What is an effective way to set up my classroom?
There are countless ways to set up your classroom. These are questions you should ask yourself before you begin: Are you planning to have students work in small groups? Do you want all the desks facing the front of the room? The way you set up your room will also be different depending on your grade level. Not only is the physical set-up of your room important to decide, but the use of organizational tools is essential. The teacher's desk can turn into a bottomless abyss where all papers go missing if set on top. A way to avoid this is to have:
There are countless ways to set up your classroom. These are questions you should ask yourself before you begin: Are you planning to have students work in small groups? Do you want all the desks facing the front of the room? The way you set up your room will also be different depending on your grade level. Not only is the physical set-up of your room important to decide, but the use of organizational tools is essential. The teacher's desk can turn into a bottomless abyss where all papers go missing if set on top. A way to avoid this is to have:
- A turn-in bin for student work
- A filing cabinet with student folders
It’s about ORGANIZATION!!!
Teacher blogs are a great way to get ideas for organization and the physical layout of your classroom. Below are some popular links:
The Brown Bag: Classroom Organization: Tips and Tricks
The Simply Organized Teacher
We Are Teachers: 15 Marvelous Classroom Organization Tips for Back-to-School
Miss Decarbo: How I Stay Organized: Weekly Lesson Planning Tips and Tricks
The Brown Bag: Classroom Organization: Tips and Tricks
The Simply Organized Teacher
We Are Teachers: 15 Marvelous Classroom Organization Tips for Back-to-School
Miss Decarbo: How I Stay Organized: Weekly Lesson Planning Tips and Tricks
How do I structure the day?
Blogs are a great place to look to see how other teachers are setting up their days.
The Cornerstone for Teachers: Ideas for Daily Class Schedules
The Cornerstone for Teachers: Teacher Daily Schedule Makeover
Top Dog Teacher: My (Jam-Packed) 2nd Grade Daily Schedule
- Your school may have a schedule in place already
- Every aspect of your day needs to be listed on the daily schedule (even the 5 minute activities)
- Your teacher calendar should also include as much information as possible. You can’t remember it all!!
Blogs are a great place to look to see how other teachers are setting up their days.
The Cornerstone for Teachers: Ideas for Daily Class Schedules
The Cornerstone for Teachers: Teacher Daily Schedule Makeover
Top Dog Teacher: My (Jam-Packed) 2nd Grade Daily Schedule
What do I put in my substitute binder?
Your substitute binder should be a magical document where anyone could step into your classroom and know what to do, and have everything they need to support your classroom for the day. A great tip is to make a Sub Plan template and write a handwritten “thank you” to the sub. A typical substitute binder should include:
Of course when you have a planned absence or a sick day you can “feel coming”, you will create personalized sub plans to have ready for the next day. It is, however, so important to have emergency plans that are easily accessed in the event that you do not have the ability to make them last minute. To the left are some links that may help give you ideas for your binder: |
How do I request a day off?
Every school is different when it comes to requesting a day off. Examples of these are:
Every school is different when it comes to requesting a day off. Examples of these are:
- Filling out a form from the office
- ASEOP (Online requesting site)
- Employee Self Service
How do I understand “teacher talk”?
If you haven’t yet noticed teachers use a lot of acronyms! Teacher talk can sometimes be challenging to interpret when you are still trying to learn what everything stands for. IEP, 504, IDEA, FAPE, SLO, OT, GT FBA, DOE, ELL, PLC, PBL--- the list goes on! Below are some links to help you familiarize yourselves with these terms and what they mean.
Education.com: 23 Acronyms That Teachers Use
Frequently Used Acronyms in Education
How do I prepare for an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting on a student?
You are going to be invited to meetings. Lots of them. The most frequent invitation you might get is to an IEP meeting. These are held annually, triannually, and whenever anyone associated with the student calls for one. Woot woot! You will be asked to present information! When all the eyes are on you, be prepared! Be sure to have your data. Here’s a link to a sample template that you may need to modify to meet your school’s specific testing. Always end on a positive note. Parents tend to hold onto the last thing mentioned by the teachers.
Below is a link to a template you may use to help you prepare for your IEP meetings.
IEP Meeting Teacher Input Form
You are going to be invited to meetings. Lots of them. The most frequent invitation you might get is to an IEP meeting. These are held annually, triannually, and whenever anyone associated with the student calls for one. Woot woot! You will be asked to present information! When all the eyes are on you, be prepared! Be sure to have your data. Here’s a link to a sample template that you may need to modify to meet your school’s specific testing. Always end on a positive note. Parents tend to hold onto the last thing mentioned by the teachers.
Below is a link to a template you may use to help you prepare for your IEP meetings.
IEP Meeting Teacher Input Form
How do I prepare for parent-teacher conferences?
Parent-teacher conferences (PTC) are different in each school. When do you have them? How long are they? What do you need to say? This is a conversation to start early in the year because typically PTCs come up in the blink of an eye, in October/November. Be prepared to discuss:
Scholastic: Ten Tips for Productive Parent Conferences
NEA: Parent- Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences (PTC) are different in each school. When do you have them? How long are they? What do you need to say? This is a conversation to start early in the year because typically PTCs come up in the blink of an eye, in October/November. Be prepared to discuss:
- Topics being taught
- Academics
- Behaviors/Social Skills
- Grade-level expectations
Scholastic: Ten Tips for Productive Parent Conferences
NEA: Parent- Teacher Conferences