(What Teachers Really Need to Know for the First Day of School )
J. Newton and T. Van Geons
Think Gumby (A Lesson in Flexibility)
Some things will assuredly go wrong on the first day. Embrace that fact. No matter how exactly you have planned, nor how organized you may be, there will be a wrench (or twelve) thrown at you on this day. If you accept this and deal with problems as calmly as possible, then you will set a professional and trustworthy tone. And while you may be planning to accomplish a lot on that crucial first day, know that first days are incredibly hectic in a high school. You may only get 15 minutes with one class and 45 with another or 10 minutes with all of your classes. Learning flexibility on the first day of school will prepare you for the flexibility necessary for the remainder of the year. Moreover, you should know that you are responsible for so much more than teaching. Most likely, you will have a homeroom and will be responsible for attendance, assigning lockers, distributing various materials from the Central Office, School Office, the Cafeteria, the Health Department, et cetera. Depending on the grade level of your homeroom, a myriad of activities will be scheduled that are specific to that group of students. For example, seniors may have “senior meetings” and the new freshmen class will have a meeting of “High School Expectations 101.” If you can adopt this “bend but don’t break” attitude from day one, the students will be more receptive, you’ll learn to embrace the unexpected, and your likelihood of having a nervous breakdown is significantly reduced.
"Hello. My Name is Inigo Montoya" (Greeting Your Students)
Greet to each student. It is a proven fact that our favorite word is our name; try to say each student’s name at least twice in the course of your time together on that first day (if possible). Make a comment to each of them before they leave your classroom. This may take the form of responding to a comment on their student information sheets, or that you taught their brother or sister. It may just be a simple, “Welcome,” or “I’m glad you are here” when you are passing out bathroom passes for the semester. You’d be surprised how far this goes with students—some of whom rarely receive a kind word. As a teacher, you are much more than simply an instructor—you will become a trusted mentor if you can establish this relationship early on. And it all starts with a name.
Fasten Your Seat Belts (Seating Charts Help You Help Them)
It is ideal that a high school teacher would have his or her own classroom; however, this may not be the situation. In either case, you should become very familiar with the layout of the classroom(s) and create a seating chart for each class. Students should have assigned seats- it aids your ability to quickly learn names and establish consistency early on. Seating charts are not definite and may be altered (in the case of special needs students or obvious “chemistry” issues); but as students come to your class for the first time, they look for and need “their” seats. They begin to feel comfortable in the knowledge that you are organized and that you have thought about them in placing their names on a desk. This preparation is a non-verbal signal that tells students that you care for them. A simple note card can establish order in your classroom environment, convey authority to, and develop a relationship with your students. After all, you want your students to associate your room more as the “space of success and serenity” rather than the “cave of confusion and chaos.”
Ice, Ice Baby (How to Break the Ice on the First Day)
Icebreakers come in all forms and fashions, although it is recommended to utilize one that allows for a comfort level that challenges but encourages. For example, you may want to use a simple reading autobiography. Have them get out a sheet of paper and write one of three phrases: “I love to read,” “I like to read/reading is okay,” or “I loathe/abhor reading.” Underneath the phrase that they choose which suits them best, have them brainstorm everything they’ve ever read in their lives starting with the most recent and moving backwards. After giving them a few minutes, start with the teacher (yes, you) and go around the room and say, “My name is ________, and I _________ reading, and I base this opinion largely on reading ________.” They can use books, short stories, magazines, newspapers, et cetera. Just get them thinking! This will open up a good dialogue and make them realize that there are all sorts of readers and thinkers in the room and that in order to form a community, they should respect the differences of one another. Of course there are many types of activities to choose from for icebreakers—find one that suits your style and challenges the students to open up and reach out to the rest of the class.
You’re Not the Grinch and You’re Not a Student Anymore…(Teacher Conduct and Dress)
Not smiling until Christmas is too harsh, but setting the tone on the first day makes sustaining the tone you want much, much easier. To begin, introduce yourself as a human being. Give some details of your life that may or may not necessarily align with the state mandated curriculum. Once students realize that you are not a machine, they are much more apt to identify with you and give their best effort. Be yourself. High school students are highly intuitive, especially these days, and they will know if you are not being your genuine self. They may not know their parts of speech, but they will know if you are going through the motions or being yourself. In addition, the way you dress on the first day of school (first week really) gives away everything about you. While the way you dress may not necessarily affect your teaching style, the students will assume so. A teacher wearing a suit versus a teacher wearing a tee shirt gives two very different impressions. Be aware that dress does matter.
Mess with the Bull and You’ll Get the Horns (Rules, Procedures, & Classroom Expectations)
Perhaps the most difficult preplanning activity is deciding the rules and expectations for your class. Do you want students to raise their hands to answer questions? Do you have procedures in place for restroom breaks, classroom resources, and even homework checks? How will your students enter and exit your class? What should they do in the event of a fire alarm? What are your expectations for their classroom behavior? All of these must be explicitly addressed. Moreover, get a copy of the school-wide rules (often found in the school handbook) and make sure your rules align with these school-wide policies. Clearly mark the rules for the class on a visible spot at the front of the room. Establish rules early and very clearly. Introduce them the first day, and review them for the entire first week of class and sporadically thereafter. As a teacher, you cannot assume that students know how to behave appropriately in your classroom, so you must tell them, more than once. Expect to demonstrate and repeatedly remind students of your expectations. Gentle corrections may be necessary, but the more your students know about your expectations, the smoother your classroom will run.
Throw the Book at ‘em (Agendas and Textbooks are Key)
Students need to know what they are going to work on, study, or what is coming up next. High school tends to be a bit chaotic, and agendas are necessary for students to feel a sense of order. On the first day of school, having an agenda posted on the board will help students know what the day has in store for them. For each of your classes, you may want to post the agenda for the week as well. This will help you stay on task and will help them anticipate your upcoming classes. Moreover, it helps greatly to have assigned books for them with their names in them under their desk—this seems a bit of work ahead of time, but it again helps with the comfort zone.
Message in a Bottle (Send Home a Packet of Information)
Students become so frenzied on the first day of school. Sending home a packet of information for students to peruse later that day will help them remember all that you introduced during your first class meeting. Parents and guardians will be glad to receive this information as well. The packet should contain your syllabus with your rules, procedures, classroom expectations, a list of required materials, a homework agreement, a brief letter to your students introducing yourself, and your contact information. Include your school email address, and if you have one, your class website. Sending this information home is a valuable resource for your students and their parents or guardians. Offer your professional web-address if applicable, but avoid giving your personal contact information such as your personal email. This above all- keep the packet as simple as possible. Do not overwhelm the students or the parents to the point where they won’t even look at the information at home.
Speak of the Devil (Give Homework)
Giving homework on the first day of school sets the tone for your classroom. The homework can be as little as having parents or guardians sign a homework agreement or a receipt of reading your syllabus with their child. Giving homework sets the tone for the upcoming year and demonstrates to students that they must be responsible for their own work, even on the first day of school. Moreover, have the students do some reflecting on their experiences in your subject area and some personal type assignment such as a personality type quiz or an “I Am” poem the first day. Assigning reading, or, heaven forbid, reading homework on the first night is ambitious, but it may drive a student over his or her tolerance threshold very early on, and although you may be setting the bar high in your mind, the students may not give you another chance. Your job is to “sell” yourself and the class. They need to believe that you care about them and their opinions. Again, they are much more apt to work that way throughout the semester.
What’s Another Word for Thesaurus? (Humor and Sarcasm)
Don’t use sarcasm with the students until you have developed a relationship with them and/or after you make it quite clear that your intention (if it is so) is to lighten the mood with sarcasm rather that to use it in any sort of derogatory sense against students. You would be surprised how many teachers (even veteran ones) do just that. Moreover, as it relates to your temperament, don’t read a bunch of don’ts…it sets a tone…and you will set a tone one way or the other…thus the reason for more do’s than don’ts on this list. Oh, and by the way, throw up if you need to do so on the first day, but try to do it before class begins.
Since Brevity is the Soul of Wit (A Few Shorter Last-minute Tips)
First and Foremost. Oh, and by the way, throw up if you need to do so on the first day, but try to do it before class begins.
Humor and Sarcasm. Don’t use sarcasm with students until you have developed a relationship with them. Sarcasm and humor may be used to lighten the mood, but do not use it in any sort of derogatory sense.
Listening. Realize that students generally listen the most on two days…the first day and the day before the final exam. Use that time wisely.
Around the World. If possible on that first day, give students a quick “tour around the world” in 60 seconds. Show them where they can find simple things such as the pencil sharpener, the tissues, the computers, the printers, the hall pass, the collateral box, et cetera. Set the boundaries now. This will aid even further in establishing a comfortable classroom environment.
Don’t Do It. Don’t read a bunch of don’ts…it sets a tone…and you will set a tone one way or the other…thus the reason for more do’s than don’ts on this list.
Buy an Air Freshener. Buy and keep an air freshener in the classroom. Keep one at the front and back of the room. It’s amazing what a simple fragrance will do to help morale in the room. Moreover, the smell of 25-30 students in a relatively small room can heat up quickly, and you can do the math—lots of kids plus small area plus long amount of time equals really hot and bad odor eventually.
Reliable Advocate. It’s important to make sure that each student has at least one reliable student contact (whether phone number or email or both) in the class whom they may contact in the event of an absence.
Overwhelming Students. Try not to overwhelm students on the first day—when you overwhelm them, you become overwhelmed as well. Give them time to take it in and breathe. Enough said.
Have Fun. Teaching is about providing a safe and comfortable environment in which students can process information and develop skills necessary for life. If you enjoy teaching, chances are that they will enjoy learning.
Parting Shots: It is critical to remember that while you are anxious, know that the students entering your room that first day are just as anxious as you are, if not more so. The above are some suggestions for the first day of school that may prepare you for what is to come thereby alleviating some of that anxiety. The less nervous you are, or at least appear, the less nervous your students will be. Remember, you only have one first day of school this year. Make the best of it by planning and being prepared. Happy New School Year!
