Do These 5 Easy Things in April to Make Back to School Easier! [Episode 190]

Heidi  0:01

This is episode 190 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  0:13

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 there. Thanks for joining us today. In today’s episode, we’re giving you five easy tasks that you can do in April to get ready for back to school, and we’re sharing a teacher approved tip for giving a spring refresh to your classroom procedures.

 

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, give the mystery compliment game a try. You write each student’s name on a small slip of paper and put them in a jar, then have each student secretly draw a name and write down a specific compliment about that person. Then in the afternoon, you can read the compliments out loud and let the students guess who it’s about.

 

Heidi  1:17

I love this so much. It is a quick and easy way to boost classroom kindness and connection, which is so important this time of year, and it is a perfect way to add some surprise and delight.

 

Emily  1:28

If you like this idea or anything else we share here on the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star rating? Ratings and reviews are one way new listeners find us. So every rating and review is a huge help to us.

 

Heidi  1:42

So be honest, did you have a little bit of a heart attack when you saw the words back to school in this episode title?

 

Emily  1:50

Don’t worry if you did. That is completely normal, but no need to panic. We promise you will leave this episode feeling inspired, not terrified.

 

Heidi  2:01

Not only inspired, but also empowered, I think.

 

Emily  2:03

Yes.

 

Heidi  2:04

Now I know what you might be thinking. April seems a little bit early to be thinking about back to school, especially when you might still be counting down the days to spring break, or maybe you are just trying to make it through the chaos of testing season. But hear us out.

 

Emily  2:19

Yeah, thinking about back to school in April actually gives you a nice advantage. You’re still in the classroom routine, so all those systems and challenges are fresh in your mind. You don’t have to think too hard to know what worked well and what you are never, ever doing again. That kind of clarity is hard to come by in the middle of summer break, when last year feels like a cloudy memory.

 

Heidi  2:43

So we are going to jump on that April advantage. And don’t worry, we’re not about to suggest things that are going to take you hours to do after school. We have got five simple things you can do in short bursts, like independent work time or planning time, to set yourself up for back to school success without adding to your already full plate.

 

Emily  3:04

We want you to start next year feeling rested, refreshed and ready to go, and one step in that direction is by starting your prep early. So let’s dive into the five tasks you can do in April for back to school.

 

Emily  3:17

Okay, task number one to get ready for back to school in April is start your lists. We’re starting with something simple, but seriously powerful. And we don’t mean just make a to do list. We’re talking about three specific lists that will save the day when you sit down to plan over the summer.

 

Heidi  3:36

Our first list is a Ta-Da list. This is where you celebrate everything you did well this year. What did you try that worked? What routines or systems felt smooth and sustainable? Write it down so that you remember to bring it back next year.

 

Emily  3:51

If you’re like us, it’s so much easier to think of all the things going wrong than to recognize all the amazing things that are going great. But that’s the reason why you need to start working on it right away. Once you get a few things written on your ta-da list, more things will come to mind. You’ll start noticing how smoothly your morning routine runs, or how you maximize your transition after lunch for a quick review time. Make that list so you have a place to write these observations down.

 

Heidi  4:18

It is so important to celebrate your wins. Not only is that a great mood boost, but it will help you identify what you want to make sure to continue in the future. And getting started on it now, while you’re still in the thick of the school year, will help you pinpoint the little details that might slip your mind in a few months.

 

Emily  4:35

Okay, next is the obvious list, your to do list. These are the tasks you already know you’ll need to handle before school starts. Think about things like what you need to copy, what you’ll need to label, or any supplies you’ll want to have ready.

 

Heidi  4:48

If you made a to do list last year and you still have it handy, definitely check that list. It’s so much easier when you do not have to recreate the wheel every year.

 

Emily  4:57

And if you don’t have one from last year, be sure to save this year’s list. Keep listening for a free resource we have for you to help you keep track of these lists from year to year.

 

Heidi  5:07

And the third list you need is your fix it list. This is the place to capture all those little annoyances that you meant to fix but maybe never quite got to. Maybe it’s a system that didn’t flow, or a classroom layout that didn’t work. Now it’s the time to jot it all down before you forget.

 

Emily  5:24

This is, for sure, one of the easiest lists for me to make. I am always so aware of every little pain point in our routine and all the ways I want to improve my instruction.

 

Heidi  5:34

Just because we’re into term four doesn’t mean that it’s too late to fix these things now. In fact, solving a headache now can be a smart way to make next year a little smoother, which is a huge bonus at the craziness of back to school time.

 

Emily  5:46

But we’ve been there. We know how exhausting this time of year is. If you don’t have the bandwidth to tackle a problem now, or if it’s genuinely something that’s too late to fix at this point, the next best solution is to get it written down so you don’t forget.

 

Heidi  6:00

Just get all of those thoughts out of your head and onto the paper. It will free up your mental load just having it written down. And then when you’re ready to set goals and make plans for next year, that list is just gonna be ready and waiting for you.

 

Emily  6:12

And we’ve made these three lists easy for you with our free end of year roadmap resource. This is a digital planner that will help you wrap up the school year and start the summer with intention.

 

Heidi  6:23

The roadmap is in Google Sheets, which is nice because that means you can access it anywhere, and it’s already formatted with a ta-da list, a to do list and a fix it list, just waiting for your great ideas.

 

Heidi  6:34

Okay Em, what is task number two that we can do in April for a better back to school?

 

Emily  6:40

Task number two is reflect on which procedures to repeat and which to rethink. You know we love talking about routines and procedures around here. We really believe that good procedures and routines will save you so much time and stress each year.

 

Heidi  6:54

So take a good look at how procedures and routines have run in your classroom this year. Maybe try taking a day or even a week to make notes of how the procedures are going in your classroom right now. Sometimes, just paying close attention to your day to day for a little while will make it obvious exactly which procedures are working and which ones you might want to change in the future.

 

Emily  7:14

And if this is an area you want to deep dive into, we’ve got some episodes to help you with this.

 

Heidi  7:20

Yeah, you know just a few episodes. If you need a deep dive into procedures and how to plan and teach them, start with episodes 150 and 154 where we guide you through discovering which procedures your classroom may need, and we share our four step method for teaching them.

 

Emily  7:34

If you want to figure out why a certain procedure isn’t working, check out episode 32 where we shared five questions you can ask yourself to get to the root of the problem and make changes. If you have time, you can even revamp that procedure this year to test it out.

 

Heidi  7:49

You know, you may as well troubleshoot things now and save yourself the headache of course correcting in the fall.

 

Emily  7:54

Your classroom transitions are probably the procedure you use most often in your day. If you want to improve your classroom transitions, we have a three part series all about making them efficient to save you time and stress.

 

Heidi  8:05

Who knew there was so much to say about classroom transitions? Turns out that there is.

 

Emily  8:10

Yep. That series starts in Episode 48. You could try out some of our strategies before this year ends, but at the very least, adding all of your notes to your fix it list can give you a big head start later. When you’re setting up next year, you won’t have to rely on fuzzy memories. You’ll have actual notes from your teacher self who was in it.

 

Heidi  8:29

Okay. Task number three that you can do in April for back to school is one of my favorites. Such a handy tip. Take photos of your students doing their everyday procedures.

 

Emily  8:39

This is such a good one, and one that’s really easy to overlook.

 

Heidi  8:43

But the nice thing is, this is so easy to do. Just start snapping photos of your students doing classroom procedures the right way. You know the way that you want them to be doing them.

 

Emily  8:53

Get specific and take pictures of all the little steps of the procedure. These photos will be much more helpful in your teaching next year, if they get into the nitty gritty of the steps students need to take.

 

Heidi  9:05

So for example, think of your morning routine. You can take a picture of the students entering the room, hanging up their backpacks, turning in the home folders, getting a pencil and all of that fun stuff.

 

Emily  9:14

Think about things like lining up, turning in work, transitioning between centers, or using supplies. Any procedure you know you want to teach next year, capture it now. I prefer using pictures, but you might want to take some videos too. It wouldn’t hurt, and you may find you want to use them.

 

Heidi  9:30

These pictures or videos make awesome visual anchors when you’re modeling expectations for your new class. It’s so helpful to have photos of kids completing the steps in your room with your materials. And bonus, your new students will love seeing the kids that they think are big kids showing how it’s done. Kids are way more engaged in learning about something from another kid than, you know, from a boring old grown up.

 

Emily  9:56

Plus, this is kind of a sneaky spring classroom management hack too, because when your kids know you’re taking pictures of them doing procedures to teach next year’s class, they will be much more likely to do those procedures really well. So if your procedures are getting a bit sloppy, definitely give this a try to get your students to clean things up.

 

Heidi  10:14

That is so smart.

 

Heidi  10:17

Alright, Emily, what is the fourth task that teachers could do in April to get ready for back to school?

 

Emily  10:21

Do you have a new idea you’ve been curious about, but you weren’t sure when to try it? April is your moment. Task number four is to do a trial run on something new.

 

Heidi  10:31

Trying something new with your students in the spring is the perfect timing. You’ve built relationships with your current students, so it’s a low pressure way to experiment.

 

Emily  10:40

Plus this is a great way to increase engagement by adding in something new, and to fill time after testing season, when you’re just trying to get through those final weeks of school. So start by taking a minute to dream a bit about your ideal classroom. What’s something you’ve been wanting to try that you haven’t had the time or energy to do before now? The end of the year is a great time to do this, because you can see firsthand what it will be like before you commit to a whole new routine or teaching method next year. And if it goes well, then you know you definitely want to include it in your next year plans.

 

Heidi  11:12

Maybe it’s a new classroom routine or a behavior system that you’ve had your eye on. It could be some new technology that you want to try out, or maybe it’s a fresh way to do morning work or end of day cleanup. Once you decide what you want to try, do it now, while you still have time to adjust and troubleshoot. This is so handy. You know, that could be trying out morning meeting or spending a couple of weeks really trying out a new daily vocabulary routine.

 

Emily  11:36

By the time back to school season rolls around, you’ll already know if it’s worth using, and you’ll feel way more confident introducing it to a brand new group of kids.

 

Emily  11:44

Okay, Heidi, what is task number five?

 

Heidi  11:48

Well, our final April task to help you prepare for back to school is to decide what order to teach your procedures next year.

 

Emily  11:54

Now, clearly, at this point in the episode, you already know that teaching procedures is essential, but obviously it’s impossible and unnecessary to try and teach everything on day one.

 

Heidi  12:05

Oh no, you would lose your mind, and so would your kids. So you need to decide which procedures to teach first, and April really is the perfect time to figure that out. Yes, yes, we’re serious.

 

Emily  12:17

While you’re still living your daily classroom routines, ask yourself, which procedures keep my day running? What’s really essential for those first few days, and what can wait?

 

Heidi  12:28

By thinking through this now you’re going to avoid that August panic when everything feels important. Narrowing down your top three to five procedures to teach right away will help you start the year with calm and confidence.

 

Emily  12:40

And you’ll be ready to plug those procedure lessons into your first day and first week plans when you start working on them.

 

Emily  12:47

And that’s it. Those are our five things. So let’s do a quick recap of the five things you can do in April to get ahead for back to school.

 

Heidi  12:54

Number one, start your list. Specifically you want a ta-da list, a to do list, and a fix it list to really capture what worked, what needs to get done and what could use a tweak.

 

Emily  13:05

Number two, reflect on what procedures to repeat and what to rethink, so you’re not trying to remember in August what drove you crazy in April.

 

Heidi  13:13

Number three is to take photos of students doing your procedures to create easy, real life visuals for modeling expectations for next year’sstudents.

 

Emily  13:22

Number four do a trial run for something new. Test out a new routine or system now so you can see what works with a group you already know.

 

Heidi  13:30

And our last one is number five, decide which order to teach your procedures so that you are ready to start the year with a clear plan, instead of trying to teach all of the things all at once on day one.

 

Emily  13:50

Even just picking one of these tasks to try can make a big difference, and your future teacher self will definitely thank you.

 

Heidi  13:58

And don’t forget to head to the show notes, where you can find a link for our free end of year roadmap digital planner. This will help you figure out your schedule for the next few months, reflect on what you want to maintain and change in the coming weeks, and break down tasks so you can get things done without stress.

 

Emily  14:15

We’d love to hear what you do in April to get ready for back to school. Come join the conversation in the Teacher Approved Facebook group.

 

Emily  14:22

Now let’s talk about this week’s teacher approved tip. Each week we leave you with a small actionable tip that you can apply in your classroom today. This week’s teacher approved tip is do a quick refresh on a troublesome procedure. So tell us about this, Heidi.

 

Heidi  14:37

Well, as you may have noticed, teachers, spring fever is real, and classroom routines can get a little wobbly this time of year. So one way to combat that is to try a quick win refresh. So start by picking one routine that’s maybe gotten a little sloppy, you know, lining up, cleaning up or transitioning between subjects, and reteach it like you did at the beginning of the year. So we want to model it, practice it, and praise it like it’s brand new.

 

Emily  15:05

And then discuss how students can continue to meet your expectations going forward. Just because summer vacation is peaking around the corner doesn’t mean we give up on our standards of behavior.

 

Heidi  15:15

Now to help you out, we have a set of Google slides that you can use to revisit any procedure. So how it works is, for each procedure that you want to refresh, you can have these students rate themselves on how well they are currently meeting your expectations from one to five. The kids know. The kids know they’re pushing the boundaries. And then you can use that information to guide your discussion, and you can find a link to the slides in the show notes, or you could visit our shop.

 

Emily  15:41

Refreshing a routine takes less than 10 minutes, and the payoff is huge. Students get a clear reminder of expectations, and you get back a bit of the calm structure your classroom needs in the spring chaos.

 

Heidi  15:53

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

 

Emily  15:59

I’m giving extra credit to the book, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. So generally, I stick to romance books or maybe historical fiction, but I have been dipping my toe into the thriller waters. I’m not into violence or anything too scary, so First Lie Wins fits the bill.

 

Heidi  16:17

It sounds a little intense.

 

Emily  16:19

No, trust me, you can do this. You can do this one. So here’s the blurb. Evie Porter has everything a nice southern girl could want, a perfect doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch? Evie Porter doesn’t exist. So it was a fun, quick read. If you have some other non scary thriller recommendations to share, I’d love to hear them. I found that what I’m enjoying about starting to read some thriller books that aren’t too scary is that it just makes me look for reasons to read them during the day, like it’s getting me reading even more than I already was, because I just want to know what’s going to happen, and so it’s kind of fun to have a different read. I’m mixing it in now, still getting in plenty of romance. Don’t worry.

 

Heidi  17:02

That is a nice change of pace. And it’s nice when you have something compelling that’s drawing you back to the book. It’s always a fun feeling. This could be a fun one if people have spring break still to look forward to, that could be a fun pring break read.

 

Emily  17:14

Yes, definitely. Okay, what are you giving extra credit to Heidi?

 

Heidi  17:18

Well, this is much less exciting, but my extra credit goes to La Roche Posay Effaclar Gel Cleanser. How do they name these things, right? With salicylic acid. So I saw a hack on Instagram for using it to prevent ingrown hairs, sorry, TMI, and I thought I would give it a shot. And I have to say, I’ve been very happily surprised. The trick is to use this gel as like a shaving gel, and then follow it up by applying hydrocortisone cream. It has made a huge difference for my skin. I don’t think I’ve had any problems since I started trying this. Now I will say I think the magic ingredient is the salicylic acid, and not necessarily that specific cleanser, because I know I did try using a shampoo with salicylic acid instead, and I liked shaving with that better because it’s a little thicker than the cleanser.

 

Emily  18:07

Okay.

 

Heidi  18:08

Definitely worth trying out, especially as temps get a little warmer and sleeves maybe get a little shorter.

 

Emily  18:14

All right, I’m gonna check it out.

 

Heidi  18:16

That is it for today’s episode. Try out some of our five easy things that you can do in April for back to school, and make sure to grab our end of year roadmap freebie from the link in the show notes to help you finish the year strong.

 

Heidi  18:30

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

 

Emily  18:34

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

 

Heidi  18:41

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  18:47

Bye.