Day One = DONE!

Day one is in the books, people!  Thank goodness. Those first day jitters never go away no matter how long I teach.  I want to share a few things that I did to make sure that I was ready for Day one.

1. First and foremost, I decided on the rules/consequences for my class.  Today, I explained each Expectation (code word for "Rule"), and was overly explicit about what each one looked like, so there is no room for interpretation.  

2.  Second, I decided on a few different ways that I could get to know my students.  I gave a student survey that asked them about their interests (both school related and not). I also had students introduce themselves and tell me one thing about themselves. The last thing I did for day one was conduct an icebreaker where students each get 2 starbursts. If they chose RED=biggest fear, YELLOW=favorite memory, ORANGE= their hero, and PINK= favorite place in the world.

3. Third, I ALWAYS make a powerpoint about myself with pictures of my family, me as a kid, my dogs, my college, etc. Your students love to hear about you and your personal life. They want to know you. Telling them about yourself and the things that are dearest to you is the first step to building relationships with your kids. 

Depending on how much time I have with them the first day, this list might get longer, but these are my top 3 I HAVE to have for any first day of school.