There are endless aspects of teaching that cause me stress and anxiety over the course of the school year. Managing each student’s needs, developing positive relationships with parents, clubs, meetings, grading, duties, extra demands from admin… you know, all those things that pop up during the school year that are mostly beyond my control. I realized that I needed to really focus my energy on the things I CAN control, which is why I started backward planning my entire school year. Why I Backward Plan So Far In Advance What I’ve learned from backward planning is that it’s counterintuitive, but if I have a detailed outlined plan for each quarter…
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How I Declutter My Classroom!
Spring Cleaning for Teachers Series – Part 3 Click here for Parts 1 and 2 of this Series. Every year as my teaching duties start winding down, I begin the therapeutic process of decluttering all of the printed paper I have collected throughout the year. As a teacher, I feel like this is SO HARD. I always think to myself, “What if I need these 7 copies next year?” I don’t believe “Just in Case” is a good enough argument for cluttering up your classroom with a ton of paper. Here’s why: Cluttered classrooms are almost NEVER tidy, even if you think they are. This sends a message to EVERYONE…
