So your winter break is almost over (or summer break, spring break, whatever break). How are you feeling?
If you’re feeling a sense of dread or anxiety or a feeling of “OMG, what will we do on that first day back?”, I’ve got some tips. (And if you’re feeling a sense of excitement and eagerness, these tips will work for you too!)
First of all, let’s deal with your emotions and energy level. The only way to be good for your students is if you are feeling good yourself. So here are some ways to get your energy up for being back at work.
These 9 tips are for your last evening of the break.
1 – Pull out every favorite bedtime routine you’ve got and implement that on the night before you go back to school. You need good sleep. Chances are, you’ve gotten out of your usual sleep routine over the break (staying up later, sleeping in later), so getting back to your normal bedtime might be tricky.
Do all the things that help you get a good night’s sleep. (And – even if you don’t sleep all that well tonight, you’ll likely be more tired and ready to go to bed on time tomorrow night!)
2 – Make a list of the morning routine habits you want to do before school.
They don’t have to be big, they just need to be activities that put you in the right mindset before your school day begins.
3 – Plan what you will wear on the first day back. Bonus points if it’s something new.
4 – Pack your favorite breakfast and lunch.
5 – Plan a delicious dinner for tomorrow night. Even if you plan to get take-out, make sure it’s something you love. Then you can look forward to it all day long. (“Delicious,” by the way, does not have to mean “gourmet.” Something simple that you really love counts as “delicious!”)
6 – Plan something fun to do after school. Take your kids to a park? Walk your dog in a pretty location? Go to Target?! Whatever makes you happy and gets you out of the building at a reasonable time.
7 – Plan to get to school earlier than usual in the morning. That may sound difficult, but getting there earlier and having time to get your head together and your room set up before students arrive will help you feel ready for the day.
8 – Make a list of all the good things about going back to school.
It’s normal to feel sad about your break being over and anxious about getting back into the school routine, even if you love every aspect of your job. Think about what (and who) you DO enjoy.
I find it’s helpful to make a list of these people and activities. When I see them listed, it reminds me of all that is good about my job and helps get me in to a positive mindset about getting back to work.
9 – Finally, go easy on yourself this week. Plan things you enjoy doing for your after-school and evening time. This helps you ease back into your routine.
Now – you’ve got your head (mostly) in the game and you’ve got your home life and after-school time all planned. What will you do on your first day back?
1 – Start the day with a morning circle or morning meeting. (Here is my post about how to do that. Now would be a great time to start this procedure if you’re not already doing this!)
It’s always fun to start with a question or something to share.
But keep in mind – not everyone had a happy winter break. Some of your students may not have been surrounded by loving families and lots of presents. Not every student enjoyed a trip or lavish gifts.
So avoid asking your students to share about their winter break. Instead, you can start with “one good thing about being back at school” or “one thing I am looking forward to in January” or “one goal that I am going to work on for the new year.”
2 – If you are not already in the habit, now would be a good time of year to establish daily or weekly check-ins with your students. Dialogue journals are my favorite way, but you could also create open-ended question prompts on Google forms as well.
3 – This is old, but good, advice: review your routines and procedures. I know it sounds boring. But trust me – this is a great time to reset, review, and remind everyone about what is expected. There are lots of ways to make it fun. Acting out what the routine/procedure should look like (and maybe what it should NOT look like) is one way.
I like to make a list on chart paper of what we need to review. Then we check things off when we have reviewed that routine. One good thing about this is that your students will probably remind you of more things to add to the list!
4 – While you’re in review mode, review your class rules and the reasons for the rules.
5 – This is a great time to specifically review kindness and empathy as well. While we often spend a lot of time discussing this at the beginning of the year, we tend to assume that kids have got it and not discuss it again. Discussing it again after the break is a great time to review. Here is a list of picture books that are especially good for this topic.
6 – Ease back into the academic routine. Use games and other fun ways to review your content to get everyone back into the learning routine.
7 – One good way to ease back into the routine is to incorporate a read aloud before every subject. The list of picture books (in tip #5 above) is good for this, but any book that you love and that you think your students would love is a good option.
8 – Talk about the new year being a chance for new beginnings. Discuss the concept of new year’s resolutions, and ask your students to think about goals or resolutions they can set for themselves. If you feel comfortable, share some of your own goals or resolutions, especially if they relate to your classroom. This can be partner/small group discussion or a writing and optional sharing activity.
If you need more help with resetting, here are my best tips:
How to Do a Midyear Reset in the Classroom
10 Tips to Reset Your Classroom Environment
8 Tips to Reset Your Classroom Environment
12 Tips for Resetting Classroom Expectations
And – if your classroom is fine, but YOU need some support, here you go!
January Reset for Teacher Self-Care
I hope you are returning to a job and a place that makes you feel valued and respected. If you would like to talk and share in a positive community, consider joining our Sustainable Teaching Membership on Patreon!
I would love to hear if any of these tips made a difference for you. Email me at stillteachingstilllearning@gmail.com.
Happy New Year!
