When I began as a teacher, I listened to advice from veteran teachers and from books geared toward new teachers.  I developed plans and lists and lists of lists and plans for more planning.  While much of the advice felt helpful, there were certain ideas that turned out to fail miserably, mostly because they seemed designed to transform me from teacher into drill master.  The following are five misconceptions I had about the first day of school:

Misconception #1: Don’t Let Them See You Smile Until December
I tell a few jokes and smile a great deal the first day, which has a real disarming effect.  Instead of seeing me as an easy target or a doormat, students feel comfortable.This helps increase motivation while reminding students that there is a time for laughter and a time to buckle down and work.

Misconception #2: Begin with Rules and Procedures
I’m not against this idea of procedures, but I think it works best when we start with the concept of “community rituals” rather than rules. I use a chart with questions (for example, “Can I use the restroom?”) and grouping (individual, partner, small group, whole class) and answer the questions in the chart.  This entire process takes ten minutes and we spend the rest of the time on our first assignment.  It’s important to me that students are mentally engaged on the first day.

Misconception #3: Don’t decorate your class. Leave it as a blank canvas for your students.
While I agree with allowing students to help create the culture and climate of the classroom, I find that the physical space speaks volumes as they walk into my room.  I want them to see the history and continuity of former students, so I have examples of past student projects that are framed.  I recognize that they will determine the values of the classroom based upon the structure, so I avoid pre-made posters and instead opt for decoupage symbols with descriptions of reading strategies and paintings of the six traits.  I want them to internalize the classroom motto of “learn to serve,” so I paint it on the wall.  The physical climate is a big deal.

Misconception #4: Prove to them how much you know
I read this in a few different books.  I’m supposed to show my authority by talking about my college degrees and sharing with them all the summer professional development courses I attended.  Here’s the deal: they don’t care.  I will prove my content knowledge in dialog and in quality lessons.  What I can do, however, is be honest about the fact that I don’t have it all together.  Thus, on the first day of school, I start with, “I really love teaching and I care about my students.  But there are times when I may say things that are hurtful.  I might get angry.  Ever since I was a kid, anger was an issue for me.  I want this place to be safe and I will try to be respectful.  However, if I’m not, I’ll apologize.”  Students respond really well to this.

Misconception #5: It’s important to pretest the students
I would wait to pretest students until after the first week.  Often, they have forgotten content and gotten out of the habit of academic learning.  Take the first couple of days and introduce new concepts while also reviewing prior knowledge.  You’ll find that many of the students will bridge the gap and they’ll be ready for a pretest the next week.