For Educators: Ways to Prepare for the Upcoming School Year

By Beth Hedrick

Let’s face it. Summer break, or any break if you have year-round school, is nothing short of pure bliss. It really is. We can wake up when we want, make a batch of cookies at 10 pm, hang with other teacher friends till the late night hours, and spend our days relaxing with friends and family.

Then reality sets back in, and the butterfly-stomach feeling comes about in the middle of July. You may realize about three weeks before school begins again that, well, you only have three more weeks of freedom. With the many emotions you may be feeling, and for however long you have been teaching, you may know what you need to do to make your school year a total success right when it begins. Here are my tips for you, and after 22 years of teaching, I can assure you they will help you have a much less stressful start to the new school year!

Cleaning and Purging
About a week after school was out, I made a list. This list included all of the things I wanted to do this summer in terms of organizing my life, so to speak. I know many teachers who do the major house cleaning and purging at the beginning of the break so they can enjoy their time off even more. This is what I do. However, if you choose to wait until a few weeks before those work days begin, that is fine as well. Either way, having a super clean house that is clutter-free will make your transition to your new school year easier!

Those Projects…
So, I decided I wanted to do some things around the house that I simply did not, and will not, have time to do during school. My list included painting a few rooms and deck staining. I also had a few more projects around the house I wanted to get done so I wouldn’t have to worry about “those things that needed to be finished” during the year. Accomplishing those projects that you have been putting off makes you feel good about yourself and about your home. Whether it is staining that deck or trimming those shrubs, it is nice to know that everything is in order once you are in the midst of teaching.

Lesson Planning
Okay. There have been breaks where I have not worked on any lesson plans and there have been breaks on which I did. Let me tell you, getting down to business for a few days and focusing on your plans before the school year begins is absolutely recommended by me! I scour the web for fresh ideas, create a cool lesson plan template, and get to work. I reconnect with my standards and make a to-do list, and I also look into teaching strategies that will better help my students acquire the material. I typically begin lesson planning around mid-July since our workdays begin at the beginning of August. Then, when those overwhelming work days hit, life won’t seem so hectic!

Getting used to a Routine
Becoming adjusted to a new routine can be challenging if you have been waking up, and going to bed, whenever you please. About two weeks before your new school year, try to adjust your body’s sleep schedule so that you will not be so overwhelmed when school begins. Many of my teacher friends keep their same schedule all summer long, but I do not, and if I don’t readjust my routine, I suffer when that alarm clock goes off for that first workday. Yes, I have learned the hard way, but I have definitely found that adjusting my sleep schedule beforehand really has its benefits!

Overall Preparations
There are other things I do before the school year begins in order to save my sanity. I make and go to those dentist and doctor routine visits, I go grocery shopping and spend a day making meals to freeze, and, of course, I get my own boys ready for school. Once I accomplish those tasks, for some reason, it makes me feel more focused and “ready” to tackle what lies before me.

Teaching is not an easy job, but it is very rewarding. I love my job, but I love it even more when I feel ready to focus on what I need to do at the beginning and throughout the school year. Getting a “jump start” allows me to focus on my own family because I have done much of the “busy work” and preparations beforehand. Preparing myself both mentally and physically for the upcoming tasks gives me the chance to focus on what is really important: my students.




Beth Hedrick has been educating students for 22 years. She teaches in a rural southwest Virginia community that values the education of every student. She is the mother of two boys, Aaron and Landon, and is married to Todd. 

She is an advocate for Autism Awareness, as her son Landon has Asperger’s Syndrome. She has served on her community and school system’s autism support team. Beth enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her Basset Hound, Lenny. She also likes to read, write, blog, and travel in the summer months.