Are You Ready For School To Begin?
It’s the week leading up to going back to school in Australia and the count down panic is on.
I remember the anxiety, the nervousness and the stress. But thankfully I don’t have to feel it this year. I have really been able to enjoy my school holidays this year mainly due to my decision to forego being a classroom teacher and move into a casual role. I no longer have the evening, weekend or holiday work that school can demand from a teacher.
But I remember it well. Overplanning, cutting and laminating everything, reorganising the classroom and every piece of lego. Even making sure the program was all planned. How can you even do that without even meeting your students? Term One is pretty demanding and busy particularly for the first few weeks so take a chill pill and relax. Don’t waste your worries. There is no need to get anxious. You don’t need more stress lines.
Here is some of the best advice I can offer for the week before school going back;
don’t worry about spending time making the matching and coordinated desk name-tags or tote tray tags. There are always last-minute changes to your class list. Instead, give your kiddies a couple of piece’s of paper to decorate on the first day. Then stick them on with clear contact. It’s more authentic that way. Your students will feel more ownership over the classroom.
don’t worry about having all your posters up and the classroom being bright and beautiful. Students learn best when you go through and teach each poster before it goes up. You will find they will refer to it more. And it’s also a great learning activity for you to make posters together, even if they don’t look as pretty
don’t worry about having the most amazing first day of school activities planned. Just go with the flow and do what feels right. Spend time getting to know your students and setting ground rules and expectations. Read this post for more helpful ideas
don’t worry about spending money for your classroom. Baked bin tins make great pencil holders, empty tissue boxes make good containers. Second hand is fine too. Think outside the box and be an example of sustainability for your students
don’t worry about an amazing reading corner. Cushions become weapons at some point and that teepee teachers have, well you don’t know what’s happening in there. Have your students do a bulk loan from the library, you don’t need to spend money buying books, that can get costly and is not necessary. Borrow these ones to read in the first week for lower primary students
don’t worry about wasting your time covering the school books. Ask parents for help. There are always parents with spare time looking for a way they can contribute to their children’s classroom
don’t worry about having the perfect setup or desk organisation. Move the trays, tables and bookcases around once you see the students in the space. Have a trial of different setups. Are you trying out the flexible learning idea? Do you have areas in your room? Ask the students what works for them best
don’t worry about going shopping and buying all new clothes. No one is going to remember what you wore last year. With just a few tops, skirts or pants you can mix and match all term. Find a comfortable pair of shoes and Bobs your uncle.
Make an effort to relax and enjoy the rest of your break before life becomes all-consuming once again. Well, for ten weeks at least before the next holidays!
What do you over worry about that really isn’t necessary? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.