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Teachers Prepare for Back to School

May 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When it comes back to school time, there are many ways that everyone involved needs to get ready. We think a lot about students preparing for school but the truth is that teachers have to get prepared as well. Most teachers will spend the whole summer getting ready for a new school year.

 

So what are some things that teachers will do to prepare for back to school?

 

  1. Know what grade or subjects they will be teaching next year. Sometimes this changes for some teacher from one year to another so it’s important to know what you will be teaching and to whom. This will allow you to prepare your curriculum, supplies and prepare mentally.
  2. Prepare your classroom. If have a new classroom, you will need to visit it, become familiar with it and make it your own. If it’s an existing classroom, just clean up, decorate and set the mood for a new year.
  3. Clean it up. Now is a great time to dust, reorganize and otherwise spruce up your classroom. The maintenance staff may cover the basics but this is a great time for some Spring-cleaning of your classroom.
  4. Stock your classroom library. This is also a good time to go through the classroom library. See if any damaged books need repaired, get some new books and organize the books that you have.
  5. Get organized. Not only do you want to organize things you already have but it’s a good time to set up a nice organization system for when the new school year starts and those papers start piling up. How will you organize things? Where will you place things?
  6. Get your supplies. Every classroom needs supplies, even if the students bring their own at the start of the year. You might also want to have some stock of extras for those students who may not have all of their supplies at the start of the year.
  7. Other extras- some teachers, especially those at elementary level, like to stock up on some extra supplies, jackets and even clothing for those students who may not have them when they comes to school. You can have a little bin or section of your classroom reserved for keeping these items to give to students as they need them.

 

Now that you know these tips about how to prepare for back to school as a teacher, you can make your own list of things to do to get ready for a new school year.  This is a fun and happy time but also a stressful time for students and teachers alike. The more you do to prepare for it ahead of time, the better it will be for you.

 

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Getting Your Student Ready for Back to School

May 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Is it that time of year again? If it’s time to go back to school, you need to know what you can do to get your student ready for back to school. There are several steps you can take to ensure your student is ready for their big day.

 

Here are some things to do:

 

  • Make sure your student is properly registered and enrolled. Some schools do this at the end of the previous year if you were a student in the same location.
  • Get a school supply shopping list. Most schools put this out near the end of summer so you can begin shopping for whatever your student will need in the new school year. It never hurts to pick up a few extras of certain supplies such as pencils or paper. Usually at the start of the year, these things will be on sale.
  • Go through your student’s clothing. This is the time to see what is old, too small or gotten ratty over the summer. Are shoes worn out or jeans too small? Do you have a fall or winter jacket? Go through your student’s clothing and see what you need to go shopping for.
  • Get the brain in school mode. If your student went all summer without having to focus on school work, it’s time to do some activities to help get the brain working again. You can even make a fun game out of it so it’s more entertaining.
  • Get on schedule. A week or two before school starts, you should get your student used to the new schedule they will have at school. Have them go to bed at the school-time bedtime. Have them wake up at the same time they will for school (or close to it) and try to find out when their lunch will be and schedule lunch at home for the same time. This will prevent growling tummies or nodding off in school when they start the new school year.
  • Talk about the new school year. Ask your student how they feel about it, what they are excited about, what they are looking forward to and what they may be anxious about.

 

Once you have looked over each of these things as well as adding your own to the list if needed, you will be sure you have done whatever you need to get your student ready for back to school. This is a new journey you can take with your student. They need your support no matter what age they are or what grade they are in.

 

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Preparing for Back to School

May 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Are you preparing for back to school? If you or your children are getting ready to go back to school for a new year, there are some things you should know to help you prepare. When you start talking about going back to school, one of the first things to come to a person’s mind is buying school supplies or new school clothes.

While these are important parts of preparing for back to school, they are not everything that should be included. Part of preparing for back to school involves getting your mind ready. If you’re the parent of a child going back to school, it’s partly your responsibility to help them as well.

You may have allowed your student to stay up later over the summer. If this is the case, then you will need to start making the bedtime earlier in the week to two weeks before school starts so that they can get used to it again.

Maybe your student hasn’t done a lot of work over the summer. This is a good time to refresh the things they learned last year, read over vocabulary and review math concepts so they have their thinking brain back on when they go back to school.

Here are some things to consider for preparing back to school:

  • Get supplies
  • See if the student needs any new clothes
  • Play some thinking games to increase brain activity
  • Move the bedtime up
  • Make sure your student gets a healthy dinner and breakfast
  • Make sure registration/enrollment is complete at the school
  • Have an end of summer party

Now that you have these tips, you can use it as a checklist to help you get ready for back to school with your student. If you’re a parent of students, you may need to do a few things to get yourself ready for back to school.

For example, you may need to adjust your own schedule and routine to allow for getting kids ready for school, taking them to school, picking them up and more. Depending on the ages of your students, this could have more of an effect on you than others.

Back to school can be a fun and exciting time if you make it one. If your child is dreading going back to school, find some ways you can help to make it more fun and exciting so that they don’t worry so much about it. If they’re anxious about something new, give them time to talk about it so they feel less anxiety. If they just don’t want the fun of summer to end, offer them some incentive to go back to school to do well.

For example, you might promise them an end of quarter party if they do well in their grades and behavior or maybe you’ll take them to their favorite restaurant or let them have a sleepover with friends for a good report card. The things you do as a parent can have big impact on how your student prepares for back to school.

 

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