Preparing planning and managing a new school year.

It has come. A new school year is here, and with it, challenges arise and we must prepare for it.

Whether you are a Teacher or a Head of English department, you must organize for this new school year.

Most teachers like to be prepared for the new school year well ahead of the start. Planning before the old year is even finished is the ultimate preparation. Preparation means different things to teachers, administrators, parents and students. Some may begin to prepare by purchasing supplies (a personal favorite) and making sure that al items for upcoming projects are bought.

Other teachers might just start updating pre-planned lessons or coming up with brand-new lesson plans.

Using time in the summer to do lesson planning may be difficult while the sun is shining, but saving that time later in the school year is invaluable. Many educators feel that they do not have enough preparation time during the school year so getting the jump on things in August makes sense.

Here's some advice:

1.- Plan and organize your new school year according to your course, institution and personal objectives

Set SMART goals:

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-bound

Plan your time with clear goals. A To-Do list is always handy!

2.- Know your new students

Some Groups have specific needs. If you're an experienced teacher, you can easily identify areas of improvement, run diagnostics on level of English, behavior and more. If you're a newcomer, you might want to save some time asking around. Make sure you ask objective questions, otherwise, you might end up biased before getting to actually know your groups.

It is always a great idea to ask if there are any students with special needs and, if so, how to deal with them.

3.- Get your classroom ready

Plan some first-week activities like icebreakers and set up the mood for a fun school year. Of course, 'fun' does not mean 'free of schoolwork'. Your students will learn the difference between classwork and leisure activities.

Remember it is also important to build a learning environment. Put up posters, a reading corner and allow them to bring a magazine or something allowed in your classroom (and your school).

Always enable learners to participate as much as possible!

4.- Be smart with ICT's!

There are plenty of tech tools out there that can lighten your burden. Look into using Google Forms and their add-ons and many other platforms to help with homework and marking.

These are just some tips on how to plan and manage your new school year! Tell us, how do you usually start a new school year?

We're reading you!

APP