Wk4: Classmate Response: Richard

The Importance of a Good First Day of School

The first day of school is very important for teacher as well as their students, it sets the tone sometimes for the week to come and sometimes the entire school year. With everyone getting ready for school I thought it would be great to talk about, what is your favorite “first day” activity?

I must admit, I didn't miss the first day of school this year. Though, looking back on things I did before, I do miss the students. Now, I taught high school and most of the first day is spent going over rules and syllabi and such...But I usually saved time at the end for something fun that related to the class. For example, in debate, I had student give 2, 1-minute speeches (to get them used to speaking in front of people right away). The first speech was "Something I Love" and the other was "Something I hate" and usually they always have more fun with the hate speech. But it is a way to get to know the students and get them ready for the class.

In my drama classes, I start the year out with some fun improv games like Frog Toss (originally Ball Toss, but the ball deflated so I began using a stuffed frog) Where the students have to get used to thinking quickly. So we start out with a topic (ex: Movies) and we go through the alphabet randomly tossing the frog to someone in the circle. It always amazes how they can't even remember the alphabet let alone a movie title. This activity usually gives me a glimpse into the mentality of the students. If they are excited and into the game I can tell it will be a good class. If they are reluctant and don't even try I also get an idea as to how this class will go.