Last Day of School

Today marks the last day of our 2013-2014 school year.  It has been one of my best years as a teacher.  I stretched myself in many ways and learned so much.  After students left, I packed up my room and started planning for next year.  I really like to have as much ready for fall as possible as it is always incredibly hectic at the beginning of the year with meetings.

A few tips for preparing before summer even starts:

1.  Choose a theme for your room for Fall.
I have several items that I've found and been given that I will be using in my room next year.  If you choose the theme early, you have all summer to look for items that will fit in your room!

2.  Plan your choir holiday concert.
I know that I want to try a musical this year with my choir students.  I have chosen the music, prepare the scripts, the lyrics, and costume information.  At the beginning of the year, I will set the dates for our performances.  All of the prep work is finished and done before next year even starts.

3.  Recycle paper you don't use.
That old choir score that you've held onto and thought you'd use by now?  Recycle it!   Copies of individual songs that you have never taught, but think you might use one of these days?  Recycle it!  The notebook with songs from conferences that is chock full of information, but you don't remember quite what they did with the material?  Recycle it!

Every year I find that I have papers from previous years of teaching and I don't ever open the notebooks to look at them.  I'm not the same teacher I was when I started thirteen years ago.  I don't teach the same way and I don't use the same songs.  There are a few keepers, but as I've grown as a teacher, my level of skill in challenging students has grown.  What worked a decade ago doesn't always work now.  Keeping paper in case you'll use it is wasted space.  Toss what you haven't used and if you come across cassette tapes, get rid of those too!  (yes, I actually had some in my room still that are never used - crazy)

4.  Make a plan for the budget you will have in the fall
School budgets are not large, but I am blessed to still get funds.  Prioritize what is missing from your classroom, what instruments are broken or needing to be replaced and think about the lessons you want to use again that require supplies you wished you had.  Then start there.  These are the items you need to start purchasing - even just a few- when your budget money rolls around in September.  I've started to do this and have found that as the years go on I have what I need.  This year was a big year for my Orff Ensemble and our instruments.