How to Plan Your School Year AND Enjoy Your Summer

Well, I finally put the finishing touches on my end of year reports and sent them off to families, so now my summer can officially begin. And, of course, a huge part of that is my Waldorf summer planning!

This was kind of an odd year, as far as the summer goes. The professional development training I attended happened the week right after school got out so on the last day of school I said goodbye to my last rising 3rd grader, packed up the truck and headed out of town.

Since returning I’ve had various commitments (including leading an in-person summer conference for the first time ever — more about that in another post) so this is finally my first week of summer! Phew! My kids are going on a trip with their dad so I’ll have the house all to myself, before picking them up and heading off on a family vacay at the beginning of next week.

Waldorf Summer Planning

So, I’ve had just enough time to take a breath and start thinking about my planning. It feels a little rushed to start thinking already, but I pulled out my Summer Productivity Course curriculum from last year and found that at this time last year the first week’s goals were just about to come out! Right on time!

So I’ve just started dipping my baby toe into thinking about 3rd grade, and I have no doubt that by the end of the week I will have jumped in with both feet.

I started with thinking about how to go about this planning.

I looked at the calendar.

I’ve mapped out the rest of the summer and figured out how much I want to have planned when. This plan is a huge component of my Summer Productivity Course. I’ve got a nice little group of teachers working through that content with me again this year and I’m really excited to get working. I’ll be away on a family vacation for the first week, but I’m bringing the books with me and doing the work.

Over the years I’ve come to realize a few things that make my summer planning enjoyable — which is what this post is all about!

Pace Yourself

After too many years of diving into the planning and getting stuck in the first block of the year, I’ve realized that I need to create a calendar and mark off some boundaries for myself. I sit down with the calendar and mark out what I’m going to plan when and then really stick to it. If it’s time to move on from block #1 and I just have a rough outline pulled together, so be it. Better to have a rough outline for the bulk of the year, than to have a lot of detail about one block.

This is a huge component of my Summer Productivity Course, and one reason why the participants like it so much. I lay all of that out for you and then check in along the way to make sure you’re staying focused.

Don’t Get Too Detailed

This kinda goes along with the last tip, but don’t plan out every day of the block. First you need to think about the big picture stuff, then get a little more detailed (like the basic focus of each week) about the first few blocks of the year. DO NOT plan daily lessons! You won’t end up using them anyway as things will shift as you see what is living in your students. Flexibility and responding to your observations of your students is what Waldorf Education is all about.

Get Good Supplies

I know I talk about this all the time, but having a planner, notebook, pens, and pencils that you love will make your planning so much more enjoyable. The same goes for books and resources. A few years ago I just decided I’m going to be a Waldorf teacher forever so every year it’s worth it to use my own money to purchase resources. I get the best books (used, of course) and keep them in a grade-specific bin in my storage shed. I end up spending under $100 and for a couple of weeks my mailbox is flooded with media mail envelopes. So exciting! I love having what I need to do the planning.

Planner

As for office supplies, I’ve written a whole post about it, but my tastes are constantly evolving. For the past couple of years I’ve loved my Hobonichi planner. I love the feel of the paper for writing with my fountain pen (or even a gel pen or pencil.) The paper also holds up to watercolor — so fun! It’s not for everyone — it doesn’t come in a US academic year version, so I compromise and get the version with the year split into two books, but I love that paper so much, it’s worth the compromise for me.

Pastels

This year I’ve been using my Caran d’Ache water-soluble pastels in both my planner and my 3rd grade sketchbook. I apply the color with the pastel and then use a water brush to blend. I just love it and hope to continue throughout the school year, just to add a little artistic flair to my planner and lesson book. (Incidentally, I gave these pastels to my students in 4th grade, without realizing they were water-soluble — they do have non-water-soluble ones. Next time around I’ll give the water-soluble ones in 7th grade. I think they’ll love them then.)

Find a Rhythm

Summer is such a loose and easy time, it’s far too easy to relax the day away and follow the inspiration of the moment. But I’ve found that if I develop an everyday rhythm to follow around my planning, I’m far more successful. Every now and then I’ll decide to spend the day at the coffee shop and work the whole day, but more often I decide to spend a couple of hours in the morning, and then use the rest of the day to enjoy my summer.

This works really well for me because my kids are teenagers. When I do my planning from 7am-9am, they are still snoozing away. Then, when they get up (usually by 10) we’re all ready to enjoy the day together. I just LOVE those quiet mornings and I plan to keep going with this rhythm during the family vacation that we take with my sister, mom and extended family. It’s nice to be able to count on a little bit of solitude every day. Even better if it helps you get ready for the school year.

So let’s get planning!

So, that’s the plan for this summer. Again, I hope you’ll consider joining the Summer Productivity Course. The teachers in that group have such great ideas and it’s nice to have the accountability of the group to help make sure you stay on track with your planning.