Almost August…Almost Back to School
You might have a few thoughts about the upcoming school year. Here are a few ideas for transitioning from summer to school,
Another new school year is around the corner! Some of you may be heading back in a few weeks while others have another month or more until school begins.
As we head into the Back-to-School season, let’s talk about a few questions that can help guide your thoughts and plans as you transition from summer to teaching:
What do you want to enjoy before school starts?
What are you most looking forward to in the new school year?
What are you most stressed or nervous about for the new school year?
What can you do to lessen your nerves and calm your mind?
Towards the end of summer I always feel a mix of excitement for what’s ahead with a mix of sadness that summer went too fast and I didn’t soak it up as much as I had hoped. Though I look back at our summers, as simple as they often are, and can see that I took time to do things I enjoyed, spent time with my girls and friends/family, and feel content that I spent summertime in a more relaxed way than I do the rest of the year. How are you feeling as summer winds down? Is there anything you want to do before school starts? Another day at the pool with your kids, a show you want to binge, a lunch out with a friend? Think about one thing you’d like to do before school starts that really matters to you and carve time out to do it.
As the new school year approaches, is there something you’re looking forward to? If you can identify one or more things that you are looking forward to for the new school year, you can use that excitement to begin preparing content, gathering lesson ideas, and organizing materials. Meet up with colleagues and teacher friends. Enjoy those feelings and use your positivity as a way to motivate you to bring joy and fresh ideas into the new school year.
The end of summer can also trigger feelings of stress, anxiety and nervousness. At the start of each new school year, I often think “Do I know how to do this teaching thing? How did I begin the year? There’s so much to do - where do I even begin?” If you’re stressed or nervous about what’s ahead, here are a few things that have helped me over the years:
What’s in your control? And are there things you can do now to lessen the stress/nervousness later? If you aren’t ready to face school related content or tasks now, what can you do to enjoy where you are and let the future worry about itself?
What is it that you’re stressed or nervous about? Sometimes just naming those things can help us face them head on. Or find starting places for what we can do to ease our nerves about school beginning. One of the areas I often stressed about was room set-up. When could I get into my classroom and get things in order and ready? I also worried about those first day of class plans. What could I do now to get lessons planned? Sometimes it was a matter of choosing one song, one speech piece, one game, and one music activity for students to do that first class. Once I selected a few musical experiences, I felt settled and could relax more.
Realize that it will all come back to you. You don’t have to figure out ALL of your lessons now or try to get ahead of any challenges that may come your way or even have your room perfectly decorated. Make one choice about one thing. A few starting places if you feel stuck:
Create a lesson plan template for each grade or a generic one for all grades.
Purchase a planner. (Listen in to Episode 266 for planner ideas from Danny McKay!)
Select an opening song for classes.
Select a closing song for classes.
Make a plan for how to fit in movement, meditation, prayer or other activities that you’ve enjoyed this summer into your school schedule. Will you wake up earlier to workout or take walks with a teacher friend at school now and again? What brings you joy and life outside of teaching that you really want to be deliberate about doing during the school year? Make a plan for it, if you can!
Choose one song, game, or activity for each grade level to start the new year. Begin with one grade at a time.
Organize your Google Drive. Begin by cleaning up files from last year or simply start a new folder for the new school year.
Meet up with a music teacher friend and chat about ideas in your head. Learning from others and spending time with friends brings me so much joy. Enjoy chatting about life and school together!
Don’t do anything yet! If you need to enjoy your summer until teacher inservice, enjoy it! You might not be ready to tackle school projects yet. Enjoy your summertime!
Remind yourself that you’re an amazing human and wonderful teacher. We’ve been through a lot as educators the past few years and this year ahead could be your best one yet. Cheers to you friends as you embark on a new school year! I hope it’s you’re best one yet! Settle into believing that you do great work and that you’re amazing. Sometimes just remembering that you matter and you do great things helps alleviate stress.