Cheat Sheet for the First Days of School. For those of us in the field of educating young minds, we often find that summer does two things rather well.
First, it helps us remember a time when our first names weren't Mister or Miss for the majority of the day and when we didn't have to break out into a vibrant soliloquy whenever the tenor of a room didn't feel right. Secondly, it abruptly breaks us out of our own routines for how we go about our days. We don't follow the bells or the crowds swooshing past the hallways to their next stations. All this is wonderful and divine until the start of the school year, when we need to realign ourselves with the rhythm of a regular school day. As the bulletin boards go up and the chalkboards, whiteboards and Smartboards get dusted and polished for another intense school year, some of the newer teachers (at one point, this was me, too) scramble to remind themselves of the tone they need to set in the classroom, and how their own routines will often mirror students' routines.
10 Tips for the First Days of School by Harry K. & Rosemary Wong. 10 Tips for the First Days of School by Harry K.
& Rosemary Wong By Teachers.Net News Desk closeAuthor: News Desk Name: Teachers.Net News DeskSite: About: See Authors Posts (492) A Classroom Management Strategy For The First Days Of School. At the start of a new school year, it’s common for teachers to send home a packet of information for parents.
This packet typically consists of school policies and procedures, daily schedules, papers to be signed, and hopefully a classroom management plan. This is all fine and good. But by throwing all this information together in a single packet, you’re missing an opportunity to get classroom management started with a bang. The Biggest First Day Of School Mistake You Can Make. There is a common mistake teachers make on the first day of school that sets in motion bad student habits and misbehaviors that can last the rest of the school year.
That’s a big statement, I know. But this one particular mistake will be responsible for scores of teachers getting off to a disastrous classroom management start—one many will never recover from. And what makes this mistake most troubling is its deviousness. You see, it’s a sneaky little thing, harmless in appearance and barely noticeable, even to the most discerning professional eye.
Most teachers won’t even know they made a mistake, let alone one so spectacular, until weeks later when it hits them like a splash of cold water to the face. And even then, they won’t know what it is they did wrong. Why You Should Smile On The First Day Of School. You’ve likely heard the oft-repeated recommendation that teachers should never smile the first three months of the school year.
The idea being that if you show kindness toward your students, they’ll see it as a weakness and take advantage of you. Hogwash. Although it’s true students can and often do come to the conclusion that their teacher is a pushover, it has nothing to do with showing kindness. How A Simple, First-Week-Of-School Classroom Procedure Can Inspire Excellence In Your Students. If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.
~Colin Powell Classroom procedures are critical to classroom management success. They save loads time and energy, reduce stress and misbehavior, and make your teaching life a lot easier. The best part, though, is that when done in a certain way, they transfer excellence from the basic and routine…to the advanced and academic. In other words, by requiring excellence from your students for everyday procedures, like lining up to leave your classroom, you’re ingraining habits that make them better students. The opposite is also true. If your line is noisy, pushy, and looks like Lombard Street, then you’ll struggle to manage your students during academic work as well. A Culture of Excellence Teaching fundamental classroom procedures, and then requiring your students to perform them as taught, is a great way to begin creating a culture of excellence in your classroom. 5 Simple Steps Repeat Practice. How To Handle Misbehavior The First Two Weeks Of School. Why Coming On Too Strong Will Force A Mutiny In Your Classroom.
Whether starting over from scratch or opening a new school year, many teachers come on too strong when teaching classroom management.
Demanding and forewarning, growling and glaring. Even the mildest-mannered teachers can become overbearing when it comes to laying down the law in the classroom. And although most don’t consciously or overtly try to scare students into behaving, there is an unmistakable undercurrent of intimidation in the way they present their classroom management plan. The thinking is that in this day and age you have to talk tough. You have to carry yourself with a demanding and aggressive presence or your students will walk all over you.
But it isn’t true. Fear and intimidation belong in the dark ages of classroom management. You can try—as so many do—but it doesn’t work. It will backfire on you every time. Here’s why: It creates an us-against-them mentality. 7 Keys To The First Day Of School. The first day of school is about setting the tone. It’s about focusing on the first wee little steps leading to the most memorable school year your students have ever had. There is no room for weak first impressions, no room for indecisiveness, and no room to leave your students bored or uninspired. It’s best to think of the first day of school as a microcosm of the coming year. In other words, it should represent who you are and what you want your classroom to be. The seven keys below may not be the only items on your agenda, but in terms of making an impression on your students, they’re the most important.
Handling Difficult Students The First Week Of School. Hoping to head misbehavior off before it starts, most teachers try to be proactive with difficult students.
Even before the bell rings on the first day of school, they peruse their new roster looking for those few whose reputation precedes them. They chat up previous teachers. They scrutinize student files. They nervously begin conjuring up creative ways of dealing with them—all before they even set foot in the classroom.