What is it Like on the First Day?

   Over the summer I decided to do some light reading and I was loaned a book by my professor entitled The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Harry and Rosemary Wong.  I read that book in a matter of hours.  Although it was geared more towards elementary school teachers, I could see the value for all teachers.  They stressed the importance of being organized, making expectations clear and being predictable as a teacher.  In other words, make sure the students know what it expected on a daily basis so it takes some of the stress out of life.  After reading this book I imagined all of the ways I would decorate my classroom, including the entrance.  I decided that I would have a "Quote of the Day" that I would choose to get the students engaged  on the topic of my planned lesson.  I even thought that letting the students write their own favorite quotes on paper and placing them in a bowl might be a great idea...They might be proud to see their pick on the board!  I decided that I would be sure to greet each student at the door, ask how things are going and get to see their tone for the day so far...Effective teaching? Done.  Okay...maybe more like just getting started, but brainstorming leads to effective actions.
 
  Unexpectedly, I got to find out what that first day looks like and why it's so important to be organized and clear about expectations. Tonight was "Meet the Teachers" for my sons new middle school.  The way it was set up I got to see what a first day really looked like from the students perspective...as an adult it was petrifying.  I can only imagine what it must be like for an 11 year old!  You begin in the main auditorium.  From there, just like on the first day, you receive your schedule.  After receiving your schedule you are released into the maze of corridors.  You follow your child's schedule and are given 15 minute time slots with the teacher.  During this time the teacher explains the policies and procedures of their classroom, the curriculum for the year and any other information you might need.  There were a few things that I noticed "as a student".  Most of the teachers greeted us at the door, asked our child's name, made a comment about what a nice student her was, then asked us to scribble on the sign-in sheet and have a seat.  Many of them had power points prepared and some even prepared pamphlets with important numbers and other info.  In these classrooms I felt at ease. I knew what the teacher expected, he/she was clear and informative and they remembered my son already.
  The last classroom we went to was different.  As we were entering, the teacher was talking to the parents from the class before.  She was rattling off information she forgot to mention and asking for their children's names so she could show their first work of art.  We didn't get to greet her at the door.  We found our way to the sign in sheet and took a seat.  As we looked around, the room seemed out of order and there were supplies left out from the days work.  The teacher entered and she seemed frazzled, she was disorganized and her "speech"  consisted mostly of making guesses about what she would be teaching, scanning the walls for posters about "policies and procedures" and explaining that there were no real grades, it will be based on effort.  It was an art class so to be fair the grading policy seemed perfect to me!  However, this approach felt uncomfortable. She didn't seem to have a plan on how to inform us.  At the end I wasn't really sure what my son was going to be doing and I had a feeling he wouldn't feel sure either...It would be a surprise every week! 

  After this experience it made me realize that the first day of school really will set the mood for the year.  As educators we really have to think about what kind of teacher we want to be, how we will present ourselves and how to maintain the aspects of our teaching that we know will be really beneficial to our students.  Even something as small as greeting our students at the door could change something about our day or one of our students' days.  We also want to make sure we ourselves know what we expect of our students and effectively relay the important aspects of being a student in our class, at the institution we teach in. Students will be able to tell if we are confident.  If they feel we are trustworthy and knowledgeable, it will make our job easier and their own lives less complicated, so they can concentrate on learning, not guessing what they are supposed to do. 


P.S. If I didn't make it clear I highly recommend the book and I hear there is a CD for high school teachers but I haven't seen it yet!