{"id":3778,"date":"2021-08-22T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=3778"},"modified":"2021-08-22T16:11:04","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T21:11:04","slug":"back-to-school-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/back-to-school-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers, Here’s How to Beat the Back-to-School Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ah, the smell of new notebooks, freshly sharpened pencils, and clean classrooms. Everywhere you look there are clothing sales, Labor Day barbecues, and parents checking off supply lists. Now, maybe I’m alone, but when I see all of this, I only have one thought: “Back-to-school season sucks!” If you, too, get the back-to-school blues, here are some tips for approaching the first day of school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My History with Back-to-School Season<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’m not like other teachers. Maybe this is one of those fundamental differences between primary and secondary teachers. Maybe it’s just the extra dash of cynicism that I personally bring to the profession. But I absolutely hate <\/em>the back-to-school season.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Administrative paperwork, learning names, getting-to-know-you games, and classes in which I do the majority of the talking: these top my list of Things I Hate About Teaching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These also top the list of Everything that Must Be Done in the First Two Weeks of School. (See my post on teaching with social anxiety<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blegh. I spend the first half of September longing for the days in which procedures are in place and work is getting done. I even look forward to students having missing work! Then, they can’t give me that “But I have nothing to do!” line while texting on their phones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we all must get through the beginning of the year (or semester) in order to get to the good stuff. Here are some of my tips for making it as painless as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pinterest<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Beat the Back-to-School Blues Tip #1: Don’t Compare Yourself to Others<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are always enthusiastic teachers out there overdoing it, and making the rest of us look bad. You’ve seen the Instagram posts. Some teachers seem to work full-time during the summer trying to transform their concrete and barren rooms into magical and cozy environments. Their classrooms are better decorated and more organized than our kitchens at home. It’s hard to feel adequate next to them with a couple of lousy posters on the wall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignore them. They’re not normal. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else–just prioritize readying anything you and your students will need to be successful.<\/strong> A classroom theme will not help prepare your students for the real world any more than a couple of store-bought posters will. Do what you can, but don’t focus on the cosmetics. Instead, make sure your first week is planned, you know what procedures you want to introduce, and you yourself are ready to show up and bring it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you shouldn’t spend the time decorating if it makes you happy and will make coming to work easier. But just remember no one sane is spending hours and hours doing unpaid, DIY projects for work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n