The first day of class is often one of the most stressful days that you and your students will experience all year. We're nervous. They're nervous. Every one is unsure of what to do and how to do it well.
It has always helped me to think in terms of what MUST get done that day. Once I have completed those tasks, then the rest is reasonably easy.
Here is an excerpt from The First-Year Teacher's Survival Guide that is designed to help teachers think through what we have to do on the first day and get everyone off to a good start.
It has always helped me to think in terms of what MUST get done that day. Once I have completed those tasks, then the rest is reasonably easy.
Here is an excerpt from The First-Year Teacher's Survival Guide that is designed to help teachers think through what we have to do on the first day and get everyone off to a good start.
WHAT
TO DO ON THE FIRST DAY: YOUR PRIORITIES
As you begin thinking about the first day of
class, you should give thought to how to convince your students that you are
the best teacher they will ever have. Your new students will be concerned that
they will not have a good teacher or a good year. Your first-year jitters may
be bad, but theirs are probably worse.
Because it is so important that the
first day of school be an encouraging experience for your students, you must
present yourself to your students in as positive a manner as possible. This
will be easy for you if you focus your energies on the following six important
priorities:
Priority 1:
Take Charge of Your Class
- Even if you
are overcome with stage fright, you must conquer your personal feelings
and pretend to be confident and self-assured. Sometimes, by pretending to
be confident, you can begin to convince yourself that you are.
- Have a
seating chart ready so that you can show students to their seats and get
them started on their opening exercise at once. Have an assignment on the
board, or give students a handout as they enter the room.
- Before the
term begins, when you have made up your class rules and expectations, consider
having a friend record you presenting them. You can really have fun with
this if you film your presentation at the beach, on a boat, or even in
your own backyard. When school starts, show the video and give your
students a handout on the class expectations to fill in as they watch and
listen.
Priority 2:
Calm Your Students’ Fears
- Stand at the
door of your classroom and welcome students to your class. Wear a bright
name tag. Make sure to prominently display your name and room number so
that students and their parents can be sure that they are in the right place.
- Look happy
to see every student. Greet each one pleasantly, using his or her name if
you can.
- Teach your
first lesson as if it is the most important lesson you will teach all
year. In many ways, it is. Your students should feel not only that they learned
something interesting but that they will continue to learn something in
your class every day.
Priority 3:
Introduce Yourself
- Although it
may seem obvious, it is important to introduce yourself to your students
on the first day of class. Because you want the first day of class to go
well and because you want to control the amount of wild speculation about
you, the new teacher, you should introduce yourself. You should be
comfortable telling your students
- How to
spell your last name
- Your title
(Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr.)
- Where you
went to college
- Where you
grew up
- Why you are
looking forward to working with them
- The
positive things you have heard about them
- The
positive things you have heard about the school
- What your
favorite subject was in school
- Why you chose
to be a teacher
Priority 4:
Engage Your Students’ Minds
- Design
fast-paced, interesting instruction that will appeal to students with a
variety of learning styles and engage their critical thinking skills.
- Consider a
lesson that will allow you to assess your students’ readiness levels as
well as give them an overview of the skills they will learn or the
material that they will cover during the term. Make sure that the lesson
is one that encourages them to be active and not just one that requires
them to listen passively.
- Include a
brief homework assignment to reinforce the day’s work and to get students
into the habit of doing homework for your class.
Priority 5:
Begin To Teach The Class Routines
- Teaching
acceptable school behavior is part of what teachers do and is certainly
part of what students expect from their teachers. For example, when it is
time for students to turn in the day’s written assignment, show them the
procedure for passing in papers that you will expect them to follow.
- If students
lack supplies to do the assignment, lend them what they need for class and
gently remind them that they will need to have paper and a pencil in the
future.
- Keep any
reprimands very low-key. Stick to gentle reminders instead.
Priority 6:
Begin To Build a Classroom Community
- Even on the
first day of class, your students will view themselves as members of a
classroom group. You can enhance this natural tendency by using inclusive
words such as our or us when referring to the class.
- Ask for
their help in routine tasks such as passing out materials, tidying the
room at the end of an activity, or in helping each other.
- Take time
for at least one ice-breaker activity so that students can get to know
their classmates.
You will find more information about this later in this section.
