Just remember, we learn from our mistakes. So, if you’ve already made some of these (like me) it’s water under the bridge now. This year, the first day of school can be different.

And, if you’re new to teaching, I hope this list will help you plan out your first day so that it’s A LOT better than mine was! 

Mistake #1: Not greeting your kiddos at the door

No matter how confident they seem on the outside, these teens are at least a little nervous. Be there, at the door, with a gracious and helpful attitude to reassure them that you’re not scary, and they’re in the right place. A smile and a welcome go a long way to setting the right tone for the rest of the school year.

Mistake #2: Not having a seating chart

Classroom management starts today and it’s not going to start smoothly if you have students milling around trying to figure out where to sit, fighting for the last seat in the row, or waiting to see where their friends sit first. If you feel like you need to justify a seating chart with your older students, use the very true and valid excuse that you need a seating chart so you can learn names more quickly*. And, do that as quickly as you can. If you don’t like the seating chart you can abandon it after you learn names, but personally, I would NEVER be without one. More on implementing seating charts here: 10 Things Every Science Teacher Should do BEFORE the First Day of School

Mistake #3: Reading through the syllabus

Save the syllabus for another day. This is your only chance to make a first impression, so maximize it. You know parents are going to ask them how the first day went. You want your name to be part of the answer to that question. Even if science is not their favorite subject, you want students to feel like it’s going to be a good class and they’re going to get something out of it.

Mistake #4: Not being prepared

If your classroom is a mess – dirty and unorganized, textbooks and other items scattered around, broken desks, etc. – your students are not going to have confidence that you care about what you’re doing. Take time in the days before school starts to think about what they’ll see when they first walk into your room. Outline and practice what you’re going to say and have all your materials ready to go. Do what you can to show them that you’ve got your teacher act together. Believe me, students will pick up on this right away. Here’s a checklist that might help: Back-to-School Checklist for Secondary Science Teachers 

Mistake #5: Not doing something to get your students excited about science

We all know science is the BEST. SUBJECT. EVER! Give them a little taste of what they’ll be learning or a peek into the lab – anything that gets those neurons firing. I like to have some awesome posters on the wall, a few pieces lab equipment out on lab tables and a maybe a model or two. Choose items that are related to topics you’ll be covering in the first grading period. Not too much. You want students to be intrigued, but not overwhelmed. Demos are great and I LOVE to show this 3-minute video on the first day of Biology: The Inner Life of the Cell

Just so you know, I have made every single one of these mistakes.

I was more nervous than the students the first year or two. But as I gained more confidence, I was able to think more about what the students needed from me to get off to a good start. And, what they most need, in my opinion, is to know that you care – about them and about your job as an educator. And, I learned that implementing these strategies not only made the first day of school better, but every day after that as well.

A favorite quote

The first school I taught at in Hawaii was Roosevelt High School, so it’s appropriate that one of my favorite quotes is credited to Theodore Roosevelt:

“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” So true!

I think if you can avoid these 5 mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to showing your students how much you care.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these potential first-day-of-school mistakes. Do you have others you’d like to add to the list?

*About learning student names . . .

This was not one of my strengths. But, the seating charts definitely helped me. I would study them and silently quiz myself while the students were working at their desks or in groups. Occasionally they would look up and see me staring at them so, I had to reassure them that I was not creepy, but just trying to learn their names. 🙂

Here’s another suggestion that might help with learning students’ names . . . I worked with a teacher who promised his students that he would know their first and last name by the end of the first week or they would get a candy bar. I think he gave away quite a few candy bars, but it was fun for the students and it let them know that getting to know them and learning their names was a priority for him. Awesome!

Happy Teaching!
Carla