Advice for First Year Teachers: Spring Edition

You’ve almost made it to the end of the school year! This time of year is filled with its own challenges but read on for my advice for first year teachers in the spring.

Miss the previous teacher advice posts?

Click here to read or listen to the podcast for the new teacher summer edition.

Click here to read or listen to the podcast for the new teacher fall edition.

Click here to read or listen to the podcast for the new teacher winter edition.

Reflect on the School Year

One of the things I like to do before we dismiss for the end of the year is to take a moment and reflect on the current school year. If I wait to do my reflection during the summer, odds are I will forget some important things. While I’m still in school mode I’ll sit down and make a list of things that worked well (or flopped).

Lesson Reflections

Even better is if I’m on top of things enough to make these notes as I go through the year. I’ve found taking a minute to jot down notes directly on my printed lesson plans throughout the week is a great help for remembering things about my lessons.

Activity Reflections

Maybe my morning work takes too long each day and I need to look for a new resource that will provide the same value but in a faster amount of time. Maybe my students needed more scaffolding before we dived into our math unit on place value. I’ll look for ideas on adding more spiral review with place value concepts.

I also pay attention to the structure of my day. Now some things I can’t change because my admin tells me which blocks I must teach which subjects but I can think about and adjust the flow of my lessons.

Student Reflections

Don’t forget to reflect with students as well on your year together! An easy way to do this is to create a class end of year slideshow. If you use a template such as the one in my TpT store, all you have to do is add pictures and music. The slideshow titles will help you figure out what to incorporate.

Make a Back to School Plan

Since I’ve taught a few years, I have my favorite activities and tools I use again and again. The end of the year is the time I start prepping them. If I consider it a non-negotiable for my classroom, I’ll add it to my copy pile. Then, when I have a few minutes I will start running the copies or creating the booklets. Sometimes if I’m extra lucky I can find a parent volunteer to help me.

Here are just a few of the things I like to prep during this time of year: (Click the links to be taken to the product in my TpT shop)

Writing Notebooks
Writing Folders
Labels for notebooks and folders
Parent Guide Booklets
Sight Word Parent Guide
Sight Word Spelling Program
120 Numbers Charts
Phonics Screener
Blank Hundreds Charts
Back to School Night Slideshow
Parent Volunteer Information
Group Supplies (sharpening pencils, putting supplies in groups)
First week of school activities
Back to school postcard or letter for students

Stay Consistent

The end of the year is not the time to let your routines lapse. This is easier said than done if you are moving classrooms, changing grade levels, or moving to another school the next year. We all want to get a headstart on packing up and thinking about the upcoming year but the more we can keep our routines and expectations in place, the less behaviors we’ll see.

A great way to keep students working while you sneak in some reflection or packing is to have them create a memory book. There are lots of great ones available through TpT and are bound to give you a couple of hours of time when they are coloring and reflecting away!

Keep High Expectations

Don’t forget to keep high expectations for their behaviors as well. Often students will work to push boundaries and get off task during the last couple months before summer - much like right before any break. Incorporate a different classroom management strategy to keep them focused and excited about doing well. I love an easy themed classroom incentive. Think classroom ice cream party, dance party, free time, extra recess - take a poll and see what your class likes best. When they choose the reward it becomes more meaningful for them when they earn it.

Expect the Unexpected

If this is your first year teaching, the end of the year can be full of unexpected items you are expected to complete ASAP. Even as a seasoned teacher things will come up that are new for that school year. This is pretty typical for our job and we must always be ready to be flexible.

A few things that I’ve seen that are pretty expected (but unexpected for new teachers) are sorting students, classroom close-out lists, and final report card preparations.

Sorting Students

At the end of each school year each teacher is often given some way of identifying students to then be sorted into their next classroom. Many times you will record on slips of paper student names, math and reading levels, IEPs, behaviors, and a general assessment of their level.

The best way to prepare for this is to ask a member on your team what type of information you usually put on these cards or if you have a system for sorting classes. Then you can gather the test information or whatever is needed ahead of time so it is easier to complete.

Classroom Close-Out Lists

Many schools require teachers to “pack up” at the end of the year. Schools are different in their expectations depending on what they plan to do with your classroom over the summer. I’ve been at schools that require everything be packed up and put away off all surfaces and shelves but then other schools where we could even leave our bulletin boards up.

Almost every school though has had some sort of checklist that needs to be followed before you are officially off duty and on summer break. This checklist usually has things like you’ve put away your supplies and packed up personal belongings, turned in any necessary devices or books, picked up or turned in curriculum, filed report cards in cumulative folders, and turned in your classroom keys.

Congratulations on making it to the end of your first year! If you missed the previous posts about my first year teacher advice series, click on the links below.