The First Day
Haim G. Ginott (1922-1973) was a teacher, child psychologist and psychotherapist, who worked with children and parents. He pioneered techniques for conversing with children that are still taught today. His book, Between Parent and Child, was on the best seller list for over a year and is still popular today. He has a famous quote most appropriate for this time of the school year:
I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized
Are you ready?
The question has a different meaning for each of us:
- The custodian might think in terms of moving furniture and finishing up the floors.
- The teacher might think in terms of books, bulletin boards and plans.
- The administrator might think in terms of schedules.
- The student might think in terms of attire and friends.
At The Apple (Where Teachers Meet and Learn) there is "The Ultimate Guide to Your First Day of School."
It is highly recommended that you have a written plan for what rules will be implemented in your classroom. You should also know how to handle difficult students who do not follow the rules. The plan should be well thought out and look professional. Some schools require that you turn in your plan to the administration. Keep a copy for yourself, if you must do this. New teachers may have to start business management plan from scratch. In this case, don't be afraid to ask veteran teachers for their opinions. You don't necessarily have to use everything you hear, but it gives you a good idea of where teachers may feel the same on certain issues. While compiling information for your behavior management plan, contemplate these questions:
- What incentives motivate children to behave?
- How long are students in my grade expected to sit still?
- In what ways does a positive environment affect students behavior?
- When is the best time to allow children to work together; work independently?
From Education World (The Educator's Best Friend) we find "School Rules Ten Activities for Establishing Classroom Rules." A simple beginning is critical:
Starting the school year on the right foot includes establishing classroom rules that will last the whole year through. Most experienced educators say the key to creating classroom rules is to keep those rules few and simple -- and to establish up front the consequences if the rules are broken.
At Teachers.net there is a "Gazette" which is a "collaborative publication of the Teachers.Net community." We find Harry and Rosemay Wong's article in the latest issue on "Effective Teaching" to contain a wealth of material. One should savor this as the Wongs are the same pair responsible for the popular The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher.
Over 3 million copies have been sold of this classic book on classroom management. The book walks a teacher, either novice or veteran, through the most effective ways to begin a school year and continue to become an effective teacher. The book is used in thousands of school districts, in over 65 countries, and in over 1,000 college classrooms. Many educators attest to how well it works.
At the website of The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development we find a number of valuable resources, including a wide variety of archived articles. One of these, Make It Great: Tips for a Successful, Fulfilling School Year by Karen Rasmussen contains a brief but quite worthy summary:
- Get Organized
- Be Consistent
- Ignore Naysayers
- Nurture Staff Relationships
- Get a Life
If you are an Elementary School, try Education World's "Back to School" page. Here they list dozens of ideas for the first day as well as "Ideas for All Year."
If you are a Middle School, try Middleweb's "The First Days of Middle School," a generous website list of resources.
If you are a High School, try Scholastic's "Critical First Week of High School Building Rapport & Setting Expectations From Day 1" By Nicole Sledge.
Still looking for ideas? Type "first day of school" into Google and start studying the 1,080,000 hits... Good luck and have a great year!
The Advantage Press, Inc. publishes a number of behavior packets based upon the "old fashioned" concept of actually having students read material that can help educators successfully manage student behavior. You are welcome to try our free samples.