The First Day of Class
Even very experienced teachers can get the jitters before the
first day of class (indeed, Andrea has a variation of the same
anxiety dream the night before beginning of classes each term!).Most
likely, a little nervousness probably helps to keep us on our
teaching toes. The best way to deal with such nervousness is
through careful and thorough preparation. Again, make sure you’ve
gone over your class list. You may even want to visit your classroom
before the first day of classes to familiarize yourself with
the layout. In addition, remember to take some time (fifteen
minutes at least) to concentrate your thoughts and rehearse what
you will do during this important first meeting; to smile and
be friendly; and to have with you a sequence of activities so
that you won’t forget any of them. Include on this list
several key items:
- Write the course information on the board;
- Take roll, noting every student present as well as
those who are absent (also note the absences on the Class
Roster ) ;
- Do not allow unenrolled students who want to be in
your class to sit in—send them to the PWR office;
- Distribute and discuss your syllabus, going over policies,
assignments, and texts students must acquire;
- Leave time for questions about the syllabus;
- Do some sort of introduction exercise, such as asking students
to pair up and then, after talking for five minutes, introduce
each other to the class;
- Begin a class contact list. For this list, you should ask
students to discuss the information they want to share. Most
students will be comfortable sharing email addresses and phone
numbers, but remember that some may have had experiences that
make them feel such sharing could be dangerous;
- Plan some kind of reading and writing activity that introduces
the course theme and the rhetorical foundation of the course.
Immediately after class, report those absent to the
PWR office so that they can be dropped from your class. Submit
the Class Roster to the Program Assistant after each of your
first three classes.
