School is coming, whether you are ready or not!
When I was still in the classroom, I had a love/hate relationship with the start of school…
I loved the excitement of the start of school.
I appreciated the return to a routine.
I cherished reconnecting with my staff friends and returning students.
But this also meant goodbye to the freedom of summer.
The freedom to wake up late.
The freedom to create my own schedule.
The freedom to spend quality time with my kids.
One of my other love/hate activities during this time was setting up my classroom.
As a male teacher, I typically focused on functionality and efficiency in my classroom and less on artistic design.
Some of the items that helped me be more intentional and efficient when the hustle and bustle of school started were:
STUDENT INFORMATION BINDER
The first week of school I had students complete a Student Information Sheet. This document included their address, parents’ and students’ cell phone numbers, students' involvement, class schedule, interests and their intentions with FFA.
I paired this with their Emergency Medical Forms in a binder and brought this binder on all trips. This provided me with all of the information I would need for a student in the case of an emergency at my finger tips.
WERE YOU ABSENT BINS
These bins contained all of my students’ names on file folders. If a student was absent, I set their handouts in their folder. When they returned, it was their job to grab their missing assignments and ask me for directions if needed. This put the responsibility on the student and took one mental note off my to-do list.
DAILY EXTRA COPIES FOLDERS
When I made copies, I always made a couple extra copies of all assignments. But what do you do with those extras copies so they do not pile up on your desk or end up in the trash can?
For me, I created daily extra copies folders in a filing cabinet. I numbered the folders 1-31 in two different colors. This allowed me to simply place the extra copies into the date they occurred and the next month I switched to the other color. This allowed two months for that student who lost their assignment and then wanted to turn it in for half credit to resubmit their assignment and I didn’t have to reprint it.
I also had a section for new copies for each class period so they didn’t pile up on my desk or become misplaced during the day.
SEMESTER FFA BULLETIN BOARD
Extra bulletin board in your room or hallway? Showcase what your FFA chapter has planned for the semester. This will make it easier to introduce the activities throughout the year and will promote an authentic curiosity of the FFA activities as students read about the different activities during downtime.
OTHER WAYS TO SET UP YOUR CLASSROOM
Read the PUT FFA IN THE LIMELIGHT blog post to learn other ways I set up my classroom and program to highlight our FFA chapter and members. These included our website, newsletters, posters, senior recognition, social media, locker signs and thank you notes. Click the link to download the templates.
1ST WEEK OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Read the SETTING EXPECTATIONS ON DAY 1 blog post to download a copy of the syllabus I used and the signature page I had students complete for permission slips, photo releases and syllabus acknowledgement.
Read the ESCAPE THE BACK TO SCHOOL BLUES blog post to learn how I used a digital escape room to introduce classroom routines, safety drills, the syllabus and FFA.
Another activity I often included in the first week of school was a FFA Member BINGO. This activity allowed me to learn more about my students and allowed students to learn more about the classmates they would be spending 45 minutes with daily for the next 170 days. I had an Underclassmen BINGO Sheet and Upperclassmen BINGO Sheet which included more FFA squares.
No matter how you start the school year, there is an excitement to it that is indescribable! We, at The Owl’s Nest, know you are going to crush this school year and we are here to support you with all of your curriculum and FFA needs!