On the first day of school, the secret to success is in the planning, not the pedagogy. How's your back-to-school planning going? Have you forgotten anything? Our checklist can help!
You're a teacher! You know the subject matter backward and forward, and achieved a pretty respectable score on the state certification exam. You finally have an actual job. There's only one problem. The first day of school is drawing near and you have no idea what to do. Are you really ready to face that first terrifying day?
The secret to success is planning.When it comes to planning ahead, of course, the secret to success is in the details. Use the checklist below to help you with any details you might have overlooked in planning for your first day at school as the teacher.
PREPARE YOURSELF
There are a few personal items that can help you through the year. They include:
A diary.
Take a few minutes at the end of each day to jot down your thoughts and impressions about the day's events. Was there a lesson that went particularly well, or particularly badly? Why? Did a difficult discipline problem arise? How did you handle it? What was the result? What successes did you experience? What compliments did you receive? As the year progresses, the diary will help you identify what works and what doesn't work, and it will help you find alternate strategies.
A personal appointment calendar.
A date book will come in handy for reminding yourself of faculty meetings and scheduled observations. More importantly, it can be used to document the unscheduled events that crop up during the day, and often come back to haunt you weeks later. You might think you'll never forget the things ,but you will! Jot it down immediately in your date book. And keep the date book in, not on, your desk!
PREPARE THE WAY
Before school starts:
Familiarize yourself with the school building and grounds.
Locate the bathrooms, the gym, the cafeteria and the nurse's office. Note where they are in relation to your classroom. Ask where resource classes are held. Find the audio-visual equipment and supply closet and ask about checkout procedures. Take notes or draw yourself a map.
Visit the school Web site.
A school Web site can provide valuable information about the school and community, as well as insight into what's expected of students and teachers.
Make friends with the school support staff.
They're the best friends a new teacher can have. Introduce, or re-introduce, yourself. Remember names.
PREPARE YOUR CLASSROOM
Your classroom will be your home-away-from-home for the next nine months. You'll want it to reflect your personality. How do you do that?
Set up the room.
Desks and activity centers can be arranged in a number of ways, depending on your individual teaching style. Assign seats, at least initially. It will help you learn students' names, establish mutual respect, and maintain classroom control.
Review lesson plans.
Look over your first day's lesson plans and obtain all necessary materials.
Prepare materials for students to take home the first day.
These might include emergency data cards, a school welcome letter, a calendar showing the class specials schedule and upcoming events, a syllabus, and a homework assignment.
PREPARE YOUR STUDENTS' PARENTS
It's especially important to the first-year teacher, whose inexperience may be an issue for some parents. You can get off on the right foot with a welcome letter, sent to the parents of each student on your class list.
THE BIG DAY ARRIVES
# Arrive early! Give the classroom one last check.
# Greet students at the door. Introduce yourself and welcome them. Smile!
# Review, explain, and discuss school rules and procedures.
# Work together to develop a list of classroom rules and consequences, or provide students with a copy of your class rules
# Take pictures of students at work and play.
# Congratulate yourself on a job well done!
