Hi teacher,
Over the next couple of months, I thought it would be fun to try something a little different.
Every Tuesday, I'll be sharing one practical math teaching idea that's made my life easier over the years. Think of it as a tiny summer reset for math teachers—no meetings, no certificates, and definitely no mandatory PD.
Here's the first one.
I stopped planning lessons first.
For years, when summer arrived, I'd start thinking about units, pacing guides, activities, and all the exciting things I wanted to do with my students.
Then September would arrive and reality would hit.
Students forgot procedures.
Materials weren't organized.
Transitions took longer than expected.
And suddenly all those beautiful plans felt much harder to implement.
Now, before I think about lessons, I think about routines.
What will students do when they enter the room?
What happens if they finish early?
How will they review old skills throughout the year?
How will they get help when they're stuck?
The funny thing is that once those systems are in place, everything else becomes easier.
Content matters, of course. But routines are what make the content possible.
Try this before summer ends:
✔ Write down the 3 classroom routines that save you the most time.
✔ Identify 1 routine that didn't work well this year.
✔ Decide exactly how you'll teach that routine during the first week of school.
It's not the most exciting back-to-school task, but future-you will be grateful.
See you next Tuesday for Summer Math Reset #2!
P.S. If there's a classroom challenge you'd like me to cover this summer, just hit reply. Since I'm still in the classroom too, I'm always curious to hear what other math teachers are thinking about.
Looking for ready-to-use math activities?
PS. If you have a colleague who could use a ready-to-go math activity right now, feel free to forward this to them.
Stay connected 👇
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