Welcome back! It’s that time again for supply checklists, password resets, classroom refreshes, and a new 30 oz coffee travel mug as the start of the school year rushes in.

Wherever you are in your career, returning to school comes with a range of emotions. (Do you also have those dreams leading up to the first days back where you can’t find the classroom you’re supposed to be teaching?) This post provides you with resources to get your school year started as enthusiastically and prepared as educators can be.

Included are ways to design and prep your classroom, community-building ideas, videos from educators, worksheets for self-reflection, and a book recommendation.

Interested in attending professional development events? See the calendar here; more details below.

Best of luck as you begin the year! Thank you for all you do.

Podcasts

• Check out the Heinemann commuter podcast—curated 14-minute or less audiobook clips with actionable lessons you can begin implementing now. Commute with us! A New Heinemann Podcast for Back-to-School
• Listen to author Tom Marshall, of Reclaiming the Principalship, how to reframe evaluations going into the year. On the Podcast: Re-Framing Evaluations for Back to School with Tom Marshall

Blogs

• It’s important to take your own time to reflect on the things that are most important to you. Start the School Year by Reflecting on Your Core Beliefs with Kara Pranikoff.
• Christine Hertz and Kristine Mraz note how important it is to take clear and intentional actions that put kids first from day one. They offer simple and fun activities in this post: 4 Kids-First Community-Building Ideas for The First Few Days of School
• How can you make it easier to get what you need when you need it, make your library more engaging for your students, and get your students involved in the process of organizing the books in the fall? What should you consider as you think about giving your classroom library a reboot? Here are 10 Ways to Plan, Design, and Prep Your Classroom Library for the New School Year by Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan.

Video

• A reflection from teachers collected at NCTE: The Best Advice from Teachers to Their First-Year Teacher Selves

Book

• Humans Who Teach by Shamari Reid invites readers to explore the complicated humanity of those who teach, with a focus on how we have been socialized to accept the status quo, our very real fears in disrupting the status quo, and how we can rely on our human capacity to love to engage in teaching for social justice even in the presence of fear.

Events

• Join Heinemann thought leaders for professional development as you prepare for the year ahead