Expectations For A New School Year

It’s here already, a new school year, and it brings with it a fresh start with endless possibilities. As teachers, we get the opportunity to redefine ourselves and grow into a better teacher for our students. We get to add another year of experience to what we already knew to make this year our best one yet. The new school year offers excitement, a fresh start, and a world of possibilities. We know what worked best last year and how we need to change things for this year. We know activities and projects to add as well as things to eliminate. We have already decided how to make things better for this year and new programs we want to try. Yes, the beginning of the school year has lots to offer.

As a middle school teacher, I have been very fortunate to rarely have behavior issues in my class. I think this is partly because of the educational technology used everyday in my classes. This does not mean I do not get my share of middle school girl drama, but it is very limited and can usually be quickly quieted. I do not think I do anything out of the ordinary, I simply think it comes down to my expectations. Classroom procedures and expectations are crucial to student success in all classes. Since I teach using technology, it is equally important to establish expectations for the technology used in the classroom. It is vital that I set these expectations upon entering my classroom on the very first day of school.

Greeting students gives the teacher an easy and quick evaluation of each student. I personally greet each student with a smile and tell them hello. Their response alerts me to what kind of mood they are in and whether or not I should have any immediate concerns. By greeting them, I feel it marks a fresh start with the class period regardless of what happened in other classes earlier in the day. This is also a way to convey the message that all is well for this class period. My students enter the room and go directly to their seat and begin working. This is not something they did on their own, but it is because of the expectations I set for them.

The first day of school I go through expectations. I express what students can expect from me as their teacher, what I can expect from them as students, and what they can expect from the course. As their teacher, students need to know what they can expect from me. They learn about grading, make up work, course requirements, communication, and policies. For student expectations, they learn what I want from them and consequences for not meeting my expectations. Students also learn what I expect from them when using technology and computers. This includes when and what sites or programs to login, how to treat the equipment, and procedures for using the technology to complete their work. Finally, students learn what the requirements are for completing the course. These expectations are repeated briefly the next day and again a week later.

Students do not simply adhere to the expectations just because they were told about them. Unfortunately, I have examples of mishaps using technology in the classroom to share with my new students. Students learn how seriously they must handle the equipment they have been privileged to use during class. They need to know how our school has entrusted them with valuable technology. However you must sell it, they need to know the school does not require them to use laptops and computers, but it is a privilege that not all students have to enhance their learning experience. They must be reminded and corrected during the first few weeks of school every class period. As the days go by, the students make it a habit to comply. As the year progresses, students are reminded of what the expectations are and I do not settle for anything less. There are days when students are more energetic than others, but they will shut it down and compose themselves before entering my room as they know how to conduct themselves in my class. It takes me requiring them to meet these expectations everyday without fail or laziness. While we have fun learning in class, there are still procedures in place to maximize student success. It is important for teachers to maintain their expectations all year long. Many times I have said, “I expect the same thing from you today as I did the first day of school.”

As I am getting my classroom ready for another school year, I am excited thinking of all the possibilities. I am also aware of what I have learned in the past and look forward to new things I want to try this year and new technology programs. As always, I have high expectations as this will be my best year yet.