I'M SO SCARED! Tomorrow my fourth graders will be here. Do I have enough plans? WIll they behave? Will I behave? I'm a nervous wreck.
HAVE CONFIDENCE......I am just a first year teacher, but every veteran teacher has told me this. If you look or act like they can walk all over you they will!!!! Your going to do great....remember to go over and over procedures!
Tomorrow is the first day for my students to arrive too. I still have not written a lesson plan for the week. I am such a procrastinator. I am still not yet finished perfecting my classroom but I can get it done to my liking in about 30 minutes tomorrow morning. All of our teaching material and student textbooks were being barcoded this weekend, so I had to leave everything out on countertops and desks. I have everything photocopied for the week and for me that is unbelievable -- maybe that is why I am not worried.
The kids are as scared as you are. Will you be nice? Will you understand them? Will you notice the shy ones? Will you stand up to the bullies? Will they have to be perfect to get good grades? What if they need something? Will you see their hands being raised? Can they trust you? Will the classroom be quiet enough so they can think? Who will be the teacher's favorite? The kids won't give a hoot if you have every list written up, every assignment planned out, every contingency covered, every wall bright and beautiful.
If I have any "extra time" during my lessons, I plan on pulling out different math tubs and working on kg. skills they should have learned last year. This way I could evaluate what we need to review. My big worry is my parapro and writing down plans for her. Unfortunately she is unable to foresee consequences for her actions and is not the type to just jump in and help out in an effective manner.
Way to put it all into perspective Upsadaisy. Great points that I need to remmeber as well. Even as adults we get nervous and wonder what our college prof will be like. It's always good to put ourselves in our students place. Hang in there Kimyboo...I am a new 4th grade teacher too. I know how you feel. You'll be terrific.
Okay KimmyBoo, you got my *** moving. I just finished overplanning for my first day of school and overplanning for my parapro. as well . I always worry about the first day with the kids and it is my 9th year. I think I worry more about what the parents think rather than the kiddos . I teach sp. ed. (Mild Autism) and can't give an inch the minute the students arrive as I don't want them to internalize my reaction and make their "inapprop. behaviors" part of their morning routine. I am crossing my fingers that they all arrive on bus because some parents are taken aback (even though I prewarn them during registration) when they see me redirecting their child/other students within 10 minutes of their arrival the first day of school.
Be stern....but you can still smile. It's hard to explain...it may just be my personality, but I am able to command respect, set the tone, yet still come across as a caring teacher. Just make sure you establish you ARE the boss, you care about the students and their learning, and you are here to work as a team towards learning xxx subject
Shake their hand but smile. If they don't shake your hand properly you might want to ask them to do it again and show them the right way. When students do something in a way other than your procedures have been planned, redirect them and show them the right way. "That is one way to get in line, but in this classroom we are going to wait until I call your group before we get in line. Lets. practice again so we get it right." When you are talking do not allow any whispers or chit chat. Just stop and stare. Don't worry about being too mean or strict anyways. It is a whole lot easier to become less strict after two weeks than it will be to try to get stricter when you've figured out you are being too lenient. Somehow, the stricter a teacher is, the more the students like her/him. I think it is an unwritten rule.
Confidence and mean-ness are two completely different things. You can be kind in your relationships yet very certain of your expectations for work. Confidence becomes easier as time goes on and you realize what works best for you.
