Picture this. Its the first day of school.
You've made your classroom all cute, or organized (what ever adjective suits you best)
You've been pouring over the class pictures of your students, trying to memorize names
--(braces, bad hair decisions, acne and all)--
Your lesson plans are ready.
Your outfit is as "teachery" as it could possibly get.
Finally, your first day of school on the other side has arrived.
Finally, you have a classroom of your own. Students of your own.
You have made it.
Buses arrive. Students file into the hallways. The bell rings. Students sit before you.
Your mind goes blank.
WHAT AM I DOING HERE? WHY DIDN'T I BECOME A DENTAL HYGIENIST LIKE MY MOTHER TOLD ME TO?
Worst. First. Day. Of. School. EVER. Let's just all say a prayer that this does not happen to us when we graduate, get hired, go through training, and finally become a teacher. But another scene does beg for out attention. We have all been in classes with one of them. One of those kids who swaggers into the back of the class, throws their stuff to the floor, slides into their seat, raises their hand and in a whiny voice says, "Why do we need to know this? Will I ever use it in real life?" Well whiny kid, let me tell you why this is the best class you will ever take.
The first five minutes of your class will make or break it for the rest of the year. Students will be pushing your limits and testing to see what they can get away with. But the first day of class is important for more than just classroom management reasons. This is the first time they will be exposed to your content and your level of enthusiasm for your subject. The typical first day is expected where you go over class rules and expectations, but it is also and opportunity to show your students how great your subject can be.
History touches every aspect of our lives. If you want to understand jokes in the Simpsons, Psych or any other sitcom now a-days, having a basic knowledge of historical events will make those jokes all that much more funnier. That was one thing I remembered my history teacher said my first day of high school. "You will start to see connections and references in everything you do with the information you learn in this class." Boy was he right. He also showed us examples of that by showing different youtube clips that had references about the content we were learning at the time. It is also great to show how the past connects to the present. One thing that is a possible opening day activity would be to have the students write down a current event that they are interested in and then show a similar event that happened in history.
History has the potential to be one of the most interesting classes a student can take or one of the most miserable. By connecting the students lives to historical events, and showing how much of today's lives are affected by history, we can make history come alive. So when you mind goes blank and you question your career choice, just remember why you became a teacher. We became teachers to make a difference in our students lives and hopefully instill a love of learning. By making things interesting, you can say "this is the best class you will ever take" and really mean it.
The first five minutes of your class will make or break it for the rest of the year. Students will be pushing your limits and testing to see what they can get away with. But the first day of class is important for more than just classroom management reasons. This is the first time they will be exposed to your content and your level of enthusiasm for your subject. The typical first day is expected where you go over class rules and expectations, but it is also and opportunity to show your students how great your subject can be.
History touches every aspect of our lives. If you want to understand jokes in the Simpsons, Psych or any other sitcom now a-days, having a basic knowledge of historical events will make those jokes all that much more funnier. That was one thing I remembered my history teacher said my first day of high school. "You will start to see connections and references in everything you do with the information you learn in this class." Boy was he right. He also showed us examples of that by showing different youtube clips that had references about the content we were learning at the time. It is also great to show how the past connects to the present. One thing that is a possible opening day activity would be to have the students write down a current event that they are interested in and then show a similar event that happened in history.
History has the potential to be one of the most interesting classes a student can take or one of the most miserable. By connecting the students lives to historical events, and showing how much of today's lives are affected by history, we can make history come alive. So when you mind goes blank and you question your career choice, just remember why you became a teacher. We became teachers to make a difference in our students lives and hopefully instill a love of learning. By making things interesting, you can say "this is the best class you will ever take" and really mean it.
3 comments:
Okay... So now I'm even more petrified for my first day of teaching than I was before... Thanks a lot...
Actually, I really like what you have to say. The first five minutes of class are definitely some of the most important minutes of the year. Think about it. What do you do when the first five minutes of a movie doesn't catch your attention? Or the first 100 pages of a book? All good story tellers know you have to have a hook. What makes you different? Why should I pay attention to you?
I know that in my experience as a student, I knew exactly what to expect in my history classes because, in essence, I'd seen it all before. We're going to copy vocab, fill in maps, listen to lecture, and read the textbook. Rinse, and repeat. I think that's part of the reason I want to be a history teacher. History really is the greatest story ever written. Why? Because it's all true! We just need to show our students how interesting history really can be, and how it can affect them. I really like that you are aware of that, and are working on addressing those issues in your future classroom.
AMEN!! Take a look at my blog, I pretty much said the same thing you did! I like the visual image teaching my first day! SO EXCITING!!!
To respond to Ashlyn's comments...I agree with you that the first five minutes are important, but if something unexpected happens then, don't worry--you can still make it up and earn your students' respect from your enthusiasm and consistency throughout the year. I remember one year in one class in the first five minutes, a student raised her hand and publicly asked me if she could call me "rosy cheeks." It really threw me off and I can say that was a bad first five minutes but a fun overall class. :)
On another note, though, I think your overall point is very important. You can establish from day one why your subject is important and relevant, and then follow through on your statement through the way you teach your class. I love that teacher's comments to you, and obviously it stuck with you. If you take a similar approach, it will also stick with your students.
And yes...I was just going to tell you to read Wes's blog too! But he beat me to to the punch.
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