Back to School!
Dateline: 9/1/99
As Elementary School Educators, our lives revolve around the seasons. Just as summer signifies rest and relaxation, fall translates into books, lesson plans, new students, and, most likely, major stress. The start of the school year represents a blank page for both teachers and students: time to make a fresh start and prepare to make this year better than any other! Before school even starts, teachers return, at least mentally, to the classroom to prepare for a whole new crop of students. Lesson plans and bulletin boards must be designed, classroom management decisions must be made, the physical layout of the classroom needs to be determined, and, if you team teach, all of these decisions and ideas must be coordinated with your partner.
Then, once the students arrive on the first day of school, we must be sensitive to the needs of at least twenty new children, who might need time to adjust to a new teacher and a new set of expectations. Many teachers work together with the children to mold and define the classroom rules and expectations. And, you won't want to forget to include some clever Ice Breaker activities to engage the students in getting to know each other. Much of the coming year's success depends on what is accomplished during the first days of school.
Don't miss About.com's special feature about Back to School!
Stay tuned to Elementary School Educators at About.com throughout the school year for links to the best web resources and timely features articles that might even make your job a little easier. Upcoming features will include topics such as Language Arts, Classroom Management, Mathematics, Free Things for Teachers, and How to Find Pen Pals for your class.
