Managing a classroom full of students who have been out of school for a week or more can be overwhelming. The start of a new semester, whether it’s in the fall or after winter break, takes a bit of planning and commitment to make it go as smoothly as possible. Here are some classroom tips for a successful second semester.
Examine your Organization
Keeping student work takes a level of organization. A new semester is a great time to examine your organization. Start by updating and organizing your supplies. Teachers love school supplies, and keeping an appropriate number on-hand is essential to success.
Before adding to your supplies, go through your filing cabinet and put things in order, tossing empty White-Out bottles and markers that no longer work. Clean out old files and folders.
Make changes to your Classroom Management Plan.
Now that you have spent an entire semester with your students, you have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t work in terms of managing your classroom and the behavior of your students. This is the perfect time to tweak your management system and make changes to ensure your daily routine runs smoothly.
Put something new on the wall or bulletin board
You do not want your students walking back into your classroom without making some changes. Shake things up a bit! Put up some new wall displays and bulletin boards. They don’t have to be too fancy or time consuming to make. You just need to send the message that this is a new semester, and you are ready to go with all new materials and resources.
Remind Students of Foundational Expectations
This is the follow-through portion of the start of a new semester. Remind students of the foundational expectations for behavior in your classroom but avoid going over every detail. Start with the rules that absolutely cannot be ignored, and then follow up by adding more back into the regime gradually over the first week or two. Jumping into a new semester expecting the classroom to operate the way it did before the break will be stressful for you and your students who are just settling back into a regular schedule.
Take Care of Yourself
Your mental and physical health is just as important as what you teach. Keeping yourself healthy mentally and physically enables you to be the best version of yourself and the best teacher for your students. Plan your daily routine and add time for yourself to either relax, exercise, connect with friends, or do something you find enjoyable.
Also remember to get enough sleep. Your body needs time to refresh after a busy day, and quality sleep is an important factor in staying healthy and keeping stress levels low.
What are you changing for the new semester? Let us know in the comments!
Resources:
https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/4-tips-to-begin-a-new-semester
https://www.amybrownscience.com/2018/01/second-semester-for-secondary-science.html
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