I know for me, the three weeks between Thanksgiving break and Winter break are always long and dreadful. You have to wind students down from a week off but at the same time, have less than a month before the next break. It’s easy to start feeling burnt out at this point of the school year if you are reading this around the time of the holidays, congratulations! You’ve made it halfway through the school year! Now, if you’re sitting here thinking “yeah, only halfway” then it might be time to consider a classroom refresh. A fresh start in the new year for you, your classroom, and your students is one of my number one suggestions for teaching improvement.
Having a plan in place to refresh and reorganize your classroom can really improve your mood and therefore, your teaching. Here are six ways you can refresh your classroom mid-year.
Suggestions for Classroom Refresh
Rearrange & Clean
Even though this may seem like a no-brainer, it is often overlooked or underdone. Giving your classroom a solid DEEP clean is essential for a fresh restart. School breaks such as winter or spring break are the perfect time to take on this task. It’s time to clean out all the dust bunnies and clean in areas that haven’t been cleaned for quite some time. Along with that, you should also take this time to try out a new seating arrangement. After a week or two away, everything will be new to students anyway. Why not try out a new seating arrangement you’ve wanted to experiment with?
Reorganize
Be honest, there is at least one area of your classroom that is in complete disarray. Whether you are type A or type B, I think we all want to be more organized. Take this time to pick an area of your room that can use some TLC in the organization department. Buy some new bins, folders, boxes, shelves, drawer organizers, etc., and get to work! You don’t need to organize every single space. Remember, this is a reFRESH, not a reSTART! Just pick the area in your classroom that would be most helpful if it was more organized. Consider the following areas:
- Teacher desk
- Filing cabinet
- Small group area
- Student materials center
Suggestions for Teaching Improvement & Student Engagement
Reignite Your Teaching Passion
It’s easy to let a few months of chaos cause you to lose sight of your why. Despite this, you have to continue to surround yourself with positive reminders of why you chose this position. Eventually, a chaotic classroom, grading, parent emails and all the meetings that could have been a memo do wear us down. On the positive side, there is a silver lining! Here are some ways to get that spark back:
- Start a teaching journal & follow positive journaling prompts about improvement
- Attend a professional development (could be a live training or virtual course)
- Read a book about teaching or how to begin a certain system in your classroom
- Start a self-help book that will help you in the classroom also & join a book study
- Join an uplifting teacher group on Facebook
Reimagine Your Classroom Systems
Is there a classroom strategy or system you have been wanting to try but just don’t have the time for? The time you have during a school break is a great opportunity to research this system and plan out how to implement it. There are so many different suggestions for teaching improvement that would be beneficial here. The suggestions below are just a few. Pick one that would work best for your classroom.
- Flipped Classroom Model
- New Classroom Management Strategy
- Classroom Rewards/Jobs/Motivation
- Start/Improve Small Groups (Guided Math/Guided Reading)
- Begin Using or Refresh Google Classroom
Reevaluate Classroom Management
Classroom management is definitely a major pillar in exceptional teaching practice. It helps you keep a (relatively) low-stress environment for yourself and your students. It is comprised of many different components. Many of the suggestions listed above somehow tie into classroom management also. Think of the following components of classroom management and decide where is an area you might see the most improvement if it was reevaluated.
- Routines for EVERYTHING (and practiced with students)
- Clear Expectations
- Attention Getters
- Positive Behavior Systems
- Building Relationships with Students (Social-Emotional Learning)
- Classroom Design
Refocus Your Students
Last, school breaks can be a lot for students. These breaks can be a lot of fun, a lot of chaos, and a lot of unstructured time. However, it is a lot of time away from the classroom & learning in general. For that reason, it is important that we help students get back into the routine of being in school and learning. Just like a warm-up at the beginning of class, students need a warm-up for getting back to school. Despite how “behind” you may feel with academics, don’t rush right into the curriculum. Consider using the first day or two after a break to focus on one of the following things with students to help them refocus and transition back to learning:
- Social Emotional Check-in/Team Building/Discussion
- Academic Goal Setting
- Growth Mindset Lesson/Activity
- Review of Routines/Expectations
