How to Get a Jump on Next Year . . . Before Summer Even Starts!

It's the last few weeks of the year, and even though there's always lots to do, taking the time to do a few things in preparation for the first days of NEXT year will help make your summer more relaxing!  Here's a few things you can do now and can even have your current students help you with.  My students love helping get the classroom ready for next year's students and think this is fun, not work.

1.  Make copies for the first day of school.  I don't know about your school, but our copiers are always busy or broken at the beginning of the year.  If you have syllabi, parent information/permission forms, student classroom procedures, etc. that you'll be handing out the first day or two of school, consider printing those now and letting your student helpers staple and organize them.  Put them together on a shelf, in a basket or on a cart and that will be one less thing you need to do when you start getting your classroom ready in the fall.

2.  Take down posters, border, bulletin boards, etc. that you are going to change for next year.  Again, I use my student helpers for this.  If you want to get super ambitious, you can start (or even complete!) putting up decorations for next year.  Make a list of things you want for the upcoming list (new border, new letters, etc.) and add these things to your "to do" list so you can obtain these during the summer when you're shopping.  If you need a fun, colorful "to-do" list to motivate you, download this free one.

3.  Start purging things that are out of date, aren't going to be used, or are records that you'll be shredding.  Even if you need to hold on to them until the end, find an empty file cabinet drawer to tuck them into so you can just open the drawer and empty it into the trash or shredder on the last day.

4.  Reflect on what worked this year and what didn't.  You've probably done some of that throughout the year, but it's a great time to consider some of the things you wish you'd done (or wish you'd done differently!).  Add them to the list so you remember them as you're modifying lessons over the summer.

What are some of your tips for getting ahead BEFORE the new school year starts?

Graphic Credits:  Six Picks & Ashley Hughes



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