1. The first day of school is procedures…other teachers told me that I would really do no instruction the first day….and I didn’t in some senses, but when it was time for math, we did something math related. When it was time for writing, we did something writing related. I really do believe that going through the day was really beneficial for my kids, and me.
2. EVERY day, kids need something to do when they come in the room (first thing or after specials, or after lunch). It needs to be something consistent. Something the same from day to day for which they need no instructions from me. It takes out any distractions or time to play. “Bell Work” is my sanity.
3. Don’t judge a book by its cover, or even the first chapter. Who I thought my kids were in August is nothing like what I think of them now in December. Student inventories are ideal, but it is VERY necessary to go through EACH question as a class on the first day, otherwise they leave them blank.
4. Clipboards and binders are saviors. If I could go back, I would have organized myself much better the first two weeks of school. EVERYTHING needs a place, and a stack in a filing cabinet is not it. I have now created a binder for each unit in each subject area. Ecosystems is in a binder, divided up by standards. Solar Systems, Numbers and Operations, and Persuasive Writing each have their own binders as well. Organizing by standard then by date has proven to be the most effective and accessible for me.
5. MAKE SURE to assign textbooks—it will cause more problems later if you do not. Sounds like a DUH concept, but it’s easy to screw up.
6. Plan your units with the standards and the report card in hand… I am still struggling come report card time when I need to insert grades…they do not line up exactly with the standards and you will fly around like a crazy person trying to get grades for a certain skill assessment.
7. BE FLEXIBLE… I was soooo pumped about the layout of my room…well it needed to be changed after the first month. Hot glue and clothes pins are your BEST friends.
8. Let parents know everything about their child’s progress as often as possible. Don’t assume the kids tell the parents because they don’t (regardless of how much you THINK they know, it never hurts to tell them more). If you do not, it will come back to bite you in the rear. I now send home weekly reports for every subject area (these are the things that take up my time in the afternoons and cause long nights).
9. Ask other teachers for help…and don’t assume you know what you’re doing before you start. You don’t.
10. Every school and every class is different. What works for some doesn’t work for others. I started by using the same discipline system that I used at Alps Road. Well it was a flop. Ask other teachers on your team what they use and develop yours from that.
11. Take the time to write a GOOD note to the parents of each student. Make it a goal to send one home for each kid before the year is over….parents LOVE this more than you know.
12. Blogs are AWESOME!! My room mom created one for all of my parents. I send her any important dates (unit tests, report cards issued, class parties) and the blog/google calendar automatically alerts the parents via email. If you don’t have a room mom, find the time to use one of these!!!
13. DON’T procrastinate. You need sleep and you need to be ahead of the game. Nothing is worst than discovering that your student isn’t passing something the day before report cards are due because you put off grading. Cleaning your classroom can wait, check email at home, and stay focused. Use to-do lists and actually check them off.
14. Time management is everything. The class I took in the fall was the best thing for me not because it taught me how to manage my time in my classroom, but how to manage my afternoon and use an effective planner.
15. Don’t fret over the small stuff. In time, it will all iron itself out. Parents, teammates, and administration are more forgiving than they seem. If you make mistakes, acknowledge them and apologize. One parent was really upset with me at the end of the first nine weeks (see point 8 and the paragraph about report cards). On the last day before Christmas break, she emailed me to tell me how much her daughter loved me and how she was grateful for a great first semester. Be honest, and be ready to take some flack here and there. What doesn’t kill you, only make you stronger.
http://teacherlingo.com/blogs/firstyearfrenzies/archive/2010/01/17/pre-christmas-break-and-rest-deprived.aspx
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