#13 Starting the School Year off with a Bang! by Tara Meeden

Objectives:

Students will...

• identify questions they should ask of their principal or of other faculty before the school year begins.
• communicate their ideas for how to start a new school year off on the right foot based on their experiences as a student teacher.
• consider the pros and cons of others' ideas for getting a good start on a new school year.

Purpose:

• To emphasize the significance of a good start to a successful school year for both the teacher and the students.
• To encourage student teachers to begin to consider important decisions affecting their classroom before they are hired and/or the school year is suddenly upon them.

Time:

50 minutes. This topic is more appropriate for the end of the student teaching experience, when student teachers will have developed more of their own style of teaching and have had a chance to identify some of the issues inherent in this topic.

Materials:

An overhead of the handouts "First Day Reminders", "First Week Reminders", and "Checklist of Questions for New Teachers"; a few blank "write-on" overheads and overhead pen(s); and several pieces of notebook paper.

Method:

A.) Share with students some of the mistakes you made in your first year of teaching. In particular, share some anecdotes about mistakes you made at the beginning of the school year that haunted you for weeks or months to come! Then ask the students if they have any experiences like this to share from their student teaching semester. From this discussion pull out the point that starting off on a good foot is an important key to having a successful year. Point out that although we cannot "know it all" and start out on a "perfect" foot, at least we can ask some questions and think about some crucial considerations to be better prepared for school's start.

B.) Have students split into groups of 3-5 and brainstorm a list of questions they think they should ask of the principal or of other faculty in their new school before school starts in order to answer probable questions the students may have in order to have their systems in place. These might be things like "What level of parent involvement do you typically get at this school?". "What are the school-wide rules?", "Is there any special lunchroom procedures I should know about?" and "When does the school day officially end and begin for teachers?" Have each group compile their list on a piece of notebook paper so you can collect it later. After several minutes, have each group share their lists. In addition, go over any items from the pre-made list called "Checklist of Questions for New Teachers" that you feel are particularly important but were not mentioned in the discussion. As a class summarize what types of questions these are (logistical, school policy, student population, etc.) Then collect their papers so you can add their questions to the "Checklist". Provide each student with a copy next week.

Point out to students that by asking questions before school starts, their anxiety level will probably be lower, they'll make fewer mistakes and will feel more confidence in themselves as a teacher in a new environment.

C.) Beyond asking some important questions, new teachers can also prepare for the new school year by getting supplies organized and by getting clear on how they want to proceed in the first few days and what sort of tone they want to set from the beginning. As a class, brainstorm a list of ideas for things the teacher should do before or on the first day of school and those things s/he should do in the first week. These might be things like doing an activity to start to get to know the students, communicating your expectations and goals for the semester, and establishing seating charts. Compile a list of their ideas under the labels "First Day Reminders" and "First Week Reminders" on an overhead. Mention any items from the pre-made overheads "First Day Reminders" and "First Week Reminders" that you feel are important but haven't been mentioned yet.

Take the list compiled in class and add it to the pre-made ones. Give a copy of all the ideas to each student teacher next week. This can serve as a checklist to keep themselves on track and focused at the hectic start of the school year. Point out that several items on the list (like being strict) will need to be carried through past the first week into the second or longer!

D.) Following this brainstorming and discussion session, close the lesson by having student teachers recap the main ideas they got out of this, which may include the importance of being well prepared for the school year, making clear your expectations early on, and establishing procedures and classroom management from the first week.Evaluation:Listen to students' responses during the brainstorming session and to their conclusions at the end of B and C and during D. Students should be able to come up with numerous contributions borrowing from their experiences this semester. They should be able to relate reasons why getting off to a good start is important to having a successful school year. They should also be able to visualize and verbalize what they can do at the beginning of the year to establish the learning environment they want.

Checklist of Questions for New Teachers

Curriculum

• How is the science curriculum organized at this school?
• How much leeway do I have in my lessons if there's a standard curriculum?
• Will all teachers in my grade and subject be expected to stay together?
• Is there a homeroom period, and if so, how do teachers use it at this school?
• Is there a daily affirmation? Do you say the pledge? When are announcements?

Student Population

• Anything special I should know about this particular class of kids?
• What's the ethnic and class breakdown of the school?
• What percentage of parents need communication in Spanish?
• Where are these students academically?
• What type of behavior is typical at this school?
• How involved are the parents?

Rules/Procedures

• Are there school-wide or team-wide rules/procedures about tardies, late work, parental authorization of absences, make-up work, being in the halls, homework, grading, gradebook?
• What's in the school handbook?
• Attendance Procedures
• Is there a school policy on how many absences a student can have before I need to write him/her up or call home?
• Do unexcused absences affect a student's ability to pass a course?
• During what period of the day is attendance taken?

Important People

• What is the name of the principal's secretary? The janitor in my hall? Grade-level principal? Department chair? Team leader?

First Day Reminders

Classroom
____ boards, calendar, welcome sign, etc.
____ class rules, consequences, bell schedule, and fire exit posted
____ books/magazines for research, extra reading, etc.
____ decorative/inspirational posters
____ crates for each class period (depending on your system)

Paperwork for your school
____ enrollment cards
____ attendance sheet
____ discipline cards

Paperwork for your classroom
____ supply list
____ letter home/expectations (Copy in Spanish or other language needed?)
____ interest inventory (Get-to-know-you sheet)
____ note cards for students to write down their name, address, guardians' names, phone (work, home) and pager numbers, and who lives in their home (names and relationship)

Desk stuff
____ pens (black for school paperwork)
____ passes (nurse, library, hall--some schools have standard ones)
____ notebook to document student behavior
____ tape, scissors, glue, stapler, hole puncher, vis-a-vis markers, chalk, permanent marker

Instructional
____ Help students feel successful!
____ Show them you expect participation from all: Avoid temptation of frequently calling on kids who always want to answer!!
____ Teach them something new!
____ Communicate brief overview of the things students can expect to learn in this grade in science
____ Be prepared to deal with a lot of paperwork the first day

Personal
____ snack stash
____ toiletries (hand soap, lotion)
____ extra car key
____ comfortable pair of shoes to slip into after students leave
____ tape deck/CD player and tapes/CD's
____ aspirin or other medicine you use regularly

First Week Reminders

HAVE YOU?
____ Greeted the students in the mornings?
____ Learned your students' names?
____ Learned something about your students' interests and goals?
____ Made procedures, standards and limits clear and public knowledge?
____ Consistently reinforced the procedures and standards you have set?
____ Become acquainted with facilities and other faculty and staff?
____ Given students overviews prior to an activity to let them know what to expect?
____ Communicated your rules, consequences, goals and expectations to the parents?
____ Set up a place and system for keeping all clerical records/forms?
____ Helped students feel successful?
____ Taught them something new?
____ Introduced yourself?
____ Begun to assess students' reading, writing, math, and science levels?
____ Avoided activities that require a lot of movement or that are real "different"? (Establish routines and good classroom management and get to know the students a little before you try anything too wild!)
____ Planned accordingly for next week?
____ Given yourself a pat on the back?

Credits: Most of these items were borrowed from several other lists of unknown sources.