(All names have been changed in the following three stories.)
Dave, a sophomore at Southland High School located in rural Illinois, rolled his eyes and looked extremely lethargic as he strolled into Mr. Andrews' English Composition II class on a hot, first day of school. It would not have taken a brilliant person to see that the only thing Dave was less excited about than the new school year was his 8 a.m. English class. Nevertheless, by virtue of state mandate and parental preference, Dave and about twenty other students began to slowly fill the desks in the classroom. As a group, they did not exactly strike me as scholars thirsting for a cool drink from the fountain of knowledge.
I had arrived at the school at 7:30 a.m. to confer with Mr. Mark Andrews, my cooperating teacher for a spring of '97 student teaching assignment, and to rediscover the importance of getting off to a good start on the very first day of class. Indeed, the importance of getting the school year off to a good start cannot be underestimated. A tone is set on the very first day that tends to set the pace--for good or bad--for the rest of the semester. Thus, the first day of class is crucial in terms of educational success for students and teachers.
The first day of class is something that, as a pre-service teacher, I am somewhat ambivalent about. On one hand, for the last four years I have often fantasized about standing up before my class and laying out the academic battle plans for the semester. In fact, several years ago I started a file of ideas that I want to use in my English classes. By far, my most developed ideas are ones for the very first day of class. On the other hand, I am afraid of all the things that can go wrong on that first day--a nightmare-on-school-street if you will. As I consider my first day of teaching a class, my fears assault me like a mugger attacking a jogger in Central Park. Will my nervousness be obvious to the students? What if I lose control of the class? What if the students do not like me? What if I am a boring teacher?
With a keen sense of this ambivalence, I tried to watch every move that three veteran high school teachers made at Southland High School on their first day of classes. I took note of what they said, how they said it, their attitudes about school and students, their methodologies, their philosophies, the physical condition of their classrooms, and even the way they dressed. I collected their handouts and asked them questions after class about their approaches. In addition, I sought to watch the response of the students to these veteran teachers on this first day of class. Furthermore, I interviewed four students to get their perspectives on what the first day of class was like. The students responded in a refreshingly candid manner and their take on the first day of class was radically different than an mine. For this reason, I have purposely sought to avoid commenting on the students' comments because I do not want to put my spin on their words in any way. Thus, the comments from the students stand on their own and, I think, speak volumes to prospective teachers.
In the end, the three veteran teachers I observed gave me a substantial degree of insight on how to get the first day of school off to a positive and productive start. For the most part, I have intentionally sought not to be overly critical of any teacher's approach to the first day. Why? The teachers I observed are professionals, I am a novice; they are experienced, I am a neophyte; they are teachers, I am not. Instead of a critical analysis of these teachers, this paper is semi-ethnographic in nature. The first part of this paper is devoted to exploring and analyzing the dynamics of each teacher's approach roach to the first day of class. In the latter portion of this paper I synthesize the three teachers' approaches into an eclectic list of helpful ideas, techniques, and suggestions that novice teachers, such as myself, might be able to employ on that wonderful, dreaded first day of class.
I arrived at the school a little before Mr. Andrews and greeted him with a smile and a handshake when he came through the door. He is probably thirty-something, his dark hair is starting to show signs of turning gray, and he is a thin 6'4" tall. Over the summer, I heard a lot of great things about Mr. Andrews from his former students and, consequently, I am eager to be mentored by him. The first thing I noticed was that Mr. Andrews was wearing a tie. Granted, it was a cool looking Dr. Seuss tie, but it was a tie nonetheless. It seemed to simultaneously communicate that he was professional and approachable. Certainly, these are two important qualities to communicate as a high school teacher. It made me glad that I had come in a suit and tie, although my tie was rather boring compared to Mr. Andrews's. (I have made a note to get some cool ties after I get tenure.)
When we entered his room, I was immediately struck by the brightness of the room. It was a comfortable, cheerful off-white. Mr. Andrews had come in the week before to tidy the place up a bit. New posters of literary figures and colorful large print quotes surrounded the room. After seeing pictures of Tennyson, Milton, Shakespeare, Bryon, and Hardy, I became encouraged as it dawned on me that I would actually be able to use some of my college English training in a high school setting! So this is why I lab ored so long and hard over those writers and their works! Overall, the room looked clean but used. Yet, it was not as neat as I would desire my own room to be. For example, a broken television that seemed to serve no purpose was in the room. Nevertheless, the room was basically clean a and ready for students on this first day. Soon, the bell rang, the halls swelled with the noise of youth, and about twenty sophomores trickled into Mr. Andrews's class for English Composition II.
Immediately after the bell rang again, Mr. Andrews took control of the classroom. The very first words out of his mouth were words of praise for the students' prompt attendance. He began to talk to the students about the importance of being in their seats when the bell rings. He explained that this was a school rule, not just his preference. He explained clearly the consequence, being written up with a detention, if they should fail to comply. Interestingly, as Mr. Andrews moved around the room talking and passing out introductory information to the students, within one minute of the start of the class, I observed the principal of the school standing in the hallway listening to what Mr. Andrews was saying. He stood close enough to hear what Mr. Andrews was saying away so that the students were oblivious to his presence. I knew that Mr. Andrews could see the principal watching him, but he never flinched or even minutely acknowledged his presence. After about thirty seconds, seemingly satisfied, the principal moved on--presumably to listen to the other teachers conduct the first few minutes of their first day of class.
The first handout that Mr. Andrews went over was entitled, "Be Prepared, Be Prompt, Be Polite." In summary, this handout lucidly explains what Mr. Andrews expects from his students. Issues addressed include such things as late work, extra-credit, make-up work, sickness policy, and expected classroom behaviors. In addition to this handout, Mr. Andrews had a list of classroom "guidelines" hand written with a marker on white poster board displayed in the room. The poster read:
Mr. Andrews then moved on to a handout entitled, "Things Mr. Andrews Does Not Like to Hear," which included an explanation of his grading scale. With time quickly running away from him, Mr. Andrews handed out a discussion sheet to be worked on individually and then discussed as a class.
Mr. Andrews had plenty of material to cover the first day. Indeed, he had more material ready than he was able to finish. In fact, textbooks did not even get passed out on the first day of his class. When the bell rang, he informed students that they must wait for his word to be dismissed from his class. However, he promised to be prompt about dismissing them.
Later, I interviewed Dave about his impressions of Mr. Andrews' first day of class. Dave responded unenthusiastically, "I really did not want to be there." When I asked why he did not want to be there, Dave looked at me incredulously and said, "No one wants to be at school on the first day." I asked him if that was why he rolled his eyes when he came in. Dave smiled and said, "When I came into Mr. Andrews' class, I began to think of all the work he wants us to do, and I was thinking that there was no way I could do it all."
After Mr. Andrews's first class, I journeyed through a sea of adolescents to Mrs. Cynthia Keachie's freshman English Composition I class. Next spring, I will be teaching this class for Mrs. Keachie, so I wanted to get a feel for her class on the first day as well. Mrs. Keachie is about the same age as Mr. Andrews. However, she is a petite woman--physically smaller than most high school males. When I walked into her room I was greeted with a warm smile. She was well dressed and her room was tidy and conducive to learning. It was a print-rich environment with posters, quotes, bulletin boards and large letters that spelled out her philosophy of teaching Spanish: "Spanish is not a spectator sport." What I noted from the start was that though the class was filled with about thirty freshmen, the room was eerily silent. Since Southland High School has an attached K-8 building, I assumed that these students knew each other from previous years of school. I concluded that they must know something that I did not know about Mrs. Keachie. When the bell rang, my suspicions were confirmed.
Mrs. Keachie, though small in stature, immediately had the upper-hand on the class. She presented herself as a tough-minded, down-to-business, no-nonsense teacher. Frankly, she was quite convincing. She made it clear that while regurgitating simple information was an adequate response for junior high students, high school students, at least in her class, were going to learn higher order critical thinking skills. After this introductory statement, she took control in another way: she gave her students an alphabetical seating chart. She was making it extremely clear who would run the class, and no one had any doubts about who that would be. She demanded that students not talk to her with an attitude, as one young lady tried. She demanded that a young man, who was substantially larger than she, pay attention to her rather than put his head down on the desk. He did without question. When one girl began to pack up her belongings before the dismissal bell rang, Mrs. Keachie stopped her by asking her where she was going. The students seemed to be trying to see for themselves if what they had heard was true. It was.
Mrs. Keachie was very thorough in her explanation of what she expected from her students. She gave the students handouts that stated her policies on student evaluation, class guidelines, absences and make-ups, and information on major projects. The latter handout included a place for a signature from a parent or guardian. She informed the students that they were to take all four pages of her orientation material home to their parents to read and then sign. She expected the signed papers back in two days. When the students brought their signed handouts back to her, she would collect them and keep them on file. At that time she said that she would give the students a new, unsigned copy of the handouts to keep for their own reference.
After the class was dismissed, I walked up to Mrs. Keachie and she smiled at me and said, "I have learned from experience to come on strong at the beginning. Later on in the semester I will laugh and joke with the students." Clearly, she has developed a strategy for classroom control that works well for her. She also made reference to the fact that since these particular students were freshmen, she had to set the tone for four years of instruction in this initial meeting as she would undoubtedly meet many of these students in future classes. I like Cynthia Keachie and her style, and I am glad that I had a chance to observe her approach to her first day of class. I look forward to her input in my student teaching experience.
Later, I interviewed Sam and Jordan, students in Mrs. Keachie's English Composition I class. When I asked for their impression of Mrs. Keachie's first day of class, Sam immediately responded by saying, "I thought, 'this class is gonna suck!' She is really different from the English teacher we had last year. She uses big words that we don't understand." Sam chimed in with his first reaction to Mrs. Keachie's class: "I'm gonna hate this class. She preaches a lot."
The final teacher I observed was Social Science teacher, Mr. Rob Tyne. Mr. Tyne is in his mid-thirties and is one of the most popular teachers at Southland High School. Kids and parents alike rant and rave about him. In fact, the principal of the school once confessed to me that he would hate to lose Rob.
From the beginning, I recognized that Mr. Tyne's approach was going to be more casual than Mr. Andrews's and Mrs. Keachie's. For Mr. Tyne's first day, he was dressed in shorts and a shirt with a collar. When I found his room, he was out in the hall talking to students and other staff members. When the bell rang he was in front of the class telling the students, "This class is very interesting." He explained that they would discuss and argue over such things as psychology, sociology, religion, economics, and different view points of history. He gave little previews of dilemmas, but left the students hanging in terms of answers. He said, "This is what we will discover this semester." I noticed the students felt free to interact and make comments without raising their hands. Yet, Mr. Tyne did not seem to lose control of the class. In fact, he seemed to be in control but not controlling. In addition, the students seemed to enjoy learning from and with him. I saw a lot of smiling faces in his classroom, including his.
After about a half-hour of stimulating introduction to the social sciences, Mr. Tyne used a class activity that resembled brain teasers. He walked through it with the students, giving them hints along the way. It seemed that he had accomplished a set induction for his subject and wanted the students to have some fun for the rest of the period. It also seemed that the students enjoyed this exercise and the entire first day for that matter. Sara Lawson, a student in Mr. Tyne's Social Science class said that she liked the class and Mr. Tyne. Though she admitted that there was "a lot of homework," sh e still thought she would enjoy Mr. Tyne's class because "he is fair and fun."
Compared to the first two teachers I observed, Mr. Tyne's first day of class was a lot less structured, but no less effective. Each of the teachers I observed were competent and experienced--the kind of teachers I would love to have teach my own children (a real litmus test for any teacher). Yet, each teacher took a different approach in conducting his/her first day of class.
So how can novice teachers use these observations to get their own classes off to a great start on the very first day of class? What information can the pre-service teacher use to be able to approach that first day of class with a sense of enthus enthusiasm rather than fear? I think the anecdotes of the three teachers speak volumes to pre-service teachers about how they could conduct their first day of classes with great success. From my experience with these teachers, I offer the following suggestions for novice teachers to employ in order to set a positive tone and direction for the very first day class and, ultimately, the remainder of the year.
First, take Mr. Andrews, Mr. Tyne, and Mrs. Keachie's example seriously and get your room in order before school starts. Getting your room in order, perhaps a week before classes start, will enable you to check for supplies that may be needed for the first day, set up the desks in a preferable manner, decorate the room in such a way as to enhance learning, and clean the room if necessary. This will keep you from taking precious t time and attention away from students on the first day and possibly help you avoid unnecessary discipline problems. Also, imagine the positive message you are sending to the administration by showing up a week early to prepare your classroom. In addition, such preparation can serve as a motivation force for you as it may give you a mental frame of reference for conducting the lessons you are preparing. Finally, preparing your classroom ahead of time builds your ownership in the room--it becomes your room. When I was doing my clinicals at University High School, my cooperating teacher told me to walk around the room as the students entered a and make it my territory. By preparing our rooms in advance, we are marking out our territory. Even if this only amounts to a mere psychological advantage, as novice teachers, we need all the advantages we can get.
Second, be sure to dress professionally on that first day of class. In fact, the very first day of class, it might be safer to error on the over-dressing side. First impressions are important. By dressing professionally, like Mrs. Keachie and Mr. Andrews, we are telling students, staff, and the administration that we take our jobs seriously. When we dress in a way that communicates to others that we take our jobs seriously, others will tend to take us seriously as well. Later on, after a rapport is established and relationships move beyond the introductory stage, perhaps a more casual, though not sloppy, dress can be adopted. On an interesting note, because one of the students questioned him, I found out that the only reason Mr. Tyne was dressed in shorts on the first day of class was because he was the volleyball coach and had to be at practice immediately after school. It is important to note that the student seemed to expect a higher level of dress.
Third, on the very first day of class, be sure to arrive early. When I pulled into the Southland High School parking lot at 7:25 a.m., the teachers' parking lot was essentially full. Given the fact that school starts at 8 a.m., the teachers at Southland High School are screaming a message to beginning teachers about their first day: Be early. Most schools have clearly communicated arrival times for teachers. Arrive at school earlier than required. Again, if one errors on the first day, it is unquestionably better to error on the safer side. Our promptness, or our tardiness for that matter, sends a loud message to our coworkers, students, and the administration. After painfully sweating four or more years of col college for a degree that will enable us to land a teaching job, it seems ludicrous and foolish to shoot ourselves in the foot the first day of class by not showing up early.
Fourth, come prepared to class that first day with more than enough academic ideas and materials to keep students active. Think back to the horror stories you may have heard or experienced yourself about the first time you taught in clinical experience situations. One pre- service teacher told me that he thought he had a lesson plan prepared for his clinical experience instruction that would take at least forty minutes on the first day, but only lasted ten! Alas, he was caught unprepared. His cooperating teacher rebuked his lack of foresight, and for the rest of the week, he was never really able to fully recover from the poor start on the first day. Certainly, the stakes are higher when we come to that first day of student-teaching. The stakes are even higher the first time we stand before our own students in our own classroom as a first year teacher. It is imperative to come prepared: handouts neatly typed, lesson plans typed and in hand, and plenty of extra ideas and classroom act activities--just in case. Better to run out of time before we are able to use all of our ideas and activities than to run out of ideas and activities before we run out of time. The three veteran teachers I observed at Southland High School came prepared with more than enough to do on that first day of class. It would be to our advantage to follow their example.
Fifth, as soon as the bell finishes ringing, take charge of the class. Without exception, the teachers I observed did this. They stood at the front of the room facing the class waiting for the bell to quit and then immediately plunged in headlong. After the teachers introduced themselves, they took roll. Within a couple of minutes, the class was being oriented via handouts and oral presentation about such things as promptness, being out of their seats when the bell rang, and the nature of the class in terms of the academic content to be covered. For the first day of class, a general rule of thumb would be to start class as if we expect to see our principal standing outside the door of our classroom at any moment. Perhaps he/she will actually be standing there, listening to us instruct the class, shortly after the bell rings!
Sixth, find something positive to say about the class as soon as possible without appearing to be a sycophant. When I saw Mr. Andrews compliment the entire class about their promptness with the first words out of his mouth, I began to understand why students like him. This is not to imply that Mr. Andrews is an easily manipulated push-over. He made it extremely clear that he was not spineless. Certainly, any student who dared to deviate from Mr. Andrews' expected behavior would end up paying the consequences. However, when he had an opportunity to reinforce positive student behavior, he took it. Our training in educational psychology has taught us that behavior which is reinforced is likely to be repeated (remember classical conditioning?). When we fail to a affirm positive student behavior, we are potentially creating our own classroom problems. It would behoove us to follow Mr. Andrews's use of the principle of positive reinforcement as soon as we can that first day of class.
Seventh, it is imperative that student teachers and first year teachers know the school's policies on absenteeism, tardiness, and other pertinent issues. Like Mr. Andrews, we should be aware of the issues and communicate them to the students. The ramifications of a teacher not following board decisions and policies about classroom management are serious. Ignorance of such issues can be rectified by reading the student and teacher handbooks. Of course, these need to be read sometime before the first day of class.
Eighth, communicate clearly and in detail what you expect from your students. Include the Benefits of compliance and the consequences that students will face if they deviate from the expected behavior. Use handouts, the overhead, and poster-board to communicate this introductory information. Mrs. Keachie had a stellar idea when she required the signature of a parent or guardian on her introductory materials. This was an effort to not only communicate to the students, but also to the parents as well. This seems like a wise move to make as a teacher because it can minimize confusion about what the teacher expects from students and subtlety enlists the parent's help in the achievement of the expected behaviors.
Ninth, come on strong at the beginning. Undoubtedly, one of the strongest needs of both student teachers and first year teachers is the need to be liked by the students. Thus, we are afraid to assert our proper authority over students. However, failure to establish a clear understanding of our role and authority the first day of class could d come back to haunt us later. After observing the teachers mentioned in this paper, a safe rule of thumb for pre-service and first year teachers seems to be to come out of the blocks with an assertive, professional posture. Again, Mrs. Keachie comes to my mind. As a veteran educator, Mrs. Keachie knows that it is easier to come on strong at first and then lighten up the classroom atmosphere later in the semester. Said in another way, trying to be a friend to the students at first and then trying to tighten up classroom management later seems to lead to greater problems than the Keachie approach. An integral part of any friendship is respect. If respect is not firmly established by the teacher at the beginning of the year starting on the first day of class, then the friendship factor with students is on precarious ground from the start. Being firm is not mutually exclusive with being friendly to students. Either extreme over the long haul is not desirable. The safe rule of thumb for novice teachers hers seems to be to error on the firm side at the beginning, and, if there is a need, the teacher can always lighten up the atmosphere later in the semester after respect and discipline in the classroom have been firmly established.
Tenth, keep your expectations of student behavior and academic performance high. In keeping with the Pygmalion Effect, the teachers I observed at Southland High School demanded that their students use higher order thinking, writing, and oral communication skills. Students were clearly told that being in high school would be more demanding and fun than junior high school. When Mr. McMullen stood before his students and said, "This is class is very interesting," he was making a positive self-fulfilling prophecy that, according to his reputation among the students, staff and parents, seems to be a reality: His class is very interesting. Mr. Andrews used this same technique as well. When he finished his presentation on how he expected his students to conduct themselves in his classroom, he said, "You are all good students and I know that I will not need to send any of you to the principal's office." The result: he has not had to write a detention or send anyone to the principal's office in years. When we communicate high behavioral and academic expectations to our students the first day of class, we could be saving ourselves a lot of heartache and hassle later on in the semester.< p> While these ten suggestions are not by any means comprehensive, they are worthy of our consideration as we contemplate our first day of class as student and first year teachers. Without being trite, I would like to add one final observation. Without exception, all three teachers smiled at their students from time to time on the first day of class. I sensed that these teachers enjoyed teaching adolescents. This was clearly communicated via their verbal and nonverbal behaviors. While the verbal communication that first day convinced students that the teachers would be firm, the smiles communicated simultaneously that the teachers would also be friendly.
Though we cannot stop students from coming into our classes and rolling their eyes on the first day, there are many other variables that we can control. The serious and wise neophyte will take the initiative to use every controllable variable in his or her favor. With a little foresight, getting the first day of class off to a positive and productive start can be a reality. May the fear in our hearts about the first day of class motivate us to strategic planning and, ultimately, long term success as educators.
1997 Indiana University -
Center for Adolescent Studies, all rights reserved.