Preparations During the First Week of School

Prepare The Floor Space

·        Count the number of tables and chairs needed. Arrange to have the damaged furniture replaced and sufficient furniture brought in. Ask for needed items well ahead of time. Do not be hostile if things are not as you want them, especially if your requests are made at the last minute.

·        Administrators and custodians are truly helpful people and want quality education for the children as much as you do. Get to know them and you’ll discover that they are competent, cooperative, compassionate and helpful. They are not the ogres the negative teachers would want you to believe they are.

·        Even if you plan to change your room arrangement during the school year with the tables in rows facing the teacher. This minimizes distractions, allow you to monitor behavior more readily, and help you become familiar with the students in your class.

·        Tables do not have to be in traditional rows, but all chairs should face forward so that all eyes focus on you.

·        Place students’ tables where students can easily see the teacher during whole class or small group instruction.

·        Keep high traffic area clear. Do not put tables, chairs in front of door, sink or paper baskets.

·        Have a strategic location ready for student who need to be isolated from the rest of the class.

 

 

 

 

 

Prepare the Work Area

·        Arrange work areas and table so that you can easily see and monitor all the students and area no matter where you are in the room.

·        Students should be able to see you as well as frequently used whiteboard, bulletin board, screens, demonstration areas and displays

·        Keep traffic area clear, allow enough clearance to move up and down and around the last seat in the row.

·        Keep access to storage area, bookshelves, cabinets and door clear

·        Learn the regulations regarding fire, and have an escape plan, so that the classroom is ready for such emergency

·        Make sure that you have enough chairs for the work areas.

·        Be sure that you have all necessary materials for your work area, such as books, laboratory supplies, media, activity cards, tools and instruments.

·        Test your equipments to make sure that it works before you intend to use it.

·        Use trays, boxes, cans, dishpans, or whatever to store the materials students will need. Arrange your room for these to be readily accessible to the students.

·        Arrange the work areas so that activities can be carried out smoothly without waste of time in rearranging and cause confusion amongst students.

 

Prepare the Student Area

·        Save yourself many a headache, plan area for student belongings now. Provide space for their binders and workbooks, backpacks, tumblers, snack box, lost-and-found items

Prepare The Wall Space

The most effective class are those where the students are self disciplined, self motivated, and self responsible learners. Teach your students to consult the bulletin board for information on what to do and how to do it. You do this by teaching procedure and routine.

·        Cover one or more bulletin board with color paper and trim, and leave it bare. The purpose of this bulletin board is to display student work, not to be decorated by a teacher to look like a department store show window.

·        Display your discipline plan in a prominent place. You can relocate it after the first week.

·        Post procedures, assigned duties, calendars, clock, emergency information, escape plan, schedules, menus, charts, maps, decorations, birthdays and student work.

·        Have a consistent place for listing the day’s or week’s assignment.

·        Post a large example of the proper heading or style for paper to be done in class.

·        Post example of test student will take, assignments they will turn in and paper they will write.

·        Display the feature topic, theme, chapter or skill for the day or the current unit.

Prepare the Teacher Area

Maximize your proximity to student and frequently used materials and equipment. Time is lost when teachers and students waste steps to reach each others, gather materials or use classroom equipments.

The closer you are to your students, the more you will minimize your classroom behavior problems. When the teacher is physically close to the student and can get to them quickly, their on-task behavior increases. When the teacher is far from a student and cannot get to a student quickly, the student is more likely to stop working and disrupt others. Maximize your proximity to minimize your problems.

“A teacher’s discipline problem are directly proportional to the distance from the students”

·        Place the teacher’s table, file and other equipment so that they do not interfere with the flow of traffic. Do not create a barrier between yourself and your students. Place your table so that you can move quickly to a student 6to assist, reinforce or discipline.

·        Place the teacher’s table so that you can easily monitor the classroom while at your table or working with individual student.

·        Place the teacher’s table away from the door so that no one can take things from your table and quickly walk out.

·        If you choose to have everything on and in your table treated as personal property, make this clear during your teaching of classroom procedure and routine.

Prepare The Teaching Materials

·        Have a letter ready with the materials you want your students to bring from home. Have a place and a procedure ready for the storage of these materials

·        Have a method ready for matching students to a table. Have name cards ready and on students’ tables. Or use a chart correlating table arrangement with the students name

·        Have your basic materials ready for the first week of the school. These include books, papers, pencils, rulers, glue, markers, stapler, tape, eraser, color pencils, marking pens. And most of all a container or bag for these materials. Label your containers, and place in each an inventory card listing everything that should be in the container.

·        Store seldom-used materials out of the way, but be sure they are inventoried and ready for immediate use.

·        Place electronic media where there are electrical outlets and where the students will not trip over the wires. Have an extention cord adapter plug handy.

·        Organize and file your master,  extra worksheets so that they are immediately ready for any students who were absent or who need extra help.

Prepare Yourself

·        Keep your belongings in a safe location.

·        Have emergency materials handy, such as tissue paper, rags, paper towel, soap, first aid kit. Store this for your use, not for students

·        Obtain a syllabus guide and calendar for each of the subject that you teach.

·        Make sure you know the lesson plan formats that the administrator required. 

·        Obtain a supply of the forms that are used for daily school routines, such as attendance forms,  Since you will use these forms each day, place them where you can find them immediately.