If you’re a beginning or new teacher moving to a new area to take a job, you’ll want to hit the ground running at the start of the school year.  According to MENC past president Lynn Brinckmeyer, a great fall starts with a little planning in the last few weeks of summer.

“Once school begins,” says Brinckmeyer, “it can be hard to get away during the day or in the late afternoon to handle all the business that crops up when you move to a new city. Consider checking off the items on this ‘to do’ list before students enter your classroom.” 

• If you’re moving to a new state, you’ll need to get a new driver’s license and register your car. That can involve taking driving and written exams, getting the vehicle inspected, and transferring your insurance to the new state.
   
• At home, setting up utilities, including Internet and phone service, eat up big chunks of time. Schedule these visits before school starts.
   
• Finding a physician, dentist, barber/hair stylist, and pharmacist can also be time-consuming experiences. Many doctors and dentists require an initial appointment that may involve additional paperwork, x-rays or tests, so taking care of those details before school begins is smart. (Be aware that some school insurance systems may not kick in until after the school year kicks off, so this might not be possible for everyone.)
   
• Remember all those notes from methods classes? Review them, along with any notebooks and textbooks, too. You may be viewing this information from a new perspective. If you can find out what music you will be teaching, you can get a jump on learning the scores for your ensembles or begin planning lessons for general music classes.
   

• Finally, make an effort to get plenty of sleep during those last few weeks and carve out some time for relaxation activities. Life will be very busy soon enough on the journey into a career in music education.
   

Lynn M. Brinckmeyer is an associate professor of music and director of choral music education at Texas State University, San Marcos.

--Ella Wilcox, August 5, 2009, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education