First Day

"First days always suck, no matter how many years of experience you have"

Today was the first day of school for many kids, and I shared a lot of the emotions they must have been feeling: fear, anxiety, general confusion, and excitement.  Today was also my first day running my own classroom as a 7th/8th grade math and science teacher, so I felt just as afraid as many of the kids coming into my classroom.  I had (and still have) so many questions and unresolved confusion about how things really work around the school.  The fact that so many kids rely on me to know the answers to questions I might not have even thought of yet is a bit nerve-wracking. I'm still figuring it out myself, along with trying to learn dozens of names and somehow getting lessons planned.  It will come together, but I'll have to be quick on my feet and ready to improvise.

On the other hand, I feel really great about the way my first day went.  It was not perfect - far from it - but I went a long way toward building a safe learning environment for my students.  I think that first days are an opportunity, albeit a stressful opportunity.  While my coworker may be right that "First days always suck," I think first days suck in the most glorious way.  There's no second opportunity for a first impression, and the way you begin the year sets the tone for the rest of the year to come.  I loved being able to introduce myself and to start learning the kids' names and interests.  My first goal is to connect with my students.  I don't think you can accomplish anything meaningful without first getting to know your students as individuals.  Students are not just academic beings, and they should not be treated as such.

One activity I always do with my classes is to create a set of community agreements.  I've found that students usually know what appropriate school behavior is like, and that when they phrase it in their own language it is more memorable.  When students break the rules that they have established as a community, you can point to the agreements and ask the offender if he or she thinks they are abiding by the agreement.  This way the authority for discipline is not solely on your shoulders, but is a shared responsibility of the whole class.  I've had a lot of success with community agreements as a classroom management and community building activity.  You can always add your own expectations, in case you are worried about giving up the reins to your class entirely.  I make it very clear that I will not tolerate harassment, discrimination, bullying, or aggressive behavior, regardless of whether the class mentions it in community agreements or not.  While the community agreements empower students, I make it absolutely clear that some behavior will not be tolerated, and that it is ultimately my classroom and my authority.

I framed the activity differently today than I have in the past, and I think it worked well.  I usually ask students to brainstorm rules that they think would allow them to be successful in class.  This focuses the activity on students advocating for their needs and thinking about successful situations, but it sometimes results in really short lists.  A lot of times, students are not metacognitively aware enough to pinpoint what works for their learning.  Instead, I focused the discussions today on classes they have been in that were bad experiences, and unpacked what was negative about that experience.  Students shared some experiences (and we had a good laugh about a few) where they were in a class that just "sucked."  After a few minutes of sharing bad experiences, I turn the question around on them, and they brainstorm rules silently.  I'm really focusing on giving individual think time, so I let students silently brainstorm for 2 minutes before sharing.  Then the groups of 4 make a list of rules by consensus and we create a full class list. Tomorrow we will re-visit the community agreements and dig a little deeper into rules and behavior.

I'm going to try to keep up on this blog as much as possible during this first year of teaching.  I want this to be a forum for discussion and a place for advice and commiseration among teachers.  Please feel free to comment!  I would love to hear your thoughts on how I run things, advice for how I can do things better, and anything you are experiencing at your own school.

Alright, that's enough for Day 1.  Until tomorrow.