First Time Kindergarten Teacher Needs Help!!

[lsugirly76]

I have been teaching noncategorical preschool for the last year and this year I will be teaching kindergarten. I will have 18 students. My question is what do you do in the beginning? The first day I am so confused about and nervous. Its also my first time teaching in a public school system. They are riding buses and can you tell I am nevous. I would appreciate at any help thanks

[momtomonkeys]

I am sure the school you'll be teaching at will have lots of good ideas for you but here are some important things to remember...

At Open House, before school starts, have a helper/assistant there helping you. She/he can help answer questions regarding lunch/recess/naps etc. I always had my para-pro find out from each parent how their child would be going home the first day of school and there on after. She kept it in a "transportation Notebook" that I laminated and kept on my desk at all times. It had pockets and I would put any transportation notes from parents in there to help me remember any changes. On the first day of school I made sure (before anything else) that I knew how each and every child would be going home that afternoon. Since you will only have 18 that will make it much quicker for you. I also had name tags that I gave the students at open house to wear the first week of school. I also wrote their mode of transportation on the tag (so that the parents were aware of the way we thought they were going and so that we knew). Also, if students get separated from your class then other personnel can help them find their bus/van/car.

The next most important thing is getting through lunch. This is usually a hard task for kindergarteners because they have to carry their lunch trays. If this is the case at your school then take them to the lunchroom well before lunch and practice going through the lunch line getting empty trays and milk ...explaining things all the while. This always helped the kids!!!

Now, if you have any extra time during that first day, lol, then you can actually do some fun things. I always had my kids draw a picture of themself on the first day. Then, at the end of the year they drew another picture and the comparison is amazing! I also read lots of books about school. When the students first arrived in class, I had "centers" set up at the various tables (puzzles at one, art at one, pattern blocks at another and so on.). I also had their name tags already on the tables/coatracks and that helped them have ownership of the room. I usually had a fun art/craft activity that the students could make and take home that first day. One neat thing to make is a crown that says "I am special!" and let them decorate it with sequins and other art supplies. Another "winner" is to do music w/ movement in your classroom. Get some movement records/tapes/cds from the store or the library and get the kids moving to music!

I could go on and on but I am sure that would just confuse you more. I do want to say that you may want to make a daily folder for every child if your school doesn't already do that. We sent this folder(3 prong/2pocket) home daily and in the prongs we had a behavior sheet. On the sheet we would make a weekly calendar and I would write on it daily. It took about 20-30 mins (usually their nap time) and I wrote something in each child's folder about their day. The parents LOVED this! They sometimes would write notes back to me in the daily block or just respond with smiley faces. The students work also went home DAILY in this folder. This was the most important part of my program. It also had a zip lock bag stapled inside that the parents put notes and lunch money in! The kids took them out every morning and put them in a box on my desk. We took out the notes and lunch money and never had problems with lost items! Parents liked getting to see their work on a daily basis and would work on any necassary skills at home weekly.

Good luck!!! You'll love kindergarten!

Missy

[Rebecca]

Dear new Kg teacher,
My recommendation to you is to be very organized with your paper work. Be sure you have a paper asking parents how their child will go home the first day, and after the first day of school. Have all the parents phone numbers and emergency phone numbers on hand, just in case anything happens.
What we have done in the past is make little hats for each child. If a child rides the raccoon bus, for example, he or she will have a raccoon hat. (Depending on what type of bus your school has). When the child leaves, you take the hat from him/her, so you know who left. (You might also want to have a chart handy when you release the kids, so you can check their names off).
Another suggestion, if you do not have a full time aide, ask a friend to come in and help the first day. The little ones often are over whelmed, as well as the mommies and daddies. The extra hands and eyes may help.
I have more ideas up my sleeve, so if you need anymore suggestions, please feel free to e-mail me. Good luck!
Rebecca :> nippityzulu@earthlink.net

[MaryL]

I'm also a Kindergarten teacher. On our first day I gather all of the children onto the floor as soon as they arrive. The parents are usually standing nearby. We introduce ourselves, etc. Then I do a little talking about what we will do on that particular day (no surprises!!!). I point out the clock, and my watch. We talk about what time we will go home. I promise them that I will never forget. I show them my family picture. I remind them that I have to go home to be a Mommy to my kids, and I can't stay at school all night. The children seem to be very reassured by all of this. We giggle about how big the moms and dads are in comparison to the chairs and tables. I tell them that I think they are just too big to stay in Kindergarten. The kids think this is funny. We give the moms and dads a big kiss...and send them on their way. I give the kids a little tour of the room, and let them have a little bit of play time. (One lifesaver for me, is that we have an open house the week befoe school begins. The children bring all of their supplies on that day, and I don't have to worry about sorting them out, etc, on the first day.)

I do not take my "tour" of the school on the first day. I think its just toooo overwhelming for the kids. We save that for the second day. I also have the children do some sort of art project to bring home on the first day. I like to do one with handprints with a poem that reads, "Here are my hands with ten fingers in all, made my frist day of Kindergarten to hang on the wall. When I look at this picture I'll remember and say, My hands and I had a very good day." It's simple...and parents like it. I also have them draw a self portrait...if time. We read at least one story, like "Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten", and there is a new book out titled "Twas the Night Before Kindergarten" that looks adorable!

Of course, you need to show the children where the bathroom is! I do this right away, and ask the children frequently (on the first day) if any one needs to use the restroom. We will sing a song or two. At the end of the day, I talk about what we will be doing the next day. (Again, no surprises!) I also take a marker and put a little smiley face on their thumb. I tell them to hide their thumb, and when their mom/dad asks how their first day of school was, they can give them a "thumbs up".

Hope this was helpful~ Oh, about the buses.....get the children ready for the buses early....and don't feel panicked! The buses will wait on the first day, and for the first weeks! This is a stressful time, for everyone. I definately keep a list on my desk of who is on the bus (and which one), car poolers, day care, walkers, etc.

~Mary

[Leigh]

I don't have any ideas for you. I was just checking here because I might need some of these ideas too, and I wanted to tell you that I hope that all goes well for you. Let us know how it goes, and remember we are always here if you need to vent.