The first day of school brings a sense of excitement, stress, and apprehension for students and teachers. Will my students be well-behaved? Will I have any difficult students? How do I get my students to do homework? Even a seasoned educator experiences these feelings each year. However, you can make getting started a little easier with a few simple strategies!
Set up your classroom early. Organize your desk, books, technology, etc... well before the school year begins if you can. Place anything you do not want students to have access to out of site. We love them, but they have sticky fingers!
Make sure your classroom furniture, floor, cabinets... are clean. It is a little easier for students to feel as though they have license to be messy in a messy room!
Yes, do a seating chart. They will hate it, but they do not have the discipline to sit next to their friends.
Create reading groups (even in high school) based on Lexile scores. Use these groups whenever you want students to do Peer Assisted Reading or complete a reading assignment in class.
Create and classwork/lab groups based on grades after the first unit. Place students with similar grades in the same group (Groups of 3-4). After 30 years of teaching I have found that this keeps individual students from sitting by while others do the work.
Create an area in your room far from you where students go to sharpen their pencils, get scissors, tape, rulers, etc... they shouldn't need to ask you for every single thing they need. You want them to learn responsibility and self-sufficiency. They should never be allowed to approach your desk when you are not there to get a pencil or anything else. Your desk should be off limits unless you are there.
Start each class with a character thought. Make sure this thought is one you yourself believe. They will test you and know if you are asking them to behave in a way you do not. So, if you tell them to treat others with respect, You should be treating them with respect.
You need four rules: Be respectful to the teacher and to others. Be on time to class. Stay on task. Follow school handbook rules and procedures.
Set expectations early. Do not take makeup work unless there is an excused absence and then give them the required number of days to complete it. No more. Most likely, students will miss assignments and try to turn them in late. You must say no and let them experience the consequences of lower grades early on. It is impractical to allow students until the end of a grading period to make up work. Stop doing that. You teach them they can procrastinate and create more work for yourself.
For every one negative piece of feedback you give your class or individual student, you should have given 10 positive affirmations. Treat them with respect. Smile, call them sweety, sweetheart, or just have a nice tone of voice. Be pleasant. But, do not tolerate disrespect. You can be fair and firm without being mean or taking it personally.
Plan you curriculum well. Provide a simple, clear syllabus. Yes, give quizzes, homework, and tests. Life is full of these. They need to prepare. But, you must prepare them. Tell them what they will learn, teach it to them, let them practice, give a review quiz and then give them a test based on what you have done. Nothing should be new. They should see the test and say, "Oh, I know this, we did this problem in group work or on homework..." Tests are not for playing gotcha! You want them to succeed.
Understand that ever day and every class is different. Ninety-nine percent of the time, your day will not go as planned. Be okay with this. Be adaptable. Make room in your curriculum for reteaching, makeup work, and severe weather days.
Finally, remember that your students are human beings. They get hungry, they have to go to the bathroom, they get tired of sitting, they get mentally exhausted, they need down time just like you. Listen to them. Know that they are struggling just like everyone else. They suffer abuse, anxiety, hunger, fear... Yet, you are supposed to teach them while their life is in shambles. Make your lessons real for them. Address these issues with character thoughts. If you do. You give them hope. Make your lessons impact their lives in ways that make them happier, healthier, and wiser.
Have a great year!
Comentários