New School Year--Make It the Best One Ever!

You are embarking on an adventure that you will share with your students. This is your chance to set a course for success. You are the key to success in your classroom! So let’s get the school year started off on a positive note. As you prepare to meet your students, keep these Steps to FACS Classroom Success in mind.

1. Be a "model" teacher.

No, I don’t mean you have to become a fashion diva! Rather, I mean you need to model the behavior you expect from your students. Of, as a wonderful FACS teacher once put it to me, "Don’t ask your students to do anything you aren’t willing to do."

2. Treat your students with respect.

When treated with respect they will accept your instruction more willingly and be more likely to treat you with respect in return.

3. Be as quick to praise as you are to correct.

Both praise and correction are indispensable in the learning process. Just make sure that you keep them in balance.

4. Exercise patience.

This is often easier said than done, but the rewards are worth the effort.

5. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for your subject matter.

Sharing your passion for learning and for the FACS curriculum will help to motivate your students to learn and excel.

6. Set high, but realistic expectations for your students and for yourself.

Learning together means that we as teachers need to be ready and willing to learn with and from our students. Never be afraid to say "I don’t know, but I’ll find out." Just make sure that you follow through.

7. Make your expectations clear and specific.

Your students can’t reach the goals you set for them, if they can’t see where they’re going.

8. Be intentional in everything you do with your students.

Every moment can be a teachable moment, if we look for ways to make them so.

9. Make every moment of classroom time count.

Every moment with students is important and we need to make the most of it. As I often told my students, "Our days off are Saturday and Sunday. When we’re at school, we do school work." (Feel free to quote me.)

10. Remind yourself daily that what you do is important.

You are preparing your students to be successful in their personal as well as their professional future. What we do matters far beyond today.

Subscribe to Bloom! today and receive our August Back-to-School issue where you will find great ideas for that all important first day of class.  Get students off on the right track with fun, memorable activities for every content area.  These cool activities are designed to preview your curriculum and get students excited about the rest of the year!