Back to School PREP

Wow! Can you believe that it is already time to begin thinking about the next academic year and going back to school? Summer is zipping by and many teachers are mentally creating their lists.

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What are some things to add to your Back-to-School PREP?

When you start to think about everything to do to prepare to return to school, your head can swim. I found for me the best thing I could do to begin to feel organized was to create lists of things I needed to get done.

I have created a form with numerous lists all on one page that is yours for FREE when you complete the form below. It can be a start to your lists to help you move forward with less overwhelm.

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Along with the items on this one-page list, I would begin to think about how I wanted to arrange the classroom.

Classroom Arrangements

There are a number of things to consider when it comes to room arrangement. Some districts are making stipulations for teachers this coming year due to the cover-19 situation.

Just keep in mind that this coming year will not be a typical year. Of course you will have to follow the mandates from your district. Unfortunately, that may not be condusive to student engagement with one another.

But here I am going to address room arrangements for “normal” times. Here are the things to decide/consider:

• should students’ desks be in rows or table groups?
• will your instruction involve a lot of group work and collaboration?
• are you setting up other areas in the room? Some to consider are:
• class library area
• a science center
• a carpet area
• a math calendar (instructional) board
• a Language Arts focus wall area
• a bookshelf for supplies and/or manipulatives
• a small group table (such as the kidney shaped ones)
• will seating be the flexible kind this year?
• where are your supplies stored?
• do you want to set up a “teacher’s corner”? I used to love having one.

I wrote another article about preparing your classroom for a new year. You can read it here:

How to Prepare Your Class Over Time and Still Enjoy Your Summer Break

What other furniture pieces do you need?

If you are entering this particular classroom for the first time (either a new school or a room change), you will need to assess if the other furniture in the room will meet your needs.

When I was a young teacher, I didn’t know that I could ask for what I needed. I just assumed that I had to work with what was in the room; making it work or sticking things out of the way that I could’t use. After years of teaching I realized that the school custodian will help you get what you need (if they have it) and take away any unwanted furniture.

This also includes marker boards and bulletin boards. If you have a wall that has a bulletin board and you would rather have a marker board on that wall, ask!! Often you can get your needs met by the district without having to spend your own money or try to find a different way to make it work.

So, knowing this – think about if you want a round group table, a kidney shaped one? Do you need a larger instructional table in the front of the room to hold your document camera, or does a small desk work for you? I found that I liked a medium sized table for this. It was larger than a desk but not quite as big as a large table. I always wanted room to set down the TE and to have a set of “name sticks” as well as the timer, a set of markers, etc. Having a table larger than a student desk was ideal for me.

Do you want more shelves for your class library? Often rooms have one book shelf. I always wanted one behind my teacher desk for all my teaching resources, but also needed one for my library. If the room only had one, I would ask for another. The custodian was always able to find one for me. (happy face emoji here).

Thinking about School supplies

When it comes to school supplies, I’m sure there are many differences between school districts. I worked at schools that had teachers place orders from they annual budget allotment a couple of times a year with the site secretary. And at other schools, there was a supply storage closet that was well stocked and teachers could get what they needed any time they needed something.

If you do not know what the supply routine is at your school, ask the secretary right away. You need to find out what you can order from within your school supplies, and what you will want to purchase yourself for your class.

I KNOW THAT TEACHERS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO SPEND THEIR OWN MONEY! And I agree, but I’ve never met a teacher who doesn’t. Maybe you want the cute colorful folders that your school doesn’t have on the order form. Or you want the special name tags to use. ETC, ETC.

Other Supplies

The more teaching years you have under your belt, the more you will know what supplies you need for each grade level. For example, you probably need more crafting supplies for primary grades (especially Kindergarten) than you do for upper grades. And, on the flip side, you will probably need more journals or spiral notebooks for older grades.

I Love the Back-to-school supplies sales at all the stores each year!!!

If you find an absolutely fabulous deal, buy a lot of that item! That’s my big tip. Staples used to let teachers get a lot at the “deal price”, but now they have a limit. If you have older kids to go with you, give them cash and have them stand in another line to get more of an item. Or you can go back the next day.

So, for example lately the limit is 10 items of each type per customer. And if I need 25 of something (for example spiral notebooks). I can take my son and daughter with me (or go in three different days). Then I give them each enough cash to pay for 10 items plus tax and stand in different lines. This has worked well for me.

Even now as a business owner and retired educator, I can’t resist the school supplies sales each July-September. I get the max allowed of pencils, folders, pens, etc. and use these supplies over the year. The difference between a folder for a dime during the sale time and later for almost two dollars makes it worth stocking up ahead of time.

Plus my grandkids always know that I have extras of everything they need for school.

Have fun getting things ready!

Until Next Time,