Teaching: The First Three Days of School: New and Improved

One of the most optimal days for learning is the first day of school. Frankly, it's the one day when about 100% of the kids show up with paper and a pen/pencil. Sadly, it's also the day most teachers go on and on and on about classroom rules. #EpicFail Great teachers use the first days of school to build teams, relationships, and an interest in their content by designing brief yet engaging standards-based activities.
*I challenge all teachers to think of a purposeful learning activity students can complete on the very first day of school.*

Sample Agenda:
Day 1 - 1. Course overview - What is expected of me in this class? 2. Who is this teacher? 3. Safe student introductions (require no one to be singled out like standing to give their name, etc.) - instead try something safe like: All students stand: Sit down if you went to the beach this summer, sit down if you took a selfie before you came to school, sit down if you read a book, etc. . . - no more than 3 minutes - then move on - it gives the students a chance to share something about their summer without forcing them to speak or interact too deeply on the first day. 4. Introduce them to your content in some way with an engaging lesson - require them to do some form of thinking, questioning, and/or writing.
Remember, on day one students want to know TWO things: 1. What is this class about? and 2. Who is this teacher?

If your students had a summer reading assignment, be sure to create a mini-assignment (something informal) to hold them accountable on the first day. Why? This is not for the students who didn't read, but it's for the students who did read. They are ready to show the teacher that they actually completed the reading as assigned, so when teachers say there won't be an assessment until 2 weeks later to give the new kids a chance to read, this deflates the morale of the students who actually read as expected. Find a way to allow them to show you that they successfully accomplished the reading - nothing formal - mostly as a reward. The major summative assignment can come later.

[By the way, if your students can't read, and your school has no summer reading program that's just ridiculous! Ridiculous. When I taught at schools with no summer reading, I assigned summer reading anyway. On the first day of school, I told my students they had to complete a summer reading assignment - yep - summer doesn't end until the middle of September, baby! So whether or not the school was smart enough to help close the achievement gap, I know I was smart enough to do it. Can't talk about reading, sing about reading, or pray about reading - to improve reading in failing schools, students MUST be required to read and to read a lot.]

During the first few days of schools, wise teachers know there's going to be a student to challenge whatever "rules" you have in place; therefore, it's a complete waste of time on the first day to lecture incessantly about the do's and don'ts of "your" classroom. The best path to effective classroom management is to avoid nagging - let your actions show that you mean business.

Day 2: Engaging lesson (something fun - doesn't have to deal with your pacing guide - just something safe and engaging that relates to your content), and team building.

This is the day the students actually begin to look around at who's in the class with them. [Aside: When The Three were in school, I didn't let wear new clothes on the first day because it would be a waste of an outfit. My experience as an educator taught me students were consumed on the first day with their schedule and their teachers - no one is paying attention to who's in the class and what they are wearing.] This is a great day to begin to create a collaborative classroom with a safe team building activity (if at all possible, avoid personal introductions as it's somewhat scary and intimidating for the students). It's paramount to create an atmosphere of safety - physical safety and emotional safety.
Instead of lecturing about your classroom "rules," teach them as you go. Your students are learning procedures by doing - not by being lectured into bored oblivion.

Day 3: How does this classroom run? What behaviors are expected for success? What happens if I choose not to be successful? This is the day to give an overview of classroom guidelines - what behaviors are needed to be successful? Hand out a physical copy of your syllabus. Note: Students and parents shouldn't have to wait until day 3 to have access to your syllabus. You've already emailed parents/students a copy of the syllabus before the first day. In class, on the first day, you have QR codes of your syllabus posted all over the room students can scan for immediate access. Establishing your classroom guidelines is pertinent to effective classroom management, but it shouldn't be what the students are hit in the face with on day one. Can you imagine students meandering from class to class on the first day and all teachers are droning on about rules? *Yawn* What a waste of a perfect day to facilitate their learning of something new or reviewing something old. After an overview of success guidelines, team building should continue.

Day 4 - There's no way around it - just play the name game. Day 1 and 2 are too early to play the game because your roster is still shifting. However, it's unacceptable for the first week to pass and you haven't learned names yet. One of the best ways to accomplish this is good ol' repetition. This can be followed with another engaging team building activity.

By day 5, you have set the tone that relationships matter, collaboration matters, content matters, and knowing their names matter. Stand at the door each day to greet each student by name - without fail. Have music playing in the classroom with a warm up lesson posted or on their desks they can easily begin without you. Teach them that they start they class - not the teacher nor the bell. Start this on day one.

Throughout the year while standing at the door, pay attention to moods, acknowledge hair cuts or new shoes, etc. Use this greeting position to continue to solidify relationships. I've seen many teachers allow students to wander in without being greeted. All good businesses know greeting customers is a top strategy for success - why are classrooms any different? Students are our customers, after all. Say hello - use their names. Every day. Without fail. If you can't be at the door to greet them, require them to remain in the hall until you can make it to the door.

This is my 24th year in the classroom, and classroom management is and has always been my strength - even my first year in 1993. I can attribute my success to following these guidelines to start the year as outlined above.

From me to you,

Lisa

What Are Teachers Going to Do About Cellphones?

What are teachers going to do about cellphones?

I had a teacher share with me that he intends to have his students (we're teaching high school) leave their phones in their backpacks - and the backpacks must be lined along the wall as they enter the class: "Grab what you need," he told me he's going to say, "and take your seat."
He continues: "If you don't make them put their cell phones away they will always be on them."

I smile and nod as it's not my job to correct how a colleague manages his/her classroom. However my approach is completely different.

First of all, only Old-fogeys are afraid of students with phones. Trust me, by the time old folks stop leading schools and these kids are in charge, cell phones will be allowed, which means, although I am a mature teacher, I don't want to be that teacher who doesn't understand her tech-savvy customer base. Look, my incoming freshmen were born about 14 years ago. Do the math: They weren't even born at the turn of the century. This means these kiddos were born in the era of smart phones and I-pads. By the time they were three, they were masters of the I-pad and youtube. Why are out-of-date teachers trying to force them to part with the only world they know --- to make them relate to a world they don't know? Unlike their teachers, students today don't know cassette tapes, floppy disks, or flip phones - they don't - so why force them to grapple with the unknown? Instead, teachers should study ways to incorporate purposeful use of cellphones in the classroom. They don't all want to use pen and paper - they do use their cellphone keyboard with lightning speed - let them type an assignment using Google docs. Come now - get with the times!

"But what if they text," you worry?

What if they do, I answer. This is why instead of insulting my students' intelligence, I introduce them to integrity. Yes, I give my classes an integrity talk about the 3rd day of school. In this talk, I explain that first and foremost: I trust teenagers. I actually tell them: I. Trust. Teenagers. I tell them about The Three when they were teenagers and how I always trusted them. I never asked my children to show me their text messages or their FB inbox - none of that. And I never prowled through their private diaries. [Heck, when I was married, I didn't do that Inspector Gadget foolishness either. Why would I check my husband's phone or messages when he could use someone else's phone to call someone. If someone wants to cheat, they'll do it. I firmly believe what's done in the dark comes to the light - so why waste time checking phones and emails?]

I tell my students that our society operates on integrity. I explain that my car is currently on the school's parking lot only because I trust that no one is going to hit it or dent it and drive off. I trust that most drivers have integrity and for those who don't - karma is a B*tch. . . no, I don't say that part to my students, but I let them know I believe what goes around comes around. I continue to say: How many of you eat at public restaurants? I tell them, this is only done because you trust that the cooks and wait staff have integrity. You trust that the cook will toss your bun in the trash if it falls on the ground instead of serving it to you. I also let them know that they trust their teachers. They trust that the grades being assigned have been done so fairly, etc, etc. I go on with several other societal examples just to bring home my point about cell phone use in our classroom.

I tell them: "I will allow you to use your cellphones the last ten minutes of class for personal use" (yes, even as the lesson closes); "however," I exhort, "I am going to trust that during class if you're using your phone, you are using it as a classroom resource - perhaps to use Google, or the dictionary online, etc. I trust that I can still trust you even if I step into the hall to speak with someone - I trust that just because my back is turned, you will still operate under integrity."

Will there be violators? lol! Are you serious? hahaha. . .

I can't believe you asked that question when America has 1,719 state prisons, 102 federal prisons, 942 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,283 local jails, and 79 Indian Country jails as well as in military prisons, immigration detention facilities, civil commitment centers, and prisons in the U.S.

Silly rabbits, every society has those who choose not to comply with the agreed upon norms of its culture. Therefore, if a student shows him/herself untrustworthy, I will swoop in with a stinging consequence - for that student only - not for the entire class. No nagging. No warning. Only action.

This integrity "lecture" has worked for me for years. The students seem to appreciate that just because I am old I am not in place to sever them from their connection to the world.

So, will I require my high school students to put their phones away? Nah - silence them and let's get on with our lesson.

From me to you,

Lisa