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First Day of School


First Day of School

  • Be inviting (smile)

  • Seating Chart

  • Introduce yourself

  • Teach rules and procedures

  • Ask for participation

  • Review Class Syllabus

Welcome to the first day of school! You have anxiety, which is a normal feeling for all of us. You’re not alone! This is a great day to welcome students with a smile. Moments of awkwardness will present itself, but this is to be expected because we are meeting all new people. After all the students are in your class, direct students to assigned seats. I don’t advocate for allowing them to sit where they want, because many of them will seek their friends or sit in the back of the room. I alphabetize names to make life easier; however, if you have students with IEPs, place them in the best seat. Following student seating, introduce yourself and your interests. I like to create a presentation because it’s easier to show images of important items (homework/classwork bins) in the classroom. Also, explain your subject or class. Explain to students about your plans and projects for the year. Tell them about the cooler stuff you hope to accomplish with them. You should then teach students how and what to do when entering the class. These are the following procedures to consider: entering the class, Do Now Assignments, raising hand, bathroom policies, completing and submitting work, talking policy, class rules, positive reinforcement, consequences, homework policies, online behavior or classes, and general class expectations. Because there is a lot of information to cover, turn it into a game at the midpoint to gauge their understanding of your policies. At the end of the lesson, create 5-7 questions about your class for students to answer. From now on, stick to your class procedures. Teach and reteach them for students to become fully independent of prompting and for these policies to become second nature. It will get easier in time.

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