First days of school can be stressful. There’s an insane amount of pressure to make a great first impression. The administration wants you to go over the handbook of rules for the district. There’s tons of forms that need to be filled out. You need to learn their names and it’s hard because half the names don’t match your class list. His name is Samuel but he goes by S.J. Her name on your roll says Mary, but she goes by Mary Beth. You want to start off the year on the right note regarding procedures and expectations, but you also want it to be a little bit fun, too. Yes, it can be complicated to plan out the first day. My first day was absolutely fantastic. Yes, I learned names. Yes, I went over the handbook. Yes, I went over forms. But we also did some quick exciting things that started us out on the right foot. In no particular order, here is what made my first day FANTASTIC. 1. I let my students collaborate on a story. I started a story on the whiteboard and each student could only add four words to the story. It ended up being hilarious and making ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE but no one cared. It was fun. They worked as a family. 2. That bring me to my next point–we don’t call our classes, um, classes. Or homerooms. We call them families. So I have Mrs. Johnson’s Family for my 1st period class and Mrs. Anderson’s Family for my second period class. (Homeroom teacher names were changed for this post.) You get the idea. And it really does reinforce this idea that we need to work together like a family should. 3. I embraced and addressed my students’ biggest fear. Each teacher has his/her students coming to the room with a big fear. Go ahead and address it. Since I’m the first year of middle school, the big fear is the locker. Will I ever get into it? Will I have enough time to get everything out of it? My students can’t begin to learn procedures until we address the locker issue. Once they feel confident with their locker, they are ready to learn procedures. So, what did I do? I lined up my wonderful parents to come work with my students one-on-one the very first day of school on their locker. And it was the best thing for that first day. Address your students’ fears with a solution. Don’t think, “Oh I need to teach procedures! I’ll help them with that later on in the week.” No. Their Big Fear is ALL THEY CAN THINK ABOUT. Fix the fear, then they can face all the procedures and rules head on! 4. If you know me, you know that I ABSOLUTELY DETEST GETTING TO KNOW YOU GAMES. Why do I have to name a fact about myself that starts with a J just because my first name is Jordyn? Nothing starts with a J that I like! I hate jelly beans. I’m ok with jolly ranchers but they aren’t anything special. I. HATE. GETTING. TO. KNOW. YOU. GAMES. I think I’ve made my point clear. Soooooo—what did I do to get to know them? I made a statement and pointed to two sides of the room. The students moved to the side of the room for their answer. Examples: 1. Team Cat or Team Dog 2. Would you rather travel every day or never leave home? 3. Team Math/Science or Team Language Arts? 4. Alabama or Auburn? (I live in Alabama, so this is a big deal around here. Feel free to change to whatever sports teams works for you. And by the way, the correct answer to me is the side of the room that was yelling WAR EAGLE!) We didn’t do this as one big activity. I broke up the reading of the district handbook by doing a couple of these, then back to the handbook, then a couple more of these, then back to the handbook, a couple more of these, then going over forms. THEY LOVED THIS ACTIVITY! It didn’t force the quiet kids to talk, but they did participate by moving. It let the other ones announce why they were on that side. It was just a great icebreaker for those of us who are anti-icebreaker. —>Do you need a GETTING TO KNOW YOU ACTIVITY perfect for the first few days? (And not icebreaker questions that tweens dislike—actually questions they enjoy answering!)
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I’m Sleeping With the Dungeon Master, Funny D and D, Dungeons and Dragons, Nerdy Shirt, Funny Sexual Humor, Unisex Shirt, D&D, DM Girlfriend – Etsy
Made on a 100% cotton, unisex tee to ensure comfortability for all body shapes and sizes. Custom color options are available upon request and availability and subject to a small price increase if applicable. Please contact me for more information. Tank tops, long sleeve, and women's styles are available upon request and availability and are subject to a small price increase as well. Please contact me for more information. All items are handmade and made to order personally. My processing time varies with the amount of orders. Please check the estimated delivery dates to see current processing time or message…
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Bring a touch of cuteness and charm to your home with this adorable mini oil painting of a fluffy yellow duckling. Set against a backdrop of lush dark green foliage, the duckling's vibrant yellow plumage and inquisitive eyes come to life in this captivating portrait. Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: 10x10cm (4"x4") All of my artworks are original oil paintings and are signed by me. I draw inspiration for each piece from daily life or something that deeply resonates with me. I particularly enjoy painting still life and portraits, where I strive to capture the unique personalities of my subjects.…
