What Can You Really Teach on the First Day?

So in just a few short weeks we will all be embarking on that exciting and equally terrifying endevour... Teaching. Whether you are an aide, a teacher or an administrator there are still things you worry about,and jitters you have on the first day. 

While the importance of the first day of school has often been discussed, I feel like the main goal is often overlooked. All teachers are versed in the importance of establishing their routines and setting the tone for the year in their first day. Although your routines and expectatio s are important, the reality is, it will take days and for some students a week or so to get them down. 

What then can we actually accomplish on the first day?  I would agree that the first day is the most important day, but fir a different reason. 

On the first day we have a different responsibility. Every year on the first day of school a teacher needs to accomplish two things in order to ensure. Layi g the foundation for a good year.  First, make your students feel safe!  No matter what age, all students come into their first day of school with at least as many nervous thoughts and seeming silly concerns.  Some students come in with more serious concerns. All students however, need to feel safe and secure in their classroom environment. This is a simple statement amd most tachers know this, but it will be an ongoing battle. The second and most important thing we need to impart on our students is to create a sense of wonder in the classroom. No matter how old, no matter how apathetic, a great year starts with a teacher capturing the attention of their class and sparking a curiousity that will fuel them head first and full speed ahead into whatever learning destinations the teacher has planned.

You have the rest of the year to teach them, spend your first day making them desperate to get back for the next 179 days and you will have a great year!

Thanks for reading.