Preparing For and Establishing Your First Days As a New Teacher
As a new teacher, entering the classroom for the first time can be stressful. Being properly prepared and establishing expectations can often ease some of that anxiety. Below are some suggestions to help make your first days as a new teacher successful ones.
- Prior to the first day, take the time to study your class list so that you are familiar with your incoming students' names.
- Establish the kind of environment you want in your classroom on the first day of class. This will set the tone for your classroom and provide students with your expectations.
- On the first day, learn the correct pronunciation of each student's name and make it a goal to know every student's name by the end of the school day.
- Create a morning routine for your students to allow them to prepare for the day. This will enable you to greet your students in the future and take attendance without disruption.
- Post a schedule for the day.
- Introduce and establish a discipline plan with your class. Post a list of rules and consequences and have each student sign the list as an agreement to follow.
- To avoid unnecessary disruptions, develop a procedure for students who need to leave class for activities or special classes to follow. Share this procedure within the first few days of class.
- Assign "homework" buddies that students can call to find out what work was missed in case a student is absent.
- Review the procedures for a fire drill or other emergency situations with the class.
- Introduce students to all adults working in the building and explain what they do.
- At the end of the day, have your students write in a notebook what they did and learned in school that day. Encourage them to bring it home and let their parents read it. Ask parents to write back in the notebook if they wish.
- To help put your students (and their parents) at ease, understand the transportation plans for each child. If a student takes the bus, it's a good idea to have a record to keep track of bus numbers.
There are many things to consider as a new teacher during your first days of class, but establishing ground rules and expectations is a good way to begin.
