First -Day pointers

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First -Day pointers
By Sukie

The most important thing to do on the first day is to begin establishing routines. The obvious things are to assign seats, take attendance, give out forms that must be filled out by parents and returned to you,etc. Begin
modelling how to walk to their cubbies, how to answer in class, how to line up, how to walk in the hallway, etc. While you are doing that, the children are either listening to a story, drawing some thing that you have given them. Parents might ask what they did on their first day, so remind them before they leave what they accomplished that day. Constant praise for them is essential. First

graders need to be rewarded often with a compliment to keep them on task. It may not seem that you are getting alot done, but you definitely are if you get a grip on classroom management by establishing your routines firmly. You can formally talk about rules on the second day, but they begin immediately. Relax and enjoy being with your students. Above all, speak softly in a pleasant tone and do not raise your voice. They have to listen hard to hear you if you do that. Don't begin by raising your voice or shouting even once. It takes alot of self-control, but it is worth it. Sometimes our kids know how to push certain buttons and make us react in ways we don't want to. So, if you hear them chattering or not listening, speak to them softly and directly in a quiet voice. and establish eye contact with the noisy ones, but DO NOT shout. You will be rewarded with kids that listen and then you can teach them. Good luck and have fun!!