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Hello! I am a pre-service teacher and need insights on how to best set up my year for success. I am thinking of teaching upper elementary or middle school. What is on your “To-Do” list for the summer? What advice do you have for preparing for the coming year?

Hey Alison, this is my second year teaching high school science-- entering the profession as a physical therapist so I don't have a teacher education. Thankfully, my peers have been gracious enough to share their google folders of materials so I spend the summer purusing their materials and adapating them or deciding how I can integrate them. Sometimes I use their materials as a starting point to guage where I need to start when creating my own material. I also make sure I am organizing various labs so I know the supplies I need to order once I return to school. 

I really need help with this as well. My name is Elizabeth Horton and I will be graduating with my degree in Biology with a minor in secondary education to teach high school in the Spring of 2025. I have no idea where or what I will be teaching as of yet, but once I reach that point, what are things I need to do during the Summer to prepare myself for when I get into the classroom to make everything run smoothly? Do you guys do this week to week or do you plan out everything in the summer? How do you find and come up with the best materials and resources to use? I want to be a great teacher and I want the students to learn and find the love for science. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I try to plan a month ahead so that if we get ahead of schedule, I still have time to plan future lessons. My strongest recommendation would be to create a digital (or physical) document with a tentative calendar and map out your day-to-day. Don't try to plan the entire unit at once, just get an overview of where you want to go each week or so. Then you can begin planning the daily activities and figuring out exactly what you want to do. I recommend reaching out to teachers at your school and collaborating with them to find resources and information. Your colleagues will truly be one of your greatest assets as a new teacher. Best wishes!

This is all great advice! I will hopefully be a first year teacher next year and my goal is to plan ahead and get organized as much as I can in the summer. I personally would start prepping prior to summer when it comes to purchasing tools, etc. For example every month I set aside a small budget to purchase classroom books, teacher supplies, small things, etc. I would plan on designing your classroom theme as soon as you find out where you're teaching and making a blue print of what you want your room to look like! I would get your room decorated and out of the way as soon as you can. To save money create and diy a lot of your own decor. Speak to your team and colleague for lesson planning, conferences, meet the teacher, etc and find a method that works best for you. Have a visual calendar and planner! Keep everything organized and try to plan a month in advance. As the years go on it'll take less and less planning time!