOVE my themes. But, if you don't know your curriculum and you don't plan well, it doesn't matter if your classroom is Disney World. But...I still keep themes on my list. :) I'll divide this into 2 sections - the newbies and the experienced.
- Newbies:
The first question to ask after getting your job: Do you have a Basal or what reading/math curriculum do you use? This is so important! Study this. Learn this. Pin this. TPT this. I'm not kidding. The experienced teachers at school will take care of you. They will! They won't leave you to the wolves. But, I have always found that having a little bit of a foundation or background in the curriculum makes asking questions, getting advice, and organizing my classroom so much easier. Here's my challenge to all my newbies out there: survive and thrive!
- Experienced:
I don't know about you, but throughout the whole year I think, "I'm going to organize this over the summer," or "I wish I had _____ instead," or "I wish there was a pack that had _____." Take this time right now to do/find ALL of that! Take an hour - 30 minutes and think about your year last year. Was there anything that worked? Anything that didn't? I am a firm believer that there is always room for improvement. And, here's my challenge to you: change something up! Reorganize your classroom, update some centers, add a new group. I think this is so important because it's certain to make every year feel fresh.
My goal: Have newsletters with our standards and posters for the standards ready to go for each week. I know prepping centers will take up a lot of my time so I want to free up time to focus on that! I'm also planning on writing about each of my units at the end of my teaching lessons. I want to remember what I loved and what I hated.
2) Decide your classroom set up and theme (my favorite).
With this step, I really reflect on my curriculum and my goals for the year. If I'm wanting centers to drive my instruction, I know I need to have places to store centers, places for my kids to go, etc. I always plan my classroom so centers can flow seamlessly. I have all my kids line up with their groups, rotate at once, and go to their area quietly and quickly. When planning my classroom, I know I need easy places for them to line up and rotate. If I put a desk in the way, someone is going to run into the desk daily.
Pick your theme! And choose it well! After all, when your room is a wreck and you're stressed to the brim...make sure your theme and decorations will bring you joy! Is it the same? Are you changing it? Make sure you've got all your stuff laminated and cut out early! I try to add something new to my classroom each year. I find it helps to make the year feel brand new and exciting. Plan early and get it done! You're going to have so much on your mind getting ready for the first day and Meet the Teacher. I've also learned...recruit your friends! My first year my friends were SO SWEET to help me cut (shout out to Meg and Elyse!). I learned my husband is a terrible cutter... :/, but my mom loves cutting lamination and is an A+ cutter. I can send her with stacks on stacks and she'll be done within the hour.
My goal: Have places in my classroom for flexible seating for morning work. I love this new trend of flexible seating, but my orderly teacher nature panics a little bit. I want to try to incorporate some choice into seating without giving up my desks.
3) Plan out your first week and have copies/activities ready.
Every year, I spend weeks and weeks planning my room and my theme. And, every year...the first day always sneaks up on me. I am determined to have everything ready. You may already have this, but sit down and plan out your whole week. I don't know why, but over the summer I always forget how long is takes my kids to complete things. I think it also depends on your kids! I've had slowpokes and I've had early finishers. Sit down and plan out each day. Pick out books, activities, tours, etc.
My goal: I want to write on my schedule how long each activity takes. I'm also going to try to document if my kids enjoyed an activity or not. Why waste time on something they hate? I always forget this when the new year comes. I also am currently working on having all of my Brag Tags, Coupons, and Classroom Economy printed and laminated before the first day. And...I've never done any of this before! :/ I'll let you know how it goes!
4) Plan your parental involvement, correspondence, and interaction.
I say this because I always find it's important to set a standard with all parents. You want them to know from Meet the Teacher exactly how they can contact you, find out information, and get updates. Make sure you set your standard early! It's so hard to go back on something or change it later on in the year.
My goal: I want to have all my parents sign up for Remind. Usually, I get almost all, but this year I'm offering a reward for my kids and parents (I'm still working on it, but I'm thinking...homework pass?) for signing up. I also want to have many of our announcements scheduled out. Curriculum night? I can go ahead and schedule that. Holidays? I can schedule those to go out now. I'm going to try writing all of my scheduled announcements in my planner. Why? That way if a snow day comes out of the blue and we have to make up a day...I can cancel it before any confusion arises!
What do you find to be important? What are your Top 4?
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