TeacherBoss Hacks: Back to School

I’m back with another BossTeacher hacks post to give you 5 things to think about when setting up your classroom and preparing for your students. These 5 tips have saved me a lot of time throughout the year by shaving minutes off of day to day activities. This time adds up, people!

(When you’re done with this post, stick around a bit and read all about my 7 must-haves for a smooth back to school season!)

Let’s Go:

No more arguing over whether or not you already stacked your chair or wondering where your chair ended up during center rotations (because apparently in third-grade world, it is super important to have the exact same chair all day).

 

 

It is no fun to do this for them in August, it takes time. But, there will be no more confusion over what side houses what. This is more to hold my parents accountable for their end of communication than my students. I also include my procedures, homework schedule, and contact information right on the folder so I will never hear the excuse, “I didn’t know” (…hopefully). This 3 pocket folder is from Teacher Direct.

 

You will thank yourself mid-year when everything is a mess and you don’t have time for figuring out where something needs to go. It also makes it easy to give students directions to find something because we all know “on top of, right beside, to the left of, etc…” will not result in you getting the thing you need.

 

I am so glad that I hopped on this bandwagon after reading this post from The Kindergarten Smorgasboard. If you do interactive notebooks in your classroom, this is a must! It saved me so many precious minutes throughout the year when gluing

 

down smaller, sort pieces.

I

 

have noticed students respond better to libraries that have a corner. When bookshelves lay flat against a wall, there isn’t really a space for students to gather. Creating a nook makes them feel like it is a separate area and they are more likely to spend time there. It sounds cray, I know…but it’s true!