Meeting the Class for the First Time
Preparing to become a teacher is a big undertaking. Its easy to get caught up in getting through college with a degree in teaching, passing your teachers certification exam, finding the kind of teaching position you want and getting through the interview that there is one more level of challenge that awaits you that you may not have put some thought into. That is the moment you walk into a classroom and face that sea of little faces looking up at you fearfully and you realize, perhaps with some terror that you really are a teacher and these students expect you to do the job.
Every teacher has a priority for what will happen in that first encounter with the class of students. For some teachers, its important to establish your authority and to let the kids know you are boss and they will be called up on top live up to your expectations. For another, the first goal in that first hour is to just get organized. But its a great idea to think through exactly how you are going to handle that first meeting so you establish a relationship with these kids that will result in a very productive and yet happy and peaceful class time experience each day.
As you look at those eyes staring at you, what do you suppose they are thinking? Well, it isn't really that much of a mystery. They are very curious about their new teacher and the things they want to know about you are not things they will ask you out loud including…
. Is this new teacher mean or nice?
. Will she make us work harder than our last teacher?
. Is the new teacher funny or too serious?
. Will she make us move our chairs
. Is this new teacher boring?
That last question is probably the one that weighs on the minds of most students the most. To a young mind the one crime that should be punishable by death is for you to be boring. They are also wondering what will be the first thing you will say to them to get the relationship started. They are very curious about you as a person and if you will make learning fun or, again that terrible word, boring.
It is a great idea if you take the time to think out in advance exactly what you want to accomplish in this initial meeting with your new class. One suggestion that has some real value is to seek to find a way to move from strangers to friends fairly quickly and to communicate to the students that you want to work with them as a team. If you and your students become one unit with the shared goal of learning what they have to learn to get good grades to take home to mom and dad and to do so without being boring, you will have created an educational setting that will be rich with learning potential.
One way to get that relationship off and running in great shape is to do something unexpected when you address them initially. Tell a joke, introduce yourself with a funny illustration from your childhood or in some other way surprise your new class in a fun and lighthearted way. This communicates to them that you are going to be a fun teacher and that they need to come to class paying attention because they never know what to expect. With that kind of rapport, you will have established a relationship that will only continue to open up and grow more trusting and more productive. And it all started because you refused to be that one thing that students hate. You refused to be boring.
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A Little Psychology Goes a Long Way If you are working your way through teacher's college, you are getting a ...
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A Modern Way to Start Your Career in Teaching Not everybody goes into teaching by getting a degree right out ...
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Becoming a Truly Professional Teacher There is something so satisfying about working with a true professional in any line of ...
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Breaking into the Working World of Teachers In every college in the country, there are ambitious and starry eyed youngsters ...
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Can You Teach if You Are Old? If you are just preparing to enter the ranks of professional teachers and ...
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Decorum in Teaching One reason that many if not most teachers go into teaching in the first place is that ...
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Giving Your Students an Appreciation of the Arts When you set out to become a teacher, it isn't always enough ...
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Going to Bat for Your Students When you set out to become a teacher, you set out to do more ...
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Good Reasons to Teach The teaching profession is a unique career field in a lot of ways. Because you are ...
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I Want to Teach in Your School A job interview to teach in a public school or in any institution ...
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Meeting the Class for the First Time Preparing to become a teacher is a big undertaking. Its easy to get ...
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Passing the Teacher's Certification Test Most of us learn a lot about how to take exams when we are in ...
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Preparing to Become Certified We require a lot of our teachers. It is one way that society maintains a high ...
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So What Do You Want to Teach? When a person introduces themselves to you as a teacher, the question that ...
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Talking to Students or talking AT them There is a phenomenon that all public speakers encounter when they are addressing ...
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Teaching With Powerpoint The software tool, Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most versatile tools that the huge software giant ...
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Test Driving a Teaching Career Deciding to become a full time teacher is a big step. You may be able ...
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The Brass Tacks About Teaching Like any job, teaching children is often idealized and romanticized by young people preparing for ...
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The Costume of a Teacher One of the bibles of the business world is a book called Dress for Success. ...
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The Courage of a Teacher When you think of career fields that call for courage, jobs that may call for ...
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The Cyber Teacher Becoming a teacher today is means learning to teach with new tools and resources that were unheard ...
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The Inner Calling to Teach When you determine that you want to be a teacher of children or teenagers, that ...
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The Power of Differentiation The last two decades have taught us a great deal about how students work and think ...
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The Social Side of School If you are preparing to become a teacher with the anticipation of leading a group ...
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Where the Teacher is Mom There is an army of teachers in this country and around the world that get ...
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Disclaimer
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this website, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.
This site is a common sense guide to Meeting the Class for the First Time. In practical advice websites, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.
This site is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional.
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A Little Psychology Goes a Long Way
A Modern Way to Start Your Career in Teaching
Becoming a Truly Professional Teacher
Breaking into the Working World of Teachers
Can You Teach if You Are Old?
Decorum in Teaching
Giving Your Students an Appreciation of the Arts
Going to Bat for Your Students
Good Reasons to Teach
I Want to Teach in Your School
Meeting the Class for the First Time
Passing the Teacher's Certification Test
Preparing to Become Certified
So What Do You Want to Teach?
Talking to Students or talking AT them
Teaching With Powerpoint
Test Driving a Teaching Career
The Brass Tacks About Teaching
The Costume of a Teacher
The Courage of a Teacher
The Cyber Teacher
The Inner Calling to Teach
The Power of Differentiation
The Social Side of School
Where the Teacher is Mom
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