As I write this, my winter break is coming to an end. It’s normal to have some dread or anxiety about going back to school and getting back into the school routine, but I’ve found a few tips that help me ease those feelings. Try these tips and see how they work for you.
1 – I set aside an hour (or two) to actually think about school. Here’s what I do.
~Clean out my email inbox (whether or not you respond to emails is up to you – some people like to go ahead and get it over with and others prefer to wait until they are physically back in the building).
~Review my plans for the first day back at school. I make sure I am mentally prepared for each subject, I review my lesson plan notes or slides, making any additions or deletions necessary.
~I plan to read aloud some fun picture books to help us all ease back into the routine.
~I make notes of when to review routines and procedures (as they always have to reviewed after any break). Here is a post about resetting classroom expectations.
~I think about community-building activities and morning circle topics we can use to help us all reconnect and catch up with each other in fun ways. I have lots of community-building posts on this blog (usually listed as back-to-school activities), but here is one about resetting your classroom environment.
~I think about reviewing goal-setting with students. This is a good time to think about the second half of the year. You can use a structured activity for this, or you can just have kids write about simple questions like these:
*what is going well for you so far this year?
*what would you like to do better?
*what can you do to help yourself?
*what can your teachers do to help you?
~I do NOT plan for any big, sweeping changes that require a lot of my mental energy for the first days back at school. Even if we are starting a new unit in some area, I still keep it as simple as possible. I’m not the only one adjusting back to earlier bedtimes, earlier wake-up times and getting back into a routine!
~I recognize that some students’ winter breaks may not have been as restful and joyful as others. This is a good time to use a tool like dialogue journals to allow students to write to you privately or to request time to talk with you privately. (By the way – if you haven’t started dialogue journals, no need to rush out and buy journals. Just use regular paper and then decide if you want to implement an actual journal later.)
Now put that school stuff away! Time to plan for your personal time.
2 – Plan some meals that you and your family love (or take-out that you all enjoy) for your first week back at school.
3 – Plan something delicious to take for lunch for your first day back.
4 – Plan what you’ll wear on the first day.
5 – Tell yourself that you will leave school as early as possible. You might change your mind once you get there, but this will help to give you something to look forward to.
6 – Plan something fun or relaxing to do when you first get home (play with your kids, walk your dog, take a bath, whatever).
7 – Write down three things you are looking forward to about being back at school (you can always list more, but starting with three is an easy goal). Are you looking forward to seeing particular students? Co-workers? Getting back into a routine? Starting a new unit that you enjoy?
Nothing will ever ease all the anxiety about returning to work, especially in a year where we are still battling a pandemic and all of the associated stress with that. But planning for your own enjoyment and relaxation while also finding things to look forward to can help a lot. Let me know if any of these tips work for you!