The opening of this school year is going to be unlike any others that we have experienced. So how should teachers and parents prepare? Teacher blogger Meredith Essalat from The Overly Honest Teacher is here to share effective ways to prepare your students for back to school in 2020!
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Back to School 2020 Changes
Are you feeling overwhelmed when you think about this school year?
If so, you’re not alone! This back to school 2020 presents so many changes for teachers in every single grade level.
Last year, I rolled out the red carpet when my students arrived on the first day of school, lined with a cheering section of friends and supporters and communal coffee and bagels for our parents to enjoy.
This year, we are anticipating a socially distanced textbook pick-up line to get everyone onboarded for starting the year off at home complete with face masks and shields and 6 feet of space between ourselves and our students.
We have plans for reconfiguring classrooms, hallways, and our physical plant when we are able to return in some hybrid capacity. The playground is off-limits, as is the sharing of supplies, on-site birthday celebrations, and our ice cream social for new students.
These are strange times, indeed. But, we have to pivotβtogetherβfor our students and for each other.
Teachers and administrators have an entirely new set of responsibilities to tackle; parents and guardians have to be ready to jump back into the educational trenches with their kiddos; and, students everywhere need to adjust–again– to online learning.
Here are a few of my favorite go-to strategies in readying yourself and your students to start the year off right!
Patiently Model & Practice Back to School Procedures–Even Online
Practice the precautions that are the new normal, but in fun ways that give lots of grace to students.
Here are a few ideas to help you get the ball rolling:
- Brainstorm a fun greeting for friends that does not involve a hug or a high five (I love winks and waves!).
- Plan in advance how you will supervise their hand washing to ensure they scrub with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (singing the βhappy birthdayβ song or reciting their ABCs are great ways to track the time).
- Parents–have your child wear a mask for 30-minute periods at home to get used to the feeling of having something covering their nose and mouth for an extended duration.
- As a parent, you can also practice opening difficult snack packaging with them at home as the limiting of person-to-person contact at school will definitely preclude who can help your child open and close their snack packs during recess and lunch.
- Consider parceling out Goldfish, sandwiches, and other treats into easier to open pouches and zippered baggies to make mealtime as stress-free as possible on everyone.
- Teachers can have a fun way to take attendance online each day–like having students answer an engaging “Would You Rather” question. This keeps students looking forward to kicking off the learning day online in a fun way.
These are just a few ways things to consider as you prepare your students for back to school 2020. If you want more ideas on fun ways to teach classroom procedures this year, this post has 10 more tips for you!
Plan to Have Non-Community School Supplies for In-Class Learning
Another way parents and teachers can prepare students for back to school in 2020 is to plan ahead on your non-community school supplies. This tip obviously applies to schools that will include some form of in-class learning this year.
For parents and teachers in this situation, find out now what supplies students are going to need this fall. These questions can help you think and plan ahead:
- Will the teacher be doing much pencil-to-paperwork, or will the majority be on a screen?
- What are safe ways to store devices and tech accessories that will be used at school?
- Are there classroom supplies that you can help contribute to given the rising costs of schools opening in a hybrid model? Parents should consider sending in extra paper towels, Clorox wipes, bottles of hand sanitizer, or pre-sharpened pencils.
- Teachers: does your classroom have an area where students can have their own cubbies / cubicles to store their individual supplies?
In addition to these insights, parents and teachers can plan ways to amp up the supply of masks to make sure each child has plenty. Petition school leadership to also provide extra masks for teachers and staff!
Parents should also invest in durable water bottles that can be quickly sanitized as communal drinking fountains are going to be a big time no-no for back to school 2020!
This isn’t an exhaustive list. How you set up your non-community school supplies as a teacher this year will depend on your situation and grade level.
Set Up a Suitable Study Area for
At-Home Learning
Many schools will kick off the back to school 2020 year with virtual / distance learning.
So one way to prepare students for this is to set up an at-home learning area. This does not have to be fancy, but it does have to have all the school supplies your child needs in order to attend school remotely.
Have it located near an outlet so that they can consistently keep all devices charged for use throughout the day.
Be sure to put a mash-up of binder and scratch paper, pens and pencils, highlighters, and index cards within easy reach. Post-it notes are great for marking pages in textbooks and novels as they read and respond, so have these nearby also.
It will also be a huge time-saver to have a list of logins / passwords at their desk, on the refrigerator, and in your phoneβyouβll need these handy.
If you are a parent who will also be working from home while your kids are learning from home, consider these posts to help you have a successful back to school launch for 2020:
- 6 Tips to Motivate Teen Studying
- Tips for Homeschooling Middle Schoolers
- Practical Ways to Survive Working From Home with Kids
Prepare Yourself & Students to Use More Technology for Back to School 2020
Teachers may not have the answer to every question to prepare for this back to school season. One thing is for sure: we will all need to embrace the reality of using more technology this year.
- Troubleshoot your internet ahead of time.
- Evaluate your childβs / students’ access to technology before lesson planning.
- Make sure your Wi-Fi is sufficient.
- Plan to have enough devices for each student in your home or classroom to login when necessary.
- Familiarize yourself with Google Classroom, Zoom, Seesaw or your school’s virtual platform of choice.
- Prepare to teach procedures for each online platform to students during your first weeks of school.
Schools and districts have an obligation to make certain that our students can learn in the best capacity possible.
If there are roadblocks to this, then we need to find a way to mitigate these.
For example, this past spring, my school loaned out Chromebooks and iPads to families that needed devices. Other schools were a conduit in obtaining ample internet access for homes without any.
Still others found ways to distribute daily school lunches to those students who rely upon them for nourishment.
The scope of an educatorβs reach, especially during these uncertain times, can and should extend far beyond our classroom walls. Talk to your academic community about ways that you could use their help during this time.
More Back to School Tips & Resources
Itβs easy to become overwhelmed, and educators, parents, and students alike will find themselves navigating the same feelings of worry and uncertainty.
With the ideas above, and more creative thinking, we can still roll out the red carpet for our kids this year!
Arm yourself with more resources and tips from these back to school posts:
- The BEST Back to School Read Alouds (with digital & printable FREEBIES!)
- 5 Ways to Help Students Who Don’t Have Internet
- Back to School Activities for Upper Elementary Students
- Effective Ways to Partner with Parents for Smooth Distance Learning
Donβt be afraid to talk about your feelings with your child and students.
Parents and teachers should also check-in on each other. We are all in this together, and together we can help to create a new–positive–normal for our students and ourselves.
AUTHOR BIO: Meredith Essalat is a school principal in San Francisco, Calif. and author of βThe Overly Honest Teacher,” which will be published on October 13, 2020. With a career in academia that has spanned more than 17 years, she started off in collegiate student activities before moving into both elementary and secondary academic communities. She spent nine years in middle school education as both teacher and Dean of Middle School Curriculum. In each of these opportunities, she witnessed the gamut of the scholastic, social, and developmental experiences of today’s student. She possesses a BA in Mass Communication, a California-Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and a second M.Ed. in Educational Leadership. Essalat resides in California with her husband, Cameron. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for valuable lessons learned both inside and outside the classroom.
