While the end of July takes a long time to arrive, the same can certainly not be said for September! Whether you’re just about to start the summer holidays, or if you’ve suddenly realised you’ve just got a few weeks left, it always seems like September is just around the corner.
The good news is that you’re right on time to start getting ready for September and back-to-school time. While students buy new uniforms to replace those they’ve grown out of and look forward to seeing their friends again, it’s time for you to start planning what they’ll learn.
There’s no need to panic - with our top 5 tips, you’ll soon feel prepared for September so you can relax and enjoy your remaining time off!
Fortunately, so much of what we need to do now as teachers can be done digitally, but most of us still need some physical supplies to get ready for the year. Now is a great time to review what you’ll be supplied with by the school and what you won’t be so you can order anything else you need; we’re talking your favourite pens, a new teacher’s daily planner, and reward stickers.
Review your school calendar and your class’s curriculum so you can make a plan for the year ahead. Once you know what to expect, you can start planning your content. The good news is Pango has entire Primary schemes of work for Maths, English, and Science, so you can find what you need and go into September knowing the most important topics are planned and ready to go - is there anything that will give you greater peace of mind?
Now is also a great time to plan your first 1-2 weeks of lessons - with Pango’s resources, planning your lessons can be fast and fun, so get that planning out of the way now so you can relax between now and September.
It’s your classroom and you can create a learning environment that suits your class and your teaching style, so now is a great time to think about how you’ll manage your classroom. Consider ways you’ll manage time, if you’ll distribute classroom jobs and roles (and how), and homework routines.
This is also a good time to review your classroom rules, create a new set of rules, and think about how you’ll ask your class to follow them. If you plan to carry any rules or processes over from last year, spend a little time reviewing what worked and what didn’t so you can change anything that wasn’t as effective as you hoped.
Most teachers love a good plan, so planning your first few weeks back will probably be enjoyable for you! Grab your favourite planner or agenda (whether physical or digital) and plan your ideal week. When will you do your administrative tasks? When will you do your lesson planning? What about marking work? Try to balance what’s ideal with what’s realistic (don’t forget that you need downtime!) and you’ll come up with a plan that will keep you on track even when life gets hectic.
There’s no substitute for getting to know your new class in person, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get an idea by looking at their data. Are there any students who may need extra support? Are there any children who will be new to the class while the others are all moving up together?
Knowing the answers to these questions (as well as learning how to pronounce any difficult names) can help you feel confident moving into the new year, and better plan groups and timetables to ensure all students get the support they need from the start.
Back-to-school time is always stressful, but it's a whole lot easier when you feel prepared and ready to go. If you do want to get ready for the year ahead, check out Pango's lesson planning features and library of schemes of work, lessons and resources from trusted publishers - bringing you everything you need for the year ahead all in one place.