Student 1:"Ms. Harrison, where do I put my tissue boxes and crayons?"
Student 2: "Ms. Harrison, I don't see my name where do I sit?"
Student 3: "Ms. Harrison, what do I do now?"
These questions for sure were not on the final college exams! My official first day of teaching in my own classroom (oh so many years ago!) was overwhelming at the beginning of the 1st day and exhausting by the end. Definitely recommend reading SEVERAL books about the 1st day of school and talking to colleagues beforehand.
2.Create a few sets of sub plans (with copies) when you are not actually sick.
At the beginning of each trimester, I look through my objectives and standards, and then I create two full day lesson plans, complete with copies, in preparation for me being out unexpectedly. I never plan on using them, because I hope to never get sick, but life happens. It is so much better to work on plans when you feel well and actually have a few extra minutes. Trust me, you will thank yourself when you actually do get sick or have some other emergency.
3.Teachers really do make reading magical.
My students are mesmorized everytime I read a book to them on the carpet. It is so wonderful to see.
4.Always have a plan for your early finishers.
There will always be one or two students who finish before you think they will...have something for them to do whether it is an extension activity or something around the room.
5.Vitamins, exercise, water, and sleep.
All three are a teacher's best friend. You need to take care of yourself! It might seem like there is no time to fit working out into your schedule, but it is essential and once you start doing it, you will have more energy!
6.Pick one day during the week to take work home.
You can pretend that you will grade that huge bag of papers every night, but let's be real...most of the time that bag stays comfortably in the back seat untouched until you lug it back the next day. Just pick one day when you know you have a little extra time to devote to grading. And with that, only bring home a number of papers that you truly think you will finish looking over.
7.You can never be too organized.
Oh my goodness... Label everything and watch your days get less frustrating.
8.Early parent communication is crucial.
Even if you have to stop your lesson and call a parent in the middle of the day, it is worth it to have excellent parent communication. Sending out a newsletter and email praises (letting individual parents know how their child did that day) is needed in order to have a truly successful year.
9.Repetition is key.
Even when you think your students have mastered a procedure or concept, practice one more time.
10. Texting is changing the English language.
What is happening to conventional spelling? Lowercase "i"s, omg, lol, and so on...smh.
What would you add to the list?
No comments:
Post a Comment