As a teacher, my first day actually began the night before. I didn’t sleep well, probably from the excitement and anticipation of meeting my new class the next day, and I always had a dream that I wasn’t in my classroom when my new students arrived- not a good way to start the school year. Sometimes it was car trouble, sometimes I got delayed in the hall, or sometimes I was talking to a colleague. Once, there was trouble on a bus and I got on board to help out. For approximately 30 years, this is what I experienced the night before the first day of school.
Most of us have an image of what that first day is like. Mom and/or Dad are out there wondering how their kids got to be so old, possibly taking pictures or video as their child heads off to school or gets on the bus. Tears sometimes flow, especially for that new kindergartener. Students choose where to sit, unless the seats are assigned, and then hear about bus rules- the first in a long line of adults sharing rules with kids this day.
Once at school, kids walk through the halls to their new classroom, while the adults maintain a happy face as they guide, point, or explain to children where they have to go. A lot of elementary schools send some kind of tag with a color and maybe a teacher’s name so kids get to the correct classroom. Once inside, other than friends who they spoke with over the summer, kids look around to see who else they know while the teacher welcomes students and guides them to where they put their supplies and to their new desk.
Tales From My Classroom…
Being the first male teacher for most of my new students each year added to the nervousness many felt just by it being the first day of school. Therefore, my first goal was just to get them to relax. I assured them that I wasn’t a “screamer” and that we’d have fun even though we would be working hard.
Knowing that students felt a range of emotions that first day, such as excitement, nervousness, etc. I tried to balance the things I had to go over, like explaining rules and handing out materials, with games and activities that would get them out of their seats. One game we played was The Name Game. I wrote the names of famous people, animals, or characters on index cards, one for each kid, and attached a card to each student’s back. Then everyone walked around asking “yes or no” questions to classmates (one question to a person) until they guessed what the name was. It worked well except once in a while when a student didn’t know a name or couldn’t read the name, like Mickey Mouse.
By the end of that first day, usually everyone, including kids and adults, was tired. Summer vacation was over and all that was left to do was to go home, tell friends, family members, or spouses about your new class, and figure out what you were going to wear tomorrow. After all, there are only so many new shirts or pants you have.
How did your first day go? As a teacher, what did you try to accomplish? As a parent, what concerns, if any, did you have? What do you expect to hear when your child gets home?
Classroom Tales and Lessons Learned 