this is going to be a little blog posting about how I wished it had gone like.....and how it actually went.
First: How I Wished the First Week of School had gone:
So after talking to teachers and brainstorming and learning from our mistakes from the first week of school, I came up with a game plan for how an ideal first week should have looked like.
1st day
- children learn where the bathroom is, where the sinks and drinking fountains are
- how to ask to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water
- children learn where the circle time area is and how to sit in circle
- play "simon says" and then have a special word for sitting cross-legged with hands in their lap like "criss-cross apple sauce
- children learn how to walk in the classroom
- slowly with arms folded
- children learn what to do when they hear the bell
- stand up and freeze with arms folded, listening for the teachers instruction
- children learn how to get out a mat and roll it out/roll it up/ walk around it
- children learn how to do a puzzle
- lunch protocol
- lunch boxes under chair
- raising your hand when you need help
So on the first day you get all your kids, some have been there before, some are brand new! We had mostly new students, but a few older ones. So after the children were all in circle, we sang a few songs, played a few name games, and then I had them follow me with their eyes as I introduced the bathroom, the sinks, etc.
Then, after I demonstrate walking/rolling a mat, i ask a student who has been in our Montessori class before to show the rest of the class. This is very empowering to them and great fun. Then, let the children all practice 1 by 1 at first. Then let everyone go practice. Once you've finished all your drills. I suggest snack.
Now that you've had snack, it's time to show them the jobs. Introduce the areas of the class, but here's the kicker, and the main thing I wish I would have done.
Rule 1: Do not touch any jobs that you have not had a lesson on.
This is to keep the children from misusing materials, get discouraged by the inability to do jobs they are not ready for and to stop bad habits from forming before they've had a lesson. You still need to have the entire first month of jobs out (most of them, I suggest not having out jobs that include sand, water or glass for the few couples of week).
That's why I suggest having lots of puzzles around. It's pretty hard for a child to misuse a puzzle, but still, I suggest modeling taking out a mat. Walking over to the puzzles, bringing it over, and thing laying out the peices one by one exactly how it appeared on the puzzle on the mat. That way anyone can redo the puzzle.
Work on that until recess, lunch after recess. Teach the children to put their lunchboxes under their chair. and to raise they're hand when they need help opening things. That way you don't have a million kids clammering all over you to open their capri sun.
Rule 2: have the same expectations from day one.
Don't let things slide or do things for them that you don't plan on having to do for them later in the school year. Have consistent expectations. That way, from day 1, we had the children clean up after themselves after lunch. Have plenty of rags and a bucket of hot soapy water, lots of brooms and dust pans. You'll have to do a lot of the work, like sweeping things into piles to make it easier for them to sweep it into the bin, but it's setting the habit that is important. After lunch, it's time for nap.
I hope this was helpful.
What do you do on the first day of school?
