Okay... So you've finished all those time consuming assignments for uni, you've completed your final practicum, and now you are in complete panic mode!
That's normal, so don't stress!
You may be thinking to yourself (or out loud to any poor sucker that will listen) "Am I ready for this?", "Do I know enough?". Well the answer is probably no. But as a teacher you will NEVER know enough, we will be spending the rest of our careers learning new things. So don't worry too much, there is a reason why you spent late nights completing assignments and days on end reading texts; it was to give you the capability to teach. The rest is up to us! We need to take this knowledge and transform it into skills and strategies.
First things first, you made it through university! You have the foundation to become a fantastic teacher. Yay! They don't just let 'anyone' graduate, and the Department won't let just 'anyone' teach the future generations. So take that as a big pat on the back. You have taken resume's around to Principals and kept your fingers crossed and now your phone has been ringing off the hook (maybe not, but you have been called at least once; it takes a while for people to recognize your brilliance; aka word of mouth)
Here are my top ten tips for preparing for the first day:
1. Sleep; obviously this may be hard for those stress-heads out there, but you cannot enter a classroom in a weary manner; the kids will take advantage of you.
2. Dress Appropriately; this should be common sense, but if you are teaching Kindergarten, I would recommend NOT wearing a skirt with heels. They may be small but they are fast runners!
3. Research the School; do NOT show up at 9:00 when school starts at 8:45. In actuality, you should show up about 30-40 minutes before school starts, this will give you time for any morning duties and to prepare for the day.
4. Prepare something, just in case; you should always have a plan b (and c, d, e etc), hopefully the teacher has left something for the class to do, if they have great! But you might still have a spare 30 minutes, and this is where children go wild; when there is not a structured activity to keep their minds busy. If the teacher was sick, they might not have had time to prepare anything, this is where a mini unit comes in handy! I know I wrote several units for assignments at uni, use one of them, or better yet have a theme! My "plan b" theme is Superheroes and Villains- the children love it, and it can be incorporated into any KLA.
5. Get to know the Staff; LEARN THE PRINCIPALS NAME! Show them the respect they deserve, get in good with them and they will call you back. I know it's been said before, but office ladies really are your best friend, always smile for them- also they send off your pay.
6. Browse the Staffroom; this room will, more than likely, have everything you need to know about the school in it; bell times, behaviour matrix's', school rules, executive staff, duties, etc.
7. Enter the Classroom; Woah, scary stuff! Look around, there is most likely reading groups and other important information hanging on a wall. This will immediately tell you the abilities of the children. If there is a smartboard, I found it very useful to create my own "Miss Paff- This is your life" file. It takes about five minutes to run through with the children and gives them an introduction into who I am, they love it! Especially if you provide a photo of your pet, as this is relevant to most children.
8. The Bell has Gone; This is where your heart rate picks up and your body is deciding between fight or flight. Go for it! I was once told "Go in tough and have high expectations to begin with" and I thought "No, I want them to like me!". But seriously, what you want is their respect, and they will not give you respect if they can walk all over you. Be strong, you can ease off slightly as the day goes on but be consistent with your expectations.
9. Uhoh; so there is one (or several) children that are being particularly naughty. Catch it right away! Give them a warning, then if they do it again BAM! Hit them with a consequence "Okay Freddy, you have been warned, I am not stopping the lesson for you again, so you can speak to me about your behaviour at lunch" Once in a while, you will come across a child who will not be phased by this, Ta da! Buddy classes; send them next door or to another teacher. If they are a constant problem in the classroom the other teacher will understand, and if they are a first time offender, they will be ashamed and hopefully return to class ready to learn.
10. Enjoy it! This is what you studied so hard for; you need to take the time to smile at the little things. Kids really do say the funniest things, laugh with them. If at the end of the day you have been given a self-portrait, a "thank you", or even a smile, it was a good day!
I hope my top ten tips help you to make the most of your first day! Some days may be horrible and you will feel under paid and go home and drink a bottle of wine, but other days will be wonderful and it will feel more like a hobby than a job. :)
Good Luck,
Miss Paff
