One week till school starts
August 1, 2021 8:16 AM Subscribe
You, a teacher, have perfected your last week of summer vacation. Tell me your secrets.
This is like, I don't know, year 8 or 9 for me, but I still have not optimized...uh, anything. But we're going to focus on that last week or two before school starts! What do you do in terms of:
- Things around the house that will make your life easier once you're adding like 40-50 hours of work back into the mix
- School planning (other than going in and setting up your classroom, which duh, especially this year) (assume that I have a healthy curriculum map and lesson plans/materials for the year)
- Feeling like you Did Summer
- I don't know but anything else that makes you feel ready for the year! (to be clear I super love my job and am always excited to start the year, but excited in the manner of like, a person running around waving their arms, not a person who is calm and ready!)
FWIW, I'm an elementary school specials teacher (library). I also probably* have ADHD (*was lightly diagnosed as a youth but it was the 90s and I'm female, but I have not-great executive functioning and focus problems here in adulthood) so if you are like me your comments will probably be extra helpful! but all comments are welcome.
(and gosh if you have ever found a teacher planner that's good for specials teachers -- art, music, PE, library, etc., someone who teaches every class for ~an hour a week -- PLEASE tell me about it!)
This is like, I don't know, year 8 or 9 for me, but I still have not optimized...uh, anything. But we're going to focus on that last week or two before school starts! What do you do in terms of:
- Things around the house that will make your life easier once you're adding like 40-50 hours of work back into the mix
- School planning (other than going in and setting up your classroom, which duh, especially this year) (assume that I have a healthy curriculum map and lesson plans/materials for the year)
- Feeling like you Did Summer
- I don't know but anything else that makes you feel ready for the year! (to be clear I super love my job and am always excited to start the year, but excited in the manner of like, a person running around waving their arms, not a person who is calm and ready!)
FWIW, I'm an elementary school specials teacher (library). I also probably* have ADHD (*was lightly diagnosed as a youth but it was the 90s and I'm female, but I have not-great executive functioning and focus problems here in adulthood) so if you are like me your comments will probably be extra helpful! but all comments are welcome.
(and gosh if you have ever found a teacher planner that's good for specials teachers -- art, music, PE, library, etc., someone who teaches every class for ~an hour a week -- PLEASE tell me about it!)
Best answer: I used to be a school librarian. My advice is maybe obvious, but it's to start getting up when you're supposed to get up for work at least a week in advance of starting. It makes it much easier if your body is somewhat acclimated to getting up on time.
I am bad at mornings, so I rehearsed the majority of my morning at least once before I went-- I did all the mission-critical things (clothes, hair, coffee, find keys, get 5:30 train) but I got off the train and got breakfast instead of going all the way to school. I find it much easier to deal if I can visualize and test a routine exactly before it's mission-critical that I get all of it right. If you get up early and out of the house on time that first week, you can also go do stuff and maximize your time. Like, go get breakfast, then go to a museum right when they open or something, or go drive to the beach. But, yes, acknowledge what you DID do and appreciate what you DID do, and try to look forward to the change.
Pack a set of nice lunches that you're excited about eating. A good rule for life, but especially important for your first couple of weeks. And set up your morning the night before-- put everything in your go-bag except the refrigerable items, and put your bag in front of the fridge door to remember your lunch, or hang it off the door handle.
Agendio will let you fully customize a planner. I used Google Calendar, but I didn't have to do any grading so YMMV.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:29 PM on August 1, 2021 [5 favorites]
I am bad at mornings, so I rehearsed the majority of my morning at least once before I went-- I did all the mission-critical things (clothes, hair, coffee, find keys, get 5:30 train) but I got off the train and got breakfast instead of going all the way to school. I find it much easier to deal if I can visualize and test a routine exactly before it's mission-critical that I get all of it right. If you get up early and out of the house on time that first week, you can also go do stuff and maximize your time. Like, go get breakfast, then go to a museum right when they open or something, or go drive to the beach. But, yes, acknowledge what you DID do and appreciate what you DID do, and try to look forward to the change.
Pack a set of nice lunches that you're excited about eating. A good rule for life, but especially important for your first couple of weeks. And set up your morning the night before-- put everything in your go-bag except the refrigerable items, and put your bag in front of the fridge door to remember your lunch, or hang it off the door handle.
Agendio will let you fully customize a planner. I used Google Calendar, but I didn't have to do any grading so YMMV.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:29 PM on August 1, 2021 [5 favorites]
Best answer: I have to go back tomorrow! So this week I ironed all of my clothes and did some yardwork I was putting off, and did small projects inside like sanding and polishing our butcherblock counters. I had drinks in the morning with a teacher friend. But mostly just doing the small jobs makes me feel like I accomplished a lot, and are for the betterment of our household. I can see the change, and like rakaidan said I can acknowledge my accomplishments. I got a haircut yesterday and that always feels nice.
We normally travel during the summer but COVID and I had a big project that took over 40 hours a week for 6 weeks. So I didn't really do anything this summer. I'm finally getting around to the mentality that summers aren't going to be full of fun all the time and that I might not fill every day with excitement.
Other ideas I had that I didn't do were to reread a book or two I plan on teaching again but haven't read in a few years, stocking up on food like rakaidan said, and really really really cleaning my car and some parts of the house. But I did spend some extra energy just thinking about my upcoming courses and how they might play out differently, and made sure that my assessments actually measure what I want them to. My philosophy of assessing, and what is relevant, changes year to year, so I need to check myself and ensure it all still aligns.
So what are one or two things that you can do in a day or half a day that are a part of Doing Summer? A day at the pool, or hiking somewhere new, a day trip to somewhere you've never been? Getting out of town (as safely as you can right now) always makes me feel good. Completely not doing anything for a day and feeling good about it?
posted by Snowishberlin at 12:41 PM on August 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
We normally travel during the summer but COVID and I had a big project that took over 40 hours a week for 6 weeks. So I didn't really do anything this summer. I'm finally getting around to the mentality that summers aren't going to be full of fun all the time and that I might not fill every day with excitement.
Other ideas I had that I didn't do were to reread a book or two I plan on teaching again but haven't read in a few years, stocking up on food like rakaidan said, and really really really cleaning my car and some parts of the house. But I did spend some extra energy just thinking about my upcoming courses and how they might play out differently, and made sure that my assessments actually measure what I want them to. My philosophy of assessing, and what is relevant, changes year to year, so I need to check myself and ensure it all still aligns.
So what are one or two things that you can do in a day or half a day that are a part of Doing Summer? A day at the pool, or hiking somewhere new, a day trip to somewhere you've never been? Getting out of town (as safely as you can right now) always makes me feel good. Completely not doing anything for a day and feeling good about it?
posted by Snowishberlin at 12:41 PM on August 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Many of my colleagues took vacation trips the week before school started, which I suspected was partly to keep from giving in to the temptation to go into school, and also so they could set up auto-reply on their email and phone voice mail.
I myself actually enjoyed going into school (we were allowed in the buildings) and spent time setting up my room in the peace and quiet I wouldn't have for the rest of the year. I also started getting up at the earlier hour I would be getting up during the school year, and practiced an efficient morning routine, so that the first weeks wouldn't be quite as big a shock to my system.
I generally set up my own Word templates for my planbook once I got my schedule, too, because the preprinted ones never had the right amount of space for my lesson plans. I always found it easier to work with paper because I could hand-write the inevitable changes and reminders more easily that way.
When I switched to teaching college (coaching fieldwork practicum for elementary teaching students), I spent the weeks before meetings started ferreting out as much information as I could about my students and rosters, and visiting the sites where my students would be doing their practicum. I never understood why my colleagues didn't do the same; it made everything so much easier during the semester to do a little unpaid work before it started. That said, my pay was worse than peanuts so the whole thing was basically volunteer work anyway.
posted by Peach at 1:34 PM on August 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
I myself actually enjoyed going into school (we were allowed in the buildings) and spent time setting up my room in the peace and quiet I wouldn't have for the rest of the year. I also started getting up at the earlier hour I would be getting up during the school year, and practiced an efficient morning routine, so that the first weeks wouldn't be quite as big a shock to my system.
I generally set up my own Word templates for my planbook once I got my schedule, too, because the preprinted ones never had the right amount of space for my lesson plans. I always found it easier to work with paper because I could hand-write the inevitable changes and reminders more easily that way.
When I switched to teaching college (coaching fieldwork practicum for elementary teaching students), I spent the weeks before meetings started ferreting out as much information as I could about my students and rosters, and visiting the sites where my students would be doing their practicum. I never understood why my colleagues didn't do the same; it made everything so much easier during the semester to do a little unpaid work before it started. That said, my pay was worse than peanuts so the whole thing was basically volunteer work anyway.
posted by Peach at 1:34 PM on August 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Hi, school-based speech-language pathologist here, starting back in late August!
For my last week of summer, I'm planning to have one lazy day and one fun summer adventure day (like hiking/parks, ice cream or a day trip to the beach). Around those two days, I'm hoping to do a combination of outdoor visits with friends, organizing paperwork/school supplies/my home work space, organzing closets and purging things/actually taking them to the donation center, and yes, setting up the classroom and reviewing my caseload before the official workweek starts.
I also like to do a deeper clean of the house before school starts, try on work clothes and see if anything needs repaired/replaced/doesn't fit or suit me, and start getting used to the earlier schedule again (and reducing summer naps, but still having 1-2 a week because we have to enjoy it while we can). Oh, and cleaning my car inside and out makes me feel good!
Also, if you have little errands that need done (library books returned, haircut appointment, getting an oil change or your pet's nails trimmed or groomed), try to tackle that before the official workweek starts.
I love the idea mentioned above of having easy meals prepped--for me, I feel best when I have healthy-ish meals, so I'd focus on that for the first week.
I also like to make a list of things to look forward to after summer ends--I (mostly) like my job, too, but it is time consuming and can be stressful. So, it's helpful to have a list of things to still look forward to in the fall/winter. (Mine includes new TV shows coming back, cooler weather walks with my dog and hikes, firepit fires, trying new takeout spots, snow days (later in the year),
Little treats for tougher days at work stored away are also a nice thing to have on hand! (Like a special book you've been excited to read, podcast episodes loaded that you are excited to listen to, a fun beauty facemask, a nice piece of chocolate, or a gift card to get a nice coffee one morning, or a special lunch you can bring to work.)
Good luck to you--I hope you have a great year, and I will be checking the comments for ideas for myself, too!
posted by shortyJBot at 1:39 PM on August 1, 2021 [4 favorites]
For my last week of summer, I'm planning to have one lazy day and one fun summer adventure day (like hiking/parks, ice cream or a day trip to the beach). Around those two days, I'm hoping to do a combination of outdoor visits with friends, organizing paperwork/school supplies/my home work space, organzing closets and purging things/actually taking them to the donation center, and yes, setting up the classroom and reviewing my caseload before the official workweek starts.
I also like to do a deeper clean of the house before school starts, try on work clothes and see if anything needs repaired/replaced/doesn't fit or suit me, and start getting used to the earlier schedule again (and reducing summer naps, but still having 1-2 a week because we have to enjoy it while we can). Oh, and cleaning my car inside and out makes me feel good!
Also, if you have little errands that need done (library books returned, haircut appointment, getting an oil change or your pet's nails trimmed or groomed), try to tackle that before the official workweek starts.
I love the idea mentioned above of having easy meals prepped--for me, I feel best when I have healthy-ish meals, so I'd focus on that for the first week.
I also like to make a list of things to look forward to after summer ends--I (mostly) like my job, too, but it is time consuming and can be stressful. So, it's helpful to have a list of things to still look forward to in the fall/winter. (Mine includes new TV shows coming back, cooler weather walks with my dog and hikes, firepit fires, trying new takeout spots, snow days (later in the year),
Little treats for tougher days at work stored away are also a nice thing to have on hand! (Like a special book you've been excited to read, podcast episodes loaded that you are excited to listen to, a fun beauty facemask, a nice piece of chocolate, or a gift card to get a nice coffee one morning, or a special lunch you can bring to work.)
Good luck to you--I hope you have a great year, and I will be checking the comments for ideas for myself, too!
posted by shortyJBot at 1:39 PM on August 1, 2021 [4 favorites]
Best answer: No longer a teacher, but I just met a new friend who teaches high school science. We talked about her personal trick: She goes on vacation the last week before the start of school. She goes off to the seaside and reads and rests and suns herself.
Yes.
Because, she says, over the 20 years she's done this, if she didn't she would just spend that week mourning that summer was over, counting down the days and stressing. This way she returns on Sunday, gets her shit together Monday/Labor Day, and returns to school Tuesday fresh and happy, and hasn't wasted the last week of her personal time stressing and distracted.
posted by Miko at 10:58 PM on August 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
Yes.
Because, she says, over the 20 years she's done this, if she didn't she would just spend that week mourning that summer was over, counting down the days and stressing. This way she returns on Sunday, gets her shit together Monday/Labor Day, and returns to school Tuesday fresh and happy, and hasn't wasted the last week of her personal time stressing and distracted.
posted by Miko at 10:58 PM on August 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
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Last year I finally went to the doctor and got ADHD meds. It's not a magic cure, but it helped. I still struggle with some things, but not as much as I did before.
I never feel ready. I always feel like I didn't do enough with my summer. I try to remember that it's not about doing EVERYTHING or filling up every minute with an activity. I remind myself of the things I DID do, and acknowledge my accomplishments.
posted by rakaidan at 9:02 AM on August 1, 2021 [2 favorites]