Want a Smoother Back to School? Do These 5 Things Now [Episode 194]

Heidi  0:01

This is episode 194 of Teacher Approved.

 

Heidi  0:06

You’re listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I’m Heidi.

 

Emily  0:14

And I’m Emily. We’re the creators behind Second Story Window, where we give research based and teacher approved strategies that make teaching less stressful and more effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

 

Heidi  0:28

We’re so glad you’re tuning in today. Let’s get to the show.

 

Emily  0:36

Hey friends, thanks for joining us today. In today’s episode, we are sharing five smart ways you can prep for back to school this May, and we’ll give you a teacher approved tip to do something special for your teaching teammates.

 

Heidi  0:51

Let’s start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick win that you can try in your classroom right away. Emily, what is our prompt this week?

 

Emily  0:58

This week, why not try a morning meeting remix? Just take one element of your regular morning meeting routine and give it an unexpected twist.

 

Heidi  1:08

I love this idea. It’s especially helpful this time of year when things might be feeling a little bit stale. So if you usually do a standard greeting, you could try having your students greet each other with a compliment instead. Or try adding a quick new activity, nothing that’s going to take a lot of work on your part, but something like a daily joke or a question of the day, or a would you rather of the day.

 

Emily  1:28

Oh, I love it. Small changes like this can really refresh your routine. It is all about that balance of routine and novelty that we talk about a lot here that helps keep students engaged. Your students will love surprises like this in the middle of a daily routine, and it often just leads to more engagement during a time when energy is probably flagging.

 

Heidi  1:49

Plus, it’s a no prep activity that still packs a big impact. Just one small change can make the whole morning feel fresh again.

 

Emily  1:57

If you like this idea or anything else we share here on the podcast, which you make our day by taking a second to give us a five star rating and review on Apple podcasts.

 

Heidi  2:07

So today we are talking about five smart ways to get ahead on back to school prep while you are still in your classroom this May. I know some of you might be giving us the side eye right now, and that is totally justified, but hear us out. In last week’s episode, we talked about why May is actually the perfect time to start thinking ahead to next year.

 

Emily  2:28

It really is. When you’re still in the classroom, all those pain points are crystal clear. You still have your classroom fully set up, and you can even test things out with your current students. Plus doing a little bit of planning now can seriously reduce your back to school panic later and lighten your summer mental load. And who does not want that?

 

Heidi  2:48

So today, we’re getting super specific with five actionable things that you can do right now in the month of May to set yourself up for success when you return in the fall. And none of these things will take hours after school. These are quick wins that will pay big dividends when August rolls around.

 

Emily  3:05

All right, let’s dive into our first task for smart back to school prep in May. What’s up first, Heidi?

 

Heidi  3:12

Well, the first thing you can do in May for back to school is to save your old crayons, your markers and other supplies to use during the first week of school. This solves a problem that drives me crazy every year. Students are using their brand new materials before they know how to care for them properly. Especially if you have funded these materials yourself, there is nothing sadder than watching a fresh box of crayons get demolished within like three days because you haven’t had time to teach crayon procedures yet.

 

Emily  3:40

So before you send students home with their supply boxes at the end of the year, or before you toss out those half used items, set aside a collection of first week supplies. So grab the stubby crayons, the markers that still work but aren’t quite as vibrant, or those colored pencils that are a bit shorter but still have life in them. Store these in a bin labeled first week supplies, and tuck them away for August.

 

Heidi  4:05

When students arrive next year, they can use these good enough supplies for all of the get to know you activities and the practice work before you teach your supply procedures and break out the fun, fresh, pretty new stuff. This saves all of those new supplies from getting destroyed, and it gives you something to use until you have time to teach those procedures.

 

Emily  4:26

And honestly, this little step takes almost no extra time. You’re just redirecting things you’d probably toss or send home anyway, but it’ll save you so much frustration in those first days back.

 

Heidi  4:37

And you might even want to save some supplies that are in really bad shape, like a couple of dried out glue sticks or the whiteboard markers that have the tips jammed inside.

 

Emily  4:46

Yeah why do kids always do that? But hold on to a few, because those really beat up supplies are the perfect bad examples to show when you do your procedure lessons, especially if you use the Guided Discovery method that we love. We will put a link to our Guided Discovery for school supplies in the show notes. If you don’t have it, you’re gonna want it. Okay, what’s next, Heidi?

 

Heidi  5:09

Well the second thing you can do to get ready for back to school is to set up a three bin system before you leave your classroom in May. This is such a game changer for staying organized over the summer. Instead of having everything jumbled together, or worse, scattered between school and home, or maybe even school and home and your car, you create three distinct spaces for things.

 

Emily  5:30

So bin number one is labeled summer working. This is for any material you actually plan to work on over the break. That might be new curriculum to review, books you want to read, or laminating you need to cut out. If you have goals for working in the summer, it’s helpful to have your resources in one place.

 

Heidi  5:47

This is handy because if you have to pack up your room before summer, like so many of us do, you’re probably cramming stuff into any available space, and that means in the middle of July, when you need your teacher’s manual, you’re going to have to dig it out.

 

Emily  6:01

But if that manual is already in your bin, you’re good to go. Just be honest with yourself about how much you’re really going to get done. If you know deep down that you are not going to touch that vocabulary planning all summer, don’t put it in the summer working bin. It’s okay. Just accept it.

 

Heidi  6:19

Bin number two is classroom setup. These are the things you’ll need right away to set up your room, your favorite posters, your desk accessories, label maker, bulletin board supplies, all of that fun stuff.

 

Emily  6:30

And sometimes we call this our need first box, because it has everything in it that you are going to need right away when you get back to your classroom.

 

Heidi  6:38

And then bin number three, which might be my favorite is first week of school. This is everything you’ll need specifically for those opening days. Your first week lesson plans, name tags, get to know your activities, your favorite back to school read alouds, those save supplies that we just talked about, and materials for any special first aid traditions that you have.

 

Emily  6:57

I love this three bin system because it helps you prioritize. When you return in August, you know exactly what to unpack first. You’re not digging through 15 random boxes trying to find your lunch schedule or your welcome letter. It also helps you be realistic about what you’re actually going to accomplish over the summer.

 

Heidi  7:14

To make this super easy, just grab three storage bins or even those large reusable shopping bags, label them clearly and start sorting as you’re cleaning up your classroom these last few weeks. This might take you, what, an extra 20 minutes now, but it’s going to save you hours of frustration in August.

 

Heidi  7:30

Okay, Emily, what is next?

 

Emily  7:32

Well, our third task for back to school is to prepare as many permanent displays as possible before you leave in May. This is one of those work smarter, not harder, tips that can save you so much time. Look around your classroom right now and identify which displays stay relatively consistent year to year, things like your calendar area, alphabet displays, number lines, classroom rules or values and your subject area reference charts. If these don’t change much, why recreate them every single year?

 

Heidi  8:03

If you can leave things up on your walls and bulletin boards, then absolutely do. Just take down what’s related to this year and leave up the rest. It’s so nice if you can keep things up and already have your display ready for you to add your new kids names and birthdays and calendar items to next year.

 

Emily  8:19

This will vary a lot by school. So if you’re not sure how it is in your building, find out before you do any prep work for next year. But if you do unfortunately have to take everything down, you can still work smarter.

 

Heidi  8:30

Yes, before you take everything down, take photos of how these areas are set up. You think you’ll remember, you will not remember. Then carefully take down your core displays and store them flat in labeled folders or large envelopes. You could even go a step further and prepare new versions of any displays that are maybe looking a little bit beat up, a fresh alphabet line or a newly laminated set of calendar pieces takes just a few minutes now, but can save you precious setup time in August.

 

Emily  8:58

May is the perfect time to evaluate which displays actually served you well this year and which ones just collected dust. Be strategic about what you want to keep for next year. One display that we’re particularly fond of is our looking ahead, looking back, bulletin board.

 

Heidi  9:15

I love this one so much. It’s a special end of year activity that transitions beautifully into a beginning of the year display in the fall. So it is a two for one win.

 

Emily  9:26

Yeah, this starts with your students reflecting on their favorite parts of the year. You put their memories up on your bulletin board or wall to enjoy for the rest of the year. But then after the year ends, or when you come back in August, you just switch out the title on the bulletin board. So now, instead of saying looking back on second grade, it says, looking ahead to second grade. Now your bulletin board shows your new students some of the fun moments that await them in your class. If you’re interested in trying this, it’s available in our shop, and of course, we will link to that in the show notes.

 

Heidi  9:57

Other displays to consider prepping now are your job chart, birthday display, class schedule and any behavior or incentive systems. Just a little time invested now means these won’t be on your August to do list. All right, Emily, what is next?

 

Emily  10:13

The fourth task you can do in May for back to school is to create a new student SOP, which stands for Standard Operating Procedure, and do it now, while your routines are fresh in your mind.

 

Heidi  10:25

Every teacher knows the mild panic of getting a new student, especially after those first crucial weeks when you have already taught all of your new procedures.

 

Emily  10:35

And somehow those new students always seem to arrive at the most inconvenient times, like right before lunch, during a big class project, or, you know, 30 minutes after you started the school day.

 

Heidi  10:45

Oh, always. So the idea here is to create a simple checklist of everything a new student needs to know and to have. This becomes your ready to go protocol that you can hand to a buddy student or a teaching assistant to help them get a new arrival up to speed.

 

Emily  11:01

Your SOP might include things like where to hang backpacks, how to order lunch, bathroom procedures, how to use classroom materials, what the signal for attention means, how center rotations work. You know, all those little things that make your classroom run smoothly.

 

Heidi  11:17

And also don’t forget the physical items that a new student needs, a name tag, cubby label, supply box, folder, login information and so on. Plus, there’s all the behind the scenes stuff of adding the parents to your communication system and informing any specialty teachers that you’ve got a new student coming. So with all of that to manage, really the best time to create this list is now in May, when all of your systems are solidified and running smoothly.

 

Emily  11:43

Right, because in May, you can clearly see exactly what makes your classroom tick. It is hard to remember some of these details once you have been blissfully free of your classroom for a couple months.

 

Heidi  11:53

One idea is to make two versions, a simplified one for students who might be helping a new classmate, and a more detailed one for the teacher. Once you have your SOP, you can store it in a visible place, maybe with your sub folder or taped inside a cupboard door. You could even create a little welcome folder with all of the essentials that you or your helper can just grab and go.

 

Emily  12:15

Or you could put it into any new student supply packs you make. This takes maybe 30 minutes to put together now. It will save you so much stress later.

 

Heidi  12:23

Plus it ensures new students feel welcomed and get consistent information, rather than just having to piece things together as they go along.

 

Emily  12:31

And it’s one less thing that you have to worry about in those first few months of school. Your future self will be so grateful when that new student shows up in mid October.

 

Emily  12:39

Okay, Heidi, last task, let’s hear it.

 

Heidi  12:42

Well, our fifth and final back to school task for May is to create a first day quick win before you leave for summer. I think this is my favorite tip, because it addresses that back to school anxiety that sneaks up on even the most experienced teachers. You know, when the nightmares start, and it’s the first day of school and you have nothing prepared, or you’re trapped and you can’t get where you need to be. This strategy is the antidote to that anxiety.

 

Emily  13:10

The idea is simple but powerful. Just prepare one key element of your first day back now, while you’re still in teacher mode. A great option is to prepare your first morning arrival task, just something students can start working on immediately when they walk in.

 

Heidi  13:25

We love pattern blocks or Legos for your first day arrival activity. And we have got a couple of resources that you can use just for this. So we will link to that in the show notes.

 

Emily  13:34

You could also prep a favorite read aloud and the activity that goes with it, or another activity you know you’ll want to do that first day.

 

Heidi  13:41

Just having one piece fully ready gives you an incredible peace of mind. When that mid July panic starts to creep in, you can remind yourself, Hey, I’ve already started. I am not starting from zero.

 

Emily  13:53

Whatever you choose, make it something that will truly help that first day run more smoothly. This is also a great time to jot down any special First Day traditions you want to continue, or new ones you want to try. Sometimes those details fade over the summer and we only remember them the night before school starts.

 

Heidi  14:10

That’s the worst, you’re like, I was gonna do that, and now, yep, no time. So stop that now and get your list going. Setting up this quick first day when takes minimal effort now, but provides maximum relief later. It’s like sending a little gift to your future, maybe slightly panicked, August self. We love helping future you.

 

Emily  14:32

So let’s recap our five smart tasks for May back to school prep. Number one, save some of your old supplies so that you can use them when you’re teaching proper procedures. Number two, create a three bin system to organize your summer working materials, your classroom setup or need first essentials and the first week of school must haves. Number three, prep permanent displays now so they’re ready to hang in August. Number four, create a new student SOP while your routines are fresh in your mind. And number five, set up a first day quick win that gives your future self a head start.

 

Heidi  15:10

None of these strategies should take more than an hour at the most, but together, they’ll save you so many hours of stress and preparation in August. And if you want more help planning for next year, don’t forget to check out our free end of year roadmap. It’s a digital planning tool that helps you reflect on what worked this year, what didn’t, and what you want to change for next year.

 

Emily  15:30

It’s completely free, and you can access it through the link in our show notes. You can fill it all out at once or little by little as you have time. And stay tuned for information soon about our upcoming teacher summer talks event, which is happening in mid June. It’s a free audio summit with lots of back to school strategies from experienced teachers designed to fit into your summer schedule without requiring you to sit in front of a screen for hours.

 

Heidi  15:55

We are excited to be sharing more details about that soon, but in the meantime, we would love to hear which of these five tasks you are going to try. Come join the conversation in our teacher approved Facebook group.

 

Emily  16:06

Now for our teacher approved Tip of the Week, where we share an actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and simplify the rest. This week’s teacher approved tip is create welcome back goodie bags for your teacher teammates. Tell us about this, Heidi.

 

Heidi  16:22

We all know that first day back for teachers can be overwhelming. There’s so much to do and so little time, and you’re so tired. A small gesture that can make a big difference is preparing little welcome back treats for your grade level team or teaching partners.

 

Emily  16:34

These don’t have to be elaborate or expensive. A simple paper bag with a few thoughtful items can be such a morale booster when you’re all rushing around trying to get classrooms ready.

 

Heidi  16:43

Some things you might want to include are chapstick, colorful sticky notes, a pack of markers, or some chocolate, because, you know, chocolate does make everything better.

 

Emily  16:55

I love adding a small moisturizing hand sanitizer or lotion, especially since teachers hands take such a beating during those first weeks back, and if you can find them on sale now, it’s so much cheaper than buying them in August, when school supplies are at premium prices.

 

Heidi  17:10

The key is to make these now while you have a little time, and then just tuck them away with your first week bin that we talked about earlier. You can even add a simple handwritten note saying how excited you are to work together this year. But just a warning, if you add chocolate, make sure to keep this bin someplace cool and not in the trunk of your car.

 

Emily  17:28

For sure. What makes this tip special is that it’s focusing on teacher to teacher connections. We spend so much time preparing for our students, but our colleagues are such an important part of our daily support system.

 

Heidi  17:40

Start planning these little welcome bags now when you’re not in a rush and you will be everyone’s favorite teammate when you hand them out during the first hectic work day. And you know, don’t we all want that a little bit?

 

Emily  17:52

I always want to be the favorite.

 

Heidi  17:54

We are not above bribery here. But really it’s a simple gesture that just shows that we are all in this together.

 

Heidi  18:03

Alright, to wrap up the show, we are sharing what we’re giving extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

 

Emily  18:07

I’m giving extra credit to the new peanut butter flavor of my favorite Barebells protein bars. So I think I’ve given extra credit to Barebells before. Barebells are far and away the yummiest protein bars I’ve ever tasted, and the peanut butter flavor is next level. It quickly shot to my favorite flavor, and it’s not too peanut buttery, which I think is a good thing. It’s not like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

 

Heidi  18:33

Yeah, that would be a lot.

 

Emily  18:34

But in a good way.

 

Heidi  18:35

Maybe I have to come steal one and see how I like it.

 

Emily  18:37

Yes, you should. What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?

 

Heidi  18:41

Well, I’m giving extra credit to the celebrity British Bake Off on the Roku channel. So they’ve done this for years. I think ever since Great British Bake Off started, they would do some celebrity episodes as a fundraiser for Red Nose Day. But we just never got it here in the US. PBS didn’t show it. It didn’t show up on Netflix. So I’ve seen some episodes on YouTube, but otherwise, it’s just really hit or miss what you could see. But Roku started showing it, and Roku is free. It does have ads, but I didn’t think the ads were too bad, it was just maybe one mid episode ad. And it was just really fun to see, you know, people who can’t bake try to do like the similar activities that they do on a regular Bake Off episode. People have no idea what they’re doing, so which is almost more fun. Do I know all of the celebrities? I do not.

 

Emily  19:34

No, a lot of them are very Britain specific celebrities.

 

Heidi  19:39

But they’re still very entertaining. So if you want something fun and light to get you through these last few months of school, definitely check out the celebrity British Bake Off episodes.

 

Emily  19:48

And when you told me about this, I immediately turned it on and found the James McAvoy episode that I have wanted to watch for like, what, wasn’t that like 2020 or 2021? So I finally got to watch it. No spoilers, but he did an excellent job.

 

Heidi  20:03

He really did. I was surprised at how well he did a baking.

 

Emily  20:06

I know he took it seriously, which I think is fun, because a lot of times on here, some of them take it super seriously, and some are just there to be silly. And I like it when they try really hard, and then if they fail, it’s still great, but I just wanted them to have tried hard before they fail.

 

Heidi  20:21

It’s kind of like, if you’ve ever seen people around the Olympics being like, they should always just have one regular person in an Olympic event, you can really appreciate how talented the Olympians are. This is kind of that, if you’ve watched the regular Bake Off episodes.

 

Emily  20:36

Yes, exactly.

 

Emily  20:38

Well, that’s it for today’s episode. Try out some of these five smart ways to prep for back to school this May.

 

Heidi  20:44

And don’t forget our teacher approved tip to create those welcome back goodie bags for your teaching teammates. It’s such a simple way to start the year with positivity and connection.

 

Heidi  20:56

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I’m Heidi.

 

Emily  20:59

And I’m Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

 

Heidi  21:06

You can connect with us and other teachers in the Teacher Approved Facebook group. We’ll see you here next week. Bye, for now.

 

Emily  21:13

Bye.