This End of Year Teacher Checklist includes the 5 Things you can do to make the Fall run better, right now! So, as you wrap up this school year, put these 5 end of year action items on your end of year teacher checklist because these 5 easy things will make next fall fabulous!
5 End of Year Tips to Start Next School Year Right
Every year my campus makes all the teachers pack up their rooms. We have to take down all the teacher bling, pack up the ungodly amount of TeachersPayTeachers activities, and remove all the fun from our homes away from home. They say it is so maintenance can paint and custodians can deep clean the floor… but I think it is to drive me crazy! Or to get my fellow hoarders to declutter a bit.
Either way, the time to pack up and vacate is creeping up fast. As you wrap up your school year, here are 5 things to add to your End of Year Teacher Checklist now so you be sure next year starts off right.
Reflect on This Year
If you are not a blue-into-my-feelings person, reflection can seem like an eye-roller… but there is a lot that can be said about taking a few moments to think about how this year went. I have a free reflection sheet you can use that just asks you to think over the year and jot down where you wish you’d spent more time, less time, and what your favorite moment was this school year. As you gather a few of these, it is nice to see the highlight reels of your years of teaching- like a happy reminder why you do this in the first place. Be sure to click below to get you FREE teacher reflection sheet!
Clean Up the Joint
As much as I complain about having to pack up all my stuff, there is something to that. I was in a teacher’s classroom a few years ago who had been teaching for 25 years. And I think she had never thrown out anything in all 25 years. It was Hoarders, Classroom Edition.
You all know the feeling when you open a drawer or box left in your new room from whoever was in there last year. An instructional guide from 1989 or assessments from 2001. Or maybe a game that is missing pieces or ripped to shreds. Don’t be that teacher.
Take a few minutes to put away the things you will need right away in one area or set of boxes. When you come back, you can start there and feel like you are really making a dent getting set up. Then set out to clean everything. One once over with some Lysol Wipes can do wonders to make things less ewww when you come back. Declutter by taking the stuff that you don’t use much out of the classroom altogether- if you aren’t using it this year, you don’t need it for next year. Put together all kits and sets by finding missing pieces and labeling everything. Nothing worse than trying to set up things in the fall and not being able to find all the parts. It’s an ounce of prevention.
Rip Up the To Do List
We all have grand ideas of all the stuff we are going to get done over the summer. Suddenly we think we are going to create a million activities, redesign all our lessons, and read all the PD books we’ve been craving all school year. BUT, don’t make a to-do list that will kill you. Remember you need some rest and relaxation so you can be a better you come fall.
It’s okay to sit by the pool, or read a romance novel, or binge the queue of shows you missed this school year. You know you’ve earned it.
Love On Your Team
You aren’t the only one that wants next year to run smoothly. Your support staff has worked their butts off this year to support you and your students… and even if they didn’t work as hard as you, you likely still want to praise their effort and help them love their job a little more. It is hard to spend a year as an aide who is tasked with the wiping, pushing, lifting, and, oh yeah, helping to teach. Show them some love with some Pinterest Perfect Teacher Appreciation Gift or, if you don’t want to shower the love with gifts, try a potluck or meet up after hours for mama-juice (margaritas). Those little things make a big difference in the hearts of your co-workers.
Send Home Summer-Work
I said it… but before you click ‘X’ on the page, hear me out! When all the kiddos come back and you’re trying to make it through the first day or two, it is so much easier to plan some back to school filler activities and get to know you activities if you have some inkling of what your students did over the summer. I teach in a classroom where half of the students may not be verbal. I can ask them all day long what they did this summer, but all I’m going to get is crickets. I want everyone to be involved and roll out some fun activities that celebrate them. To do that, I send them some summer-work. Get your hands on it now and send it home… or email it to your student’s parents a week or two prior to the first day. Now you have a no brainer all lined up for fall! Don’t forget to download the summer-work for free from my store!
End of Year Teacher Checklist
There you have it, 5 easy things to add to your end of year teacher checklist that will make next fall fabulous! So, as the end of year countdown dwindles, remember to
- Reflect on This Year
- Clean Up the Joint
- Rip Up the To-Do List
- Love on Your Team
- Send Home Summer-Work
Now, erase one more day of the countdown and let’s get ready for summer!!
