Themes, Tips, and Tricks! - The Teacher Team

Hello teacher friends-

Summer’s coming to an end which is bittersweet, however, it’ll be back around the corner before we know it! I’m excited for the new seasons up ahead, especially the crazy back to school season! Back to school season gives every teacher a chance to rebuild their classroom and put together lessons for a new group of students. Forming connections with teachers, parents, students, and staff members helps make what my husband and I do feel more like fun rather than a tedious job. Another part of teaching and getting back to school ready that I thoroughly enjoy is putting together themes for my classroom and helping other teachers set up theirs as well. Here are the top ten themes I’ve found circulating online and within my own teaching community that are super popular for this years back to school season:

Global Travelers! (around the world themed)
Harry Potter (inspired by the novelty series by J.K. Rowling)
Farmhouse Chic/ Rustic Barn theme
Under the sea (marine life above and below the sea)
Welcome to the Jungle (rainforest/exotic themed)
Reach for the Stars! (outer space themed)
Super students (superhero themed)
Hollywood superSTUDENTS (movie theater, super star themed)
Back to the Beach (beach themed, park activity themed)
Dr. Suess’s students! (Dr. Suess books themed)

If you have any other fun back to school themes message me on Instagram @the_teacher_team or on our Facebook page, “The Teacher Team”! We love connecting with all of you and hearing about your classrooms this year! We know many blogs and pages have so many great ideas for students and classrooms alike, which is amazing to see because it shows how much we all care about our students’ education! Some of the tips that have helped me with setting up my own classroom is:

Always use brightly colored materials and bulletin boards (it wakes students up and gets their attention; however, if you have any students with special needs where too much visual stimulation is an issue, stick with earth-tones)
A classroom on a budget is just as amazing as any other classroom
Make an alphabetical list of student names with a bunch of horizontal columns preceding because there are so many papers to collect at the beginning of the year. An easy way to keep track of what has been turned in for each student
Have students create their own name tag because it gives them a sense of community/belonging; also, the classlist changes often
Cold and flu season is no joke! Always be open for donations of tissues and hand sanitizer
Start with a moderate amount of materials such as expo markers, extra pens/pencils, and other supplies because you will run out and that’s okay!

So where are some quality places to go to that won’t break the bank for school supplies?

My favorite place to go to for pretty much ANYTHING is Target. Even when my daughters were growing up I’d look at Target first for folders, notebooks, clothes, even backpacks! It’s a great place to start if you’re looking for small things or if you want to do some personal shopping. Staples is also a handy place to look for things such as paper, pencils, folders, and any other supplies in bulk. Last but not least, (everyone’s one stop shop)- the Dollar Store, is perfect for picking up last minute items on your checklist. I’m always surpised with how much I can find at my local 99 cents store! Many stores around this time of year such as Staples and Office Depot offer deals to teachers, or have “Teacher Days”, where you can go get the materials you need for a low cost. For more stores that offer teacher discounts check out: https://www.teacher.org/best-teacher-discounts/ and see what kinds of stores offer amazing discounts for whatever you’re looking for!