Before School Starts

A. Preparing the Classroom

Gathering Materials:

Instructional Lab located at Downing and Pacific.

Contains a large number of ideas and materials for making lettering, posters, folders, etc.
Has machines to laminate your work.
Contains audio-visual materials which may be borrowed for classroom use.
This lab is open Monday - Thursday from 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

School Site

Availability of materials on hand will vary somewhat from school to school - become acquainted with yours.
The location of materials likewise may vary, but generally will be found in or near the faculty/teacher workroom.
Orders for materials are generally placed with your school secretary or department head.

Educational Supply Stores

While these stores can supply ideas, especially for bulletin boards and posters, the merchandise tends to be pricey.
In most cases these materials could be made at the instructional lab at no cost to the teacher.

What About Shared Rooms?

Rights and Responsibilities if you are using a room part time

Teacher's Desk - check on having two in the room, or at least having a locked file cabinet or locked cupboard in each room you share.
Bulletin Board space for display of student work and display of unit materials should be divided according to the number of periods / amount of time each teacher uses the room.
Portable Chalkboard - if there is sufficient space in the room, and if there is one available, you might want to have the extra board space.
Placement of Furniture, including teacher and student desks, should be mutually agreed upon.
It is the responsibility of each teacher to leave the classroom neat and orderly for the next teacher, and to safeguard the materials used in that classroom.

B. Lesson Planning

Lesson Plans are for your use, the use of a substitute should the need arise and you are without emergency plans, and the information of the administrators. They are your guide.

What is Included?

A lesson plan should include the objective, worded as a measurable skill and the assignment the student is expected to complete to demonstrate understanding of the material of instruction.

Where are they Kept?

A teacher usually keeps a copy of the lesson plans and gives one to the secretary for placement in a substitute file. It is my suggestion that you might want to provide each student with a copy of your plan for their class and post the lesson plans for each class on your bulletin board(s). A student who is absent then knows the material that is being covered (or was covered) and can keep up or make up the assignment without creating any extra work for you.

When are they Due?

Lesson plans are frequently written for one week ahead and turned in to the office before you leave campus on Friday.

I would suggest that, rather than writing a dated weekly lesson plan, you consider writing a lesson sequence for as long as possible. This eliminates the weekly due date, and additionally, a lesson sequence is good for as long as you use the textbook to which it refers. You can add a footnote advising that assignments may be added as needed to achieve mastery.

C. What If I Need Equipment? (VCR, A.V., TV, Overhead, etc.)

Availability

This equipment is usually kept at a central location - very often the school library or media center. Teachers may visit that location to request and obtain materials and / or have the equipment delivered to the proper classroom.

A Caution and a Warning

Use of the VCR and TV and all duplicating must follow district guidelines and U.S. copyright laws. Video materials must be approved for school use. If in doubt, don't use the video until you have cleared it with your site administrator!

The Overhead Projector - the Teacher's Most Powerful Tool

I strongly recommend that teachers use an overhead projector. The overhead eliminates the need for the teacher to turn his/her back on the students.
Use of the overhead allows the teacher to maintain eye contact with the students.
The information shown on the overhead is frequently more easily seen than that written on a chalkboard.
The use of acetate sheets allows transparencies to be made, erased and reused.
Transparencies can be prepared in advance, saving the time of writing on the board.

D. What About Duplicating?

Duplicating may be done at the school site or the district office.

Plan Far Enough Ahead

I suggest that you plan ahead as far as possible to save your time, save wear and tear on the site equipment, and to secure your copies as economically as possible.
Materials sent to the district for duplication are usually back within a week. You may obtain the order forms from your secretary. It is more economical if you have both sides of the sheet printed.
For a small number of copies and/or when advanced planning hasn't made it possible to send your materials to the district, you must duplicate at your school site. Don't put things off until the last minute when the machines may be in use or broken down and not available.

Kinds of Duplicating Machines at Most School Sites

Photocopy machines (Xerox) used for a small number of copies (less than 20 to 40)
Duplicating machines which run copies from a master stencil for longer runs. Since most of these machines accept only sheet paper for making the master, you must first make a Xerox copy of a page from a book in order to make copies of selections from a book.

E. Who Can I Turn to for Help?

The district provides an extensive network of mentor teachers to provide assistance in classroom management, technology, and content areas. These mentors may be contacted at their school sites or through Educational Services. I may be reached by email at dmynster@geocities.com ---- I will be happy to do all I can to make your teaching easier and more enjoyable. I will contact you via email, phone, or in person as soon as possible.
At each secondary school there are either department chairpersons or lead teachers who you can turn to not only for help in content areas, but also for questions of a general nature.
Office personnel, administrators, librarians, and custodians are all anxious to cooperate and help familiarize you with your school's procedures. Get to know them.

F. Are There Special Procedures for Record Keeping?

Generally there are special enrollment procedures for the first day of school (ie: a student is not officially enrolled even if his/her name is on your attendance sheet until the student sets foot in your classroom).

An accurate attendance is important. Your attendance sheets are a legal document. In your teacher's handbook you will generally find a list of attendance symbols (ie: "E" for Enrolled, "/" for absent, "T" for Tardy).

I recommend making a seating chart the first day (using colored "sticky notes" - blue for boys, pink for girls) on a blank sheet of notebook paper. Once it is completed, just slip the chart inside a plastic cover sheet. Mark your attendance on the plastic and later transfer these marks to your rollbook.

G. How Will I Know If I Have Supervision Duties?

Teachers are expected to serve supervision duty. There will be a posted schedule (often made with teacher input). It is your responsibility to be at your assigned duty at the time and day listed. If you have some sort of a conflict, find a teacher to trade with you and / or notify the office. Check and see if you have first day duty.

In addition to supervision duty during the regular school day, on may faculties teachers are expected to give a certain number of additional supervision hours for school dances, sporting events, and special programs, etc.

H. Is There Anything Else I Should Know Before School Begins?

At most schools there is some sort of faculty club which selects officers and functions for the purpose of supplying fellowship, cameraderie, and a sense of caring. This group frequently will have sign-up lists for supplying coffee (from those who drink coffee) along with sugar and creamer. There is also generally for those who want to share in bringing and enjoying treats, usually once a week or once a month. On significant occasions (births, deaths, weddings, Boss' Day, Secretary's Day) the faculty will provide a card signed by all along with some appropriate remembrance. To pay for these cards, gifts, and remembrances faculty clubs collect a small dues fee each year.

In these days of School-Based Management, much of the work of running the school is given to committees, and each teacher is expected to be a part of one or more of these.

There are faculty meetings scheduled, generally the days before classes begin. At this time many of the school procedures will be discussed, and sign-ups for duties and committees will take place. Other faculty meetings will be scheduled throughout the year, often on "special days" (ie: student-free, shortened, or minimum days).

In planning bulletin boards, it is a good idea to make and post a large bell schedule. In addition to the schedule for regular school days, you might want to include schedules for all the special days (shortened, minimum, and assembly).

There are "Student-Free Days" scattered throughout the school year. Although the students are not present, these are regular work days for the teachers and are used for staff development. All teachers are expected to be present throughout that work day.

What Do I Do On The First Day?

A. Follow enrollment procedures and complete any supervision duty.

B. Take Attendance.

C. Make Seating Charts

This will make getting acquainted with your classes easier. I would suggest being creative in making your charts. Using alphabetical order can lead to problems when students find themselves next to the same people in several classes, leading to relationships which carry from class to class, making classroom control more difficult than it might otherwise be.

D. Provide Students With "Student/Parent Letter"

This should include classroom standards/rules, procedures, and grading systems. This is also a good place to inform students of any special materials they might need, or projects which might be required for the class.

E. Get A Student Writing Sample

If time permits, a short paragraph or two written by each student on their expectations for the class might provide you with valuable information about the students' skills, abilities, and work habits.

What Do I Do After The First Day?

After the first day you settle into making your plan work, or altering the plan so you will accomplish your objectives with maximum student success. To this end I would suggest the following:

A. Activities

It is better to have planned too many activities and too much work than not enough. You never want students with time on their hands and nothing to do.

B. Control

It is easier to relax your control than to try and regain it if you allow a class to get out of control. Be firm, be fair, and most of your students will respect you and work.

C. Establish a Routine

Have a routine and follow it. This is especially important at the beginning of class in controlling tardies. This is the time when the tone for the entire period is established.

Here I would suggest that when the passing bell rings for students to begin entering your class, have an activity which they are to complete in a specified amount of time after the tardy bell. Give a grade or point value to this assignment. The earlier students arrive, the more time they have to complete the task. The tardy student loses out.
Have your objective for the class clearly before the students as a reminder of what they are to be learning that period. The chalkboard is a good place to write the objective. At the period's end you might have the students write a brief summary of the main points they have learned about that objective.
Have a homework box near the door in which students deposit their work before taking their seats. Homework not in the box when the tardy bell rings is either not accepted or given only partial credit. This encourages students to be on time by penalizing those who are not. It also allows you to do a quick check and quickly return the assignment, pointing out those who neglected to turn in their homework.
Control the paper flow. Remember to "teach smarter, not harder." You deserve a life apart from teaching, so don't get buried under a ton of grading - control the paper flow.
Have your class under control at all times, right up to the time of dismissal. Students should not be allowed to leave until the classroom is neat and orderly. Remember, you dismiss the class, the bell does not.

D. Don't Reinvent the Wheel

Keep a file of correspondence stored on a computer disk. Stored correspondence, including the student/parent letter, positive and negative notices, recommendations, back to school and open house letters may all be revised and easily updated without retyping the whole thing.

If your school has prepared forms, keep a supply of restroom, office, nurse, and library passes on hand. This will help keep class disruption to a minimum when these passes are requested and/or needed.

Likewise, a supply of detention and referral forms should be kept on hand and made out at least in duplicate when needed. One copy should be kept for your file.

E. How Do I Get And Keep Control (How Do I Discipline)?

Good discipline, good control, does not just happen - it is the result of careful planning, consistently implemented.

You must know what you want, what you expect of students
You must convey your expectations to your students
You must make them accountable by having them sign an agreement (ie: your student/parent letter)
You must have a system of consequences and rewards which are fairly and consistently carried out
You must always treat a student professionally and with respect - never allow your anger at a student's misdeeds to impair your good judgement and jeopardize your career.

Other factors which contribute to good classroom control:

Good lesson planning is a main component of good discipline. Be sure to check the Lesson Planning page for detailed suggestions.
Most schools will have a basic school-wide plan for discipline, perhaps covering things like tardies, gum chewing, and dress standards. These must be enforced.
It is a good idea to meet the students at the classroom door for the following reasons:

You can monitor the hall
Your presence may remind students to hurry on to class
The personal, friendly "Hello" conveys an attitude of interest and caring
You may be able to pick up certain "vibes" to things going on that you will want to watch during the period.

When students enter the classrom, there should be a routine that is to be followed (an expected behavior). I particularly like to have students deposit their homework in a box, immidiately take their seats and begin work on a timed activity.
An objective written on the board helps students focus and direct their energy and attention during the class period.
Even at a time when students are working in groups or with partners, the teacher must be in control. This is achieved by advance preparation in which the teacher carefully explains the lesson and the expectations for completion.
It is generally advisable to have students submit their work at the period's end, thus holding them accountable and having an immediate assessment of understanding.
A light, fast-paced lesson is more conducive to good discipline than one that is boring or undirected, where neither teacher nor student is certain about the objective or point of the lesson.

For more ideas on discipline, visit the Classroom Control page.

For comments or questions contact: Dorothea Mynster.

This page last updated on August 26, 1997.

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