Some ideas for the new year

The children will soon return. Everything is ready for them. The teachers are overjoyed to see each other and some quietly murmur " School is just so perfect when there are no children here."

The week before opening provides each teacher with the perfect opportunity to live out the adage "Things begun well, end well." As teachers, it is our duty to start every new academic year in the best possible way. Managers must oversee this start and keep checking on the progress of the preparations for the return of the pupils.

Here are a few tips for teachers on beginning the year well:
1) Make sure your classroom is organised from day one. Ensure you have discarded last year's mess and all superfluous papers.
2) Colour code your files and preparation books according to the subjects you teach, so you do not waste time looking for your teaching tools.
3) Examine your classroom from the point of view of your pupils, especially new children who are seeing the room for the first time. Does your classroom look organised? Are your display boards attractive and interesting? Can the children see what subject venue they have entered? Every new child should be able to step into your classroom and think, "Well, this is obviously the English classroom," for example.
4) Ensure that your administrative documents for the first few days are ready and easily accessible in a filing tray on your desk or in your drawer. Your class list will be essential obviously. Your ten day registers and office returns will be vital too.
5) The week before opening is a good time to create birthday charts for your new class. Think of creative ideas to make your chart attractive. Think Kindergarten - create a colorful clown and use a balloon for each month of the year and add the birthday dates for each child therein.
6) Make sure that all your teaching resources and handouts for the first few weeks are already copied and ready to distribute to your classes. This time is vital and you will need to spend your time wisely - setting the tone for your classroom management expectations and getting to know your new pupils.
7) If you are not really good with names, consider giving your children stick on name tags to wear for the first week or two. A classroom seating plan with each child's name thereupon is a good idea to assist you too.
8) Start filing from day one. Do not let piles of paper build up into insurmountable mountains. It is a good idea to file daily, before leaving your classroom at the end of the day; and make sure the next day's handouts are ready on your desk or shelves for distribution the following day.
9) Keep your record of marks updated from day one. Make sure that all tasks are marked within a maximum of three days; make sure too that you have entered the marks before you hand the tasks back to the children. Remember to sign and date tasks and make relevant comments. Use assessment tasks as an opportunity to boost your pupils' confidence. Contrary to popular belief, even a great big pimply seventeen year old will relish the sight of a bright sticker on her test paper.So when the year begins, make sure you have a stockpile of bright stickers ready to use.
10) For those of us with green fingers, it is always a good idea to have plants in the classroom and flowers when they are available. Plants add a touch of life and a reminder of God's creation. If you are a person who can kill a plant by simply glancing in its general direction, consider silk or realistic looking plastic plants in pots. If your school manager is agreeable, a beautiful singing bird in a cage on a very secure stand is a lovely touch. If you are in a Biology Lab the possibilities are endless - a fish tank, a snake tank, a colony of rats; it is always good for children to see and learn by example the incredible responsibilities one undertakes when taking on a pet.Remember too that even on cold days, your classroom windows should be open - fresh air is vital to clear minds and aids concentration.
11) Lastly, once you have gleefully circled all the "free" periods on your timetable - scrutinise carefully how best to use each teaching period each day. Use the lessons early in the day for tasks requiring maximum concentration. Plan to use the problem lessons such as straight after lunch, or the last lesson on a Friday for exciting tasks that do not require large amounts of concentration, but lots of participation.

Regardless of what we say, we all know that the school without the pupils would just be another boring work environment like any office or corporate concern the world over. And I am willing to bet that when you see those shiny faces next week and smell the brand new books and plastic covers; your spirits will soar and you will remember why you chose this, the noblest of all professions, in the first place.