My goodness the beginning of the year can be the most stressful, time consuming, and all consuming time of year! Truly. I can't even remember how nervous I was my first year.
A fellow Kinder teacher said once that we are masochists as Kindergarten teachers. We have the roughest beginning of the year, mainly because many students haven't "done school" before. Then we forget about it as the remainder of the year, and especially the second semester, are wonderful! Then BAM! Beginning of the year again and we're left dizzy, wandering a fun house full of strange mirrors that distort everything. WHY! WHY do we do this?! Because we love it. And because the kids of course.
It's taken me a long, long, long time and hours of reflection to have a great beginning of the year. This year I finally succeeded. Why? A few things. Tips and tricks I will now share with you. Here's the magical secret. Are you ready?
That's right. Be prepared - over prepared - and practice, practice, practice those routines. Have your students memorize them!
First, preparedness. This year I went on Maternity Leave week 3. It was STRESS-FULL to the MAX. First, leaving my babies - not fun. Second, giving up all control - NOT FUN. But I did. We had the blessing of being able to, though we were told we couldn't, get pregnant. And we're so excited to start our family with our new little member. Enough about me and my big fat belly....What I did to prepare for this baby is something I will do every. single. year. from now on. I created the first (and second) nine-weeks layout, complete with links and everything I will need for lesson planning. This was time consuming in the summer, spending about a week total to complete it. But it was worth it! #worthit! Oh my goodness. While other teachers were stressing over lesson plans, I had all mine laid out and just had to expand on them each week to put the details in. It was SO EASY. Prep work went from 40 hours the first 3 weeks - yes, I work a total of 80 hours the first 3-4 weeks of school - to an easy 9-hour day, negating those extra weekend hours and the 7am-7pm shift. My body thanked me too. I know summer is "sacred", but this is the holy grail of sacred when it comes to return on your time. Trust me! Just do it.
Routines and procedures cannot be touted enough. There is a FANTASTIC teacher on Youtube named Miss May. She's wunderbar! (Side note: I'm German and like to dabble in languages, so you'll learn a few words here and there. You're welcome). I live by her behavior anchor charts.
When you start routines and procedures remember: you are just as much a part of them as the students. Only create routines that help YOU too and that YOU can keep up with. One a day is perfect for the beginning of the year. And as you find your niche and discover what works in YOUR classroom each year, every beginning of the year will be easier and easier until you think "Yeah, I can start my own blog and help teachers now."
Another thing to do with routines is create fun, quick sayings that students can memorize and act out. For instance, when we stand to do a GoNoodle or brain break, we say:
"Stay in your square" whilst drawing a big square in the air
"Hands to yourself" whilst flapping our hands down like a penguin
"Have FUN!" and we scream that part
Students learned this almost automatically and they now repeat it when they know a brain break is coming. Most of my brain breaks are routinely placed in the beginning, middle, or end of lessons so students can anticipate them. It eliminates stress and creates a schedule for those students who behaviorally need a predictable environment.
Another one we use is for the hall. And I'd use this all the way up to 4th grade (which I taught before Kinder).
"My hands are by my side" flap down like a penguin
"I'm standing straight and tall" stand up straight
"My eyes are looking towards the front" face forward
"I'm ready for the hall!"
"Shh!" and catch a bubble
If students don't do it, or need a little reminder, we practice, practice, practice. Practice makes perfect. No matter if we do it 1 or 10 times that day (full moon days, yo), I always give them a class point once they've perfected it. Rewards are your bestie. Week 2 the honorable position of Line Leader was given out. It's Line Leader's job to start this saying. That's an easy routine to put into place. Then I don't have to remember or lift a finger. I can also spend time with students who are having a rough day and maybe didn't want to line up, or are having trouble following directions.
I hope this helps you have an AMAZING first day and beginning of the year. Good luck! And let me know how it works out for you!