Organising for the New Year of Teaching

As the festive season approaches, part of our mind is drawn to the wonderful and alluring festive culture. Family, friends, celebration and merriment over one of the most culturally entrenched festivals in the Western hemisphere. The other parts are rightfully looking forward to 2020, a year of new challenges, targets, goals and a whole new round of KS1-4 examination periods. So, how to get everything in your brain nice and neatly filed? Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to get organised, in the mind, as well as on paper:

For Organisation, Home and Work, are one and the same!
In the days after Christmas and before the start of the Spring Term, it’s time to, literally, get your house in order! Consider these tips:

1. If you have a home office (maybe for marking and/or lesson planning) – make sure all the stationery you need is there, works, and your desk is clean of clutter. Old gas bills on there? Shred ‘em.
2. Wardrobe – having a Great British clearout of things you’ll never wear and are on the way out wear-and-tear wise will generate space. Having free space and tidiness in your personal spaces, such as a wardrobe or medicine cabinet, can reduce stress and provide clarity.
3. Get a 2024 teacher planner – we’ll cover how to get the most out of it shortly.
4. Take advantage of productivity and time-management apps on your smartphone or tablet! Have a look at the app store and find one that works for you. It’s a great way to ensure you have time for exercise and wellbeing management!

Getting Term 2020 in Order

After getting your mind in order at home, you’ve already gotten a huge head-start for your looming first day back – now it’s time to get cracking with planning on paper which, as you probably already know, is great at remembering things, feeling supported by preparation, and having a clear path forward.

1. Take advantage of pen and paper planners. One of the best teacher planner designs can be found via mypenstripe – where you design it yourself, in minutes! Using the hugely customisable system available in mypenstripe – you can add custom pages, designs, and even artwork.
   Keep a key info page on term dates, your appraisals, key learning objectives, training sessions and even a generalised notes page (or a set of them!) for those amazing ideas that simply need to be written down!
2. Just starting out in teaching? Get started the right way with a bespoke teacher planner which has all the pages and sections necessary to make it absolutely invaluable!
   How does your school schedule work? Grab a 5, 6 or even a 9 period teacher planner to cover all bases – as well as provide additional spaces for time-related notes and meetings!

Merry Christmas from Penstripe!
A new decade brings new challenges, and also new opportunities. From all of us, Merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy New Year!