Making the Most Out of Pre-School Week

Making the Most Out of Pre-School Week

How do you spend your pre-school week?

A lot of teachers trudge slowly back into the grind during the pre-school planning week. That’s a mistake. It’s far too valuable to spend an inordinate amount of time arranging posters and chatting with colleagues about what they got up to over the summer.

Here are some ways to maximize pre-school week and hit the ground running before the small people come through the door.

Reconnect, but not with chit-chat

Sure, it’s fine to exchange some pleasantries and talk about the summer for a bit. But aside from faculty meetings and the occasional in-service day, this is one of the few times you get to really “talk shop” with your colleagues (who wants to talk about work during lunch?).

Find a mentor (or mentee). Talk to that teacher that always seems to be on the cutting edge in pedagogy and see what you can steal from them. Reach out to the new teachers. Talk to your department head or administrator in depth about what this year’s priorities are and how you can help. All of these are a more productive use of time than comparing lazy beach days.

Change up the décor

Take the opportunity to spruce things up a bit.

One of the great pastimes of pre-school week is setting up your classroom. For the new teachers or those who are moving to a different room, this might dominate the week. For the veterans, they probably don’t have much to do.

A change in the arrangement of the room signals a renewed sense of purpose. Even just updating the posters and other decorations can have a positive effect on learning. An organized room that is pleasing to the eye has a positive effect on student achievement. Hey, it can’t hurt.

Write up some grants

Grants offer an opportunity to procure items for your students that wouldn’t otherwise be available.

At some schools, grant writing is just as much of a tradition as the school colors. Some even take an entire pre-school day to host classes and have group grant writing parties. Budgets aren’t increasing. They probably never will, so teachers need to take their needs into their own hands.

There is always someone at every school who is a maven at sourcing materials and tech toys from uncommon sources. She probably knows every grant opportunity out there. Pick their brain. If they don’t exist, become that person yourself. Then share that knowledge with your colleagues.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *