What All Teachers Must Do At The Beginning of The School Year!
This is a practical series stepping any teacher, especially new teachers or beginning teachers, through the ‘must-dos’ to start your year off on the right foot. The information I provide in these videos is simple, easy to do, yet as teachers we have so much to do that consistency around the basics can be forgotten.
So, here is a guide that you can simply watch and follow the practical steps, then revisit during the year to recentre when needed.
Part 1 – Your Physical Needs
Whether you are a new teacher or a teacher looking for ways to invigorate your practice or whether you starting at the beginning of the school year, or part way through there are basic principles and ways of operating that will support you in this wonderful profession of teaching.
In this video you will learn how to look after your physical needs at the beginning of the school year so that you show up as your best self every day….well most days! We aim for progress not perfection!
Here are three simple things that you can do that are guaranteed to improve your performance at school. While they are simple you may be surprised at the difference they can make to your day, to your energy levels, to your patience and resilience and to how productive you feel. That is, your level of job satisfaction. Most of us want that!
Part 2 – Your Classroom
In this video you will learn the critical steps to take that will help you feel comfortable, confident, and capable, ready to begin the new school year! Learn how you can increase the likelihood that you feel calm and confident on the first day of school and reduce student anxiety and the possibility of behaviour issues in your classroom.
Remember this is new for your students as well as for you and if you are a new teacher to the school, your students may well be hesitant and anxious about meeting you.
Part 3 – Your Expectations
In this video you will learn how to set expectations for your class to increase the likelihood that students will behave appropriately and learn effectively. Setting clear expectations at the beginning of the year will prevent difficult student behaviour because your students will know what you expect from them and feel secure in what to do and how to act in your classroom. It will also help you to maintain your wellbeing!
Part 4 – Your Lessons
In this video you will learn valuable and practical strategies for planning effective lessons that improve student engagement and student learning and reduce the likelihood that students will be bored or off task.
The key to successful lessons is to consider how you will use teaching strategies as classroom management techniques and prevent off-task student behaviour as much as possible.
Part 5 – Your Sanity!
In this video you will learn how to maintain your sanity in the complexity that is the teaching profession, how to improve your teaching by setting up support structures for yourself and how to reduce the overwhelm that can be a part of teaching.
Further Relevant Resources
SERIES: Effective Use of Reward Systems in The Classroom
10 Ways To Manage That Tricky Kid
What Does It Mean To Have High Expectations For Your Students
How To Improve Student And Teacher Wellbeing At The Same Time