Inside This Week’s Episode: — It’s time to kick off another school year. But, even if your classroom is decorated, copies are made, and desks are in a row - it’s THESE 3 questions that you don’t want to forget to ask yourself before starting a new school year! Tune in to find out what they are.

Links & Resources Mentioned in the Episode

Download the August calendar of events HERE.

EPISODE 34: Routines and Procedures Every TEACHER Needs

EPISODE 97: Creating a Multimedia Classroom Part 1

EPISODE 98: Creating a Multimedia Classroom Part 2

POST: Back to School Series: Setting Up Classroom Routines and Procedures

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So summer is really ending, eh?

Well - we are moving on from summer (ready or not) as we head into a new school.

In fact, we’ve got an extremely busy August that is already underway.  If you missed last week’s episode all about how to save time and money in August, be sure to go check it out because we have a calendar of events with details and links of all the fun events and sales that we have going on this month  - and it’s not too late to take advantage of it. Download the calendar here.

August is a weird time for teachers because some of you are already back at school, and some of you have a couple weeks left of summer (but, let’s be honest, are likely already thinking about school)

Teachers are all over the map right now, depending on where you are in the country (or even the world). However - I think today’s topic will really help ground us all as we start a new school year.

One of the ways that I want to help you kick off a new school year is by sharing 3 questions that every teacher should ask themselves before they start a new year.  

And if you’ve already started, ask yourself these now- it’s not too late.

Shall we get started?

Ok - the first question is this…(and might I add, probably the most important question)

What are your classroom routines and procedures for students?

If there were two words that came out of my mouth more often than not the first few weeks of school, it would be: routine and procedure.

Those two words can set the foundation for your whole school year.  Without them, you'll be backtracking the rest of the year.

Now, because I’ve talked about this so many times - I will direct you to a super helpful post on the website that will help you 1, determine exactly what routines and procedures you should be establishing in your classroom and 2, how to actually teach these routines and procedures to your students.

Check out THIS POST on how to establish routines and procedures in your classroom + grab a FREE checklist to make sure you don’t miss a single one!

This is a must-not-skip step for back to school!

See- even if you’re classroom is decorated to perfection, even if you’ve got all your copies and supplies ready to go for the first day of school…without solid routines and procedures for your students - none of that will matter.

The second question is equally as important:

What are your classroom routines and procedures for yourself?

Yes -you need routines and procedures for yourself, too!  For your sanity, for your mental health, and for the people who work with you.

Even adults need to have a set of guidelines that they refer to throughout their day to be productive and successful.  I love knowing that I have a checklist waiting for me in the morning to help me know how to start my work day.  I don’t waste time getting started and I know how to complete each task because I’ve followed the same process before.  I know the steps to get it all done because I’ve created daily, weekly, and monthly routines as well as specific procedures to complete my checklist!

And - again - I’ve got a great resource for you to help you establish your own routines and procedures.  On THIS EPISODE that I did last year, I’ll walk you through the routines and procedures that you can set up for your morning, afternoon, and evening to help keep you organized and productive all year long.

What will be your focus for the new year?

Whenever we start a new calendar year in January, you often hear people ask:  what’s your word for the year?  Meaning - what is one word or phrase that you want to be the driving force for the year to come.

I want to put a little spin on this new year tradition and ask you, not necessarily what is your word for a new year - but rather - what is your focus?

And - I only want you to choose 1.  Maybe 2.  Perhaps you can choose a focus for the first half of the year, and a new focus of the second half of the year.

The reason I want you to only choose 1 or 2, is because I want you to be successful in keeping it your focus.  Too many things to focus on leave us doing everything so-so, and nothing amazing.

I want you to be amazing!

So here are a few examples of what your focus could be:

• Will your focus be on really honing in on small groups and figuring out the best ways to give students the support they need for learning progress?  

• Will your focus be on classroom management, and developing a solid plan for that.  Perhaps your classroom management has felt really shaking in years past and you really want to get it hammered out.

• Are you going to focus on adding more meaningful technology and multimedia to your lessons?  I’ve talked a lot in recent months on the impact of technology and multimedia on student success. In fact this has been my focus for the past year as we have poured all of our energy into LINKtivity Learning to help support teachers by giving them access to a library of multimedia learning tools that we call LINKtivities.

• Or maybe your focus has nothing to do with the classroom or your teaching, specifically.  Maybe your focus is going to be to learn to say no more often and only saying yes to the things that light you up and fill your heart.  You can say no to being on that extra committee, or other things that drain your energy,

Those are just a few areas of focus.  What will yours be?  Put it in writing to hold yourself accountable.  In fact, I’d love for you to tag me on Instagram or shoot me a DM with what your focus will be for the 2022-23 school year!   We can keep each other accountable!

I am beyond excited to start this new school year with you!

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