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- A Teacher’s School Year
Fight Like Larry Bird to Get to Your Room: A school year often starts with a day or two of professional development before the students start. Fight like your life depended on it to get to your room. Do not get sidetracked hearing a fellow teacher’s summer adventures or drop off of a child at college. Remember time is very limited and you want to have your room ready to go and your 1st day lesson plan photocopied and ready to go.
Take Care of Potential Problems Before They Happen: Veteran teachers know that on the first day of school can be some complicated situations that arise. There may be limited textbooks or limited seats. There could be a scheduling conflict or possible room issues. Be on the lookout on your first day back for possible situations that need immediate attention. It is important to know who the contact person would be – an administrator, guidance counselor, or department head. Eliminating a problem before it happens can make for a smooth start to the year. When the year starts and the students arrive, it may be more challenging to correct a situation.
Prioritize What Needs to Be Done: The start of the school year is like a tornado. Teacher have so much to do in the first few days IN ADDITION to meeting the students for the 1st time. There are medical forms, student handbooks, emergency contacts as so much more. Be sure to give special attention to these start of the year items. Think through the best way to collect the information in an efficient manner. Once collected, deliver the forms to the correct person as quickly as possible so you can focus on your students and your curriculum.
Start The Year With an Open Mind: In education there is administrative and staff turnover, budget cuts, new mission statements, NEASC, and special areas of focus. Perhaps the “Vision of a Graduate” has been updated and altered. kKnow what the administration wants and tried to deliver that to the best of your ability. Also be aware that very often what is important this year may be insignificant three months later so try to identify what is necessary to be completed.