1.) What’s the most important thing for a teacher to remember in the first week of school?

There are several important things for teachers to remember during the first week of school to help kick off the school year in a successful way: (Sorry, can’t limit this important question to just one thing.)

* Try and be themselves while teaching and not the teacher they think they should be. This helps create a bond between the teacher and the students.

* Use effective and engaging methods to teach subject matter. Content is king!

* Think through what rules and procedures they believe in (not borrowed from a book or from some other teacher) BEFORE they enter the classroom.

* Make sure they have rewards and consequences they believe in to (re)enforce their rules and procedures.

Humor is a very important quality to develop. New teachers find this difficult however in their first year as they are still learning the class and how they should react to various classroom situations. Here’s a question I recently received from another teacher.

2.) What’s the most hilarious thing one of your students has said in class?

When I told my English language learners that I was an officer in the Israeli army during an ice-break activity, they said, “Please! Don’t kill us with our grades!”

Ice-breakers are important for setting the tone on the first day of class. Here’s a few ideas that I use constantly:

3.) What are some activities you do one the first day/week/month of school with your students? Any getting-to-know-you games, lessons, icebreakers, etc. are welcome!

Ice-Breakers – Fact or Fiction

Teacher writes 10 sentences about him/herself. These sentences can be anything from the things s/he did during the summer vacation to hobbies.

Variation: Teachers can also write how s/he thinks students should learn. Example: Projects help students learn more about a subject and increase their vocabulary.

Students then write their responses after each sentence is read aloud and after, they go over the answers. By this time, the classroom atmosphere is relaxed. Students have a lot of fun with this!

As a follow-up, students are divided into small groups of 3-4. They then write 3-4 sentences about themselves and go over the “right” answers.With the students’ permission, the teacher can then read aloud the true sentences and have the class guess who the student(s) is/are.As a final wrap, students can complete a graphics organizer such as a Venn diagram showing the same and different qualities of a peer based on their group work. They can then report back to the class. Students have a lot of fun with this.

2. Get-to-know-you-activities

Get to know your students from the very first day of school is important for building a positive classroom atmosphere. Start by having them fill out a student information sheet or writing an introductory composition. Not only is it possible to learn all of the names while the students are working, the information you get from these forms is an excellent way to get to know the students.

At home: Read over their responses and note down something about each student next to his/her name. This can be in your grade book or on the form itself. Aim to set yourself the goal of making at least one personal comment each lesson – either to the whole class about a particular student or quietly to an individual student as s/he passes your desk.

Giving the students the feeling that you care about them as individuals is an excellent discipline preventer as well.

What do you use to get through the school day? Every new teacher has his/her own formula for getting through those difficult days where stress is high.

“To get through the school day, I rely on _________.”

Take the time now to ask yourself what you personally rely on to help you get through the school day.

To get through the school day, I rely on both a sense of humor and inspiration from my readings from other educators to be the best teacher possible.

Well, that’s it for now! There are ways to take control in the classroom – the key is to find out what works for you most successfully and build unto it!

Make Your Teaching Sparkle. Teach for Success. Make a difference in the classroom.