Bob Marlowe is fresh out of college, clueless but excited over being a new teacher. With 17 boxes of activities he can't wait to make learning fun. So he starts the first day of school with his most favorite fun activity and then spends the rest of the school year chasing after the class.

Melissa Pantoja scripted her first day of school. She is like a coach who scripts the first 25 plays of a game. A teacher would not "wing it" in a classroom any more than a coach would "wing it" on a football field or a pilot would wing it on a flight from Baltimore to Kansas City! The successful and effective teacher goes in with a plan and modifies that plan if conditions change.

Melissa began the first day of her first year of teaching with a plan. She scripted the first day of school as follows:

Greet each student at the door:

• hand each child a classroom rules sheet (goes in notebook)
• direct them toward their assigned seat (alphabetical)
• tell child to read and follow the instructions written on the board
• have instructions written on board for them to start on
• finish greeting the last to arrive in class

• my name
• talk about family (husband, kids)
• education
• where I'm from and where I live
• tell them why I wanted to teach

• teach procedure for arriving in class
• teach procedure for dismissal from class

• refer to the rules that are posted at front
• explain discipline plan and refer to poster
• go over procedures and refer to poster
• talk about "We missed you" chart

• each person will have a number that represents them
• the number will be on all of their art papers and on their art folder
• this will help all of us to keep our papers straight
• when writing your number on something put your grade level before your number (1st-5; 2nd-8 and so on)

• refer to classroom rules and procedures
• teach them to be responsible for the art supplies and room; teach procedures

• some things are only for me
• other things are for you to use as you need it

• will be going along with what regular teacher is teaching

• everyone will get a chance to go to all the centers
• art centers board will have names (numbers) that tell us who does what that day

• each child will be taking a portfolio home
• papers will be stored (filed) in a container until end of semester (or year?)

• this is so that the child can record their grades and keep track of them for themselves
• to store vocabulary words for future use
• to write a weekly journal entry about what they liked most about the weeks lesson

At the end of her first year as a teacher, Melissa Pantoja writes:

"My first day of school was a success. Each of my students had a place to sit and an art number, which they would use for the duration of the year. The overhead projector was ready with seatwork on the board and they worked quietly until I was ready to introduce myself. I let them know what I expected and that each of them would be successful.

"Classroom management and having a procedure for everything is a key factor in success, but I have also found that having a place for everything and everything in it's place is also very important. The longer it takes to find a paper or get out work for students who have been absent, the more distracted other students become.

"I feel that studying The First Days of School and using the suggested strategies was a key factor in the overwhelming joy I feel when thinking about this first year."

If you do not plan, the students will plan for you.

The effective teacher organizes and structures the classroom for his/her success, but most importantly, for the success of the students.

Past Gazette Articles by Harry & Rosemary Wong:

If you spot a link that appears to be out-of-date, please alert us at webmaster@teachers.net!
• A Grateful Goodbye After 15 Years (Jun 2015)
• Love, Marriage, and Babies, Oh My! (May 2015)
• Retention Rate Is 100 Percent (Apr 2015)
• Teacher Effectiveness and Human Capital (Mar 2015)
• Training Teachers to Be Effective (Feb 2015)
• Making Deals Is Ineffective (Dec 2014 / Jan 2015)
• Retrieving and Carrying Electronic Devices (Nov 2014)
• Sharing to Succeed (Oct 2014)
• How a University Prepares Its Students (Sep 2014)
• Effective Teaching (Aug 2014)
• Your Future Is in Your Hands (June/July 2014)
• The Classroom Management Book (May 2014)
• When Students Succeed; Teachers Succeed (April 2014)
• Teaching New Teachers How to Succeed (March 2014)
• Execute and Praise (February 2014)
• Shaping a Solid Foundation (Dec 2013 / Jan 2014)
• The Most Misunderstood Word (November 2013)
• How to Start Class Every Day (October 2013)
• Prevention: The Key to Solving Discipline Problems (September 2013)
• Planning, Planning, Planning (August 2013)
• Are You THE One? (June / July 2013)
• Practical Examples That Work (May 2013)
• A Disability Is Not a Handicap (Apr 2013)
• Totally Inexcusable (Mar 2013)
• Be Proud of Public Education (Feb 2013)
• Structure Will Motivate Students (Dec 2012 / Jan2013)
• Orchestrating the Classroom (Nov 2012)
• The Lasting Impact of Instructional Coaching (Oct 2012)
• Learning, Laughing, and Leaving a Legacy (Sep 2012)
• Twenty-two, First Year, and Legit (Aug 2012)
• A Master Teacher of Teachers (June/July 2012)
• Where Going to School Means Success (May 2012)
• A Nationally Celebrated High School (Apr 2012)
• The Highest Rated School in New York City, Part 2 (Mar 2012)
• The Highest Rated School in New York City, Part 1 (Feb 2012)
• The Importance of Culture (Dec 2011 / Jan 2012)
• You Can Teach Classroom Management (Nov 2011)
• Seamless, Transparent, and Consistent (Oct 2011)
• Coaching Teachers to Be Effective Instructors (Sep 2011)
• How a Principal Creates a Culture of Consistency (Aug 2011)
• Graduation Begins in Your Classroom (June/July 2011)
• The Inspiration of a Mother (May 2011)
• How to Be an Effective Leader (Apr 2011)
• Learning Objectives: The Heart of Every Lesson (Mar 2011)
• Even Shakespeare Had Structure (Feb 2011)
• Effectiveness Defined: It's Not a Mystery (Dec 2010 / Jan 2011)
• Surviving Without a Principal (Nov 2010)
• Achieving Greatness: Locke Elementary School, Part 2 (Oct 2010)
• Teaching Greatness: Locke Elementary School, Part 1 (Sep 2010)
• Effective from the Start (Aug 2010)
• Ten Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2010 (June/July 2010)
• The Success of a Culture of Consistency (May 2010)
• Training Teachers to Be Effective (Apr 2010)
• Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn (Mar 2010)
• Turning Teaching Dreams into Reality (Feb 2010)
• Dreams and Wishes Can Come True (Dec 2009 / Jan 2010)
• Success in a State Controlled School (Nov 2009)
• Inner City Is Not An Excuse (Oct 2009)
• Exceeding All Expectations (Sep 2009)
• Teachers Are the Difference (Aug 2009)
• Nine Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2009 (Jun/Jul 2009)
• Teachers Are the Greatest Assets (May 2009)
• The Tools for Success (Apr 2009)
• Assessing for Student Learning (Mar 2009)
• To Be an Effective Teacher Simply Copy and Paste (Feb 2009)
• The Sounds of Students Learning and Performing (Dec 2008)
• A School That Achieves Greatness (Nov 2008)
• Boaz City Schools: Professional Learning Teams (Oct 2008)
• It Was Something Close to a Miracle (Sep 2008)
• A Computer Teacher Shows the Way (Aug 2008)
• Eight Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2008 (Jun/Jul 2008)
• An Amazing Kindergarten Teacher (May 2008)
• Schools That Beat the Academic Odds (Apr 2008)
• Academic Coaching Produces More Effective Teachers (Mar 2008)
• Coaches Are More Effective than Mentors (Feb 2008)
• Wrapping the Year with Rap! (Dec 2007/Jan 2008)
• The Floating Teacher (Nov 2007)
• Taking the Bite Out of Assessment—Using Scoring Guides (Oct 2007)
• Ten Timely Tools for Success on the First Days of School (Sep 2007)
• First Day of School Script - in Spanish, Too! (Aug 2007)
• Seven Year Summary of Articles, 2000 to 2007 (Jun 2007)
• Effective Teachers End the Year Successfully (May 2007)
• Training Gen Y Teachers for Maximum Effectiveness (Apr 2007)
• Classroom Management Applies to All Teachers (Mar 2007)
• Students Want a Sense of Direction (Feb 2007)
• Rubrics in Two College Classes (Dec 2006/Jan 2007)
• How to Write a Rubric (Nov 2006)
• Assessing Student Progress with a Rubric (Oct 2006)
• A 92 Percent Homework Turn-in Rate (Sep 2006)
• Effective Teachers Are Proactive (Aug 2006)
• Five Year Summary of Articles (Jun 2006)
• Hitting the Bulls Eye as a Beginning Teacher (May 2006)
• They're Eager to Do the Assignments (Apr 2006)
• The Success of Special Ed Teachers (Mar 2006)
• What Teachers Have Accomplished (Feb 2006)
• Fifty Years Ago, The Legacy (Dec 2005/Jan 2006)
• The Emergency Teacher (Nov 2005)
• Classroom Management Is Not Discipline (Oct 2005)
• A Successful First Day Is No Secret (Sep 2005)
• The Most Important Factor (Aug 2005)
• Four Year Summary of Articles (Jul 2005)
• Improving Student Achievement Is Very Simple (Part 2) (Jun 2005)
• Improving Student Achievement Is Very Simple (Part 1) (May 2005)
• Never Cease to Learn (Apr 2005)
• His Classroom Is a Real Life Office (Mar 2005)
• The Power of Procedures (Feb 2005)
• The First Ten Days of School (Jan 2005)
• PowerPoint Procedures (Nov/Dec 2004)
• The Saints of Education (Oct 2004)
• How Procedures Saved a Teacher's Life (Sep 2004)
• How to Help Students with Their Assignments (Aug 2004)
• Three Year Summary of Articles (Jun/Jul 2004)
• His Students are All Certified (May 2004)
• What to Do When They Complain (Apr 2004)
• A Well-Oiled Learning Machine (Mar 2004)
• The Effective Teacher Adapts (Feb 2004)
• How to Start a Lesson Plan (Aug 2003)
• Applying for a Teaching Job in a Tight Market - Part 2 (Jun/Jul 2003)
• Applying for a Teaching Job in a Tight Market (May 2003)
• The Effective Substitute Teacher (Apr 2003)
• A First Day of School Script (Mar 2003)
• How to Retain New Teachers (Feb 2003)
• No Problem With Hurricane Lili (Dec 2002)
• A Class Size of 500 (Nov 2002)
• Effective Practices Apply to All Teachers (Oct 2002)
• Dispensing Materials in Fifteen Seconds (Sept 2002)
• How To Start School Successfully (Aug 2002)
• Teaching Procedures Is Teaching Expectations (June - July 2002)
• $50,000 to Replace Each Teacher (May 2002)
• Even Superintendents Do It (Apr 2002)
• Impossible, No Job Openings? (Mar 2002)
• A Stress Free Teacher (Feb 2002)
• A Most Effective School (Jan 2002)
• Van Gogh in Nine Hours (Dec 2001)
• The Effective Teacher Thinks (Nov 2001)
• How a Good University Can Help You (Sep 2001)
• How to Motivate Your Students (May 2001)
• How to Recognize Where You Want to Be (Apr 2001)
• What Successful New Teachers Are Taught (Mar 2001)
• A Journey of the Heart (Feb 2001)
• The Miracle of Teachers (Jan 2001)
• It's Not the Students. It's the Teacher. (Dec 2000)
• The First Five Minutes Are Critical (Nov 2000)
• How to Start a Class Effectively (Oct 2000)
• The Problem Is Not Discipline (Sep 2000)
• There Is Only One First Day of School (Aug 2000)
• Applying for Your First Job (Jul 2000)
• Your First Day (Jun 2000)