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The First Day

Posted on March 25, 2008 - Filed Under Computers and Technology, Education

The First Day For a beginning teacher, the night before the first day of class can be filled with doubt, excitement, and a fear of the unknown. There is nothing quite like the butterflies you experience before beginning your teaching career. There are a number of things that you can do to assure that the first day of school is a successful one.

1) Have a clearly defined plan.

Assuming that you can “wing it” is not the way to go. Of course, this was my plan for the first day. After the students entered the class and sat down (wherever they wanted), I stood up in front of the students and had no idea what I was going to do. Come to think of it, I may have planned what I was going to do, but when it came time to begin, I forgot what the plan was. I was so nervous. I was not prepared. I can vaguely remember handing out textbooks and telling the students to put book covers on them. It was obvious that I didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing. One of the students, who was clearly not trying to comfort me, commented, “It’s your first year teaching, huh?” I said that, yes, it was. What I really wanted to say was, “Is it that obvious?” This was not a good situation. Little did I realize, my lack of organization on that first day would set the stage for a long and difficult year.

2) Have a seating chart.

In most schools, you will be given your class rosters well in advance. On an index card or a small piece of paper, write down the name of each of your students. Before they arrive to your class, put this piece of paper on the specific desk at which you want each student to sit. When they arrive to your class, tell them to look for their name and sit down at that desk. This accomplishes two major things: Having a seating chart makes it a lot easier to learn the names of your students, and this “assignment” establishes your control. By doing this, the students realize that you are in charge. It takes the power away from the students by not allowing them to choose their seat. It’s almost guaranteed that at least one student will ask you if this will be their seat for the remainder of the year. If your plan is to keep the students in the same seat for the entire year, then tell them yes. This has worked wonderfully for me. Even though the students may not like the seat you have chosen for them, once they realize that you are in charge, they will usually accept the seat that they have been assigned. In my experience, after the first day of school, the students forget that they don’t like their assigned seat, and they won’t continue to ask if they can be moved to a different seat.

3) Discuss your expectations with the students.

Reviewing your classroom rules with your students will get your year off to a good start. Students must know what is expected of them concerning their behavior. For junior high and senior high school teachers, it is a good idea to involve your students when you are establishing your classroom rules. Having the students assist you in developing a list of classroom rules is a great activity for the first day. This accomplishes two things: Having the students assist you in developing the classroom rules shows the students that you respect their opinion, and it is much more difficult for them to argue about those rules. If a student breaks a rule and, then, argues after their behavior is corrected, all the teacher has to do is remind the student that they were the one who established that rule. This prevents the teacher from being the bad guy. Some teachers may be concerned that the students will not devise an appropriate list of classroom rules, but this has not been my experience. When I have involved my students in establishing classroom rules, they have always established the same list of rules that I would have originally wanted to establish. So, I get the rules that I want without forcing my rules on the students. The first day of class can set the stage for a successful year. However, without prior planning, the first day can also be the beginning of a nightmare. Make sure that you are prepared and that you have a plan for the first day.

For more ideas concerning education and classroom management, I invite you to visit http://www.BillySimmsSpeaks.com

From Billy Simms-Your Trusted Bully Advisor

Want Bullying To Go Away? Don’t Delay, Call Billy Today

Tags: billy, school, simms, teachers

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