It’s the end of another school year and your to-do list is probably a mile long. Besides all the final grades, finalizing student records, and end-of-year activities and celebrations, you have to close down your classroom for the summer. Who cares about next year? You’re just trying to get through the rest of this year!
I get it. So this checklist is meant to only take a moment (because that’s all you have). First, grab a journal like this one or grab a notebook. Keep it with you.
Next, read the tasks on this checklist. As you are doing all.the.things to finish up this year, think about these questions. Reflect and think about what went well this year and what you might want to do differently next year. As you think of ideas, jot them down in your journal or notebook.
When you’re ready to start thinking about next school year (whether over the summer or not until teacher workdays begin in August), your ideas will be captured there for you. Even if you don’t use them all, having them written down keeps your ideas “safe” until you are ready to use them.
Here are the eight checklist tasks.
1 – Procedures & Routines – Think about your classroom procedures and routines. Start at the beginning of your school day and think through the entire day. What procedures and routines will you keep? What would you like to set up differently next year? You don’t have to actually come up with new ideas yet – jot down whatever comes to mind. (Hint: this is a great one to reflect on while you are dismantling your classroom.)
Another thing to think about is seating arrangements. How did you arrange seats or tables this year? What other arrangements have you seen in other classrooms that might work for you? Jot them down now! (You’ll never remember them in August. Ask me how I know.)
2 – Classroom Displays – Do you have ideas for displays that you want to create for next year? Make a list of what was helpful this year, or what you might have wanted to have on display. Do you have a cute idea for a welcome display for next year’s class? Any other decoration ideas? How about your classroom library or reading area? Do you want to add some lamps or rugs?
3 – Do Better – Think about what you want to do better next year. Would you like to implement guided math or more math centers? How about hands-on science activities?
My school implemented a new ELA initiative this year. We did a pretty good job with the management end of things (it uses a pretty complex website), but many teachers have talked about wanting to get into a better routine for that part of the program next year. This is a perfect thing to start thinking about now. What routines or schedules could you create for yourself that you might want to implement next year?
4 – Relationships – What did you do that helped build student relationships or your classroom community this year? What would you like to try next year? What were some things that got in your way with regard to classroom community? Who are some teachers you learned from this year? Who might you want to learn from next year?
If you’re interested in learning some about some of my favorite classroom community topics, here you go:
~10 Easy Tips to Build Classroom Community
~8 Tips for Building Relationships Throughout the School Year
~Using Class Meetings & Restorative Practices
5 – Learn – Think about what you want to learn this summer. Are there certain teacher books you want to read? Would you like to learn more about the science of reading? You can always start with Twitter (searching for experts you want to follow or topics you want to explore), then go from there with their suggested reading. Even if you’re not up for reading an entire book about a teaching topic, many articles online are shorter and super helpful. Edutopia is a great place to start.
6 – First Day/First Week – How about the first day and first week plans? Review your plans from this past year and think about what worked well and what you want to keep. How about books to read aloud? If you can go ahead and set those books aside somewhere, that will save you some time in August!
Here are some of my posts about the first day and week of school:
~Guide to the best first day of school
~10 great back to school activities
~10 more back to school activities
~Engaging activities for the first two weeks of school
~Beginning of the year picture books
~Great read-aloud chapter books for upper elementary
7 – Supplies – Begin making a list of supplies or things you want for your classroom next year. Maybe you need a new electric pencil sharpener or a new birthday poster. You don’t actually have to purchase anything, but having a shopping list (or a list of supplies to get from your school) will put you ahead of the game in August.
8 – Habits & Teacher Routines – Think about yourself and your own energy and self-care. What worked well for you this year? What would you like to do differently next year? What habits and routines would help you to take better care of yourself next year? Think about these things now and try to create a plan before those busy August workdays!
Finally – if you’re in the market for a cute new teacher planner, here are some options! Sometimes it takes time to find the perfect planner for you so take a look at all your options.
A bigger Amazon planner option
Emily Ley Simplified Teacher Planner
I hope you have the best summer ever and take care of your mental and physical health! Let me know how these tips work for you!