Get the school year started off right with Edlio’s back to school guide for the best website builder for teachers!
The start of a new school year is an exciting time for everyone! Teachers, administrators and students are all getting ready for the first day with new clothes, fun school supplies and the latest gadgets. We’ve put together a guide for teachers and administrators with everything they need to prepare for going back-to-school.
Create a schedule for your first week
How will you structure the first day and the first week? Even if you can’t get to everything on your schedule, it’s better to plan as much into detail as possible to be over prepared rather than under.
A fun first day ice-breaker
Think of a fun and interesting activity to help get students familiar and friendly with each other and with you. Make them feel welcome, comfortable and safe in their new class! A fun idea if your students are in elementary school is to have each student start by saying their name and a food that starts with the same letter as their name. The next student who shares their name has to first introduce the person before them, so, “This is Jello Jessica and I’m Strawberry Sammy.” If your students are in middle school or high school, separate students into groups and have them find 3 things they all have in common, and one thing about each of them that is unique. Have them share it with the class and see what things the whole class might have in common!
Establish rules
Keep your classroom rules to be the most important ones (fewer than 10) to make them easy to follow and not too overwhelming for the students. Some examples are raise your hand to speak, respect your classmates, and come prepared, to name a few. Display them somewhere visible for everyone to see and also include them in your syllabus to easily refer back to. Also think about your class’s routine: how do they enter the classroom, where do they turn in their homework, how is their day structured etc.
Update your syllabus
Often times, students will be referring back to their syllabus multiple times a month, maybe even weekly, to ensure they’ve completed all their assignments and read all their readings. Add your office hours, email address, class rules, expectations for the year, assignments and readings in an easy-to-find format. If you’re thinking of using more technology in your classroom this year, and maybe even thinking of going paperless, think of your syllabus as a complement to your teacher page. We do pride ourselves on providing the best website builder for teachers, which is we always encourage our teachers to utilize this great feature that both parents and students look forward to subscribing to when the new school year rolls around.
Organize your learning environment
Once you’ve gotten acquainted with your school’s campus and where the supply closet is, gather everything you need to decorate your class and start setting up your bulletin boards. Design your classroom in the way that is most beneficial to learning, encompasses your learning style, and the topics students will be learning throughout the semester.
Here are some things to plan for the first day:
- Go over the seating chart and arrange the desks in the most optimal way for learning
- Prepare your classroom’s bulletin board with classroom policies and motivational posters
- Is there a private area where students can read or collaborate on projects?
- Don’t forget to give your own desk some personality too!
Plan for success
Once you’ve narrowed down the logistics of your classroom, it’s time to start thinking about how you will manage misbehaved students and how you will enforce class rules.
Set short- and long-term goals
This works best for staying on track when the stress starts rolling in and time is going by too fast. For personal and professional success, include in your professional portfolio something short about why you became a teacher, and what you hope to achieve this year.
Be open to change
Be open to including more games in your class and experimenting with more collaboration and technology. Also, always look for new ways to polish up on your skills.
Establish a strong foundation for communicating with parents
Write a back-to-school email to get both parents and students excited. Communicate with your parents about the classroom rules and what you hope to accomplish this year. Provide them with the best ways of communicating with you, like your preferred phone number, email, and hours of availability.
Get started with the best website builder for teachers
Here’s a great place to share your personality and keep parents informed about assignments and pictures. We’ve put together a guide for the
best website builder for teachers.
Remind them to subscribe!
Don’t forget to remind your parents about subscribing to your page to receive automatic updates!
