5 ways teachers can have a great first day of school

Making back to school less stressful

On a scale of 1 to 5, how ready are you for the first day of school? Are you still in denial that everyone is buying supplies for back to school? Whether you are ready or not, the first day of school is right around the corner. But, it doesn’t have to be stressful! If you can get these 5 things ready, you will be ready to greet the students in no time at all.

#1 - you HAVE to get to know your students. You’ll be able to help your students so much more without even spending a dime. On the first day, have an “all about me” activity for the students to fill out. 

It’s great for three reasons:

1) it gives them something to work on while you check attendance and schedules;

2) it saves students the embarrassment of having to stand up and say something about themselves. And

3) you get to know so much more about them when you have it down on paper! In three months, you probably won’t remember what they said about their favorite food or what music they like to listen to. It’s a great way to get to know more about your students once you learned their names.

#2 - Let your students get to know each other. Building relationships in class isn’t just for the teacher and students. Students need to get to know each other. Have you ever had students who struggled with material, and no matter how many different ways you tried to explain it? What about students who don’t get along and seem to argue over every little thing? A lot of that can be fixed before it even starts if the students feel like they are a team. They will want to help each other out when someone doesn’t understand the material, and the sometimes even go as far as to hold each other accountable when it comes to behavior.

Have you ever worked a job where it seems like there were no rules? Employees came in whenever they pleased. If someone acted unprofessionally, they weren’t reprimanded, and the boss would impose rules as they saw fit. I bet you were mentally exhausted every day at that job because you didn’t know what to expect and whose rules to follow. It’s the same with students!

#3 - You have to set the guidelines and expectations for the classroom in order for it to run as smooth as possible. And remember consistency is the key! You don’t want students acting out because you enforced the rule for them but not someone else. It might take a full six weeks for students to catch on to the guidelines and expectations, but when they do, your life will be (somewhat) less stressful.

#4 - You didn’t forget about parent/teacher conferences, did you? Whether you are an experienced teacher or a newbie, getting ready for a parent/teacher conference can be overwhelming. You are never sure how it will go, and you aren’t always sure how to communicate to parents the not-so-nice things that they need to know. The best way to combat all of this is to have a parent/teacher conference agenda. I like to put mine on a handout that I can give to parents so they can fill out the info as we go along. Also, having an agenda set will keep the parents on track and prevent the conference from turning into an hour-long complaint-fest. Of course, you want to allot time for the parents to address their concerns but leave it towards the end so if gives you a chance to proactively answer any questions they have.

#5 - Have you ever had perfect attendance at work? If you are like me, I’m sure you will have to call in sick at some point. Sometimes you know ahead of time when you will be out, but a lot of times you don’t know until the flu hits you at midnight (kids and their germs!) So why not go ahead and get your substitute binder ready now instead of when you have a fever and trying to call in a sub? Some of the things you want to include are

• a list of your procedures. You spent all this time getting your students accustomed to your procedures. Don’t let them all fly out the window the day you aren’t there
• a class schedule. The sub needs to know when class begins and ends, and most importantly, when to eat lunch.
• class descriptions (and the responsible students). Is your first class of the day still sleepy and therefore pretty compliant? Is your last class mostly boys who just came from gym class and VERY rowdy? Be nice to the sub and give them a heads up on what to expect. and while you’re at it, give them the names of 2-3 responsible students in case anything happens.

If you take the time to organize these activities and supplies, you will be setting yourself up for a fantastic year! If you are a history teacher looking for a ready-to-use items to get you ready for the year, check out my Back to School Activities pack. This first week starter pack will help you learn about your students while they learn about how your classroom operates.

The activities included are:

• SLANT poster
• Who am I? student information sheet
• Icebreakers (2 different activities! Students BINGO and I have/who has?)
• Class procedures PowerPoint (EDITABLE!)
• test corrections
• Parent/Teacher Conference sheets
• 50 state banners (includes the motto, an outline of the state, and the date and order in which it was admitted to the union)
• Open House PowerPoint (2 EDITABLE versions!)
• Open House sign-in sheet (English and Spanish)