Back to School Season....it's here!

It is official....school supplies and backpacks have hit the shelves at the stores near me. 

Personally, I still have a lot of "summering" left to do....so these stores are CrAzY!!! But.... once I switch my brain into school mode, I will start by thinking through how to create a strong foundation for my students.  

Much like a builder at a construction site, your classroom REQUIRES a well-built foundation in order to have a positive and strong impact for your students.  A sturdy base includes preparations for building and maintaining relationships, creating classroom routines, behavior management, communication and organization of classroom supplies.   

So once you are ready to flip that switch to "school mode," give yourself a chance to think through the following questions:

Relationships

1. How will students get to know you?
2. How will you get to know your students?
3. How will your students get to know one another? 

Routines

1. What routines do your students need to know?
2. How will you teach them?
3. How will they practice the routines? 

Classroom Management

1. How will you prevent problem behavior? 
2. What are the student expectations?
3. What is your philosophy?
4. How will you co-construct the agreements/rules together?
5. How will you encourage positive behavior? 

Communication 

1. How will you promote all of the awesome things you are going to do this year?
2. Will you use social media?
3. How will you keep communication positive?  

Classroom Organization

1. How will you decorate your classroom?
2. Where will you put supplies?
3. What will be the best way to organize to keep your transitions efficient? 
4. How will students organize their supplies? 

Click the image below to download the above guiding question and a graphic organizer to record your thoughts.  It is a great freebie!