4 Tips for Surviving the Beginning of the Year (or all year)

Hey there! Our school year has started already and we have been busy building our classroom and school community. Here are a few tips that I use with my kiddos each year that I think always help our year go smoothly.
1. Introduce the staff. We have a VERY large Elementary school. (I am talking over 1200 kiddos.) We always have a ton of people who visit the school. These people have to go through a DL scanning process in order to receive a badge stating that they are allowed to be on campus.  Also, all school employees have badges that we are required to wear, but they don't all look the same. Not all schools may have this service (or badges), so my advice to you is to teach the kiddos who the adults are that may be all around them and what their job is.  For example, when you tour your school to show the students how to walk through the lunch line and pick their food, make it a point to introduce the cafeteria staff. As you walk by the clinic, ask the nurses to come out and meet your students. As you walk by the custodial office, pull those awesome people out and have them say hello.  After you have met everyone (don't forget the lovely front office staff) your kiddos will feel much more comfortable saying hello to those staff members that work so hard behind closed doors. The students will also know who to look for when delivering messages to some of those staff members.

2. Teach students to be courteous and respectful.  Our school strives through several lifelong guidelines that we teach every grade level from Pre-K to 5th.  This consistent policy of being trustworthy, being truthful, no put downs, being an active listener, and always doing your personal best helps our school wide community and the classroom community. The students know that all of those things are expected from them in ANY classroom, lunchroom, or playground that they step foot in.  One of the ways that I set up these expectations in my classroom is using this What Are Manners book and poster set.  (Just click the links below the pictures to download.)

The books are interactive asking students to draw non-examples and label manners.

The posters go great with the interactive books as anchor charts or reminders to keep up in the classroom all year.

3. Don't sweat the small stuff.  I have a tendency to get worked up over things that I want to be perfect. For example, my printer ran out of ink and the school doesn't let us do color copies, so my awesome, colorful labels for all the reading, math, science, and communication folders won't print. (It happens EVERY.YEAR!) But sometimes I need to think do those sweet faces really care if their journals all match or is it just my type A, OCD mind??? You got it, it's me!  In the great words of Princess Elsa, "Let it go, let it go!" Those precious little humans just want a loving, kind, fun teacher!!!

4.  Watch for sales!! I don't know about you, but I am constantly buying things for my classroom. In fact it is so bad that when my family is out shopping, I ask my children to tell me (force me really) to put it back.  I have also begun this habit of picking up extra snacks, or folders, or supplies (or whatever really) if it is BOGO. As teachers we put our hearts and souls in to our classrooms and our students but it should not be breaking the bank.

I hope these few little tips can help you start out and continue to have a great year!