What Do I Do First???? What is done from day o­ne in the classroom sets the tone for the year. Here are some helpful hints to establish a good learning environment.

• Have high expectations for each o­ne of your students!
• Put your name and grade/course by your door and in your room. Students need to be assured that they are in the right place.
• Create a seating chart to help students find their place (overhead, chart, names o­n desk, etc.).
• Greet each student as he/she enters the room.
• Learn each student's name as quickly as possible. Creating a seating chart with a digital picture of students can help you learn names.
• Get to know students by using o­ne of the suggested "Getting to Know You Activities"
• Begin the first day of class to teach students what to do and how to behave in your classroom.
• Prepare, prepare, prepare! Plan effectively. What you are to teach (standards) and helpful resources for your grade/course are o­n the Curriculum tab in PICASSO.
• Ask questions. Ask a colleague, ILT, or administrator at your school. You are NOT alone!

Classroom Management refers to all of the things that a teacher does to organize students, space, time, and materials so that instruction in content and student learning can take place (The First Days of School Wong, 1998). An effective teacher :

• Works o­n having a well-managed classroom
• Trains students to know what they are to do.
• Has students working o­n task.
• Has a classroom with little confusion or wasted time.

List from The First Days of School - Wong, 1998.

The following articles may provide you with ideas to make your classroom a more inviting place to learn. Please feel free to ask questions or to share "things that worked" with other teachers through the Discussion Forum below.

• Advice for First-Year Teachers -- From the Principals Who Hired Them
• Advice for First-Year Teachers -- From the 'Sophomores' Who Survived Last Year
• An Interview with Harry K. Wong: Speaking of Classroom Management
• Classroom Arrangement
• Classroom Management for "Specials"
• Creating a Climate for Learning
• Escaping the Paper Grading Trap
• First Day of School Activity Ideas
• First Days of School
• More Time o­n Task, Less Goofing Off"
• New School Year
• New Teachers o­nline
• Planning for Your First Day at School
• Smoothly Running Classrooms
• Prime Factors from The First Six Weeks of School
• Teachers, Start Your Engines
• Teaching Rules, Routines, and Standards
• Tips for a Peaceful Classroom
• Week o­ne from The First Six Weeks of School

These o­nline courses might be just what you need! You can enroll in them through Professional Learning.
The Constructive Discipline Series:

• Giving Directives That Students Will Follow
• Stopping Disruptive Behavior
• Conducting the Parent Conference