By guest blogger Tanya Bosco, MBA — Chief Strategy Officer at IDE Corp.
Want your teachers to experience mic drop moments during back-to-school planning days? Then stop presenting and start modeling.
Whether you have a single day or an entire week before students return, these are some of the most valuable (and most often under-leveraged) moments of the school year. They’re not just for logistics; they’re your chance to model the energy, culture, and learning design you want to see in every classroom.
So ask yourself: What will your opening days say about your school’s priorities?
Model What You Want to See in Classrooms
Your facilitation style sets the tone. If you want student-centered, engaged classrooms, then your teacher learning time should reflect that. Provide teachers with a question or challenge and engage them in collaborative learning with their peers through resources you provide over lessons from the front of the room.
– Think in chunks. Break up time with reflection and collaboration, just like a strong lesson plan. Try using an External Brain to help faculty capture key takeaways and then share their thoughts with one another.
– Ditch the slide deck. Replace full-group sit-and-get with short videos, podcast-style intros, or visual one-pagers.
– Offer choice. Create a menu of small-group sessions, self-paced tools, and how-to guides. Let teachers design their own schedule. IDE Corp. can offer targeted small-group sessions to Power Up Planning Week for your teachers.
Let them feel what student-driven learning looks and feels like.
Offer Aha Moments
People learn, retain, and change when they have an emotional reaction to something. Facts and data, metaphors, and immersive reflections are great for this. Here are some of IDE Corp.’s favorites:
- – The Ice Cream Sundae metaphor — You could eat a scoop of ice cream, and then a banana, and then a tablespoon of hot fudge, and then a scoop of whipped cream . . . but it would not be anywhere near as good as that spoonful with a little piece of each. That’s because all of the components together create a synergy that is greater than the individual components. That’s how we have to view various initiatives in schools. Give your various initiatives a thread that holds them together: Have teachers consider how each supports and connects to each of the others. Throw an ice cream party!
- – Ferry vs. Bridge metaphor — Many administrators use Dr. Nancy Sulla’s “ferry vs. bridge” metaphor from her book Students Taking Charge to kick off the year. Are your teachers ferrying their students or building a bridge to allow students to take charge of their own learning? As a leader, are you a ferry or a bridge builder? For more: text description, video.
- – Future of Jobs Report 2025 — What’s our end goal in teaching? How will we achieve our Portrait of a Graduate? Head to the World Economic Forum’s report, click on Infographics, and have your teachers discuss what the data might mean for their teaching.
- – Students Can Change the World — Another great site for aha moments is the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Have teachers consider how their content and their teaching addresses any of these goals. It can lead them to think about problem-based tasks they can use with students.
Add Arrows to Their Quiver
Looking to hit the bull’s-eye this year? Back-to-school is the perfect time to give teachers tools they can use immediately.
– Share 2–3 go-to strategies that activate student thinking.
– Highlight structures that boost executive function, engagement, or agency.
– Create time to practice with peers, not just hear about it.
Using IDE Corp.’s on-demand Professional Learning Experiences (PLEs)? Let teachers dive into the modules that meet their goals and apply tools right away.
What’s the Lead Song on Your Playlist?
Ever get a song stuck in your head on the drive in and then have it shape your whole day?
That’s your opportunity as a leader. What message do you want replaying in teachers’ minds as they launch the year?
– “Talk Less, Smile More” from “Aaron Burr, Sir” — Hamilton
– “Unstoppable” — Sia
– “Whatever It Takes” — Imagine Dragons
Set the tone with a message that sticks . . . and then live it all year. And if you want, play that song that sums up your inspiration for the year as teachers head to their classrooms to prepare for the year ahead.
This Is Your Moment
Planning days aren’t about “training.” They’re about launching.
Use this window to inspire, equip, and spark momentum. Introduce a PLE module. Let teachers explore, reflect, and apply. Then come together to co-create the year ahead. Engage teachers in conversations versus disseminating information. Drop the mic and inspire “mic drop” moments!