Alliance for Catholic Education
Imagine this: you wake up way too early, gulp down breakfast, dress nice, brush your teeth until they shine, locate your keys with shaky hands, and rush through the door, your heart beating a mile a minute. You’ve done hours of preparation, but you still don’t feel ready. If you used to think the first day of school as a student was nerve wracking, it's nothing compared to your first day of school as a teacher!
Lucky for you, as a second-year teacher getting ready to face this same experience once again, I can offer a bit of advice to make sure you start your school year off strong. My first day of teaching was exactly as I described above. Though I was excited, I felt like I could not shake the nervousness that plagued me. I had no teaching background and was about to face an army of 17 second graders. What if I had too much time at the end of the school day? On the other hand, what if I ran out of time to cover all that I needed to? What if my voice cracked, I fell on my face, all my students laughed at me, and then they subsequently succeeded in throwing a coup?
Looking back at my first day last year as a more experienced teacher, while I can say that I would change a few things — notably, getting a full eight hours of sleep, more than a few bites of breakfast, and spending less time catastrophizing — the one thing I will say that is most important is something that all educators enter the workforce already doing: striving to show your kids you are there for them. Just for a second, put yourself in the shoes of a student. They are meeting one of the most key figures in their life for at least a year — if not more — along with many new peers. They are scared they might not fit in, succeed academically, or make their families proud. They bring a million struggles you do not know about to school everyday. While we as teachers are nervous about doing our jobs well, our students are nervous that we may not see them for who they really are.
So, how best to prepare for your first weeks of school? Make sure to plan your first days out, solidify management in your classroom through the creation of procedures and routines, and get a sense for where students are academically, but more than anything, show your students you love them through creating a culture of care. Bring your best self to school every morning by taking care of yourself and becoming close to your community members. From there, be vulnerable with your students. Tell them you are nervous too and looking forward to better knowing them. Remember, they are only kids once, so make clear to them that while you have high expectations for them, they are encouraged to embrace their childlike wonder, modeling that to them by sharing your own joys. Share your favorite colors and foods and experiences with them, and have them do the same for you and their other friends.
Tell them what you struggled with when you were their age and how you overcame challenges. Complete activities in class that allow them to empathize with others. Do your best, and trust me, the rest will work itself out. But above all, remember: your students need to know they are loved that first week and then they will give you back their attention and love tenfold throughout the entire year.