You’ve got big plans for your students this school year! Your head is swimming with ideas about what you want to teach them, and your heart is full of hope for their futures. This time of year brings the collective excitement and anticipation of millions of teachers striving to start off on the right foot with their new students.
We believe there are two questions students hold in their minds for their teachers on the first day: (1) Are you in charge? And, (2) Are you prepared?
While you contemplate a back-to-school list as long as your arm—supplies to buy, handbooks to read, guardians to call, standards to align (not to mention those two additional desks you still need!)—make time to reflect on how you’ll answer these two questions for students.
Are you in charge?
Students want to know if their new teacher has self-confidence, that she is in charge of her message, her tone, her decision-making process. They also want to know if she is in charge of the space, the behavioral boundaries, the collective energy of the classroom. Teachers who possess this air of “with-it-ness” communicate a message that it’s safe to open up, take risks and try new and hard things this year because “I’ve got your back in this classroom. It’s under control.”
Being in charge is not about ruling with an iron fist but leading from the heart; an in-charge teacher is not a “my-way-or-the-highway” teacher. Being in charge requires that we model a variety of purposeful behaviors for our students, including how to admit our wrongs, ask for help and be comfortable in our own skin.
Are you prepared?
Students find comfort in knowing that their teacher got ready for them. Not just that he mapped out lessons and made the necessary copies, but that he prepared specifically for them—he knows their names and how to pronounce them, he has determined where and how he wants them to sit, he has a clear command of the content and the message, and he has anticipated their confusion or struggle. And when they test a boundary, he expects it, responds to it, and moves on because he was prepared for that to happen too.
When students see that you’re prepared, it lets them know you have their best interests at heart; it shows that you take them and their education seriously.
What does it look like?
Consider this scenario in which an in-control, prepared teacher—we’ll call her Mrs. Neal—effectively juggles multiple layers of a dynamic classroom.
Mrs. Neal asks a higher-order question. Three hands go up. “Scholars, can I see some more hands?” She restates the question in a new way. Ten more hands shoot up. She’s about to call on Joseph to answer when she overhears Kiara call another student “retarded.”
“Change of plans. I’m setting the timer for two minutes. Stop and jot your answers down in your notebook. Then we’ll share.” While the students write, Mrs. Neal crouches down near Kiara and quietly reminds her that hurtful words are not tolerated in their classroom. She’d like her to apologize during afternoon circle.
The timer goes off. Joseph reads his answer. As she takes her roster to the attendance monitor who has appeared at the door, Mrs. Neal high-fives Joseph and asks the class a follow-up question. More hands shoot up. Without missing a beat, she signals for the class scribe to take notes on the board and the discussion leader to jump-start the conversation (each student has a class job).
The principal arrives with a new student. “Kiara, how about you help me greet our new friend? Let’s make him a nametag. You know where the supplies are.”
It takes practice.
Being in charge and prepared is really hard work. No one is expected to be Mrs. Neal every day. But culturally responsive teachers never stop reflecting on, anticipating and responding to their students.
Begin this school year by answering these “first-day” questions for students. If you do, then the answer to the tougher, more important ones—“Can I trust you? Do you understand me? Do you believe in me? Do you respect me?”—is more likely to be “Yes.”
Chiariello is a teaching and learning specialist at Teaching Tolerance.
Ewbank is an instructional coach for District of Columbia Public Schools.
