Q: With the new year comes the teacher and student "nightmares" before school starts. What are the best ways to avoid them?
A: 1) Be prepared. Make sure your classroom is setup ready to go and that you have your lesson plans/curriculum studied and ready to go.
2) Send a welcome letter to your new students telling them about you so they know who you are.
3) Stand at your door the first day and welcome each student to class.
4) Be sure your room is setup in a way that is welcoming and gives the students a sense of security. This is achieved by a having the room in such a way that the student isn't overwhelmed with clutter, color, or assignments upon arrival. For example: Posters that you plan to use can be added little by little as you need them, not all on the first day. This applies to many things- It is tempting to give students everything they need for the first few weeks on day one (Textbooks, handouts, materials, etc.) but all this does is worry and frustrate them.
5) Smile. You can do it!
Remember that while you are excited and can see what needs to be covered in the entire year- which sometimes makes US panic and want to rush- you need to set up a good community atmosphere in your classroom. More later on how I do that.
Just Teach It...
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