Best Day of the Whole Year! New outfits, happy, excited faces, eager to learn.
How do we keep it that way? By being very intentional in our classroom practices. Teacher behavior the first day/week sets the tone for a successful school year.
I love the reminders in the following list. It is adapted from Denis McLoughlin,'s "First Day of School Checklist."
These are good reminders for EVERY day of the school year.
1. Welcome students with a wonderful face, voice and words.
2. Memorize their names.
3. Teach and practice a class signal to get immediate attention.
4. Teach these Guidelines for Success: Be on Time, Come ready and Prepared to Learn, Ask For Support, Respect your rights and the Rights of Others to Learn, Work at Learning.
5. Share something about yourself.
6. Teach procedures: How to come into class, how to show respect, how to use the bathroom, etc.
7. Use CAN and May. (You CAN use quiet voices; You MAY take out your pencil for success).
8. Plan ARFF into every lesson. (Achievement, Respect, Fun, Freedom)
9. Dismiss students on a success.
10. Choose to like something about every student.
Happy New Year!
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Thanks for the great post! I can use most of this in my own private piano teaching. I especially like the Guidelines for Success (I remember these from 3rd grade!) and the challenge to plan ARFF into every lesson.
ReplyDeleteHappy new school year!