Life gets a lot busier once school starts. I do lots of prep work as soon as the new student-lists come out at my school. This allows me to free up more brain space to use while in action. It also helps me feel more prepared and confident. I find that when I have less variables consuming my energy, I can focus on the ones that really matter: the kids. These are the 3 Things music teachers prep before the first day of school! 1. Have a Classroom Management Strategy This is so important for your sanity, as well as your students’. Being constantly overstimulated by noise, social interactions and the general first-day jitters can be overwhelming. Add in sound makers to the mix and it is quite hard on your mental health. You will see a lot of homeroom teachers coming up with classroom expectations with their students. This is great for them but unfortunately, when you see hundreds of students a day, this isn’t always quite ideal. Recording everything each class says, creating the poster and having them all engage with it is quite difficult in the 20 or 30 minutes you have together. It gets busy trying to learn/remember new names while trying to have some semblance of activities. Instead, come up with your list of dos and don’ts, and then provide scenarios for your kiddos. Put them into hypothetical situations and have them come to the conclusion of which expectation makes sense in that scenario. These are the posters I use in my classroom (you can find them on my store). I start by having the scenario, have the 30-second discussion and then show them the expectation poster on my screen. Next time they come to class, I will have the posters attached to the wall at their eye-level. This allows us to review and have reminders about acceptable behavior in my music room. 2. Have a seating-plan strategy with transition ideas. Not only does this help you to learn names, but also creates a sense of security. This makes hallway transitions easier for the students that need that kind of structure. When they know where they are supposed to be, it frees up that bit of space at the beginning of your class. This allows you to do attendance, get the activity ready, or anything else you need to do at the start. I switch up the seating-plan once a month or so, which lets me adjust for tough relationships among the kids. It also keeps it interesting for them! This is what my seating plan template looks like. It’s a schematic of the carpet I have in my room. It definitely came in handy during the pandemic. I found that kids with masks had difficulty projecting their voice, especially being shy in a new environment with a new stranger. This system is still necessary as it became a part of our routine. On the first day, I start by letting them sit wherever they want… they’re already nervous and so am I! Then I make sure to record their names on my sheet. Confirm their preffered names and where they are sitting. I keep these charts handy with a clipboard near my teaching spot, wherever that may be- on my music stand, the piano, hanging on the wall by the door, etc. I do this for each class. It sounds like a lot of work but it definitely helps my sanity in the long run. Sometimes I’ll let them know that they can pick their own dot for that day. I also have a similar system for the risers using SitSpots. I use songs, numbers, colors and other things to have the students move from where they are to where they need to be. 3. Meet the Teacher Package This is something that I just started to do. I have already seen the value in doing this as a specialist. I send home a Meet the Teacher letter with information for the parents. Make sure to include the school phone number and email that the parents should use. This helps to establish trust from the parents towards your relationship with their kid. I also state that I am happy to connect, but will do so only during my contract hours. This sets the tone for boundaries in regards to my home/work balance right from the get-go. This year I am trying something brand new. With my Meet the Teacher letter, I will also be sending home QR Codes for an app called SeeSaw. I have never done this before as a specialist, so this will be an experiment for the year. I talk more about that here. This is the template I use. I include my photo, name, contact info, and a fun facts section. This helps the readers to feel like they are getting to know me a little bit more. You can find this template among others in this package. That’s all for me today! I hope your prep goes well! Remember to keep these 3 things music teachers prep before the first day.
