If you’re a new teacher this year, I bet you are bursting with ideas, inspiration, and energy! That is the pure beauty of being a new teacher. You are unclouded, unjaded, and hyper focused on your objectives to create the best learning environment and experience for your students. That new teacher magic is an asset, so don’t be shy to use it!
When I was a new teacher I used to look at more veteran teachers and think, O man I wish I was in your shoes. You have confidence, expertise, and you have an arsenal of lessons and curriculum to pull from. It was intimidating. I also just didn’t know what to expect from my students in regards to behavior, and that made me nervous. If you feel nervous for your first day, just remember that it will fly by. And I actually had the most fun my first year teaching before I had anything figured out!
I hope the ideas in this blog post can save you some time and stress, and give you some extra confidence. It would make my day if I helped your first day go more smoothly, and if you have a little fun! In this blog post I’ll share more about the Do’s and Don’ts of the first day of school:
Do:
- Check your email!
- Take attendance right away
- Have important classroom routines/systems in place
- Introduce yourself
- Go over the course syllabus
- Do a fun activity
- Smile!
- Expect the unexpected
Don’t:
- Talk the entire period
- Go over every single rule in the rule book
- Utilize the “Sacrificial Lamb” technique
Do Check Your Email!
It never ceases to surprise me all of the responsibilities put on teachers. There are so many balls in the air on the first day. Heads up! There will be more. Administration and school staff are trying their best to coordinate thousands of students, schedules, and pieces of information. They can’t do it without teachers.
I lost count of how many times really important information is sent via email before the start of school. I hate being that teacher waiting in line for the bathroom when someone says, Did you see the email? We need to pick up our students’ updated schedules from the office to hand out in first period! I would rather know this sooner than later so I can plan around it. I learned to check email multiple times before school starts on the first day.
Do Take Attendance Right Away
On the first day of school, there’s a lot going on. Sometimes students are navigating a new school for the first time. They can get confused, lost, or misread their schedules. As soon as the bell rings, announce to the class your name, the subject, and the room number. Write it on the board as well. One time I forgot to take attendance right away. It was 20 minutes before we realized a student was in the wrong place!
Do Have Important Classroom Systems in Place
How do things work in your classroom? Every classroom and every teacher operates a little bit differently. Starting Day 1 with some of the routines you will use the rest of the year will help things go more smoothly. You can read about my daily classroom routines in my blog post 8 Classroom Routines & My Go-To Lesson Structure for Better Classroom Management. It takes a few weeks to really get into the swing of things. On the very first day of school, these are the routines that come in handy:
Entry Routine
On the first day, I have some directions posted on the board for how students can find their assigned seats. I try to say hello to everyone as they come into my classroom. I walk around the room, make small talk, answer questions, and help everyone get started on the task at hand. On the first day it might be to start making a decorative name tag for their desk. Or writing some information on an index card.
This is a lot like my entry routine the rest of the year. Students come in, pick-up handouts, take their seats, get ready for class, and begin the warm-up.
Attention Signal
Thankfully students are usually really quiet and like deer in the headlights on the first day. They are probably going to be good listeners and respond well anytime you need their attention. But don’t be fooled, it doesn’t last longer than the first week or two. This means that an effective attention signal is a must. Practice makes perfect, so start on Day 1!
I use a bell, and I wait for the class to quiet down. “I’ll wait,” works for the few students who don’t respond right away. And later in the year, Class Points is my favorite strategy to help with classroom management situations like these. Check out my blog post, Why Class Points is My Favorite Classroom Management Strategy to read more about that.
Supplies
Someone will need to borrow a pencil on the first day. It won’t be the last time, either! It can be disruptive to your train of thought and your lesson plans. Have those sharpened pencils ready for when someone asks. One year, on the first day of school, a student grabbed all of my spare pencils from the supply shelf. I watched him take them to his desk, then at once break them all in half in his lap. I was speechless! I asked him why he did it and he said, “I don’t know.” Since then I prefer to keep pencils in a box at my desk. Otherwise they just go missing, or I’ll find them in the ceiling after I have a substitute.
Some school supplies like markers, lined paper, white paper, and rulers, I keep on a student supply shelf. I point it out at the beginning of the year, and students can help themselves when they need things. When students can get what they need themselves, it’s one less thing that needs my attention and I can focus on answering science questions.
Passing Out Papers
I like to put handouts in a convenient pick-up location. For me that’s the back counter. I instruct students to pick up the handouts on their way in. The directions are also posted on the board. It doesn’t take long before students come into class and instinctively retrieve handouts before they take their seats. If there are multiple worksheets in a day, I might wait and stagger the handouts so they don’t get confused. I can pass out a worksheet later on in the period when we’re ready for it. Students get a little organization or social time while I go around the room and give each table their papers to distribute amongst themselves. You can always ask for volunteers. Even high school students love to help and like the stretch break. Just be ready for it to take longer, haha!
Handing In Work
I use 3 main ways of handing in work. First, when students finish an assignment, they put it in the Turn-in Bin. It sits either on my desk or on the back counter. I always feel good when students can get up and stretch their legs for a minute to turn something in. At the end of the period I clip everything together and either move it into a folder, or into another wire tray. That way the Turn-in Bin is empty again for the next period, and I keep each period’s work separated and organized.
Another way to hand in work is to have each table collect their work and make a neat pile at the center of their table. I go around the room and scoop up all the piles.
The third way for students to hand in work is as a “Ticket out the Door.” I stand near the door, and as they leave the classroom they hand me their finished work. If it’s not done, I remind them to finish it for homework and turn it in next class for full credit.
End of Class Routine
At the end of class, remind students what homework or supplies are due next class. Don’t forget to read the syllabus for homework and get a parent/guardian signature! Signed Syllabus and Spiral notebook is due on Monday! On the first day you can pull up the schedule and remind everyone what period they go to next. It might be a break, or lunch, and you can tell them how much time they have. Ask students to check their schedules so they know where they go next. Does everyone know where their next class is? Where’s the gym? Leave this building and go across the courtyard. It’s the large building with a grizzly bear painted on the front!
I recommend that you do not allow students to pack up early. It is a really hard habit to break. If someone starts packing up and we’re still working or I’m talking, I say, “Don’t worry, I’m watching the time closely. I will give you plenty of time to pack up so you leave on time.” And at all costs do not allow students to gather around or wait near the door. It is a fire hazard and actually adds up to a lot of lost instruction time by the end of the year. Lining up at the door is almost an impossible habit to break once its started.
On the first day, I get everyone packed up and ready to go a few minutes early (except for a pencil). I hand out their first raffle ticket, and they write their name on it. I explain how I reward positive behavior and academic performance with class raffles. I go around the room with the raffle bin for that period and students put their ticket inside. I think it ends the class on a positive note. It adds some fun and excitement to the day, and it makes my class memorable. You can read more of my end of class routine ideas in my blog post 8 Classroom Routines & My Go-To Lesson Structure for Better Classroom Management.
Bathroom and Cellphone Use
I can almost guarantee that both of these will come up on the first day, so be ready! I think it works great to go over bathroom and cellphone use with the course syllabus, class rules, and disciplinary procedures. Maybe you have school-wide bathroom and cellphone policies. That makes things way easier! In that case, just ask your favorite teacher colleague what those look like.
For bathroom use, I just have a Sign-in/Sign-out sheet by the door. Only one student is allowed out of the room at a time. They must fill it out completely because in the case of an emergency or evacuation, I need to know if someone is out of the room. In an emergency I will check the Sign-out sheet.
I don’t police bathroom use. I tell students that I trust them to be responsible and not abuse their bathroom privileges. If it becomes an issue then I will have a conversation with them about it. I know other teachers who give out 3 bathroom passes a semester, which students keep track of and sign and turn in when they want to use them. If they don’t use them they can exchange them for extra credit. I just don’t want to be all up in their business like that, and my Sign-in/Sign-out sheet works for me in my classroom.
For cellphone use, it can be a whole thing. You can read more about what works best for me in my blog post, How I Manage Cellphones so I Can Teach and Students Can Learn.
Do Introduce Yourself
Think about the impression you want to leave your students with on the first day. I want my students to know that I already care about them, I want them to succeed, and that I love science and we will learn a ton of cool science stuff this year. I want to convey to them that my class is structured, and that we are here to learn.
“I’m thrilled to be here and I’m excited for this opportunity to be your science teacher. I want to help you and give you the tools and resources you need to be successful. I want you to be successful and I’m going to do whatever it takes for you to be successful. I’m here to help the team win.”
Things you can tell students in your introduction:
- What’s your education background? Why do you teach the subject you teach? How did you get into education? How long have you been teaching at this school?
- Who is in your family? Are you married? Do you have kids? Do you live nearby?
- What are some of your hobbies? What do you do for fun? Do you have favorite local attractions and town treasures that you frequent?
Do Go Over the Course Syllabus
Is there a syllabus to bring home to sign? Safety contract for lab participation? I like to get straight to business and tell students up front what they need to do when they leave my class and go home for the day.
The Syllabus helps me explain some of the big picture ideas for the year. This can be tricky as a new teacher. It is difficult to imagine the entire year from beginning to end. And you may be teaching a new subject for the first time so you don’t know all of the fine details yet. Ask a teacher colleague on your team to share their syllabus with you. I like to be consistent in a lot of ways with the science teachers who teach the same subject as me. Similar sequencing, labs, projects, and tests, help so much with planning. A similar approach to grading is also helpful when learning a new information management and gradebook system like Power School, Synergy, PowerTeacher Pro, or Illuminate. See, it’s a lot!
You don’t have to read everything. That’s the student’s job, to review the syllabus for homework, think of questions, and return it signed. Use the Syllabus as an outline for your talking points:
- Topics covered during the year. How does this class build on their previous science learning? What are careers in this field? Give an overview of the year and build some excitement for the cool stuff that will come.
- Materials and supplies. Is there a textbook and how will it be used? What organization system will they use in class, notebooks or binders?
- Academic grades. The importance of attendance. Frequency of homework. What do notebook checks look like and when do they occur? Whatever they don’t finish in class is homework. Turn it in next class for full credit.
- Absences, tardies, late work, make-up work.
- Classroom rules, expectations, and consequences. Bathroom and cellphone use.
- Contact information and extra help.
Do Do a Fun Activity
Doo doo. Does anyone else think that’s funny when you say it in class? Because it slips from time to time! I’m the adult in the room but I can’t help but smile at myself.
For some reason I notice icebreakers getting negative attention in the education world and on social media in 2023. There’s a renewed sensitivity towards “putting them on the spot.”
I have nothing against icebreakers. Some students may be shy, but I guarantee you will have other students who enjoy it. If you want to do an icebreaker like, “Get to Know you Bingo,” then go for it! There’s a good chance my students will do Bingo in one of their other classes, and for that reason I like to do a different activity. I want to make an impression in my class with something that is fun and fresh.
I have some favorite first day of school activities that I keep going back to. Read more about them in my blog post, 6 Of My Favorite Activity Ideas for the First Day of School:
- Class Puzzle
- My Favorite Things
- Class Survey
- Decorative Name Tag
- Decorate Science Notebooks
- Raffle Tickets
Do Smile!
You maybe heard the advice, Don’t smile until Christmas. But I know from experience that you can lay down the law, show authority, mean business, and still crack a smile.
I’m what you might call a “strict” teacher, because of my class systems and routines, but my personality is also fun-loving. I like to connect with my students and one of the easiest ways is through humor.
Science Joke of the Week is a really easy way to bring joy into my classroom. I purchased and laminated these from Teachers Pay Teachers. I also look up silly or punny jokes ahead of time and write them into my teacher scripts for my lessons. Students love memes and they can even help find or create ones that everyone will enjoy.
If you are a more serious personality type and you don’t want to slap on a cheesy grin, then don’t! Students relate to authenticity. Lean into your unique personality. A little known fact is that students actually appreciate strict teachers. The structure, consistency, and high standards help them improve and flourish. Whatever your personality type, you will have students who appreciate you and respond to you. Students are diverse and they need different personalities to look up to. If you want to read more about my personality type, and a personality type common to teachers, check out my blog post Why INFJs Make Great Teachers!
Do Expect the Unexpected
No matter how well you prepare, you just can’t predict everything that is going to happen on the first day. Some classes can finish the assignment early, there could be a bathroom or health emergency, a fire drill, fight, extra questions. There are so many different personalities and bodies in the room. As a teacher you need to be present in order to think on the fly in those situations, and respond the best you can.
Some really crazy and unexpected things have happened in class, even on the first day of school. I’ll share those in another blog post. But one that I’ll mention now was when a fight broke out at the beginning of 1st period on the first day of school. It was in my friend’s classroom next door. He was an amazing educator with over 30 years of experience in the classroom. It was actually his last year teaching before retirement. This just goes to show that even the best prepared teachers can be surprised by the random stuff that can happen in the classroom.
Don’t Talk The Whole Time
Many teachers have the gift of gab, but don’t forget to be mindful of students’ attention spans.
A good rule of thumb is take their age, and that is the number of minutes they can sit and listen. They just can’t sit and listen very long without doing something. In 9th grade Biology, many students are turning 15. That’s about 15 minutes of teacher-centered talking.
Maybe have students highlight or underline important information on the Syllabus as a way to keep them engaged for the stuff you just need to say.
On the first day, most teachers will go over rules and expectations. Some teachers even spend the entire period going over rules. I just wonder how much of that information are students really going to retain?
Little stretch breaks that get students out of their seats to hand something in, or pick-up supplies, can be a great way to reset. And don’t forget to do a fun activity on the first day! That gets them thinking, talking, and moving, so it’s not a passive experience the whole period.
I like to write myself a teacher script so I can be precise and efficient during my teacher-centered moments. My script helps me teach through all the distractions and not forget anything. I’m working on a First Day of School Teacher Script that I would love to share soon!
Don’t Go Over Every Single Rule in the Rule Book
I don’t spend too long on classroom rules because students really need to live it, get a feel for it themselves, and get practice and feedback. Class Points is my go-to strategy to reinforce classroom rules and behavior during the year. You can read more about it in my blog posts Class Points: Transforming Classroom Management with Positive Reinforcement. and Why Class Points is My Favorite Classroom Management Strategy.
I stick to 3 main rules in my class. I put the rules in the Course Syllabus and go over them on the first day. I post the rules in a few places around the room. If someone breaks one of the rules, all I need to do is point to the poster. It should click and they can self correct their behavior. These 3 rules are really simple and mostly common sense. They make great classroom rules for new teachers:
- Be Respectful – this means respect yourself and others
- Be Responsible
- Be Safe
Don’t Utilize the “Sacrificial Lamb” Technique
An old school piece of advice from teacher school and from a good number of my teacher colleagues over the years, is the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. Even the name is icky. How it works is when one student steps out of line, put them on blast and make an example of them to the rest of the class. For example, “Excuse me, I’m speaking. If you’re going to talk you can leave. Yes, leave.” In front of the whole class.
I asked one of these teachers, But what happens to the student you used as an example? How do you get them to trust you again? Their response shocked me. They said they didn’t care. They had a lot of success with the strategy and it made everyone afraid to break the rules in their class. Honestly, I lost a ton of respect for them that day. My heart breaks for students who are treated this way. I would rather try to build relationships and gain their trust and respect. It takes time, and a lot of energy and effort, but in the end it’s worth it. I think I get a lot more buy-in and participation from everyone, especially students who are accustomed to checking out or failing.
Good Luck, and Have a Great Year!
As a teacher there’s a lot of excitement for the first day of school. It’s a similar feeling to when I was a kid, wondering who my teachers would be, who was in my class, how the year was going to go.
Maybe you feel a little nervous, too? The beginning of the schoolyear can be really tough. At least for me it can be. It might be because I have taught at a new school every two years. That’s a lot of change. I have to set-up a new classroom, buy school supplies, plan to teach a new subject, become acquainted with a new teaching staff, school culture, and school district. There are seating charts to make, syllabuses to write, and lessons to plan. It’s like being a new teacher all over again. It’s a lot! I’m getting a little stressed out just thinking about it all, lol.
If you’re like me and you tend to feel a little overwhelmed at the beginning of the year, I feel you. It’s hard, but try to give yourself some grace. Teaching gets easier and more fun with each year. I hope the ideas in this blog post help you. That’s the whole reason I write my blog. For more beginning of the year tips and lesson ideas, check out my blog posts below! Have a great year!
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