7 Practical Tips for Less Panic

As teachers everywhere make the tough transition from relative summer ease to significant school year stress, it can be difficult to head back to work without running on a low level of panic for the first few weeks. It is completely normal to feel harried for a little while, but some of that frazzled feeling is best mitigated with advance planning. To make things just a bit easier as yet another year begins, think about how the seven tips below might work for you and your students.

Pack food.

Some teachers might be lucky enough to work near shops or restaurants, but many schools are located in areas without much commerce. Even with proximity to outside food options, it can be too time-consuming or expensive to run out for provisions each day. Nobody works as efficiently when they’re hungry. As hard as it might be to handle food prep, think about how much more difficult it is to rely on processed snacks as an ongoing source of nutrition. Most of the teachers I know who are successful with packing food have a strategy that either involves spending a portion of one weekend day cooking and packing up meals, or taking between 15-20 minutes each weeknight to prepare for the following day. The bottom line is to do what works for you, but to make sure that any food preparation is just that: something that is done ahead of time before things get rushed.

Get your personal ducks in a row the night before.

We all have lives that are overpacked with things to do for both ourselves and our families. More often than I would care to admit, I realize that getting everyone where they need to be each day presents seemingly insurmountable conflicts. Many people keep personal as well as professional calendars that record everyone’s schedules, but that is only a first step. Each evening, take just five minutes to review what is happening the next day. It prevents any last minute “uh oh” moments, and it also ensures that we go into each day with a little less panic.

Set up your classroom either early or late.

Some teachers like to arrive well before kids to get organized for the school day, whereas others prefer to stay later to get more work done rather than taking things home. Whatever the personal preference, taking a few minutes to set up instruction when the building is quiet is a sanity saver. The problem with waiting until normal school hours is not just that everyone is more hurried; it is also that people are in the building, and it’s only natural that we experience more disruption when colleagues and students are around. Therefore, getting things prepped during off-peak hours is a huge help. 

Stay at least one week ahead with planning.

While backward mapping a unit is a strong practice for keeping overall learning outcomes in mind, doing details-oriented planning that spans more than a few weeks can backfire. For one thing, endless disruptions to instruction are almost inevitable, which can throw plans off and necessitate some adjustment. In addition, it is difficult to predict how students will fare with the learning ahead of time, so it is often necessary to shift our approach as the weeks pass. Ideally, teaching teams can plan to stay about one to two weeks ahead of instruction with wiggle room built in, which creates an important balance between maintaining focus on the big picture and ensuring that each day meets the real-time needs of students.

Delegate to students.

It’s natural to live by the adage that if we want something done right, we must do it ourselves. However, when it comes to teaching, this philosophy has the dual negative impact of burning teachers out faster while simultaneously enabling kids. The truth is, there are things that students of various ages and stages can do to be helpful in the classroom, whether it’s taking on the responsibility for cleanup or having a specific task each day (like setting out notebooks or materials) in the younger years to leading portions of the learning as they get older. For example, kids in the secondary school stages can develop review questions for upcoming tests and create quizzes for one another. 

Say no, or maybe just “not now.”

We are conditioned to be people pleasers, and that can be great–to a point. In the early weeks of school when everyone is still getting their equilibrium, even a tiny extra demand can feel like too much. It’s always okay to say no without having to justify that decision, but if it feels uncomfortable, shift the response to “not now.” That leaves the option open later for possibly taking on something else or helping out, but it also draws an important line that should not be crossed. 

Ignore the drama. 

Let’s face it: schools are political places. People like to gossip, and that often leads to drama that is probably best left alone. As tempting as it might be to get distracted with all the goings-on (it can be entertaining) or worse, become involved, try to keep a safe distance from the petty feuds and soap opera antics. Teaching is complicated enough, and it’s important to surround ourselves with people who provide positive support rather than those who thrive on any kind of negative energy. 

Not all these tips may be appealing or applicable, and that is totally fine. Sometimes, making even one small change can transform a person’s day-to-day experiences. Before the school year really starts to ramp up, think about which of these tips would work best for you, and how you might begin to implement them in a way that is natural to what you already do. After all, heading back into the teaching trenches each year is not for the faint of heart, and any rest that is accrued over the summer gets used up quickly. Taking a little time at the outset to figure out how to make the year more doable isn’t just a smart move—it’s a necessary one.

Written by Miriam Plotinsky, Education World Contributing Writer

Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where she has taught and led for more than 20 years. She is the author of several education books with W.W. Norton and ASCD. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be reached at www.miriamplotinsky.com or via Twitter: @MirPloMCPS

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