Here we are getting to actually using the reflections you made to break down your summer prep into a clear and actual plan for the upcoming school year.
~ Zeba from Episode 90 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast
Episode Summary
You made your summer prep list last week – now what? In this episode, I’m walking you through how to turn those reflections into a simple, manageable plan for the summer months. Whether you’re hoping to improve classroom routines, get organized, or grow your teaching skills, I’ll help you break things down so you don’t burn out before the school year even begins. You’ll hear practical examples, tips for setting boundaries (hello, beach days!), and encouragement to pick just one focus to make next year smoother. Plus, I’ll share some resources that can help you take the next step with confidence.
Let’s make your summer intentional and restful…because you deserve both.
In this episode I share:
- Turning Reflections into Action
- Prioritizing Tasks for Success
- Setting Boundaries for Relaxation
- Resources for Your Summer Focus
Connect with Zeba:
- Instagram – @kindergartencafe
- Facebook – @kindergartencafe
- Website – www.kindergartencafe.org
Read the Transcript
[0:00] Hey, teacher friends. So last week we talked about how to reflect on your year and how to reflect on what to work on over the summer. And so I said, you make your list, great, pause, and we’ll get to it next week. So here we are getting to actually using the reflections you made to break down your summer prep into a tangible plan for what to focus on the summer and how to set priorities.
[0:23] Music. You’re listening to the Kindergarten Cafe Podcast where kindergarten teachers come to learn classroom tested tips and tricks and teaching ideas they can use in their classroom right away I’m Zeba creator and founder of kindergarten cafe and I help kindergarten teachers with everything they need from arrival to dismissal in order to save time, work smarter, not harder, and support students with engaging and purposeful lessons. I’m here to cheer you on through your successes and breakthroughs and offer support and resources so you never have to feel stuck or alone. Ready to start saving time and reducing your stress all while using effective and purposeful lessons that students love? Let’s get started.
[1:18] Take the reflections that you made and break them into areas of focus for summer prep. So, for example, if classroom management was a struggle for you, make it a priority to focus on strategies that will set up a peaceful classroom from the start of the school year. If organizing materials was an issue, prioritize time for organization of your supplies and your resources. If you’re aiming to improve literacy instruction, what skills specifically do your students need most from the school year that you focused on? Do they need phonemic awareness, letter recognition, fluency? If you want to be better with working with ELL students, decide if you want professional development or new strategies to better meet their needs. Really reflect on that personal growth and identify what kind of learning opportunities you want to pursue to improve your teaching practice. What would help you best as a learner? Is it workshops? Is it readings? Is it having a coach or talking to someone? That’s going to really help guide you for what to do this summer. So then you want to break down your priorities into manageable chunks for the summer months because you do not want to overwhelm yourself. That is how you will burn out before school even starts.
[2:30] So, for example, if you’re working on organizing your materials, just focus on one classroom area per week if you can get into your classroom. Just do one area for a week, like week one would be organizing your books. Week two could be setting up your math centers. Week three could be labeling supplies. And so as soon as you finish that task, you’re done, you’re out, you’re going to go enjoy summer.
[2:53] You’re not going to move on to the next thing. You’re not going to overwhelm yourself.
[2:57] Another example, if you’re trying to improve your classroom routines, focus on one routine per week. Maybe week one, you focus on your arrival dismissal routines. Maybe week two, you focus on your small group instruction routines. So create a timeline with a checklist or a timeline of tasks and just divide them across the summer. Set a deadline for the task. Mark it off once it’s completed. Check it off. I love a good checkoff checklist, right? Cross it out that you’ve done it. and go easy on yourself because we can’t do all the things all the time. And especially if you’re new to teaching kindergarten or if this was your first year or second year, there’s a lot we want to get better at. I know I felt that way when I was teaching kindergarten my first, second, third year. But you can’t do it all at once. You can’t do it all over the summer. So pick one thing. Try to pick the most important thing that you think will better your teaching for next year that will make your life easier next year, that will help you work smarter, not harder next year, help you relax and de-stress? Like what is gonna make your life easier? So focus on that, okay? And then if you can’t really think of that, focus on the thing that will help your students the most. What area did you feel like they struggled with the most that you want to get better at?
[4:16] If you have a whole long list of things you want to get better at, that’s great. But focus on one and save the rest for the next summer and the next summer, because there’s always things that we can be working on and getting better at. And it’s OK if you don’t tackle them all right away. That’s a sure way you’re going to burn out. So make sure that you have like a little bit of some boundaries for the summer as well. Maybe it’s that Monday mornings are for planning and afternoons are for self-care and relaxation or like a hard boundary of weekends are my time off or like the vacation you have planned to the beach house that you’re not working at all. Have some clear boundaries so that you can just close your laptop, close your books, have some time for rest and relaxation because that’s where the creativity comes from. That’s where the inspiration comes from is that time away.
[5:09] Shutting down really is important to set yourself up for success in the school year. So as you’re making your plans and you’re trying to think of what to focus on, I’m here to help. I have resources for you, like my summer challenge, where it will be one email a week. You can opt in at any time. So some people might have already been starting this. One email a week with some simple things to focus on, and that will guide you for a whole month. So if you’re like, I don’t even know where to begin, that’s a great place to start. If you know what you want to get better at or you’re new to teaching kindergarten, PD by the pool, and my live kinder coaching weeks are a great thing to focus on. And if you’re looking for help with something else, reach out because I guarantee you I have resources on that. If you’re like, I want to get better at literacy, I will send you all my literacy podcast episodes that you can listen to and my literacy resources you can check out to help you get better at literacy. I cannot wait to hear what it is you want to focus on this summer. The one thing, one thing, not too many things, please reach out and tell me so that I can help you and support you, cheer you along the way, be the mentor teacher that you need, and support you as you work through the summer and get ready for next year. Thanks so much.
[6:29] Thanks so much for listening to the Kindergarten Cafe Podcast. Be sure to check out the show notes for more information and resources, or just head straight to kindergartencafe.org for all the goodies. If you’ve liked this episode, the best ways to show your support are to subscribe, leave a review, or send it to a friend. I’ll be back next week with even more kindergarten tips. See you then.