Yesterday was Labour Day. I spent my entire long weekend here: For those 72 hours I did little else but soak up the last of the summer sun, laying on the dock and enjoying multiple novels. However, it's September once again, and we all know what that means: BACK TO SCHOOL!!!! Yes, back to school is here, and I have a feeling it's going to be a fantastic year. Although I had some orientation sessions on the University of Ottawa campus already, I truly consider today to be my first day back. I mean, like every other student (and teacher) out there on the first day of school, I got up early (I was awake before my alarm even went off at 6am), brewed my coffee (a must), packed my lunch, and went out to meet my (OC Transpo) bus. I was headed to St. Michael Catholic school, where my Year 2 placement is taking place. There was lots to do right away, as there always is in a classroom, and so I got to work.
At 8:15 am we took our big class list and some masking tape outside and began to greet the students and their families. The majority of our students arrive to school on foot, and so I had the opportunity to see a lot of parents and guardians drop off their child or children. It was very cool to witness a first day of school at the elementary level again, as the last time I was around one would have been my own Grade 6 year, yikes!! Our class has French right away in the morning so we helped bring them in to their class and then went off to prepare the rest of our day.
If you have not had the chance to read this book before, I highly recommend it, especially for the first day of school. It is pretty silly. It gets the reader saying some pretty funny stuff and the kids generally laugh at a few token spots, breaking the ice and putting everyone at ease. Note: If you are unfamiliar with this book, perhaps give it a quick read through before the read aloud, as there are a few tricky phrases in there that you might want to work through first on your own :) Following lunch and recess, we were finally all together as our Grades 4/5 class - all 28 of us! It's a tight fit in the classroom, but I can already tell that it's a great group and we are going to have an awesome year. Part of my planning for today included being responsible for leading an introduction game of some sort. I decided to go with one of my own personal favourites, "Two Truths and a Lie". (For a more detailed description of how this works, click here.) I had a SMART Board lesson all ready for this as well, however circumstances being what they were I was required to go old school, and use... the CHALKBOARD! We read my three statements together, and then I informed the class that one of these statements about me is a LIE! I had them show me their fingers in either a 1, 2 or 3 to indicate which one they thought was the lie, and then I congratulated those who held up number 3, as I in fact do not have a twin sister, but rather a younger brother. The kids thought is was a pretty cool game, and most of them were itching to have his or her own turn to tell the class a bit about themselves. This game offered a lot more insight into the students than I could ever have anticipated. I got to see who leaped at the chance to share about themselves orally, and who shied away. I got to read into personalities and interests based on the statements each student chose. I learned that we have a bunch of athletes in the class, we have one student who is one out of five brothers, and someone who has some royalty in their family bloodlines. Also, I was able to really learn my students' names, as I got them each to say his or her name before they began their turn. The students loved this game so much that I have already begun thinking of ways we can bring it back into the classroom (Two truths and a lie about what I did on the weekend, anyone?!).
The rest of the day was pretty much a blur, until finally it was 2:55 pm and we were getting ready to pack up. We got everyone ready and brought them down to the front of the school where we did the reverse of the morning, handing the children over to their anxiously awaiting parents and guardians, or seeing them safely onto the bus. Once all the students were off, we all gave a little cheer in honor of a successful first day, and then were on our separate ways. What an amazing day! Some things I learned today: -Although we didn't do any 'work', the first day is extremely important for setting up routines and enforcing positive behaviours. These first few weeks are so important, and if we don't get to curriculum right away, it's actually okay. Making sure students know what is expected of them in general will go a long way towards a successful academic year. -It is crucial to be friendly, yet firm, immediately. Letting things slide on the first day will mean that things will continue to slide throughout the whole year. If you see something happening that you don't want to become a habit, break it right away, i.e. how to line up and move throughout the school, how to stand up and get ready to leave the classroom, and how to have class-wide discussions. -Get to know your students. Let them ask you questions and provide answers for them. Ask them questions back and show an interest in what their responses are. I believe that getting to know your students' likes and dislikes will be extremely beneficial for your classroom dynamic. -Don't be nervous! You want to be here. You are a good teacher. The students are lucky to have you; go be a superstar! If Day 1 is any indicator, I am going to love my time at St. Michael. Tomorrow we will begin our intro units in Math and Language, continue to get to know each other through an 'All about me' read aloud, and play some cooperative games in Phys.Ed. I can't wait!!!! Once again, thank you for checking out my latest post, and I welcome all comments and feedback. Stay tuned for more updates on my Year 2 adventures. -Miss. Coleman
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AuthorJessica Coleman holds a Bachelor of Education as well as an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences, both from the University of Ottawa. She is an Ontario College of Teachers certified teacher, currently working towards a Masters of Education degree at uOttaw, as well. Archives
September 2018
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