Being a teacher for many years, I can’t think of a more terrifying day for
students than that first day of school. Of course fear of the unknown is
natural but for a young child, knowing that you’ll be faced with other kids
your own age is especially scarey. Peer pressure is very prominent in the
younger years and the need to be liked and accepted is hugely important. Not to
mention the pressure of not knowing exactly where to go or what time to be
there!
Teachers have their own anxiety to deal with as well on that first day of
the new school year. Knowing that a class full of young students will all be
focused on you can cause inexperienced teachers to feel quite a bit of
pressure. You want to be liked as well but also be respected by your students. And
there’s the added pressure of wanting to be the best at your job that you can
be.
Here are three great tips for teachers on that first exciting day of the
new school year:
1. Focus on the kids.
That
sounds obvious, but it’s hard to do.
Believe
it or not, my biggest problem that year was not my appalling fashion sense. It
wasn’t the gruesome tie, baggy olive slacks, or uncoordinated dress shoes.
My
fatal flaw was that I thought teaching was all about me. The passion I would
bring. The brilliant, inspiring things I would say. (In my defense,
there’s a long line of Hollywood movies that spreads this myth. Also, I was
22.)
It
took me a few months to flip that perspective and think about each day in my
classroom from the point of view of the kids. What brilliant things did they
say? How much time did they get to spend talking, rather than listening
to me talk? How much did they get to move around, instead of sitting
still at the confines of a desk? What did they get the chance to build,
think, write, read, and create?
When
you plan your first day, think through each hour and transition from the
perspective of a child in your class. Make sure the kids are going to get
enough time to talk, draw, make choices, and move around.
Make
sure, too, that you’ve built enough “down time” into the day—some extended
blocks when the students are working on an art project, exploring the math
manipulatives, or browsing the books in the classroom library. This workshop
time will free you up to talk one-on-one with the students so you can get to
know them as individuals.
What
do they like to do after school? How many brothers or sisters do they have?
What kinds of books do they like to read, what kinds of pictures do they like
to draw? What is their favorite animal?
These
things matter. Each child you talk to will go home remembering that you took an
interest in her as a human being. Continuing to build that trust and rapport
will do more than any behavior chart or treasure box to ensure mutual respect
and order in your classroom throughout the year.
2. Don't talk too much.
Every
year on the first day of school, I talk more than I meant to. I just have so
much to tell them—how excited I am to be their teacher, what my class rules
are, how they check out books from the class library, how to have a “Peace Talk” when they have a conflict with
another student ... it’s a long list.
It’s
easy to have your first day end up as one long, grueling filibuster. Brutal on
you, even worse for the kids. We need to remember that we can spread out the
routines over the course of the week—we don’t need to tell them everything that
first day.
I
still remember how devastated my parents were when my little sister came home
from her first day of kindergarten. They eagerly asked her how her day went,
and their shoulders slumped when she answered in a sad little voice, “All we
did is learn about the rules.”
On
the first day of school, I only have two priorities. First off, I want the kids
to feel excited about school. Secondly, I want to set the right tone for the
year. I want the students to know their teacher is kind but firm. I want them
to know that they will have a lot of fun and freedom in our class, but they
will also be kind to one another and respectful toward adults.
As
long as those two messages are clearly conveyed, we’re off to the right start.
If they don’t learn the pencil sharpening policy or class library procedures
until Thursday, it’s not a big deal. We have time.
3. Have the kids make something you
can put up on the wall right away.
When
I was in 2nd grade, I thought someone in some factory office somewhere must
need all these worksheets completed. I didn’t get that the worksheets were
supposed to help us learn things, and I never got the sense that our work was
interesting or original enough for adults to care about.
We
need to send the message that kids’ work matters. When they take the time to
write a story, solve a math problem, or paint a picture, they need to know that
we’re going to take the time to look it over and respond. We’re going to honor
their work.
Final
thoughts – Be sure to have your second day planned out. Day one might have gone
fantastic but then you get home and realize you haven’t prepared anything for
the next day. Panic can turn that good feeling around quickly. Getting back
into the groove of things will come easily and it’s important to remember why
we became teachers in the first place. Seeing all those excited, anxious young faces
always invigorates me and reminds me how important my job is!
Michelle
Lee is the owner and center director of Athena Learning Center of College
Station. You can find them at 3505 Longmire Drive College Station, TX 77845.
Call them at (979) 314-9132.
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