What Works in the First Week

 The first week of school for the 2023-24 school year has come and gone. It was my 27th first week as a paid teacher. I looked at my photo roll to see what memorable moments warranted a picture. My 97 images consisted mostly of:

• a bit of set-up (of my first loose parts provocation attempt for this year)
• group photos (taken of every class on the second day of school since the first was too hot and busy) to use in the yearbook
• kindergarteners in our first library/media class and first dance/drama class together

I've spent a lot of time creating and rejigging schedules and other administrative tasks. There aren't any photos of that.

It's been sweaty and hot - we have air conditioning but it broke - yet we had a very smooth start-up to the new school year. I hope other teachers might agree, despite the terrible weather conditions. To their credit, our principal and caretaker did what they could, arranging technicians to come immediately to fix the AC (which failed on the first attempt), turning off lights, borrowing fans, and encouraging educators to do what they needed (like eliminating strenuous physical activity or spending long periods in direct sunlight) to make it bearable.

There are certain activities, despite my love of novelty, that I use every year in September, because they work and serve a specific purpose successfully.

What do I do in the first week?

1) Play a game that teaches me and others the names of people in the class.

I used to be a Tribes TLC trainer, and one of the strategies or energizers we'd use was called 3 Ball Toss. I never use three balls; I only use a single koosh ball (which doesn't hurt if it hits anyone). Even though I've been at my current school since 2004, I always play some kind of game that practices name acquisition. For the kindergartners, I play Name Fame, followed by Name Train the next week. Even if I know 99% of the students already, I need to review the names now they are in a different class configuration. Plus, the students new to the school need to hear the names of their classmates. 

2) Read aloud short books.

Why short? Kindergarteners don't have a long attention span, and older students aren't used to school routines yet. Short, and usually funny, books are just right. There are so many favourites I have, but I make a point of having the students decide which book I will read, so they see right away that student agency and choice is important in my programming. I loved how a senior kindergarten student told me exactly how we should fairly decide which book to read by placing the book options on tables and then lining up in front of our preferences and then we could see which line had the most. I definitely took several photos of that action. (Some don't know how to line up yet, but most do, and that's okay.)

3) Give some time for students to play or have "free time".

I arrange for some time for students to play so I can listen and observe them. It's also pretty tiring for them to follow directions and postpone doing what they want when to obey the teachers. (I know I napped a few times after school this week, and I'm the one directing things!) I also take photos while they play, to show that I value what they do when they play.

The first few weeks of school are often seen as a "honeymoon" period, where everyone is "feeling each other out" and figuring out what the patterns will be for interacting during the school year. My goal is to continue the focus on student agency and joyful learning, not just in September. I hope this will be a productive and enjoyable year for everyone.