DAY 1…DO’S AND DON’TS On Your 1st Day Of Teaching ( Yes, it’ll be okay )

During the holiday leading up to my re-entry into the world of classrooms and bells, I read every single book I could find on classroom management, discipline strategies and basic survival skills when faced with 40 faces staring at you.

I didn’t need information on the actual lesson teaching part. Four years in teaching college prepared me for that. Pre-knowledge, unpacking of the lesson goals, questioning, blah, blah and blah. Plus I knew my present from my past tense, I knew about punctuation and things like rhyme schemes and characterization. I mean, how hard could Gr 9 English be? ( more on assuming you know things later…)

I needed help with how to RUN a classroom so that the darlings assigned to me did what I wanted them to do when I said they should do it. I needed practical tips on keeping them in the physical classroom when they wanted to slip down the passage while my back was turned.

The books I found related mostly to teaching in American schools. They contained some valuable information and some of the ideas have been incorporated into my daily routine with great success. But I could not find a single book on teaching in South Africa with it’s unique social and economic culture. Hence, the reasoning behind this blog.

Please don’t think for one second that I’m claiming to “have it all sorted out” in my classroom. Nope, I don’t!!! But if some of what I have learnt through trial and error can find it’s way to a nervous first year teacher, I’d be happy as Larry.

So here are my tips for DAY 1 of your brand new teaching career:

1. GO IN WITH A PLAN. You absolutely HAVE TO have 5 and no more than 7 behavior rules written on a poster. ( Don’t use a pink cardboard poster. Pink looks weak . Yellow looks positive and green looks peaceful. Blue looks peaceful too. Go with Orange for a strong statement.)  Put this poster up on the board for each class you teach and explain the reasons for each of the rules.  ( Attach enough Prestic to the corners of your poster. Hunting around for Prestic does not look good. It makes you look stressed, unprepared and ill qualified . Have the Prestic sorted out !) After Day 1, this VERY IMPORTANT poster goes up in your classroom in a prominent place to remind your learners of what you expect from them. More on my choice of rules in  the next post.
2. DRAW UP A BEHAVIOUR CONTRACT and make a copy for each child you will be teaching. This contract must list your classroom rules, your consequences for breaking the rules and must have a line where they will sign their names and write the date. If you ever run into problems in the future with an angry/aggressive/ irrational parent , you can simply reach for the behavior contract ( which you have of course filed in a cupboard ready to be plucked out on these occasions). Proof that little Sue DID in fact agree to your classroom rules and that SHE and not YOU are to blame for the consequences of her being a little sh*t  misbehaving .
3. DISCUSS and JUSTIFY YOUR RULES in as much detail as you can on DAY 1. I usually find it quite easy to spend 35 to 40 minutes on this topic during this very important first meeting with your learners. 99 % of the time they will still be scared of you ( due to not knowing you yet ) and it is essential that you keep that “in awe of the new teacher ” vibe alive and well for as long as possible. This vibe WILL disappear in either week 2 or early in week 3 and if you hadn’t made a strong enough impression on the first day, you are in for one hell of a ride. THIS YOU DO NOT WANT.
4. DRESS in strong colours. Navy, Black , Red and Purple represent  power . Steer clear of anything pastel. Remember you do not want to look like a soft little blossom on Day 1. You want to look like SUPERSTAR TEACHER. Ready, willing and able!
5. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ACT LIKE YOU WANT TO BECOME  YOUR LEARNERS’ FRIEND.  The time for supporting them, listening to them and helping them will come. But on this first day they need to learn RESPECT for you. Only then will they feel that maybe you are reliable. Maybe they can trust you to be the adult they need in their lives. Remember, you might be the first person teaching them about self control and proper treatment of those in authority . ( in some cases, also bladder control)

Enjoy your new adventure.

You will be fine.

And if you’re not, leave a comment for me in the space below and I will try to address your specific issue.

Don’t forget to return for the next post where I will go into detail about my 5 specific rules and the consequences of breaking them.

May the force be with you.