Starting a New School Year

Hi! It’s been a while since I’ve been active here, but my life has been so busy recently!! Let me fill you in quickly. Before summer ended, I took a road trip to South Dakota for 5 days and saw so many beautiful sights. I visited the Badlands, Blackhills, Custer State Park and Spearfish Canyon. It was absolutely beautiful and it was a great way to end the summer! Then, school started and it has been quite an adjustment. I am partially online, partially in person (COVID related). I tend to be someone that likes in person classes, but there are pros and cons to both. I am learning how to be productive with my time! Then, the weekend after school started, it was my birthday! The big 2-2!! Vince took me to Minneapolis for the day to eat amazing food, see the city and spend quality time together. It was such a great birthday. 

But now, life is getting back to (semi) normal and I am learning how to get in the groove of things. So, today I want to talk about some things that I do to get ready for a new school year and how to tackle this weird year of education. 

As most of you know, I am an Elementary Education major with a minor/speciality in English. I am in my senior year at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and man, I am ready to be done. But, another school year means another time to get myself organized and productive. Every year, especially in college, I have been sticking to a similar regime that has really been sufficient. 

-Buy a Planner, write out dates & look over the syllabus 

I think buying a planner is crucial. I am seriously outstanded by people that are able to go a full school year without writing out dates and future assignments. I typically buy a planner from Target or Marshalls. I prefer the ones that have the monthly spread on the first page of the month and the pages after that have weekly spreads that allow me to write on each individual day. Now, on the monthly spread, I write future events (even beyond school! That way it’s all in one place). I will write doctors appointments, meetings with professors, work schedules, and future project, paper, or exam dates. Then, on the weekly/daily spreads, I write out specific assignments and other to-do lists. I try to look ahead at the syllabus and fill in assignments/exams that are set in stone dates, that way I’ll never have the excuse that I didn’t know. I also use this time to fill in some of the dates to read over the syllabus and semester plan the professor or teacher has put out. Familiarizing myself with this helps tremendously, as I get to know the name of assignments and any patterns or similar due dates that the professor may be using. I use my planner religiously. I bring it to work and school with me because you’ll never know when you’ll need it. Owning a planner is a way of keeping track of yourself. You can hold yourself accountable and there shouldn’t be excuses this way. Target has a bunch of cute and inexpensive planners, but you can get a bit more fancy with ones online. 

Example Planner @ Target

Planner I have! (Comes in a lot of patterns!)

-Organize my space & getting in the right headspace

This part for me is almost therapeutic. Now that I live in my own apartment, I put it on a bit of a bigger scale. So first, I start by school shopping. I buy my planner, notebooks, binder, pens, highlighters and anything else I’ll be needing. I LOVE school shopping. Don’t ask why or when that became a thing… but I guess it’s a good thing considering that I want to be a teacher. Once I have purchased all of my school supplies, I head back home to make my space comfortable and clean. When I was living at home, I would do a pretty good deep clean of my room and desk. At my apartment, I deep cleaned my entire apartment. I do this because I feel like it gives me a fresh start; a restart. I am ready to tackle the school year with a clean space to feel welcomed into. I focus on organizing my desk. I put pens and pencils in holders, place my three hole punch and stapler near by and get a cozy candle to set the mood. I also put all of my textbooks and or school materials in a basket (I found a bunch of cute ones at Homegoods!). As for  pen and pencil holders, I found a lot of nice ones at Dollar Tree! Remember, this doesn’t need to be expensive, it just needs to be clean and organized! Lastly, I make sure I have good lightning for all times of the day. This may sound funny, but being a college student, I’m doing homework at all hours of the day. I want to make sure I get natural light from a window during the day by my desk, so I’ll move my desk closer to the window. At night, I want relaxing, warm lights. I make sure I have no harsh white or blue hue lights in my room and normally hang up some string lights. All of these things help me get in the mood to study and work!

Some quick ideas to make your space feel warm and cozy:

• A scented woodwick candle. These sound and smell amazing. (I got this one for my birthday and it smells so cozy! Bath & Body works also has some great options)

• A good study instrumental playlist. I normally just look up "piano study" on spotify. (Piano Study playlist on Spotify)

• Some flowers, fake or real! They brighten your space just the right amount.

After I have cleaned my space and organized my desk, I make sure I spend some time on myself before school starts. This normally consists of a lot of self-care. I like to do a face mask, take a bubble bath and just have a relaxing night. I normally do this the day before school starts. This sounds cheesy, but taking away the anxiety of a new school year really eases my nerves. 

I hope some of these ideas helped you & you add them into your new school year routine. Let me know what you like to do, what sets you in the mood and any tips and tricks you have!!