Teachers are the CEO of their classrooms. They have to think about the big picture, make plans, and set up systems to help their students succeed. Among the many things a teacher can work on during the summer, CEO time is essential!
One of the biggest mistakes middle school ELA teachers make during summer break is spending all of their time working in their classroom and not enough time working on their classroom.
What do I mean by that?
We spend hours creating activities, designing projects, decorating bulletin boards, finding novels, and scrolling for lesson ideas. While all of those things can be valuable and definitely visible, they aren’t always the most important work.
Just as a business owner must find time to step away from the business so they can work ON the business rather than IN the business, teachers also need to step away from the classroom to make their classrooms run smoother.
Summer is the perfect opportunity for teachers to put on their CEO hats.
Instead of thinking like a classroom teacher for a few days, think like the CEO of your classroom.
A CEO doesn’t spend all day completing tasks. A CEO spends time creating systems, developing plans, setting priorities, and making decisions that will guide the organization for months to come.
Your classroom needs the same type of leadership.
CEO time is dedicated planning time where you focus on the big picture.
Instead of asking:
“What activity should I do in September?”
You start asking:
“What do I want students to know and be able to do by May?”
Instead of finding random resources, you focus on setting goals, setting a clear focus, and building a roadmap.
This is the kind of work that pays dividends all year long.
Before you think about novels, projects, worksheets, or activities, spend some time reviewing your standards.
Ask yourself:
If you need help organizing your standards, be sure to check out our blog posts:
These posts can help you create a standards-first approach to planning rather than an activities-first approach.
You can also grab our Standards-Based Product Line, which includes a complete unit for every middle school ELA standard.
One of the most valuable CEO tasks you can complete during the summer is reviewing your pacing guide.
Spend some time thinking back on last year.
Our post Another Year Is Done… Time to Review Your Pacing Guide walks through how to reflect on these questions and make adjustments before the new school year begins.
You may also want to revisit What Is a Pacing Guide, Exactly? How to Create a Middle School ELA Pacing Guide if you need help building a stronger year-long plan.
The next part of our CEO time is dedicated to identifying pain points and developing a plan to address recurring challenges, so you are less likely to repeat the same issues.
First, identify the paint points. Maybe grading felt overwhelming. Maybe absent work became a nightmare. Maybe students struggled with writing. Maybe your language standards kept getting pushed to the side.
Summer is the perfect time to identify those recurring challenges and create systems before they become problems again.
We have written a plethora of blog posts over the last several years dealing with all things middle school ELA. As you come up with a pain point, be sure to refer to our blog posts as a reference to help work through the problem and develop a plan.
For example:
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is improvement.
One of the biggest CEO mindset shifts is focusing on systems first.
Activities are important. Systems are essential.
Think about:
Then, once you have a plan for what these systems will be, create a plan for implementing the system fully with your students.
When systems are strong, activities become much easier to implement.
Summer can quickly become overwhelming when you feel like you need to create everything from systems to activities from scratch.
You don’t.
Instead, identify and focus on a few resources that will have the biggest impact on your year.
Maybe that’s:
Strong resources allow you to spend more time teaching and less time constantly creating, and all of the resources listed above can be found in The Sparkly Notebook store!
This might be the most important CEO tip of all.
Don’t plan every minute of every day.
Students will surprise you.
Assemblies will happen.
Units will take longer than expected.
Opportunities will come up that you couldn’t have predicted.
A strong curriculum plan creates structure, but it also leaves room for flexibility.
The goal is not to create a perfect plan. The goal is to create a plan that gives you confidence while still allowing you to respond to your students’ needs.
Summer break should absolutely include rest. For example, you should find some times to read for fun, spend time with family, sleep in, and do all the things that fill your cup.
But if you’re going to spend some time thinking about school, spend at least a portion of that time acting as the CEO of your classroom.
Work on the systems.
Work on the plan.
Work on the vision.
Because when August arrives, you’ll be glad you invested in the big-picture work that helps everything else run more smoothly.
A few hours of CEO time this summer can create a more organized, less stressful, and more intentional school year for both you and your students.
