Your First Day Teaching:
Welcome to the classroom, now what?
Did you know that your first day of teaching will set the ball rolling for the whole year?
Be prepared!
The first few weeks of school are vital to ensure your success for the school year.
Getting Ready for your first day of school:
Much work gets done before the first day of school, but let us say you are fully ready, you have your students names, the classroom is set up, you had orientation and met the students and their families, you have a filled out questionnaire and information on each child, your lessons are prepared and you are itching and ready to begin. Let us take a look at a few vital classroom suggestions to ease the start of a new school year.
Rules for first day of school and beyond:
- They must be non negotiable.
- do not give a whole list, stick to 3-4
- ALWAYS stop the class if someone breaks the rule, revisit the rule in a kind manner and emphasize the importance of following the rules. Once the children understand that the rule cannot be broken it will become a non issue. ( and certainly help with behavior management) It may be hard at first but must be done.
Expectations for your first day and beyond:
What do you expect of the children? You need to tell and show them. Modeling is important. How do you expect them to line up? How do you expect them to play? Clean up the classroom?
The tables must be prepared and cleaned up prior to lunch? Make it an activity, show them how you want it done, the next day review it and then the following day give them the opportunity to practice it.
Remember:
- give them constant reminders
- don’t expect them to understand the first day what you are trying to convey
- do not overload them with expectations- take baby steps. Every second day you can show them something new, while remembering the previous.
Play time is a great time to show the children how to play some games. Do not teach them elaborate or complicated games now, for example when you show them the kitchen center you can show them look here is a stove, “I can cook. I also have a fridge here, I can put food in there etc. Oh look there are dolls ..”
Center/ Choice time:
This is for early childhood classrooms.
Teachers should enter each center with a small group of students so that they can show them what there is to play with as well as the teachers expectations for play and clean up. There should be a variety of materials yet not an overwhelming amount so that the children should not get lost with the play and clean up
Charts:
Have all charts (and pictures up if possible) when children come in. Take pictures of students by orientation if possible, otherwise have them done the first week of school.
Start the use of charts slowly. Basic charts will include weather and attendance charts, clean up/ helper chart, choice charts and sign in sheets.
Although you will not use all the charts the first day, you should ensure to get to all of them at the end of the first week. That is because you want the children used to the routine, your expectations and there should not be constant turnover with new classroom management. You want your classroom fully functional before you begin teaching your lesson.
No new lessons should be taught the first day of school (and the first few weeks,) what they will be learning are your expectations of them and how you run your classroom. This will allow for optimal classroom experience the entire year without the need to discipline much. Time is invested wisely here.
Good Luck!