It’s important for teachers in a classroom or a daycare setting to start the school year off right. Children (and parents) are filled with excitement and nerves about all the changes that are about to emerge. Although they may be in the same school/daycare; having a new teacher or children joining the group can be a big enough transition. It can even be nerve-racking for the teacher, so keep reading and let’s get ready for the new school year of 2014!
Here are a few simple points to follow:
Start off by setting up your classroom; make sure the environment is welcoming.
– At ProCare, we always have a welcome board with all the students’ names.
– Cubbies/lockers are labelled and ready for use.
– Create a birthday board (you can have it already set up, or make an activity out of it during the first week where they can decorate their own birthday date).
– Post a lost tooth poster to keep track of this important milestone for most kids – we bought ours from “All About Kids”
– Have age appropriate books and games displayed, and make sure everything is clean and clutter free (no one like a messy work place).
– My favourite thing to do is post a variety of positive, motivational posters around the room to inspire the children.
Make sure your organized.
– Send home a welcome note to the parents; give them details of your classroom/program and what they should expect for this school year.
– Be sure to prepare a variety of ice breaker games for the first day/week. Children will get to know one another and have fun doing so.
– Explain the rules of your classroom, you may have to do this a few times during the first week/month but that’s expected. You should also have them posted somewhere in the room.
– This is more of a personal opinion, but we believe in spending some time focusing on creating a bully free classroom. we set up activities, crafts, and have discussion time to set the tone for the school year – stay tuned for our bully free blog.
Don’t forget to take care of YOURSELF.
– Make sure to get a good night sleep.
– Eat healthy throughout the day; our bodies need fuel to function at its best.
– depending on how busy you are, plan out your outfits for the week. You’ll be surprised with how simple it is to get ready in the morning.
– Personal hygiene is necessary. As Teachers, it’s important we role model by setting the example. Brush your teeth and don’t smell bad – for everyone’s sake!
There’s only 20 more days before the first day of school, make sure you prepared and have program / lesson plans ready to go if you haven’t already started.
#teachwithkindess