First Day Jitters

I never thought that teachers would be MORE nervous than their students the night before the first day of school. Personally, I thought teachers lived in their classrooms up until high school...

Last night it took me over an hour to iron my clothes, clean the bathroom, set my alarm (not one or two, but three alarms total just to be on the safe side) and do some last minute reading before the big day. I was very appreciative that my family and some friends gave me a call to wish me luck. It made me feel like people were out there cheering for me to do well, and I have no doubt in my mind that they all were.

Before bed, I continued reading the textbook that the school district provided me, entitled "The First Days of School." I determined that reading this book was both a blessing and a curse. It is written in a manner that emphasizes how important the first day of school is; stating that it sets the tone for the entire year. The authors include a lot of very helpful hints about how to make a strong first impression on the students. So, I made a "First Day Battle Plan" with a list of items that I wanted to remind myself once I entered the classroom the next morning.

The list I made included such things as to smile and say hi to every student who enters your room, have the seating chart clearly posted so the students know where to sit once they enter, write your name and class on the board, and introduce yourself to everyone as soon as the bell rings with a welcoming smile. I especially wanted to remember to write my name and class on the board because I recently read a book about adolescent psychology. The book stated that the absolute worst thing that can happen to a child at this age level on the first day of school is to walk into the wrong classroom and be embarassed in front of all of his or her peers.

I turned the lights off in my room around 10:30 and I could do nothing but stare at the ceiling and wonder what I still needed to get done. I ran through a list of things in my mind and had successfully completed all of them, but it didn't help me from imagining every worst case scenario. So, for the first time in a long time, I went in my closet and dug out my Bible. I looked up a passage about worrying and found a very comforting passage in Matthew where Jesus discusses the pointlessness of worrying. I feel asleep shortly afterward.

I woke up the next morning at 5am after drifting in and out of sleep. I popped out of bed and immediately took a shower, had a cup of coffee, and was ready to hit the road. I really found a lot of comfort while I was getting ready in that a rerun of the "Cosby Show" was on television. It was one of the later episodes in the show's running because Theo, Bill Cosby's son, was beginning his first day of student teaching.

The roads were very clear the entire way to the school. As I took the off-ramp from the interstate, my iPod started playing AC/DC's "Highway to Hell." Needless to say, I quickly changed the song to "Thunderstruck". However, the fact that the song came on brought a big smile to my face and really calmed me down.

There were a few teachers who got to school as early as I did and were busy putting the finishing touches on everything in their classrooms. I quickly got my room prepared, and a little while later, the 7th grade literature teacher entered my room and asked if I was nervous. I said an abrupt "yes," to which she smiled and said "that's good because that means you want to do well."

I grabbed my attendance sheet and headed downstairs. My first class of the day was a study hall in the school cafeteria. The bell rang and the students entered. I stood outside of the cafeteria and smiled and welcomed the new (and very frightened) seventh and eighth graders. There were a few students who walked past me whom I coached on the basketball team last year who had big smiles on their faces and said a very geniune "Hey Mr. Anderson!" asked how my summer was, and gave me a high five. It really made me feel good and kind of made me say to myself, "This is what it's all about."

The bell rang and I walked in the cafeteria and looked at my 14 students. It kind of had a nice ring to it... MY fourteen students. Not "my cooperating teachers," not "my observation class students," they were mine! And what did I do? I started sweating uncontrollably not knowing what to do next! Four and a half years of college, and I was stumped...

So I briefly collected myself and thought back to the battleplan. I introduced myself, explained my rules for study hall, and handed out an activity I had found that was supposed to get the kids out of their seats and mingling around with fellow classmates and teachers. It went very well and the students were not "too cool" for it. The sweating eventually stopped and I was very confident.

The rest of the day went as smoothly as possible. Not a major problem occurred in any of my remaining classes. No child vomited (and most importantly, I didn't vomit), so all and all, it was a very successful day. The students seem to enjoy me but I know they will test me throughout the first week. Hopefully things go as smoothly as they did today!