Top 10 tips for teachers to start their year!

Need some useful tips to start your new year? Here are our top 10 tips to help you start your class in 2018!

1. Set It Up

How you handle the first few weeks of school will often determine the tone for the rest of the school year. Use this time wisely by teaching them respect – establish classroom rules and procedures during this time to ensure the rest of the school year will be smooth sailing.

2. Keep on Planning

Save time by keeping lesson plans from the previous years, so instead of remaking a fresh new lesson plan which could be time-consuming. Use previous year’s lesson plans as guides and adjust where necessary. Also, this ensures that you are covered if an emergency occurs and you must be away for an extended period.

3. Clean Slate

Changing your classroom layout and keeping desks, tables and books organised will inspire more productive learning! Think about what has worked in the past and what hasn’t and adjust.

4. Collaborate with Co-workers

Build relationships with other teachers, creating events with teachers from your grade-level team can empower you to be more creative and on-top of your game! It also keeps things fun for the students when they can interact with other peers outside of their classrooms!

5. Shy no More

Don’t shy away from new teaching methods or strategies, step out of your comfort zone and try something new! It keeps things fresh and exciting.

6. Create Trusting Relationships with your students

This could be through introductory games or even a “Welcome to my Class” letter from you to your students with some facts about yourself, in turn, they can write one too. This allows your students to develop a deeper connection with you and it makes them feel safe to reach out when they need to.

7. Keep Calm and Stay Positive

Correct students with love and patience, rather than a show of passive aggressiveness and dominance. It will encourage them to try their best, everyone strives better in a positive environment.

8. Remain Flexible

Have plans, but don’t stress when things don’t go as planned. Take a deep breath – spend your days planning and not panicking!

9. Give yourself a Thumbs Up

Give yourself credit, set goals and improve on your own areas of weaknesses, but be afraid to take new approaches to problems.

10. Remember to smile and crack a joke if you need to. There’s nothing that laughter can’t fix!