Welcome Learning Legends & Leaders!

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Here at Aiconium Education we believe that teachers are teachers of all professions and when teachers grow, systems thrive and students soar.

This space is our monthly pit-stop for bite-sized brilliance! Throughout the year you will find one or both of the following:

• Rotating features that spotlight content, practice, and those ‘look-and-sound-like” moments that matter
• Grab & Grow tools that you can use right away

Whether you’re here to learn, refresh, or just snoop around for some smart ideas, you’re in the right place. Take what you need, leave inspired, and don’t worry – there’s plenty to go around! We promise that your future self (and your students) will thank you!

Find the Strong Start Checklist below that's tailored to your experience level.

Brand New But Built For This

• Get Organized - make a list of all classroom materials you think you might need (include technology) 
• Get a lesson planning binder. Organize it (weekly lesson plans, missed a day work, homework, etc.). This will ultimately become your professional portfolio.
• Draft simple, consistent routines for entry, exit, transitions, and getting help.
• Create a system for how students will access and return materials.
• Set up a visible daily schedule and learning goals space.
• Research 2–3 high-engagement strategies (like Think-Pair-Share or Stand & Show) and practice using them.
• Read the first unit in your curriculum.
• Join a content-specific support group on Facebook or X (e.g. Elementary Math Teachers).
• Schedule short, weekly check-ins with a mentor, teammate, or trusted colleague. 
• Post your classroom expectations before students arrive—and model them on day 1.

Tip: Give yourself grace. Growth is the goal, not perfection. 

Still Fresh, But Wiser With Each Year

• Audit your materials: What needs restocking? What can be improved from last year?
• Refresh your student tool routines—make access smoother so that you increase your instructional minutes.
• Revisit last year’s engagement strategies: Keep the ones that worked. Find 2 new ones to try.
• Reframe classroom rules as positive norms— co-create them with students if you can.
• Build a first-week playlist of go-to activities that are low-prep but high-engagement.
• Plan 2 mini-lessons for teaching behavior and participation expectations explicitly.
• Add yourself to one new email newsletter, podcast, or virtual PLC in your subject area.
• Set a monthly goal: one new strategy, tech tool, or routine to try.

Reflect: What do you want to feel this year? Set a headline to guide your mindset. 

You've Got The Rhythm, Now Find The Remix

• This year, focus on more student independence - Evaluate your classroom systems: What’s efficient? What can students manage and facilitate with minimal support
• Streamline materials setup—label, color-code, or digitize tools for smoother access.
• Pick one major classroom routine to refine for clarity and student ownership.
• Inventory your engagement toolkit: Introduce 1–2 new routines for higher-level thinking.
• Draft a week-by-week launch map for the first month. 
• Collaborate: Plan a shared student engagement strategy with a teammate for cross-class consistency.
• Reconnect or level up—join a statewide or national teaching network in your subject.
• Prep for academic feedback—create templates or tech tools to give students instant feedback.
• Build a “quick win” lesson for Day 1—accessible, joyful, and sets the tone.

Mentor 1: Support a new colleague by sharing a resource, inviting them to lunch, or a coplanning session. 

Legend Status. Evolve With Intention.

• Revisit your space with fresh eyes—what environmental tweaks could boost learning flow?
• Audit and streamline student procedures—what can be student-led or automated?
• Plan to model your own learning: show students how you reflect, try, and revise.
• Refresh your engagement playbook: Drop one strategy that’s stale, test-drive one that’s bold. Borrow one from another content area.
• Be intentional with content: What misconceptions show up early? Prep scaffolds now.
• Revise first-week lessons to be culturally relevant and identity-affirming.
• Join or lead a virtual roundtable or content-specific learning community (or start your own!).
• Schedule peer learning moments—observe a colleague or host an open-door week.
• Identify 1 school-wide initiative where your leadership could be catalytic.
• Develop new ways to celebrate student effort and success

Make time for yourself: Schedule at least one break per week dedicated to enjoying a proper lunch or snack without any work looming over you. Take a pause and indulge in a moment of peace by putting on your earbuds for a quick time out.  By now, you've realized that there's never enough time, so taking just one break won't hurt—it's essential for your well-being. It will only benefit you in the long run.