Back to school comes with a lot of pressure, and social media can amplify that pressure. So I wanted to use this week’s blog post to share a message about back to school (last year’s message is here).
Before you go back to school, you do not have to spend money at Michael’s or in the Target Dollar Spot. You can do and enjoy all of those things (I skipped Michael’s this year, but I did find a cute map for World Lit. in the Dollar Spot). But the amount of money you spend on your classroom is not a measure of how much you love your students.
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In order to be a good teacher, you do not need to have a classroom theme. I use our school colors to create a classroom “palette,” but you don’t have to do that either. Coordinated classroom decor is not a reflection of your teaching ability.
Like most living systems, education goes through cycles and fads. Some will endure, and others will pass. “Buy in” to those practices that will help your students learn. If that’s flexible seating, go for it! If that’s a classroom doorbell, do it! But if it’s not–then do what’s best for your students. Do not feel shame or guilt for making a choice that will benefit students. And don’t let anyone else shame or guilt you either.
Being a good teacher is not related to pining or tweeting or coordinated Teachergram content although all of those activities are fine if you enjoy them (I do). Conversations with a PLN should help you evolve and improve as a teacher. The people you follow should be inspiring! If social media becomes all about comparison, then it’s not about the learning central to a PLN. Instead of focusing on digital content, focus on classroom content. Love the content you teach, and your students will pick up on your enthusiasm.
Back-to-School Bottom Line
Teaching is a labor of love and belief. Love your kiddos. Believe that every student can learn, wants to learn, and deserves to learn. Every day offers you the opportunity to change a student’s life. And know that everyday offers the opportunity for a student to change your life.
Find more back-to-school inspiration with these related posts:
- Syllabus Design
- 10 Tips for New Teachers
- Back-to-School Pinterest Board
- Teacher and Classroom Inspiration
- 5 Procedures Every Classroom Needs
- STOP Making these Seating Chart Mistakes
- 5 Ways to Get Students Writing from Day 1
- Successfully Planning the First 3 Days of School
Here are some of my favorite activities for the first day:
- Back-to-School Bundle
- ELA Goal Setting Freebie
- Back-to-School Bucket List
- 4 Back-to-School One Pagers
- First Impressions Book Reviews
- High School Writing and Grammar Data Sheets
- 3 Ways to Use Letter Writing in Secondary ELA (post here)
Photos by Tamanna Rumee and noslifactory
