As we come to the end of the school year. Do you feel like you have a never-ending to-do list? It can be overwhelming with the end of the year assessments, completing district paperwork, field trips, projects, report cards, closing up the classroom and so much more. One of the most important things on your end of year checklist needs to be to prepare for the next school year.
It can be tempting to quickly close up your classroom, turn in the paperwork, and submit grades. Who doesn’t want to get started on summer vacation as soon as possible? On the other hand, if you complete a few tasks to prepare your classroom and mind for next year before you leave, you can start the next school off on the right foot.
Take a Moment at the End of Your School Year and Prepare for Next School Year Now
Think about it, you’ve just done a major case study on what worked and what didn’t work for you and your class. Maybe the way you set up your classroom library caused too much work for you. Or one of your students did something really cool and you want to have all your students do the same thing next year.
I don’t know about you, but I always have a lot of great ideas at the end of a school year that I want to try next year. Then, I return to school and my mind is blank. It’s easy to get focused on back to school professional developments, new curriculum, or open house preparations. Keep reading for 3 ways to prepare for the next school year now, to give yourself a head start in the fall.
Wondering how to prepare for the 2020 school year? Read how I’m planning for virtual and hybrid teaching.
This may be a year of challenges, but you’ve got this! We can do “virtually” anything!
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Complete a Reset and an Inventory of your Classroom
As I close up my classroom I go through each area doing an inventory. Checking what I have, what needs to go, and what I need for next year. At the same time, I clean and reset each area, so that it is ready to go for the beginning of the new school year.
When I first started teaching I had a very different philosophy. I “cleaned” as quickly as possible. I stuffed papers in my drawers, put materials away any place I could find, and got signed out as fast as I could. I told myself I would clean and organize in August. I learned that this was not the case. Instead of having time to get my classroom organized and ready. I had to spend time learning a new curriculum, participating in professional development, and all the other back to school stuff. I ended up spending the whole school year playing catch up.
Ready to get started on your classroom inventory? Click here to download a FREE digital set of Stress Less Teacher Mom Checklists. Included is an end of the year and start of the year to do list.
Something is always going to come up at the beginning of the school year. So, I’ve found it’s best to do my cleaning and organizing at the end of the year. Plus, it’s such a good feeling to come back to a classroom that’s ready to go.
This was especially important for me when I was pregnant with our first daughter. I moved buildings and was six months pregnant. It took me one day to pack up my old classroom because I had already organized and inventoried my things at the end of the previous year. As a teacher mom, I’ve found this also helps
If you tend to get distracted (like me) when cleaning out and end up jumping from area to area. It will be helpful to have a plan. So, it’s best to sit down and go around the room clockwise and make a list of each area. In each area, throw out anything that is broken or outdated. Make a pile of things to donate or give away. Finally, put everything you want to keep back neatly so you can easily find it in the fall.
Another area to make sure you don’t over look is your bulletin boards or wall displays. If your district allows you to keep them up that is a huge time saver. Either way it can be helpful to evaluate what decor you want to keep and what you want to change for next year. This way you can have the summer to plan and make and/or purchase what you need for new displays.
For instance, this year I had grand plans to do a focus wall for reading. I was going to post all the different things we were going to be learning for the week in reading. Great idea, but I only made and posted them for two weeks. On top of that even though I referred to the posters my students didn’t seem to find much use out of them. Instead, I want to make my reading and writing bulletin board more engaging for students so they interact with it more. I’ve experimented with a few different displays in May to see which ones my students use.
Some other tasks I do during my reset and inventory of my classroom are:
- Go through my multitudes of miscellaneous paper and either file it, recycle it, or put in my scrap paper drawer.
- Organize my classroom library and check for books that need a visit to the book hospital (my retired librarian mom).
- File or shred student personal, academic, or behavior information.
- Clear off my teacher’s desk, bookshelves, and other shelves. (District requirement).
- Check markers, dry erase markers, crayons, and pencils. Throwing out any that aren’t working.
I’ve found it best to save my desk for last because as I find things in other areas they usually end up at my desk. After cleaning my desk multiple times on one day I decided it was best to just wait. How do you close down your classroom to make it fresh for the new year?
Review your Classroom Management Plan
As you come to the end of the year, it’s helpful to pull out your classroom management plan and make notes. Review what worked and what needs to change or be added for the next year. A classroom management plan includes all your procedures, routines, rules, etc. I’ve tweaked my plan every year that I’ve been teaching. Sometimes those tweaks happen throughout the year. It’s important for the changes to be noted in the plan in case your brain blanks when you return in August.
Your classroom management plan will change from year to year. Let the needs of your students dictate what your plan needs. No matter what, the core of your classroom management plan helps create the classroom culture that you strive for. So, you can reuse that year to year.
A smaller change I’m making this year is adding a new procedure to my list to teach at the beginning of the year. I’ve learned over the years that I need to teach my students what to do if they get separated from the class and/or an adult. This year we had a student hide on the playground at the end of recess and then get locked out. The student panicked and didn’t know what to do. Thankfully, an older student noticed him/her out on the playground alone.
To make sure I cover this topic during our back-to-school lessons I want to make a note of it now. Otherwise, I would likely forget about it and not go over it at the beginning of the year.
What would you like to change for next year? Need help? Read this post about creating a classroom management plan or get the Classroom Management Planner.
Keep Running Checklists, To-Do Lists, & Shopping Lists.
Throughout my process, I keep running checklists to help me prepare for next school year. You can keep the lists on your phone so that you can work on things as you have time during the summer. That way if you find good deals on things you need you can purchase it as you go. It will also help you be mentally prepared when you head back to school. A few ways to keep a digital copy are to use a Google Doc, a Google Sheet, or as a list on the Google Keep app. I would also suggest keeping paper copies in the top drawer of your desk. This way you know where to start when you return to school in the fall.
Download a FREE digital copy of some of my favorite checklists. Including an end of the year and start of the year to do list.
While one long list works it can be helpful to break it down into sub-sections or multiple lists. Some of the lists I’ve used in the past include:
To Purchase
A shopping list of things that you want to purchase before next year. I include the categories: Must Haves, Would Like, & Wish List. This lets me strategize as I make purchases over the summer. Having this list on my phone lets me check it when I see deals and helps limit my impulse spending. I find it helpful to add to this list as I complete my classroom inventory. Over the summer, I use Amazon Prime to make as many purchases as possible. This saves me a trip to the store and I get free two-day shipping!
To Make
If you like to make your own worksheets, classroom decor, etc. It can be helpful to keep a running list of things you would like to make before school starts.
To DO
This is the list that you should also put as a paper copy in the top drawer of your desk. That way you have a clear plan of attack when you return in August. It can be overwhelming with all you need to do to prepare for a new year. This list helps you have an action plan and also allows you to waste less time trying to figure out where to start. There is already so much to do during back to school, so you don’t want to waste precious time trying to remember what you need to get done.
Preparing for Next School Year In the Wake of Covid-19
This school year with many school districts closed for the remainder of the school year, due to Covid-19, wrapping up the school year is a little more complicated. Many teachers are allowed a short period of time to go in and accomplish this task. It’s going to be even more vital for you to go in with a plan of attack as you close up your room and prepare for next school year.
You will also want to identify what skills your students might have missed during distance learning. This will help you share important information for their teachers next year. You may also want to think about what you will need if distance learning continues or restarts in the fall.
One of our biggest struggles during distance learning was all the technology. I spent a lot of time helping families understand how to use all the different programs. So I’m making a list of things I need to teach my students and their families about the technology we use. I’m also adding to my back to school to do list creating a set of technology tutorials. That way I can share with students and their families. Hopefully, we won’t have to do distance learning again, but if we do it will go more smoothly if we start preparing now.
Need help getting started on your checklists? Get a FREE digital set of Stress Less Teacher Mom Checklists! All you need to do is CLICK HERE.
Summer break feels short, but it’s amazing how quickly your grand plans for the new school year leave your head as you enjoy your time off. Take the few extra moments to prepare for next school year before you start your summer vacation. Then you can hit the ground running when you return to open your classroom for a new year. Share in the comments below how you prepare for next school year now!
