smiling before December

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smiling before December
By pj

Hi
A very wise professor once told me teach the kids how you want them to behave. He advocated for teaching nothing except behavior and proceedure for the first two weeks of school. Practice how you expect the kids to
line up, go to lunch, sharpen their pencils, use the restroom, what to do when a visitor is in the room, etc. I did as he suggested and have always had a smooth year. Depending on your grade level you can use role playing to teach the class. My 3rd and 4th graders just love to do this. I always put the situation on notes in a hat and the kids draw out a situation. We discuss it briefly

in the hall. If the kids already know the rule they brainstorm how they'll carry out the script if they don't I explain my rule and then they go forward. Be prepared for the silly/crazy way they may present you or the teacher to the class. We sometimes get silly but the kids still get the message. It's also a great way to get to know each other.