It’s My First Day of Class…What Do I Do Again?
New teachers face many challenges their first year of teaching. How are they going to handle a classroom with 30 students, teach all the required material, keep all the children occupied for 6 hours a day 5 days a week, and how are they going to find time to fill out all the paperwork for administration plus grade papers? It’s enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed however this difficult time will also be filled with feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and accomplishment.
The first thing new teachers need to do is realize they are not alone. If your first day of class brings tears to your eyes, you are not the first teacher this has happened to. If your students rip through your lesson plan at record time, and you don’t know how to occupy the children for the rest of the day, you are not alone. It is important to realize that you as the teacher are an important part of each student’s life and even if you feel overwhelmed, the children will still love you anyway. Lastly, always remember that June is right around the corner.
The second problem many new teacher face is how to handle the issue of discipline and the consequences that come along with it. Before your first discipline issue arises, make sure you have your plan set ahead of time. Don’t create an elaborate plan that is difficult to remember, and try to think back to strategies that have worked in the past. Explain the rules of the class to the students on the first day and make sure they understand. Praising students for good behavior is extremely effective and if a student does break a rule be consistent with your consequences. If you as a teacher say you are going to send a student to the office or give them detention, follow through with what you said so the children know you’re telling the truth. If you feel like you are being too harsh, you can change your consequences later. Always remember, you are in charge of the classroom not the students.
The third and last issue involves paperwork. Remain as organized as you can and create different files for homework, class work, assessments, forms from the office, notes from home, and handouts. For young children, you can color code the stacks so that they understand where each piece of paperwork goes. Finally, keep all the notes from students and parents that compliment you so that when you are having a difficult day, you can pull those papers out and remember why you chose to become a teacher in the first place.
The first thing new teachers need to do is realize they are not alone. If your first day of class brings tears to your eyes, you are not the first teacher this has happened to. If your students rip through your lesson plan at record time, and you don’t know how to occupy the children for the rest of the day, you are not alone. It is important to realize that you as the teacher are an important part of each student’s life and even if you feel overwhelmed, the children will still love you anyway. Lastly, always remember that June is right around the corner.
The second problem many new teacher face is how to handle the issue of discipline and the consequences that come along with it. Before your first discipline issue arises, make sure you have your plan set ahead of time. Don’t create an elaborate plan that is difficult to remember, and try to think back to strategies that have worked in the past. Explain the rules of the class to the students on the first day and make sure they understand. Praising students for good behavior is extremely effective and if a student does break a rule be consistent with your consequences. If you as a teacher say you are going to send a student to the office or give them detention, follow through with what you said so the children know you’re telling the truth. If you feel like you are being too harsh, you can change your consequences later. Always remember, you are in charge of the classroom not the students.
The third and last issue involves paperwork. Remain as organized as you can and create different files for homework, class work, assessments, forms from the office, notes from home, and handouts. For young children, you can color code the stacks so that they understand where each piece of paperwork goes. Finally, keep all the notes from students and parents that compliment you so that when you are having a difficult day, you can pull those papers out and remember why you chose to become a teacher in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment