“On the first day of school the classroom will either belong to you, or it will belong to them. God help you if it belongs to them.”
I filed that Fred Jones warning, from his book Tools for Teaching, in my greenly educated teacher brain during my final semester of college. “God helps you if it belongs to them,” I thought when I turned the key to unlock and open the door to my new classroom. I am former military, so order and control are a bit ingrained in my teaching style. I had also heard that you never smile before Christmas break, so by the first day of school, I was so terrified of my students hijacking my classroom and tying me to my chair, that I resolved to lay down the law and make sure my students knew I was judge, jury, and executioner. Put another way, I was a complete hard ass. In fact, a veteran teacher came to talk to me after I survived the first full week; he said he had one of my students too, and on the student’s schedule next to my name, the word “hard” was scribbled. I considered it a compliment.
Of course, as always, by the end of the year, the students are always far less intimidating and I am far less as harsh. Still, though each new year brings a new batch of students poised for mutiny, I always stay prepared. Back-to-school preparedness has taken on less of a military drill sergeant style over the years and more of a soccer mom with five kids under the age of fourteen point-of-view. I still enforce routines, expectations, scheduling, and organization, I just do it in a more loving and nurturing manner.
What I learned is that kids just want you to be organized and ready for them. They will respect you and follow you when you have routines in place before they get there, and they can see that you are mentally and physically ready to meet them.
Syllabus
One-Pager syllabi are the latest trend and are easy for students and parents to read and follow; here is an editable template to try. I never pass out or go over my syllabus sooner than day three or four of the first week because there are so many students coming and going during those first few days because of leveling and schedule changes. I post it before the start of school, however, because I have students and parents sometimes request it early. A syllabus is meant to introduce your students to the content and expectations of your course. It is an instruction manual for your classroom. In my green years, I sent home a five-plus page syllabus with too much information. The first couple of years, I read it out loud and went over it with my students. When I realized how boring that was for my students who retained none of it, I sent it home for the students to read with their parents. This method also resulted in students retaining little to nothing of the course information. When I saw the trend toward one-pagers a few years back, and how some teachers were using the concept to present their syllabus information, I went to work updating my archaic five-pager to this engaging one-pager.
Classroom Procedures
HAVE and start introducing the routines and procedures for leaving the bathroom and asking questions immediately! It never fails, by 6th period a student will walk into class or raise their hand to ask to leave the room whether it is for a bathroom break or to see their counselor. If you do not have a plan and pass ready for this request on the first day, you will find yourself letting the first student who asks to set the precedent for this most basic of classroom routines. Presentations work well with high school students during the first week of classes when going over procedures. Whether you create a bulleted list, activity, or a slide-by-slide introduction to present the daily routines in your classroom, make it one of the first things you do during the first week back to school. Here are my classroom routines and procedures presentation that I use in my class.
Classroom Expectations List
Some teachers may regard classroom expectations as they do the procedures and routines, while some may deem expectations as rules. Either way, just be clear that beyond the routines and procedures that are in place for your students to function, there are also certain behaviors and responsibilities that are expected of your students. Addressing what you expect out of your students should also be presented early during the first week back, can be included in your one-pager syllabus, and posted on the walls of your room. Here is the PowerPoint I use to present my classroom expectations.
Technology Haves and Needs Survey
The pandemic changed the way we use technology in the classroom. Most teachers and schools went from integrating technology into their daily lessons to using it every day all year. Pre-pandemic, we were not a one-to-one device school, but with the sudden need to shift all students to online learning, schools upped their device and technology game, allowing all students access to a device every day at school. Still, I find that some kids do not have all the tech tools they need to start the year, and I use this checklist to determine what my kids have and don't have, so I can either plan and accommodate, or assist them in getting the Almost three school years since the sudden increase in Here is a checklist to assess your student’s technology needs
Online Accounts & Email Login Information
When the shift to electronic devices and online learning needs in the classroom grew during the pandemic, so grew the need to access online Learning Management Systems and supplementary software programs. Suddenly students were accessing multiple online accounts when schools shut down and Service as a Software educational companies ramped up. Creating all those accounts takes time and is a distraction in the middle of a lesson, and my students often forget their passwords and login IDs and waste valuable class time recovering login information. Spend a class period during the first or second week of school creating accounts for online software that students will need to access throughout the year. Here is a login and password form for students who forget their credentials and want a cheat sheet.
Plan Icebreakers that are not boring
Up your icebreaker game. Seriously, if you are using your tried and true games from the past five years, you can bet that so is everyone else. Recycle and upgrade old icebreaker activities you used in the past, and plan with your team to vary first-week activities, so that not all of you are boring students with the same repeated game. Search online teacher sites and blogs to see what others are doing that is fun and trendy, and take time ahead of the first day of school to update and plan activities that are fun and fresh.
Prepare your classroom room
This does not mean elaborate or expensive décor. Decorate to your style and taste, but be sure you are prepared and organized. Have your passes and forms ready and accessible. Have extra pens, pencils, paper, and of course the required supplies needed for the first week's lessons and activities. If you like seating charts, have them sorted and desks labeled.
Have your boxes and supplies and resources unpacked and organized. You do not want to have to stop and look for something or interrupt your instructional flow during the first couple of weeks. Appearing unorganized reveals a weakness your students may take advantage of.
Prepare your lessons and materials
Nothing says unorganized teacher to a group of new students more than a teacher who does not have enough activities and lessons prepared during the first week. Plan for more than you will need. The first weeks are always chaotic in middle and high school. Back-to-school assemblies, drills, orientations, etc. will interrupt those first precious days when you are establishing your classroom management. Make your copies, print or post your lessons, and gather ALL the supplies necessary for the first week’s activities.
Prepare yourself Professionally
Collect and file your 504, SPED, and ELL paperwork, print any PD certificates you earn, consider sending a welcome email to your new students and their parents. Having your professional documents and correspondence in order prior to the kids returning will allow you to focus more on them and their immediate needs. Job related distractions can make you look worried or stressed and vulnerable to students.
Prepare yourself Personally
The saying "leave your personal life at home" still rings true today. Before the big return, take time for yourself and family. Whether it is meal and wardrobe prepping that makes you feel ready or spending your last summer days relaxing with loved ones. Do whatever helps you be mentally ready for the first day. Our students are dealing with their own stressors too, so be emotionally ready to nip the potential problems and minimize meltdowns that lead chaos.
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