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Take a moment before it all starts. Stop and think back to when you were a kid. Who were your favorite teachers? What was it about them that you liked so much? Was it their humor, kindness, patience, high expectations? Above all, it was likely a connection.
Take a moment before it all starts. Stop and think back to when you were a kid. Who were your favorite teachers? What was it about them that you liked so much? Was it their humor, kindness, patience, high expectations? Above all, it was likely a connection.
The fact that you are even reading this blog means that you have a desire to get better. We are always striving to become better versions of ourselves. There is no place like the first week of school to recreate yourself. That’s one of my favorite parts of teaching, we get a clean slate every year. The first week of school is stressful, overwhelming, nerve racking and an amazingly beautiful fresh start. It’s a beautiful sunrise, a fresh start, a new year, full of so much potential. So, where do we begin?
The fact that you are even reading this blog means that you have a desire to get better. We are always striving to become better versions of ourselves. There is no place like the first week of school to recreate yourself. That’s one of my favorite parts of teaching, we get a clean slate every year. The first week of school is stressful, overwhelming, nerve racking and an amazingly beautiful fresh start. It’s a beautiful sunrise, a fresh start, a new year, full of so much potential. So, where do we begin?
Day 1: Names! Names! Names!
I worked for a principal for several years who never knew how to pronounce my name. I pretended not to care. Others would smile, and give me that knowing glance. But the truth is, it hurt. The fact that I wasn’t valuable enough to know meant I didn’t matter. Your students should feel like they are important. They may not feel valued by anyone else in the world, but when they walk into your classroom, they should feel cared for.
Get to know the names of your students and help them to get to know one another. Play name games, take pictures, whatever it takes to begin working on getting to know each student and being able to call them by name, and better yet, pronounce it correctly. We have a whole week's worth of get to know you games done for you in our store. Click here to go to our store.
Day 2: Expectations and Procedures
Unless you are teaching kindergarten, classroom rules aren’t a surprise to students. It’s similar to the act of driving a car. We all know the towns that we can speed through and the ones we have to follow each sign closely. Whether you run a tight ship or allow a little more air to breath, students do like a little reminder that the laws exist. It’s the laws that keep us safe. Rather than reacting to an infraction, we want to set clear expectations. Sometimes, just our presence and eyes are enough to keep things in line.
Find a fun way to let the students learn about your classroom policies and procedures. Play a card sort describing positive behaviors vs. some that might not be so great. Have students act out the proper way to sharpen their pencil as well as what might not be appropriate. Make posters to display class expectations or guidelines. You can remind them of appropriate behavior and still have some fun.
Day 3-4: Build Teams
Getting along with others, and better yet, working together is a skill that is lacking in today’s college graduates. Competition and personal goals are great, but we can achieve more when we work with others. Help establish these teams in your classroom. Spend the next couple of days helping your students get to know one another and work together to accomplish something. The list of team building activities is endless. It is important to take time after each task to process what worked and what needed some improvement. Modeling this behavior and establishing the fact that mistakes are opportunities for growth also helps students feel safe to fail. They learn that reflection is an important part of the learning process and your classroom is a safe place to make those mistakes. This is also a great opportunity to let them know how important it is to support one another throughout the process. When we fail, it’s nice to be encouraged by our classmates and know that they are there to help.
The foundation has been set. Students will begin to feel like they matter to you (because you remember their name by now and hopefully have gotten to know them a little). They know the boundaries and feel safe to learn. Finally, they know each other and feel supported by their classmates. I wish I could say that the rest of the year will be perfect, but we all know it will be a journey. Continue to get to know your students and allow them to get to know you. Establishing relationships will not only open the door for learning, but it builds a strong foundation for the year.
If you are one of the lucky schools who gets an entire 5 days on your first week, then congratulations, it’s time to start plugging away at the content. Some teachers might feel that they don’t have 4 days to waste on this “fluffy” stuff, but setting a strong foundation will save you so much time and help you be much more efficient for the rest of the year. If you find yourself starting to feel like the class is starting to unravel several weeks in, it’s okay to take a day to reset the morale and have a little fun.
Take a sneak peek at how we start our school year with our Scientific Inquiry Unit and Get to Know you Activities. Click here to go to our store.
Enjoy your year!
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