The first day of school! It is a nerve-wracking and exciting time for both students and teachers.
Tip #1: Greet the students at the door.
Greeting students at the door is one of the best ways to build a relationship with students. It creates a connection, a sense of belonging, and increases engagement within the classroom.
Tip#2: Save the syllabus for a later day.
You can only make one first impression. Make it an engaging one. Most middle school teachers don’t assign homework the first day. The syllabus can wait. Let your students get to know you and vice versa.
Tip #3 Have a fun yet low-risk team-building activity.
Like I said earlier, the first day is nerve-wracking. Ice breakers can add to that anxiety. Having a low-risk activity is the way to go. This means an activity that all students can participate without the fear of doing something wrong or embarrassing. That’s why I use my Cereal Slogan Team-Building Activity. I pass this activity out to my students as they walk into class. It gives them something to focus on and take away from the nerves.
When the starting bell rings, it’s time to introduce yourself. I ask students to flip over the Cereal Slogan Activity for now; we’ll come back to it soon. To briefly introduce myself, I put together a slide show that encompasses some facts about myself.
3 Responses
I didnt full on read this blog, i skimmed it and almost cried the way u go about it, u make it about u to take the focus off the kids being nervous or scared, its kinda brilliant, and i love u.
Wow! Impressive efforts to get a great start! I am so glad you are my mentor, Mrs. DeMuth! ❤️
I love all of these tips. They are very insightful and helpful! I especially like that they focus on building the community first before giving the syllabus and getting straight to academics. These tips will be helpful in setting up for a year of success!