OTT: 251 The Gentle Teacher's Guide to Starting the School Year Strong

Feeling that end-of-summer anxiety creeping in as the new school year approaches? Take a deep breath – you're not alone, and there's a better way to start the year.

The transition from summer relaxation to classroom chaos doesn't have to leave you exhausted by September. In this episode, we explore three gentle, practical approaches that will help you ease back into teaching without burning out in the first few weeks. Rather than diving headfirst into curriculum, discover why a "soft launch" focused on relationships and routines creates a stronger foundation for the entire year. Learn how to transform your classroom into what I call a "calm command center" with simple personal touches that energize rather than deplete you.

Most importantly, we discuss the power of gradually implementing classroom systems instead of trying to perfect everything on day one. I share specific examples from my own teaching experience, including how I made learning procedures fun and engaging through movement and collaboration. These strategies aren't just about making the first week easier – they're about setting a sustainable pace that will carry you through the entire school year with more joy and less exhaustion.

As we prepare to welcome students back, remember this truth: "Kids benefit the most from a teacher who is grounded and not frazzled." Your well-being directly impacts your teaching effectiveness. So give yourself permission to start gently and intentionally this year. Your future self (especially that mid-October version who's usually running on fumes) will thank you!

Ready to make this your most balanced school year yet? Listen now, and don't forget to subscribe for more practical teaching wisdom delivered with honesty and heart.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction
• 1:51 Strategy One: Start with Soft Launch
• 4:00 Strategy Two: Reclaim Your Space
• 6:53 Strategy Three: Graceful Routine Reset
• 9:45 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to One Tired Teacher. Episode 251, three gentle ways to ease into the new school year.

Speaker 1: 0:08

Okay. So I do have two more episodes of Readers in the Making and you can check it out on YouTube, where I'm talking about ideas to help kids learn through the summer. So if you have kids, maybe you wanna check that out, but I am not gonna do that for One Tired Teacher. I'm going to talk about some things that might help you get ready for the new school year. So welcome, welcome, Welcome back. Here we are. We're still in June, We've just. This is our last week in June, and we know what happens when July rolls around. Sometimes it's like all right time to get serious. So, whether you're sipping that first cup of coffee in a quiet classroom hopefully not because you don't have to go back quite yet or maybe you're staring at that pile of papers that you brought home and you're like, what am I going to do with all this? I want you to take a deep breath, because today I'm sharing three simple ways to ease yourself back into the school year without burning out by week two. So hope you stick around.

Speaker 2: 1:14

Welcome to One Tired Teacher and even though she may need a nap, this teacher is ready to wake up and speak her truth about the trials and treasures of teaching here. She is wide awake. Wait, she's not asleep right now, is she? She is awake right. Okay, from Trina Debery, teaching and Learning your host, trina Debery.

Speaker 1: 1:37

Hey. So we're talking about three dental ways to ease into the new school year. We don't want to burn out in week two. We want to be ready to go. So if it's that time of the summer where you're starting to think about school, let's talk about that. So the first, the first like gentle way is to start I can't get my words out start with a soft launch. Now, the first week doesn't need to be like a full academic sprint. You don't need to be like okay, we're going to get right started in our math books, we're going to jump right into reading, we're going to do writing, we're going to do all these things. We don't have to jump right into all of that. We can ease in more with routines and fun icebreakers, class expectations, read alouds that spark conversation, these kinds of things that allow you to get to know your kids and to build a connection and build that relationship as well as teaching them routines.

Speaker 1: 2:37

Routines are the key procedures, procedures and routines. They are that's your saving grace Like that's the thing that they need to know. They need to be so good at it that you're ready to move on. You can intermix some academics with that, but it goes a lot further when you are really focusing on the procedures and routines. That way you are not overwhelming them and you're also building a relationship with them and it can be really fun.

Speaker 1: 3:12

I have a bunch of like getting started, icebreaker kind of things and even practicing routines and procedures in my back to school packs that I have on my shop on TPT Trina Deberry, teaching and Learning. So I've got like a beach theme and a superhero theme and a what is it? Camp theme and I've got a bunch of different themes. But inside of those packs they are filled with those kind of activities like for all that you need for like the first week of school. So check that out If you are interested. I'll drop the link in the show notes Anyway. So but think of it like. Think of this as like a get to know you week for you and your students. You're building connection first and content second. That's the real foundation of a strong year and it will make all the difference All right.

Speaker 1: 3:55

So your gentle way number two is to reclaim your space. What does that mean? Before things get too busy, take time to make your classroom feel good to you. Now that doesn't mean that you have to come in over the summer for weeks and weeks and weeks. It may mean that you come in for a little bit longer than is given to you. I don't know, I don't know how teachers get it all done. I honestly don't know. I had friends that would refuse to come and would come on the first day that teachers were allowed to come back, and it was madness for that person and I felt like how much, how much extra time did you get with your family then to turn around and like live at school for that first week? It was just exhausting. So you kind of have to decide what works for you and and to like let everybody do their thing. We don't have to judge it. It's okay If people didn't come. That's all right. That's a good thing. They prioritize themselves and their family. But it's also okay if you do go because in a way you're prioritizing yourself and your family. You're not going to be insane on the first week. It's going to be much easier For me.

Speaker 1: 5:09

I wanted to have my classroom ready to go before we really had to be back, because that was the fun part for me. That was the enjoyable part. Decorating it, setting it up and having everything ready, all set and ready to go made me feel better. Plus, I was the team leader and people always needed me and it was like constant questions and so I felt like I never had time anyway. So I almost felt like I had to do it, but I didn't feel upset about it because it's the part that I really liked. But an idea for you is to, you know, add a lamp post, a favorite quote, put on your, your favorite, you know, go to playlist, make it enjoyable.

Speaker 1: 5:49

I used to bring my kids with me. Sometimes, honestly, that was not super enjoyable because they, you know, they got bored and they wanted to go home. So the times that I could do it by myself were so much better. But you got to do what you have to do. I do remember bringing my son Jackson, when he was a baby, in his pack and play into my classroom and like putting him in the pitch dark bathroom. That sounds mean now that I'm saying it out loud, so, but he would go to sleep and he did go to sleep, but it was like nap time. That's why he was in there. But you know, now that I think about it, he was probably terrified because he couldn't see anything in there. So I'm feeling a little bit guilty about that, and he's about to turn 21. I could probably let that go, I think, because you know we make mistakes.

Speaker 1: 6:31

Anyway, you want your space. You want it to feel like a calm command center, not a chaotic command post. And a small touch of joy, a plant, a framed photo, a cozy corner, it can really make all the difference, all right. So the final easy, gentle, easy strategy for the new year is to have a Whoa, where did that come from? So sorry about that. We're just going to keep going, we're just going to not even worry about it. So the third of course, this is a gentle, calm thing. And then we have that blasting music. It's a graceful routine reset so you don't have to do everything on day one or day five. Ease into systems and routines. Start with one daily, you know one daily habit. Maybe it's a mindful minute, maybe it's a fun dismissal song or journaling after lunch. Let your new rhythm kind of build slowly, if that's your way.

Speaker 1: 7:31

For me, I spent a lot more time doing routines and procedures throughout the whole day. I made it fun. I would still do my read aloud, we still might start a math lesson, but I would use Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures to make it more engaging. I would teach them how to line up. Let's say we're going to use that as an example. I teach them how to line up in the hall before we actually had to go somewhere. I wanted to teach them before we actually had to go somewhere. It was a little harder when specials was first thing in the morning. I will say so.

Speaker 1: 8:06

I would like break it down to steps that we could, you know we could, we could act out with our body. So it'd be like step one you know, push your, push your chair in. Step two walk to the line, you know, with a place for your hands. Step three stand in your spot. Step four you know, keep your hands, you know, in the, you know in the right spot and focus on the person ahead of you.

Speaker 1: 8:29

I don't want to make that too complicated, and so I would make it really simple and short, and then we would practice those steps, we would act them out, and then we would look, you know, get a non-example and then an example, and then I would have kids do a simultaneous roundtable, which is where everybody has the paper, and you start with step one and they're kind of drawing it out and writing it and then they rotate around the table and then the person in spot one moves to spot two and now on their paper they're going to put the second step in step two while someone else is doing that on their paper. So by the time they get back around to their seat the whole paper is filled out and it just has a collaborative feel. It also makes it fun kids get to move and it just brings it kind of to life. So that's just one example, but I really liked to focus on routines and procedures. So if you want to start off slowly, that's perfectly fine, but I also think it's okay to like really hit the ground running when it comes to that.

Speaker 1: 9:29

Anyway, don't forget, kids benefit the most from a teacher who is grounded and not frazzled. So those are a few, just a few quick tips to keep in mind. You've got this you really do this year is. You know it will pick up speed fast, but if you give yourself a gentle launch, you'll start stronger and more centered. Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time. Here's to a joyful start in a year full of possibilities. Until next time, sweet dreams and sleep tight.