As back-to-school planning for each new year begins, we spend time reflecting on what we did the year before, what worked, what didn't, and how we can do it even better! We prepare for the new group of students about to walk through our door. New faces, new strengths and weaknesses to learn, new stories to hear from each of them. These are the things we should be getting excited about, but if you are anything like me, that gets buried under the stress! Our classroom still needs to be set up, and we are trying to make that first week perfect! Thankfully, I have come up with 5 tips for back-to-school planning that will help you start your school year off stress-free (well, a little less stressful!) Keep reading to see what you can take back with you to your classroom!

1. Have a REALISTIC Plan on Paper

You are a master at lesson plans and following schedules when students are around, and you can do the same for your pre-planning days! Use this pre-planning time the same way you would use your time during the year. Write out your to-do list, prioritize it, and set your hours. If you only want to be there from 8:00-3:00 pm every day, then write it down and stick to it! Plan for all the things you know will be coming. Catching up with your fellow teachers? Know you and your team will be going out to lunch? Account for that. The meetings, training, and team-building exercises are all dreaded, but we know we are expected to do them, so include them on your schedule. It's important you stick to a schedule so you can also get your time to yourself before the students arrive, and you know you will be showing up as your best self!

2. Set Up Your Classroom LAST

I know, I know. This is your favorite part: decorating and getting everything perfect for your students to arrive. Decorating is the fun part, but it can also take over your whole day, so use it as your motivation! Try to take shorter lunch breaks, spend less time chatting with coworkers, and knock out the boring stuff first! Then you can make your classroom as plush as you want. But keep in mind, your students are more excited to meet you than they are to critique your classroom walls.

3. Don't Reinvent the Wheel

Have you heard this saying before? Yes, because there is truth to it! Use the layout you used last year, but add to it, tweak it to work for this incoming class. If it worked in your other classes, chances are your new students will love it too! But if you want to add something new, don't try to create everything from scratch. There are so many resources already available. My most popular resource, Math About Me, is included in the Back to School Math Bundle. There are several back to school “Get to Know You” resources in here that are sure to save you much valuable time.

4. Prioritize Your First Few Days

There is so much to plan for at the beginning of the year! You have 180ish days of school ahead of you, and that can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to plan for all those days right now. During your pre-planning time, just focus on the first few days. Have your plan ready to go, and the rest will fall into place. As the first day comes, you can then work on the 3rd day (or whichever day you are ready for next!).

Here’s a little side story…

I have breastfed both of my children. Therefore, when they are at daycare, they need bottles of milk in order to eat. Originally, I thought I needed breastmilk for every single day they were going to be away from me. That I would have to produce enough milk ahead of time in order to send all the milk before they even started going there. However, I found this was simply not the case. I only have to have a few days ready to go, because I am still producing milk and having to pump when they are away from me. Which will fill the bottles for the following days.

Now you're probably thinking, "What on Earth does that have to do with teaching?" Well, your ideas and plans are still coming to you on the days you have planned. So, have a few days ready to go and then worry about planning the rest of them as they come. Starting a new year is a challenge in itself, so be ahead of the game with a few days of planning, but also give yourself permission to figure out the rest as you learn a brand new group of students’ names, personalities, and families.

5. Get 'em In, Get 'em Fed, Get 'em Home

For the first day of school, keep it simple! The THREE most important things I focus on are getting them into my classroom, getting them fed lunch, and getting them home correctly. Anything aside from these priorities is not important. If this day goes as planned with these three priorities, consider it a huge win!

To get all this information in a timely manner, I use this FREE Game Day Meet the Teacher Packet during Meet the Teacher night!

On that first day, transportation is at the top of my list. Once students come in and are settled, I use this Back to School Math Packet to give the students something to do while I get my transportation list together and anything else I MUST DO first thing. This allows me to knock it out early in the day, so dismissal time is less stressful.

What is your favorite thing about pre-planning? Tell me in the comments below!