If you're like me, it can be hard to go back to school. The summer days have been lazy and relaxing and now to have shift those gears into school mode means I'll need a little oil to get them going! That's why I've put together the top 3 things that I do to start back to school off on the right foot and set the tone for the rest of the year!
1. Foster Relationships To Create a Classroom Community
Relationships are based on the idea of "seeking to understand before being understood". There are 3 ways I do this every year in my classroom:
1. Play games that get everyone up, moving and interacting
2. Offer opportunities to share about onesself (that are displayed in the room)
3. Learn names ASAP
Want some great ways to accomplish these 3 things? Check out Back to School Ice Breakers!
2. Create A Positive Management Culture
We all know that for rules to work, there has to be "buy-in" from the students. But how do you get "buy-in"?
By making students part of the process and having them tell you what is needed for them to be successful.
We all brainstorm what we need to be successful and then we modify the ideas until we all are in agreement. Then, I summarize our thoughts into 4 categories: Prompt, Prepared, Responsible, and Respectful.
3. The First Week Back To School
Your room is ready, you've attended all the meetings, and the first day is imminent, but what should you do on that first day? Should you just hand out the syllabus and jump into the content?
I say "Not exactly." Instead, I have laid out a 5 day plan for getting to know your students, creating agreements, going over the syllabus, doing something mildly academic, and participating in active tasks.
Save the content for the second week of school because honestly, students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. :)
I hope this gives you a hack or two that you can use as you return back to middle school. Thanks for stopping by!
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