For the first week of school, we always did 5 things in a brown bag that told all about the student. The two rules...Dad and Mom had to approve what was brought and the item had to fit in their brown bag. I labeled their brown bag with their name and gave them Tuesday through Thursday to work on choosing their items. On Friday morning, we had our special Show and Tell time. Some students through the years were apprehensive to stand up and show their items. I expected each student to stand up and share. For some, I stood next to them and asked questions which helped. They soon realized it wasn't as scary as they thought! When their new friends encouraged them and asked questions or ooo'ed and ahhh'ed, confidence soon appeared! Students will rise to whatever is expected. As a teacher, you have to remember you are often counter-acting the perceived "nervous" or "scared" messages that were said out loud and coddled at home. Stand with those students. Hold their hand. But make them do it!
I made sure to take a picture of each child to send home (we used the Brightwheel app in our program). I would take notes of all their items so I could learn about them as well. I then asked the class three questions for each student's presentation to see how well the students watched and listened to detail. The first few weeks as a teacher with new students are filled with constant assessing, listening, and watching to figure out what the children know, what makes them "tick", and what are the strengths and weaknesses. I think that is part of the reason teachers are so tired! You are training, teaching, re-teaching, evaluating, constantly talking, and repeating yourself...so go home...take a nap if you can and definitely go to bed early!
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