The back to school season is upon us, and many of your students are set to return. This blog post will be a quick reminder with 5 tips for a simple welcome to back to school. You can create a successful back-to-school experience for all!
Welcoming Back to School Tip 1# Focus on Relationships:
It is important for students to feel connected and cared about. Establishing positive relationships with students and creating a positive classroom culture is the foundation of everything. In order to have a simple welcome to back to school, the main focus of the first couple of days should be spending more time welcoming student back by showing interest in their life outside of schooling and building a positive rapport with students. Here is a blog post on how I build relationships to help me increase student engagement, “
Is Student Engagement something you want to increase? Begin Here
Welcoming Back to School Tip #2 Incorporate SEL:
Students need to know that they belong, are supported and have a voice in the classroom, this is important in creating a simple welcome to back to school. In order for our gaps to be filled, we need strategies that are both academic and social in nature. Social emotional learning must include connections with others, self-regulation skills, empathy and sensitivity. Using intentional strategies like task analytic rubrics or working through social stories will help students gain more self awareness of their own skills and strengths which is important for developing positive relationships with themselves as well as others.
Welcoming Back to School Tip #3: Establish Clear Routines and Procedures:
Establishing clear routines and procedures will help students know what is expected of them on a day-to-day basis. This creates an environment where students feel safe and is a simple welcome to back to school. In order to come up with routines, make a list of everything students are expected to do on a daily basis and create a routine and procedure for each thing. Routines should be simple and clear.
Welcoming Back to School Tip #4 Re-Incorporate Instructional Strategies:
Covid really pushed us to teach in different ways. There were many new things that I learned and loved using in my classroom like, Mystery Puzzles, Go Formative, etc. But there are so many effective instructional strategies that I was not able to use that I can not wait to re-incorporate, like collaborative groups, Math Workshop. Think about what strategies you would like to re-incorporate and what new instructional strategies you would like to try. This is the time to plan how you will incorporate them back in your classroom.
Welcoming Back to School Tip #5 Keep it Simple:
One of the biggest challenges teachers face after being away for a summer is figuring out what instructional strategies are going to work best with their students when they return. It can get very overwhelming trying to figure it out. When planning your classroom and year, remember to keep it simple. You want things that will be sustainable the entire year, so the less complicated the better. I always like to think of it like what will give me the biggest bang for my buck. This will really save you headaches in the long run.
So, now that you know what your students need to be successful in the classroom this school year, it’s time for us to help them get there. Hear from those who have succeeded with the 5 tips mentioned above and participate in Q&A sessions/ discussions with some teacher experts, that will help you grow your impact as a math teacher.
We are excited and looking forward to The Grow Your Impact in Secondary Math Virtual Conference on August 2nd-4th, 2021. It is a 3 day virtual conference that will provide you with the tools to increase your impact and reach as an educator. You’ll walk away knowing more about best practices for teaching math, how to teach students who are struggling, what it takes to reach ALL students, and much more!
It’s easy – just sign up today at Natalia-Mendoza.com/GYI2021
