10 Tips for Teachers to Tackle September

Okay, so we all know that going back to school can be a challenge at times, for both students and teachers. Well, let me rephrase that… especially for teachers!??

Yes, after those long, languid, dog days of summer, oftentimes spent basking on the beach (or boiling, as was the case in much of the world this year), it can certainly take a little extra push to get us back into that classroom mindset. A new academic year brings with it new challenges, new doubts, new fears… Will I get nice groups this year or will there be some troublemakers? Will I need to completely change my materials, or can I easily update my go-to resources? WILL AI STEAL MY JOB?!?!??

Before we get carried away, though, let us try to view the new school year as a chance to RE-motivate ourselves, not demotivate. And the best way to do that? Plan, plan, plan… plan for the success you want both you and your students to have this year and you will surely obtain it! So, that said, let’s have a look at ten tips for ELTs to get things off to a good start this September.??

Tip 1: Prepare the battlefield

Well, perhaps the battlefield analogy is a bit much… but is it though? (especially if you teach high school students…) In any case, before the school year begins, take the time to organize your classroom (if you have an assigned one) and materials. A well-organized space and repertoire set the tone for a productive year, and creating a positive atmosphere with interesting sensory input establishes a welcoming environment.??

Tip 2: The more you hoard, the more you’ll be bored?

I’m no Marie Kondo, but I definitely believe in a bit of the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality – if it doesn’t bring something interesting and valuable to your teaching, no need to hold onto it “just because”. Of course, that doesn’t mean we should get rid of all our old materials and design completely new ones at every turn. However, what worked for one particular group last year, won’t necessarily work for this year’s students… or for us, as teachers. If we don’t try to spice things up, it is far easier to lose motivation and burn out – and, like a cheetah homing in on an aging gazelle, ready to pounce, students can sense when we’ve been doing something for a million years… which leads us to our next point…??

Tip 3: Know your students

Perhaps the single most important piece of advice here: get to know your students so that you can tailor your classes to their unique needs and interests. By not addressing what they truly hope to get out of your class, half the battle is already lost: they will turn off, and you’ll work twice as hard to shoehorn them into your expectations, instead of catering to theirs. So, how can we get to know our students better???

Tip 4: Break that ice!

Icebreakers aren’t just good for the very first day of class: they can also be used periodically to get your students interacting and using language to communicate in a more natural way throughout the year. Here are a few of my favorites...

• Two Truths and a Lie: Ok, so this is an oldie, but goodie… Each student says two true things and one false thing about themselves, and the rest of the class tries to guess the lie – great for promoting speaking and generating genuine interest in one’s classmates... and teacher! (who should participate as well ??)??
• Hot Seat: A student sits in the "hot seat" for one minute and the rest of the class asks them questions. This is a great way for students to practice forming questions… though it might be a little intense for the first day/shy students (but again, the teacher always makes for a great guinea pig to kick things off and establish trust and rapport). It could also be done as a game of 20 Questions, with each student being given a famous person or place that the others must try to guess using only yes/no questions. Another variation would be to flip it, using the Heads Up formula: write names of famous people on sticky notes, which each student places on their forehead - without looking - and then asks yes/no questions to the rest of the class to guess their own identity.??
• Unpopular Opinion: Kick off the introductions with a twist – have each student share an unpopular opinion they hold. It's a fantastic way to spark conversation and learn about each other's unique perspectives… best to steer clear of more controversial topics, though… such as liking pineapple on pizza. That is simply an affront to nature.??
• Classmate Bingo: Create bingo cards with different traits or experiences and have students find classmates who match each square. It's a fun way for students to discover similarities and differences among their peers.??
• Continue the Story: Start a story and have each student add a sentence to it. This can get very creative and is a great way to practice narrative tenses… “It was a dark and stormy night…”?
• Balderdash: Students must guess an obscure word's meaning, which can be fun to expand vocabulary. “Antidisestablishmentarianism” is a great one… if you want your students to hate you... ??
• Roll the Dice: Students roll a die and, depending on the number, they answer the corresponding question or complete a task, which adds an element of chance to the activity.?

Tip 5: Set clear goals

One of the first things you should do is establish clear objectives for what you and your students should achieve by the end of the course/term/year. Communicate these goals to your students to keep them motivated… but don’t be afraid to move the goalposts, if needed. Start off with a needs analysis to see where they are now, then set some goals for where they should be by X time, then design your lessons to help them close the gap.??

Tip 6: Schedule regular feedback and assessment

Plan to regularly assess your students' progress and provide constructive feedback to guide their learning journey. Try using more frequent assessment in a formative way, to help them learn and fine-tune goals dynamically, instead of just falling back on a static, summative assessment of everything at the end of the quarter – it will help your students feel they really are progressing, little by little, instead of cramming and overwhelming them with stress right before “the big exam”.??

Tip 7: Submit to your AI overlords

Why fight fate? Robots will take over sooner or later, so why not leverage them to serve us while we still can?... Haha all jokes aside, I am personally a true believer in the strength of human interaction and think that the bond a teacher creates with their students is unique and irreplaceable (and even stronger face-to-face than online) … but I’m no Luddite! Technology is not the enemy, but rather an essential tool we can take advantage of to enhance learning and make our lessons more dynamic. There are countless educational apps and resources available online, so use them to make your classes more interactive and engaging. Don’t be afraid to explore new apps and platforms that can help both you and your students, because even if you bid those tech tools “hasta la vista” … they’ll be back!??

Tip 8: Never stop learning

Linked to the above, remember that teaching is perhaps one of the best learning experiences there is: don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone and try new things or challenge your own preconceived notions. The best educators are those that reflect on their teaching, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and continually pushing themselves to improve. Best of all, you’re not alone – don’t hesitate to reach out to peers for advice or suggestions. It really does take a village, and teachers make up one of the most diverse and supportive ones on the planet. And a great way to help connect to that global village of ELTs is by joining online events, such as ETS's free Teacher Webinar Series, and, of course, live conferences whenever and wherever you can – nothing beats that face-to-face human connection!

Tip 9: Be more flexible than Simone Biles

Sure, Olympic champions are impressive… but what about English teachers?? No one ever gives us any medals, but we’re more than used to jumping through hoops and overcoming myriad hurdles in our teaching lives. Whether it be starting the school year before the materials have arrived, showing up to a class that’s double the size we had originally planned for, or giving a B2 lesson that has students from A2-C2 in it… these are but a few of the challenges that ELTs face on a daily basis! Therefore, the key is to remain calm and carry on, but with the openness to change your plan whenever and however is needed to best adapt to the needs of your students and the current situation. And who knows? Maybe someday they will start giving out gold medals to teachers… or at least this snazzy mug.

Tip 10: HAVE FUN!!!?

Okay, so perhaps we can file this last tip under the category of “easier said than done” … but please, remember to have FUN! Teaching should be enjoyable for you and your students, so don’t be afraid to incorporate some games and humor into your lessons. Enjoy the journey of language teaching and the unique experiences it brings and remember that the more fun you are having, the more your students will be having, and the more they will engage with the material and motivated they will be to keep going. And remember, we’re all in this together: find your tribe and connect with other like-minded educators who truly enjoy teaching in ETS's?ELT Connect Community... and who knows? You might make some friends along the way.??

And that just about wraps things up; so, keep your eyes on the prize and follow through with these tips and you will no doubt see the fruits of your labor. After all, as the legendary George Peppard would say in one of my favorite 1980s TV series… “I love it when a plan comes together!”??

I’m sure your students will too. ??