When the calendar first flipped to May, my mind started to drift toward summer. Sure, I knew what I still needed to accomplish and, of course, finals were still ahead of us. But it was easy to start thinking about taking days off, sleeping in and traveling.
And, if you鈥檙e like me, it鈥檚 hard to let go of summer and start planning for the school year. But as we enter the final days of break, it鈥檚 time for teachers to start shifting from 鈥渟ummer mode鈥� to 鈥渟chool mode.鈥�
This is my second summer as a teacher, and in that time, I鈥檝e developed a routine to get my mind focused back on school while enjoying what little bit of summer I still have left. Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 helped me.
1. Take one final trip or vacation
Whether it鈥檚 a week-long respite or just a weekend trip, make sure you take a solid vacation before the grind starts. As I write this, I鈥檓 touring the Pacific Northwest and doing some hiking and other touristy things. Last summer, I traveled to New England for vacation and finished the summer off with a weekend trip to St. Louis.
I鈥檝e found that I need a refreshing vacation to end my summer right and recharge my battery. On top of my teaching responsibilities, I鈥檓 in charge of boys鈥� and girls鈥� tennis as well as the student publications. I rarely get a day off during the school year, so having a week where I can focus on being with my wife and just having fun is crucial to starting the school year off on the right mindset. It can take weeks 鈥� even months 鈥� to decompress from the previous school year, so a stress-free late summer vacation can prove to be vital.
2. Carve out time to plan school work
Some teachers are wired in such a way that their workload doesn’t stop when the school year does. Summer just means more time to get done what they were already doing. Some attend professional development seminars or work a second job, while others lead training sessions or take classes of their own.
If you haven鈥檛 started planning for the upcoming school year yet, it鈥檚 time to start. Most schools will start back up in early or mid-August, so the final weeks of July can be a busy time.
I try to carve out an hour or two at least three or four days per week to examine my curriculum, plan lessons, review pacing for the upcoming school year and make a rough outline of the timeline that I plan to follow. I know that it鈥檚 subject to change, but it鈥檚 nice to have a visual of what the academic year will look like.
I use the Google calendar template because it allows you to customize each month and enter the rough plans for each day. (Think back to college when you were given a semester-long syllabus. This is basically the same idea.) I print these off for my students when we read novels, and it provides a rough reading schedule.
Even if you don鈥檛 end up giving the template to your students at the start of the year, planning things out in calendar form can help you visualize where you want to land each day, week and month of your semesters.
3. Start waking up earlier
And for that matter, you might as well start going to sleep earlier as well. The first few days of school are taxing, so you need as much energy as possible.
Yes, I know. We want to sleep in as long as we can, and if there鈥檚 no real reason to get up, why not stay in bed? But, once the school year rolls around, you鈥檒l have to wake up around 5:30 or 6 am every day anyway, and you鈥檒l be expected to be sharp from the beginning. We鈥檙e not afforded a week or two to get acclimated to the early days, so you’ll want to get your body adjusted now.
If you don鈥檛 have a summer job, use those extra hours to get some school planning done. You can have all of that knocked out before you even eat breakfast, and then you鈥檒l have the whole day to relax.
4. Create classroom culture
Many teachers enjoy getting back into their classrooms to decorate and get the classroom aesthetic ready for the upcoming year. Whether it鈥檚 physical or philosophical, it鈥檚 time to start creating the environment you want for your classroom. If something worked the previous year, carry it over to the next. If something didn鈥檛 work, scrap it and start thinking of ways to improve.
Take a look at your class rosters and get to know your students as best as you can. The first few days are vital to setting the culture for the whole year. Habits set in quickly, so if you want things to work differently than the previous year, use the first few days to set that tone.
Gear up, because the school year will be here soon!
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