How can you make your Monday easier? As a new teacher, I often worked harder and not smarter. However, I have learned some tricks to make Mondays much smoother. As much as I want to rush right out of the door on Friday afternoon, there are some simple things I try to do on Friday to make my Monday easier. I keep a Google Keep list of all of these things to check off each Friday so I don’t forget. Here are 10 things you can do on Friday to start the week off on the right foot.
Copy Welcome Work for the Next Week
Although I am not likely to get all of my copying done for the next week, I always make sure to copy my welcome work and have it ready on the tables on Friday before I love. When my students come in on Monday and begin our morning routine, their welcome work is one of the first things they need, so I make sure to have it ready on Friday. This simple thing sets my more up for smooth sailing.
Make Sure All Papers are Marked
Thankfully I teach grade 1 in an IB international school, so I don’t often have papers to mark. However, I don’t leave work on Friday until any work has been checked from that week. Typically it might mean I have 1 or 2 things to mark since I normally give my students feedback on the spot. This practice helps to ensure I don’t end up with a backlog of papers, and it keeps me from taking school work home on the weekends.
Put Up New Spelling Words
In my school we are required to give spelling words at this time. I have 2 differentiated lists that follow our spelling pattern scope and sequence from Jolly Phonics. Each list focuses on the same sound, but one has simpler words and one has more complex words. (For example, if we are focusing on the /ar/ spelling pattern, one list might have car, bar, and star while the second list might have cart, barn, and started.)
These are the words my students practice during their word work centers each week. So, on Friday, I write the next week’s list on the dry erase board and I tape small lists on each side of our table caddies. This means we’re ready for centers on Monday (since the centers stay the same and only the words change).
Sharpen Pencils
This is a great responsibility to give to a student, but before I leave on Friday, I make sure to sharpen all of the pencils. If not, inevitably everyone’s pencil is broken or dull on Monday morning. So, either pass the job off to a student or take 5 minutes and make sure those pencils are sharp.
Change the Classroom Jobs
I change my classroom jobs weekly, so instead of scrambling on Monday morning, I do this on Friday before I leave. I typically check my feedback box (a cardboard box with a window cut into it), so see if students requested any particular jobs, and then I move the students accordingly. Since my jobs are part of our morning routine, it’s super helpful to set them on Friday for the next week.
Water the Plants
If you have plants in your classroom, Friday is a great day to check on those little buddies. Although it’s my students’ job to water them, I always make sure to touch the soil on Friday. This ensures that the plants are hydrated enough for the weekend.
Create the Templates for Anchor Charts
I firmly believe in the importance of creating anchor charts with students. However, I do like to set up some parts of anchor charts ahead of time. (You can read more about that here.) These are parts of the structure or things that will help guide my students’ thinking. I can’t always do this for the whole week ahead, but I try to set them up for Monday. In my class, I always make a poster for the sound we’re focusing on, so I draw the picture and write the sound in the middle. This means I’m ready to brainstorm with my kids on Monday.
Write Welcome Work and Book Shoppers on the Board
This is a super quick one, but it again makes my Monday easier. I write which Welcome Work box my students are doing on the board each day. Since it’s part of the morning routine, I also write which table is book shopping for their free choice reading books. I do this every afternoon before leaving school. Doing this on Friday as well means my students can come in and get right to it on Monday.
Send Out My Weekly Newsletter
My school requires teachers to send out a weekly newsletter update to their parents to share any important announcements. We also share what we’ve focused on that week. (You can read what to share in a weekly newsletter here.) As I said, this is require. However, there’s no set time we need to complete it. I send my newsletter out before I leave school on Friday so I don’t have to think about school again until Monday. Writing a whole newsletter after school would be tough, though. Instead, I typically write the email on Friday morning before school and then send it out Friday afternoon. I personally just email it, but there are many simple and effective ways to send a newsletter.
Complete My Lesson Plans
Listen, I know this one might not feel easy, but it makes a big difference. I personally hate spending my Sunday writing lesson plans. Instead, I work hard to ensure I have at least some bare bones lesson plans completed before I leave on Friday. Since we’re an inquiry based school, my plans aren’t set in stone. However, it gives me peace of mind to have general plans done for the next week. I typically spend some time on Thursday evening planning. This means I am finished for Friday.
Of course, there are sometimes weeks where I drop the ball and can’t check everything off the list, and that’s okay. However, the weeks I do get each thing done, my Monday self is very grateful!
Keep reading and learning:
What It’s Like to Teach in Sweden as an American
Free Word Work Support Guide for Parents
10 Things Veteran Teachers Wish They Knew as New Teachers
