I don’t know about you, but I have difficulty with creativity if my “space” is in chaos. Each year, during that last week of school when the kids are wild, I begin my packing, organizing, and preparing for the next school year. If I can accomplish the following tasks before leaving for summer vacation, I can return in August and go straight into curriculum planning and creating lessons that are fun and engaging:
- Ask responsible students to change your bulletin boards with a “welcome” theme ready for the new school year.
- Organize and “weed out” at least 1/2 of the files in my file cabinets.
- Get rid of text books and materials that I really KNOW I won’t use.
- Change family and desk photos, or prepare to replace with new summer photos.
- View school website information. Copy, paste, and save the information from EACH page onto a Google Doc. This will make my life SWEATLESS when upon returning to school in August to discover my district has changed web platforms. Ask me how I know this.
- Pack a box of summer items to include: 3 professional books I wish I had time to read, my favorite curriculum books or folders, summer fiction/non-fiction, a folder of ideas to peruse.
- Remove some items from walls and give my room a slightly new flavor. I’m going from flowers and Van Gogh to a vines and jungle theme next year. I can remove 2 or 3 floral posters and replace my bulletin board’s floral theme to a jungle theme with very little effort. Keep it simple, but fresh.
Teach ATX 