Introduction:

Imagine walking into a new classroom with a brand new teacher on the very first day of a new school year. Your teacher does not provide any class instructions or expectations on the first day. How do you think this would affect your school year? Would you feel obligated to listen to the teacher or follow their rules? Do you think you or your classmates could learn effectively without set expectations? The answer to this question is no. You would not have respect for the teacher and you would have no idea of the expectations in the classroom. Without proper instruction and expectation stated at the BEGINNING of the school year, the classroom will become a "free for all".

This is why rule setting and modeling expected behavior is CRUCIAL to establish on the first day of school, because it sets the pattern for the rest of the year (Emmer, Evertson & Anderson, 1980).

Learning Targets:

1. Students will be able to define classroom management.

2. Students will be able to explain why establishing rules and modeling expected behavior are crucial at the very beginning of a school year.

3. Students will be able to describe classroom management strategies used to encourage class participation, positive behavior, and communication skills between students.

Establishing Rules and Expectations on the FIRST day of school

You might be wondering why I have such an emphasis on explaining rules and expectations on the very first day of school. Well, this is because the first day of school is CRUCIAL to setting the pattern for the rest of the year (Emmer, Evertson & Anderson, 1980). If you were not to establish rules in a timely manner at the beginning of the school year, the classroom would be filled with chaos. Modeling expected behavior is also a very important part of management. It is important for your students to know exactly what is expected of them, and what better way to show them, than act it out yourself? After you have demonstrated this for your students, have them repeat the action/behavior themselves, especially if they are young children (Education World).

Conclusion:

I have been working in a school for 4 years with preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade age students. I have personally experienced the struggle of poor classroom management and also the joys of proper classroom management with my kids. With this being said, it is absolutely critical for you as a teacher to set expectations and rules on the VERY first day of school, otherwise, the rest of the year will be quite a mess. Now, this does not mean drowning the kids in rules all day, but instead make it fun, interesting and interactive for them!! Managing a classroom full of crazy kids may be intimidating at first, but it does pay off in the end.