With summer winding down and a new school year just around the corner, the time has come for teachers to think about what they need to do to prep for the new school year. 

Even if this isn’t your first rodeo, the beginning of any school year can be crazy. So here are six ways to prepare for the upcoming school year – so you can start on the right foot!

Create Your Lesson Plans

Planning is a big part of any teacher’s life and is essential for ensuring your lessons run smoothly.

To help it all come together, task management software will allow you to create your plans, allocate dates to lesson topics and activities, and give you the satisfaction of checking things off when they’ve been done. Taking advantage of the format of a calendar or planner will help to visualize your week, so you can see at a quick glance what you’re meant to be doing in each lesson and when.

Organize Your Classroom

There’s some truth in the saying, “a cluttered desk leads to a cluttered mind.” According to research, having a disorganized work or living space can negatively affect your health and well-being, making it harder for you to focus.

Make organization your first priority when preparing the classroom and sorting through the pile of documents on your desk. Put them into files and recycle anything you don’t need. To reduce clutter building up again, try to make a conscious effort to reduce the number of documents you print and photocopy.

Create Your Rules

Put together your list of classroom rules to go over on the first day of school—like no gum chewing, raising your hand to speak, no eating during class, etc. Consider writing your rules on a big poster board and displaying them as a reminder for students. You can also ask your students to suggest rules – building collaboration and engagement with your pupils.

Set Your Goals

As a teacher, setting goals at the start of the school year (and referring to them as you go) will keep you organized as you get back in the swing of things. They could be as simple as ensuring you get ten essays marked by the end of each week or that every pupil understands a particular lesson. Tracking your goals will help keep them at the front of your mind to review your progress.

Inventory School Supplies

Many teachers buy a lot of school supplies during the back-to-school sales. If you haven’t already, inventory your remaining items like folders, spirals, pens, and composition notebooks, so you know what you need to have enough of everything for the coming school year.

Reflect on 2020

Enough has been written about the difficult year teachers, students, and parents have gone through. But it’s important that educators reflect on 2020 differently. 

Keep in mind what happened, how the profession was forced to change on very short notice, and how much was still accomplished after the world turned upside down. If you take nothing else away from the whole experience, know what was possible and what you achieved.

At GHR Education, we’re true school staffing experts. Whether you’re a school-based professional looking for a great education opportunity, or a school district looking for dedicated professionals to deliver a nurturing, educational environment, our education recruitment company is here for you. To learn more, visit our GHR Education website today.