As I round the corner into the last two weeks of summer break, I’m feeling the pressure — all the projects I didn’t finish, the summer activities we have yet to do, the work that needs done for the start of the school year, the appointments to squeeze in, routines to rethink. I am heavy with it.
So of course, I’m trying to figure out how to deal with that. And with that in mind, I thought I’d share a few thoughts and takeaways I’m (repeatedly) reminding myself of and a few things I’m prioritizing getting done.
Make The List
First, I’m making my list… the list of all of the projects I want to finish, activities I want to do, and things that really need done soon (if not before school starts). Carrying it all in my head is just added weight — it needs OUT! So I encourage you — make the list! Get it out of your brain and on paper! Maybe it’s not as long as you think… or maybe it is. But either way, stop carrying it around in your head!
So now what?
As I examine my own list, here’s what I’m keeping in mind:
Life Doesn’t End Just Because School Begins
This is a hard one for me. I am not great at stopping and starting projects, and I often feel like I need to have a big dedicated block of time to get things done. My brain likes to hyper-focus on a task, and I can get really frustrated if I’m interrupted, or I can have a hard time getting started at all.
Case In Point: Our baby is currently 13 months. Her bedroom is still not “complete.” Granted, she still doesn’t sleep there, so it doesn’t feel like a huge priority… but realistically, it would probably take about 1-2 hours to finish hanging a few things and organizing the closet. Have I accomplished that? No.
So when it comes to projects of any kind, I tend to put them on the “summers and breaks” list. And as we near the end of the summer and break time and they still aren’t done, I feel it.
But life isn’t over just because summer ends.
All of those projects are just part of “life.” All of those activities — the beach trips, the bike rides, the hikes, the ice cream trips — they can still happen in September, maybe even October! I don’t have to do everything before school starts. That is an arbitrary deadline I’ve set in my head — and I need to let it go.
Good Is Good Enough
I had to remind myself of this one this week as I entered my classroom and faced the disaster I had left just a few weeks before. (My organization system is typically: take everything out and scatter it around, and then put the pieces back together.) I rearranged my classroom this year, and understandably, that took a little extra time to work through. I can give myself grace on that point.
But I don’t need to spend the next two weeks setting up my room. I don’t WANT to spend the next two weeks setting up my room! I don’t have TIME to spend the next two weeks setting up my room.
So I’m not going to.
Good needs to be good enough.
Now is the time to just get it done.
Would it be nice to have XYZ? Sure.
Is it necessary? No.
So let it go.
I will regret spending the last two weeks of summer holed up in my classroom (with my kids on their iPads) more than I will regret not having the extra fancy labels or bulletin board or customized Day 2 “get to know you” activity.
Good is good enough.
First Week of School Planning: Set Goals, Not Activity Lists
While I’m trying not to spend too much time on school stuff before school actually begins, of course I’ve thought about our first week plans! In fact, I’ve made list after list of all of the cool activities I’ve come across on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook…
In fact, based on the list I’ve compiled, you’d think the first week would last a whole month.
There’s no way I can fit it all in.
And really, do I need to???
NO!
There are so many great activities we can use to build relationships, establish routines, and get students settled into our classrooms in that first week. But it doesn’t mean we should do them all. So in the face of my overwhelming list of possible activities, I’m asking myself:
What are my goals?
For me, of course, it’s relationships, expectations, and basic classroom procedures. But what’s beyond that? Because while I 100% believe in explicitly developing and teaching those skills, I bet I can make some activities do double-duty. So what have I got on my list?
My goals for that first week (or two):
- (yes, still all the basic procedures, expectations, and relationship building) but also…
- introduce and get students comfortable with using and caring for our math manipulatives (as tools, not toys)
- introduce and teach the games and activities I have available as “may do” options for early finishers
- establish the structures and expectations for independent/small-group work time so students will know what to do and how to do it when it comes time for me to pull student groups
- establish my group work norms and expectations for the vertical whiteboards
I’m still working on prioritizing when-I’m-going-to-do-what but setting goals for myself (and my students) helps me let go of the extra — the ideas that sound cool, for sure could be beneficial, but just don’t fit into my first-week intentions. And that’s OK.
What I’m Wearing
Ok, this might sound silly, but I have a bad habit of not thinking about what I plan to wear to a special event — a concert, a party, a wedding, the first day of school — and then scrambling the night before (or morning of!) to find something I feel comfortable and confident in. (SHOES INCLUDED! You have no idea how many times I’ve realized I don’t have appropriate footwear for that special event…)
So this year, I’m making an effort to think about what I’m wearing that first day (oh, and open house!) before the event arrives.
Back To School Is Like Sunday Scaries… But Bigger
Back To School is always exciting, and I genuinely am looking forward to it all, but it’s also a little like the Sunday Scaries. There’s stress, there’s dread, there’s a sense that the days are moving too fast and I’m not ready for it…
If you’re feeling the same, you’re not alone…
but you’ve done it before, and you’ll do it again, and it will all be OK.
A Back-To-School Bonus For You
Here’s one back-to-school activity I’ll be integrating in the first week — Polygon Partners! Grab the free resource here. Print, partner up, and you’re ready to go!
