The new school year is coming in hot! If you’re feeling the heat as a new school year inches closer, don’t stress! We’ve all been there before. Back to school teacher stress is real, but we’ve got you covered at Farrah Henley Education. From organizing your classroom, making the first day memorable, navigating the school-life balance, and more, we have practical tips to make this transition stress free. If you’re ready to turn your stress into success, then keep on reading!
Beating Back to School Teacher Stress
Back to school teacher stress is a real thing, but we want to help you combat it with some simple tips! Keep reading for tips on:
- Preparing for Back to School
- Acing the First Day
- Navigating Back to School Night
- Advice just for New Teachers
Be Prepared and Reduce Stress
Back to school teacher stress often comes from feeling like you aren’t prepared for the first day because there are so many things you have to think about. To make this a thing of the past, you can organize your classroom ahead of time for a productive learning environment. One way to do this is to make sure you have your math and literacy centers totally organized. With this freebie, you can relieve stress and streamline your lesson planning for smooth school days.
Another way you can make back to school teacher stress be a thing of the past is by having a good chunk of curriculum ready to go. Reduce stress at the beginning of the school year by using these great year-round, no holidays hands-on math and literacy centers for kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade.
Making the First Day Memorable
A big part of back to school teacher stress comes from the first day. This day sets the tone for the rest of the school year. Therefore, it’s important to make the first day great! Having engaging activities can ease student worry and back to school teacher stress. You’ll feel good about creating a positive and receptive learning environment and your students will appreciate it.
To lower your teacher stress every more, you can start a daily review routine from day one. Using resources like Spiral Reviews for first and second grade can be a great no-prep way to start your students’ days with some game-like review! These worksheets help reinforce fundamental skills and create a great academic foundation. All of this will reduce back to school teacher stress.
Navigating Back to School Night with No Teacher Stress
Back to school nights can contribute to teacher stress because you’re meeting new parents. However, with some planning, they can be a great opportunity to build strong teacher-parent relationships. This can give you a chance to share your plans for the year and invite parents to be involved.
When you show parents what you have planned and show them your teacher resources, you can put parent’s minds at ease. This should reduce teacher stress. You can show parents some of your plans for reading comprehension like this one for first grade as well as second-fourth grade resources. These are packets parents might see at home, so this is a great chance for them to ask any questions they may have.
Minimizing Back to School Teacher Stress for New Teachers
Back to school is even more intense for new educators because everything is new. So, if you’re a new educator, you want to make sure you are flexible, you keep learning, and most of all, prioritize self-care. Every time you make a mistake or forget something or you do something amazing is a chance to learn. All teachers mess up sometimes. Learn from it. Everyone has a beyond brilliant plan that went better than expected. Celebrate it. Reflect on it. You also need to remember that taking care of yourself is crucial to managing stress and preventing teacher burnout.
Back to school teacher stress is something that happens to all of us. However, you don’t have to experience it or bring down that stress level substantially with some preparation, positive mindset, and the right resources. With these strategies, back to school will be stress free for veteran and new teachers alike.
