I'm going to be teaching my first class when I finish school in January and I'm nervous. Any advice for my first day at school? Or what you wish you knew on your first day? It's my first real teaching job (1st grade) and I really want to do well.

Be yourself, talk to the kids like they're humans, and see what happens. The art of teaching is learned on the fly. Go in with a sense of humor, knowing that it's not all going to be sunshine and lollipops, and you should be fine.

Don't let them talk when you are talking. It's weird, but some teachers won't make the effort to make sure kids do this (yes, I know, it never works 100%). You give away a lot of your power with elementary students when you continually allow them to yell out. 1st graders are mostly super sweet and they want to please you. The routines and procedures are really important as well. Get a couple of picture books that you really love to read your first day. You will learn a lot in this first semester of teaching. As others have mentioned, building relationships is really important.

Establish routines, and keep working to establish them every day.

THIS ⬆️!! With the little ones, you’ll have to be aware of using simple directions for lining up, movement within and outside the classroom, and procedures for everything under the sun. I highly recommend that you view different primary teachers’ routines. HYou will learn more from observation than you will from any college class, book, or PD. I have high school kids who still hold their crossed fingers up to signal they need to use the restroom. Their elementary teachers trained them well! 🤭

Harry Wong’s Classroom Management book has a lot of good suggestions for setting up policies and procedures. Lots of examples from Elementary classrooms.

Always keep ‘em busy! A bored class will make your life miserable!

Don't be nervous! You will get the hang of everything you've been practicing. On your first day pay attention to your students and start to get to know them.

Get to know your kids and let them get to know you. Have fun, you only get one first impression per year. I always had a guessing game about me, true or false questions. IE: Mr. ? has climbed to the Eiffel Tower. Mr.? loves to skydive. Mr.? is 39 years old. Sports loyalties? Number of siblings? Random thing, personal things, so they get to see you more than just their teacher but you also have a life outside of school. Then establish your expectations and jump in feet first.

The children will love you. Make sure that you take a moment for movement and brain breaks whenever needed. First graders need to get the wiggles out. Contact parents either by email or even just sending Home a note letting them know that you want to have open communication. Tell parents to email you or send you a note anytime they have a question or concern. Make sure that they know they should never go to sleep on a worry. They should email you, message, you, or send in a note, whenever they have a concern so that you can create a partnership to best meet the needs of their child. but also set up boundaries. Tell them you’re busy teaching all day and that you will get back to them within 24 hours if it’s an email and if it’s an emergency they should call the school. don’t give out your personal phone number

The younger students are my favorite...and you have to keep their attention...that is half the battle. Prior recommendations about routines are excellent, but also know that incorporating movement, music and tactile items can greatly improve their "buy in" to what you are selling (teaching). Best of luck and please enjoy these small customers...🙏👍😉🤩

Be consistent, choose your words wisely, and always follow through.

Congratulations! You will love being a teacher. First graders love their teachers! (I teach 6th grade)

Before you start, I would create a “get to know you” letter your principal can send home prior to your start date. This lets parents know who will be taking over their child’s class and that you already are communicating with them.

The first day:
1. Be sensitive to the fact that they had another teacher before you and that some will be sad he/she is no longer there. Acknowledge that.
2. Greet all students at the everyday and when they leave. It builds trust and routine.
3. Share little things about you. Your first name, pets? Hobbies/interests.
4. Set up or continue classroom routines. Line leaders, door closers, date changers, attendance taker, date reader, etc. Rotate every week so all are involved.
5. While in a circle, ask children to share something about themselves. Favorite: color, animal, game, book, etc. Do this daily if possible.
6. While enforcing rules be fair, firm, and kind. (Make sure rules are posted in words they understand.)
7. Be a role model of the expectations you want.
8. Encourage lots of questions. Learning happens when we make mistakes.
9. Create weekly/bi-weekly email or paper that goes home to parents sharing learning objectives and student progress. This can be done simply.
10. Try to have a couple experiences/activities that parents can be a part of. Maybe secret or parent guest reader each week.
11. Be open to ideas and suggestions from other teachers. I’ve been teaching a l o n g time. We are there to help and answer questions.
12. Be yourself. They hired you because they thought you would be perfect for this job. Believe them.
13. Have a great time. Get to know names fast. You will come to love all of them.

Have a student friendly schedule posted.
Have expectations and consequences with a behavior plan. Wait for them to be quiet. Don’t talk over them.
Stay in charge. Have a routine for every little thing. Every little thing!
Don’t expect them to be easy or sweet. Some will be. Some won’t. Be prepared.
Reward those that work hard!
Form small groups based on academics so that you can work with small reading groups.
Let them know you love them! Hug them!
First grade is hard but it is the best!

Become good friends with another first grade teacher preferably there at the school you will be working at; if not find someone experienced to be you sort of mentor … become expert at your evaluation system in your county or system the builds confidence and have each student tell their ( short)!life story without giving out info that your school or whomever seems inappropriate for the classroom

Have a morning routine that sets expectations and go over it every morning. Have fun!

How exciting is that? Congratulations on becoming a first grade teacher! You’re going to do an amazing job! Preparation is key when working with first graders. Please set up a daily classroom routine. Set realistic and achievable academic and behavioral goals. Most importantly, build relationships with your students and families! Having that community is vital! You’re going to love it!

Hey. Use the first week to get to know your students. There will be a need to establish the class rules, bathroom rules, hallway rules, etc. I usually do a WHO Am I activity using a PowerPoint presentation to introduce myself. There are free forms on the Internet and Teachers Pay Teachers. If you are into making a video presentation that’s impressive to kiddos. It’s like watching a movie! Students need to know your a human also. Okay the next move is to have them tell you and classmates about themselves. With elementary students you might want to inform their guardians of this. Remember keep it light: favorite colors, foods, pets, examples. No personal information like addresses, etc. Maybe a favorite trip. Their presentation could be as simple as a drawing (age appropriate). Use steps for the project: Today we will work on . Set your rubric for each step to reach a grade appropriate percentage. If you teach all subjects you maybe able to use the grade for more than one subject because the project is holistic. The project also decorate the bulletin board. Hope this was helpful. Kids like drawing talking etc. but they will be actively learning.

Incorporate brain breaks every 10 minutes of instruction

Be yourself!!!
Kids smell bullshit a mile away, no matter how young they are.

If your class preparations are well done and thorough with the teacher you are working under, relax and enjoy 😊