Back to school is likely not a popular notion right now, but for many of us, it is around the corner and I believe there are some things that need to be addressed before we jump into…whatever the fall is going to look like.
I have heard SOO many different options that districts are considering for the fall. What will yours look like?
- The “traditional” school year (students in the building).
- The “continuous learning model” – A system conducted in a distance learning format.
- A hybrid model based on social distancing guidelines, limiting the number of students in a school building at one time (half at home one day, the other half coming the next day).
- A model that is flexible enough to move between any of these three options throughout the school year as guidelines and protocols change (which is highly probable!).
The sad thing is that teachers really have no choice! They must just follow along and trust that everything will turn out ok. So that’s the bad news, the good news is that there are still a few weeks (perhaps a month for some of you) to prepare for it. That’s why I have put together this checklist for you to test your “readiness for school”. There’s a pdf cheat sheet available if you’d like a simplified version of it
The “get ready for school” checklist:
- Go through my last blog post with the reflection questions for this fall.
It will set you on the right path to get ready for whatever next year brings.
- Take a big breath and know that whatever happens, IT’S GOING TO BE OK!
You lived through the last school year…which was quite a trip! You can face whatever the next year is going to throw at you!
- List the reality. Make a list of what will be different and what will stay the same.
You can do one of those venn diagrams if you like! It may surprise you how much you can actually depend on being the same…you can even add things like “morning coffee” and “stubborn students” if you like. But on the other side, perhaps “naps” may be on the list, or “no commute!” Who knows!
- Focus on what YOU can do.
This was touched on in the last post, but it is worth repeating here. Nothing can be done about what your administration decides to do, so focus on what you can do to prepare for next year.
- Do an attitude check.
I know that this may not be popular, but it is the first step. Perhaps you have heard this but empathy for your students is SUPER important. They are struggling with this new way of life too (they may be overdramatic and/or entitled, but we’re all going through this crisis together)!
- Be ready for virtual learning, no matter what.
These days, everything can change in the blink of an eye! It’s best to just be ready for it rather than be frustrated all the time! (IF your students have adobe at home, I’ve got a great curriculum that you could try out 😉
- Rework your syllabus to accommodate students learning from different environments.
There’s no guarantee of anything these days. We may be in classrooms at the start, but until there is a vaccine, I don’t think we can be certain of anything! Some parents may just keep their kids home no matter what!
- Be ready for technology failure.
To prepare for school this year, have some reserve activities available so that you can pull them out in a moment’s notice in case things aren’t going as planned. (Stay tuned for the next couple of posts, I’ve got some great ideas for both graphic design and digital photography on this!)
- One more big breath, also, maybe grab a stiff drink…you’ve earned it!
Download the FREE pdf with this back to school checklist. Click the button below and enter your email!
ALSO, we’ll be hosting a FREE webinar all about getting this fall semester started off on the right foot with a REVIEW of all the FREE design and photography editing softwares out there in late August.
We’ll discuss some of the most popular online softwares and which one might be best for you and your students’ situation this fall. If you’re interested, click below to register!