Wow! It is hard to
believe that summer vacation is almost over:). Hopefully your break was a restful one full
of travel, play, and general recharging of batteries. We have been so busy with moving,
renovating our website, and preparing for conferences that we fell behind on
our postings to the blog and for that we deeply apologize.
So with school starting in the next few weeks, what can
teachers do now to ensure a positive beginning of the year? Those first weeks have the potential to
decide the course of the other 9 months.
Now is the time to develop some strategies to build that crucial positive
energy which will lead to a good year for both students and teachers. This is a profession that will probably never
lead to riches, but will offer multiple opportunities to inspire students to
reach their potential. Here is a video that in a humorous way validates
what teachers do and why they should be valued over sports figures!
Well, here are a few tips to ease into those first few days
with zero stress:
1. Stand at the door,
ask for each for his/her name, and then greet each student with a hello,
handshake, and smile upon entering the room.
Most students will be surprised by this approach. It will also lower their stress levels as
well.
2. After the bell
rings and everyone is seated, share a corny clip on the excitement
that permeates every classroom on day one.
Giggles will spring up around the room and that opens up the room to
discussions on what they feel about the new year. From this point, teachers might pair students
up to discuss what they are looking forward to and why. From this (5 minutes), students will share
what their partners said remembering that there is no right or wrong.
3. Try to print out a
roster with student pictures to speed up the process of learning every
student’s name. Assign seats early on
(especially with middle school and high school where teachers see 130-180
students every day) to help with name recall.
Let students know that they will be able to test the teacher’s memory
after a week. If the teacher earns a
“grade” of less than 90%, each student will receive 10 extra points in class
participation (or whatever type of prize works for you). Allowing students to test the teacher is
always fun.
4. With parental OK,
set up a class FACEBOOK page, start a Twitter feed on the goings-on in the
class, develop an Edmodo classroom.
Involve parents early on and they will love you for it.
5. Decide on a
cellphone policy. Many teachers allow
their use (especially for students with very limited tech support at home), but
with conditions. If you are comfortable
with cellphone use, develop rules for their use in your class, and consequences
for breaking those rules (clear consequences for breaking the rules).
6. Have extra
supplies on hand for students who don’t have them. Discreetly provide them when
appropriate. Your school may have
materials for this purpose as well. A
student who lacks the basics will start the year embarrassed and that could
negatively impact his/her progress in class.
We hope the year will be a great one for all of you and your
students.
denise@ellteacherpros.com
cheryl@ellteacherpros.com
marnie@ellteacherpros.com
Follow us on TWITTER @ell_teacherpros (3,500+ followers and growing).
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