As a new teacher, I was stressing about seating charts and trying to implement flexible seating in the classroom. Flexible seating can be EXPENSIVE!! I'm relieved to see that even cool teachers start off the year with desks and seating charts.
I think flexible seating is really wonderful but I definitely introduce it slowly and only to the classes that can handle it. Plus it is really expensive and not always built for high schoolers 😆 so I have to find creative ways to implement it.
Any tasks not completed in class becomes homework. I assign student peer graders with a rubric and they turn in the grades to me. The grades and I check three pieces of work (moderation) to ensure fairness and accuracy. What I really like about this is that this process is allowing students to critically engage with their peers ideas and check to see if their peers are meeting the criteria and where they need support.
I am a new teacher- this will be my second year teaching grade 6. Last year was the most rewarding work I have ever done. I built very strong relationships with my kids and feel that it was by being real with them and because I was myself. I didn’t often need to discipline because we respected each other and often in place of discipline we could poke fun at each other and make light of most situations. I am aware of my newness and sometimes second guessed myself but watching you helps ground me and know to be true to my teaching style of regardless of whether it is different from the norm.
Career changing brand new teacher with ZERO experience and starting in a month. Your videos have been a godsend. I have been watching all of these and I'm finally getting to the point where I can actually draw up a classroom management plan rather than knowing vaguely I need one. Thank you so much!
SAME! Career changer here and I just finished my first semester. Being inexperienced is hard enough but starting in the middle of the year was awful! The wolfpack was already formed and I was thrown in the middle. I was eaten alive. But I am going back because even though it was rough, the students respected me at the end. These videos are setting me up for success!
@jennymiller3630 love to hear your going back!! We will have multiple workshops starting in July aimed to helping new(ish) teachers if you’re interested.
Hi Reynolds, I've just started teaching at a high school in China, just south of Shanghai. I'm not a first-time teacher (20 years actually) but it was very refreshing to watch this video and the First Day one. Everything you say resonates with me, and I too have adopted a similar seating arrangement system that you explained. I have a tiny room that would be ideal for 15 tiny desks for an English/ICT class, but in actuality, there's twice the number plus half a dozen. So I'm forced to have them in rows, except that I have two rows of 8 pairs of desks that face each other, and a giant smartboard that stands at one end of the room. So they don't face me at the "front", which suits me fine because I don't lecture to them in the 19th-20th century-style of teaching. But they do need to turn their heads to the other side to view the smartboard and maybe take occasional notes if I'm showing them a tutorial video. This arrangement actually worked neatly for me on my first day when I had them do an icebreaker activity that involved competition between the rows, then another group discussion activity in fours, which I called islands. I do admire the fact that you printed out the seating arrangement, and it inspires me to do the same. I'm just kinda lazy or in more self-compassionate terms, "preoccupied with other priorities". But the fact is, I need to do what you have done because I can see it serving a variety of practical purposes to have it handy on paper. Anyway, I've typed too many bytes of space here already so I'll bid adieu and thanks. Looking forward to more videos from you and your class! Cheers, Tob
That would be funny if my sister didn’t have epilepsy. We want to teach compassion, yet we come up short. There is a broad audience out there, on this platform as well as our classrooms. We don’t know the experiences each individual may suffer. I hate to be the stick in the mud, but seizure jokes make me cringe...seizures can be fatal. Do we laugh at Cancer or Heart Failure? Why are seizures funny?
Love it!! Day 2 will be a syllabus-old school style, but I’ll only hit the highlights. Then I’m thinking we might do a “Would You Rather” question set to get a sense of who are the leaders, who are the quiet ones, how well they work together, etc. This is a GREAT video! Thanks for sharing!
I do a world cafe activity on day 2 or 3 for students to come up with what my basic 5 rules will look like for their class. I take large sheets of paper (I have used butcher paper, bulletin board paper, large construction paper, etc) and for each class period make 5 posters (Be present and prepared, Be Respectful of people and property, Be Responsible for your own learning, Treat others as you want to be treated, Be an active participant). I then divide the class up into 4 groups and have them spend a set number of minutes at each poster brainstorming what that "rule" looks like and writing their ideas on the poster and then taking the last 10 or 15 minutes to talk about them. By the end of the day, each class period has made a set of posters for my room, and they have contributed to what we can expect from one another.
What do you think about the class coming up with a set of expectations - what they expect from the teacher, what they expect from each other, and what I expect from them? I’m thinking of doing this for each class and setting it up like an informal, non-binding, but often referred to type of contract. A social contract for the class, if you will.
I do this every year with every class. It creates shared ownership and my students refer to it often to keep things fair and flowing. It keeps us accountable to each other almost like a contract but in our indigenous language we call it tikanga - meaning 'the way we do things around here'. It works so well combined with high expectations, differentiation, localised curriculum, and positive behaviour for learning strategies that we rarely experience behaviour issues.
Thanks for your videos. My school environment is toxic. The way you think about teaching helps me to think about ways that I can make my classroom environment everything it needs to be for me and for my students. Your videos help me keep the faith.
I absolutely love the number seats idea and will definitely be using it when I starting my first year of teaching in a few weeks! I’m so glad I found your videos before I started teaching because I just feel like I’m going to be ahead of the game and skip over a lot of mistakes teachers normally make starting off!
100% on the seating arrangement! I don't do an exact alpha order, because A is always with B... so I tend to go across, then down or across alphabetically. I spice it up to at least mix so that A isn't next to B. And I totally agree with just looking up and immediately knowing who's away. I only call attendance on day 1. After that, never. If a desk is empty, I know immediately. And yes to little homework. I'm the same, but I give enough time in class to finish work. It becomes hmwk if they haven't used their time wisely.
New teacher here, for World Language! I really love your energy and I hope that I will remain as excited about teaching as you are. Thanks for sharing!!
So helpful. Going to substitute teach until I pick a grade and get a full time position. I'm so nervous and I've watched a bunch of your videos and now I feel more prepared. Thanks!
Great video. Love to see what other teachers do on their first few days of class and how they set things up for a productive and successful year. The first few day are so important to setting the stage for student success.
Future teacher here! I love your homework policy! I will definitely implement this because it's important for kids to be kids and for adults to remember high school isn't just about academics 24/7!
Great suggestions. "You make me write something, you lose the point for that day." 👍I am involved with a 3-week ESL summer school, and this + the seating chart should make things easier for our staff when we run it again next year. Thanks!
Day 2 - +25 year teach - I do a "room zoom" - where things are; what's available for them to use; what's "off limits" e.g. THE PORTAL OF DOOM! it's nasty in there. Too many students are glued to their desks - it's their safe place and their coping mechanism. So my antics leads to my room scavenger hunt - in trios + they are on the clock! Have fun!
I wish I could not accept late work, but my school lets them turn it in until the end of the semester. It's really hard to keep up with missing assignments. I also do a questionnaire with my freshmen, but I don't with my seniors because it's the same kids I had as freshmen. The seniors reflect on the past three years of school, and then tell me what they want to get out of their senior year in high school. It has to be a real goal like "be the best on the basketball team" or "write an 'A' paper". Then we talk about independent reading books, and their homework is to get a book they want to read from the library or home.
You will minimize your late work issues if you minimize homework. There are so many kids for which homework just isn't going to happen. Additionally if they need help, they may have a parent who is unable to provide they help they need.
I will be a first year teacher (career change, I was working in mental health with adults) at the age of 36 in my old high school. I will be a special education teacher with three sections of Math intervention on my own and two sections of Recovery Algebra where I will co- teach. I planned on switching up tables to fit a Socratic formation. I want the classes I teach on my own to be more collaborative in nature. I was pregnant my senior year of high school so I want to drive home the message that life may throw curve balls but you can work hard to overcome obstacles. My daughter will be a freshman in college this fall so lots of new beginnings
What a spectacular story!! So excited to hear how your yr goes, please keep me updated! All your life experience will serve you well in the classroom 😁
How did your first years go? I am Career Switching right now. I (hopefully) will be in the classroom for my 35th birthday. I too had my oldest in high school-my junior year. I truly hope I can turn someone around by being an example. This guy is a great inspiration and I'm trying to suck up all the information I can.
squigeymom My first year was hard, I’m glad I had teacher mentors and pretty good students and families I connected with. I think it helped immensely that I was a parent before becoming a teacher. Good luck, and as you know everything happens for a reason.
I love how you keep it real! I find that I relate to you in a lot of ways. I often get called out for my sarcasm skills by my kids in speeches and videos. Have a great school year!
I'm about to start my first year teaching high school English and Theatre and I am so happy I found this channel. Amazing advice and resources. Thank you for doing this!!!
I started teaching middle school math mid-year this year and it was crazy. A lot of it stemmed from lack of structure, changing teachers, covid, etc, but I’m really worried about next year since I’m moving grades with my students. I’m thinking 3 rules (be respectful, be responsible, and follow instructions). I like your idea for numbering the desks and it would also make passing out calculators and things easier. I think my main focus this year will be on developing the kids ability to think/reason through more class discussion and activities rather than just notes and worksheets. I tried activities last year, but it really wasn’t a good year for it thanks to the other issues
I love the alpha seating plan for the first few days (or more)- and when they complain, I'm like- "I'm old- there's a lot of you, I need to learn your names- help me out!" I let them know when they arrive and then I also have a sticky note on each desk with their name. I've tried putting it up on the board- but they can't read it- although sometimes it's a good gage to see how bright the class is going to be!
A lot of the teachers at my school use remind to send out notifications. It’s super simple and looks just like a text message. Maybe that could work for you as well.
I use Remind also. Easy to set up and just need the parent's cellphone number and they accept. Be sure the parents put their name and the child's name in ( ) so you can match them up! You can attach files/docs/photos/etc. to it. Parents won't see your "real" phone number.
I love your channel even though I am not a teacher. Just your ideas about keeping the room organized were great! I would never have thought of the row alphabetizing thing, tape on the floor, etc.
Hello Mr Reynolds. I am so excited watching your videos. They are so helpful. I am going to teach this year after a long time. Am so excited going back to the classroom
I use the exact same Who I Am questionnaire! I fill one out about myself and put it on the projector while the kids do theirs so they can learn a little about their football and unicorn loving crazy cat lady teacher. I also give out a very similar syllabus. No need to give out pages of details. I hate having my desks in rows, but my classroom is the size of a closet. I can’t fit 30 kids in there any other way. BTW, I’m birdee18 on Instagram, and I’m the one who said I’d want to co-teach with you. I don’t know if the kids could handle that much awesomeness, though!
I’m one of your new followers and I can’t be happy enough. Thanks for these videos. I wish I had gotten these tips in my second year as a Middle School teacher. Thank you!
I love your classroom! I also like how you do your 1st and 2nd days as well as your seating charts! I am going to incorporate some of what I have learned from you (some I was already doing 😊) once I get a classroom again. Thanks for sharing!
8:50 I can verify this is true. I preferred composition books when I was in the classroom. The only issue I ever had was kids without a comp book. I would buy a bunch during back-to-school season and make those available to kids during the year. They are very expensive once back-to-school season is over.
Richard Royster Last year, I hit up a bunch of B2School sales and stocked up on composition notebooks. Super helpful for when I require students to take notes or complete interactive notebooks.
Great video. Great content. Just started my Master’s in Secondary Education and this video was spot on with the ideas I have been forming for the future. 👍🏻
Dude you are funny and cool. I want back in school just to take your class. Is your penmanship like your having a seizure on the back of the bus driving down a bumpy road....? That had me laughing out loud, yeah lol, but this was for real. Keep doing what your doing, it's good.
Great vid! I would love to see what your 3rd day looks like LOL. Basically, how do you start actual instruction and introduction to coursework. Keep making these vids!
Love your syllabus idea. I’m going to have to try that. I’m gong into my 2nd year of teaching and work in a K-8 elementary school teaching French and I think the older grades (6+) would dig it. I do plan on having them do an about me sort of page, but in French of course, and I totally read them. Keeping doing you! I’m grateful to have found your videos a while back. They keep me going.
Hi Kendra! Thanks for the compliments. They are not lost on me. 😊 If you'd like, shoot me an email and I can send you the syllabus and the about me form. Peace! CJ
Wolves raise their young very well. Respect and the concept of community (or as close as an animal gets to that) is very important in the pack. Every wolf gets his or her share of the hunt, there's just a pecking order as to who eats first. You also don't hunt in another pack's territory unless you're looking to make war, and only the Alpha Wolf decides on whether or not his pack goes to war. I know, you mean it as a metaphor for anarchy, but wolf packs are among one of the most "civilized" animal groups after humans.
I LOVE YOU!!! There are few like you (I know 2-that's all). Love your excitement. Must be ADHD bc you understand it without saying a word. lol. I teach high school SPED - mild intellectual - and I'm taking a few pointers from you. GREAT JOB MAN!!!
Bam! Look at that quick response! Hi Imane! I do edit them myself. It take most of my life to do it but I am glad my efforts are of value to you. Thanks for the compliment!!
Awesome tips! The seating arrangements and syllabus sheet look great :) I was wondering if you have any tips for when students are in a fixed classroom and teachers are the ones that rotate (I liked your idea of shaking hands but can't do that because they are already there) and if you have tips on keeping a class interested (voice modulations, pacing, etc). For my second class I was planning to give a bit of literature analysis using Harry Potter or something else they know really well so they can see how we're going to work during the year :)
The Elysianer I’m in the same boat and travel classroom to classroom. I try to enter with a lot of enthusiasm, thank the previous teacher and get the kids focused in on me, maybe ask how they’re doing and even ask them about the previous class (instead of them just making chatter about it) before giving them the info on the next bit of time we are going to have. I might try to shake hands or high five on their way out this year though!
This will be my first year teaching and I was planning on setting up my second day pretty close to what you have your students do. I plan to go over my syllabus and then have students write a letter to me which will help me analyze student writing and their handwriting. I have a prompt/directions for each paragraph of the letter. I really like the student survey you use, but I already created my own for the first day of school.
I think both tactics are useful. Someone else commented and said they write a letter to the students and have them write a letter back to her for the same purpose. Have a great school year and thanks for watching!!
I forgot to mention that! I give extra credit anytime someone catches a spelling or grammatical error. I also take a way points ( not really) if you challenge my spelling and grammar and you are wrong.
Reynolds! I started teaching last year in January. This will be the first time I experience starting from scratch. Last year’s kids were sort of pre-prepped by their previous teacher and I am so nervous to do it by myself. When do you usually start your actual instruction?
Day 3. I’m going to make a video about it soon. I don’t like wasting time. Starting from scratch is WAY better than finishing what someone else started. Best of luck to you!
Fantastic breakdown for Day 2 ... I’ve been giving students numbers based on their alphabetical order and it saves me time for grading and returning work.. this year I need a quick and easy way to keep parents updated, any suggestions?
N P great topic! My advice is create a meeting agenda, send it prior to meeting and stick to it. Have a time keeper for the meeting (maybe each topic gets 10 minutes?) and stick to it. Keep off the topics that can be discussed, told or decided by email on email. For example in the elementary grades I don’t want to talk about the field trip coming up next month for 4 weeks. Email me the details and I’ll do my job. Principal needs teachers to stay for XYZ event, send and email and reply all of you will attend. No one replies, then it gets on the meeting agenda.
We are going into our 3rd offical week of school this week (atleast for me because I started at my school late ) ..is it too late for me to start to implement these practices ?
Have you tried the text app remind?? You can have the parents and students sign up for it with a code you share and you can send texts of their homework or whatever you want to announce.
Remind is pretty awesome, as is Google Voice. Let's you contact parents via phone without giving out your personal cell number as you pick another number from your area. You can turn this on when calling parents and still get calls on that number when turned off.
Real Rap With Reynolds Please do! I am going to try it myself this year. It's very user friendly and you can even text students en masse or individually, same with parents without sharing your number and vice versa.
Am not sure where the double doors go I see in the early shots where you are talking about seating but I would never ever put desks next to a door - even if it is a closet. Some fire departments may even find this illegal. Check with your fire department to make sure what you did is OK.
The doors go into the next classroom, they are locked and aren’t used. I believe it’s on the agenda this year to finally have the doors taken out and sealed off! Hooray 🎉
I have to read a book for summer reading for high school (9 grade) and I will like to know how can the setting of a book affect the characters. Also will you be doing any room decoration videos?
Real Rap With Reynolds Because I'm an English teacher, students are alwayyyyyys on me for my typos. I try to avoid it, but sometimes I'm sleepy or in a rush. It happens lol
Im always nervous about behavior of students. It really sucks the life out of me when I have a class clown or a whole group of chatty rude kids. Before school starts every year I get anxious about it because its not really something (being heckled) you encounter in every day life unless you are a comedian or something.
I agree, with teaching your definitely in a spot light for ridicule, judgement, and opinions. I fix that by building relationships with students. I use whit and sarcasm in class or pulling them in the hall to discuss their behaviors, ask if I did something, and tell them why I don’t expect them to continue acting a fool. All the more reason if it’s difficult for you to make sure your really having self care to balance it all out!!
Hey there's a typo in your syllabus it says, "late work is not expected" instead of, "late work is not accepted." I don't know if that is an actual one though I just know you don't accept late work. Good video though. :)
I often have typos. Finding out my son has severe dyslexia and learning it’s hereditary, has made me question that I could possibly be dyslexic. Reading and spelling was always a struggle for me as a student. Its funny that I’m now a literature teacher 👨🏻🏫 ❤️🤷🏻♂️
B Peltier I always trip over their legs or book bags! I’ve spent the last three months in an air cast, though, so I’ll need to be very careful this year.
As a new teacher, I was stressing about seating charts and trying to implement flexible seating in the classroom. Flexible seating can be EXPENSIVE!! I'm relieved to see that even cool teachers start off the year with desks and seating charts.
I think flexible seating is really wonderful but I definitely introduce it slowly and only to the classes that can handle it. Plus it is really expensive and not always built for high schoolers 😆 so I have to find creative ways to implement it.
Me too :) I am going to be teaching 6th grade SS, and I was stressing about open seating but after watching this video , I am so relieved.
I know this is late but flexible seating for a first year teacher would be an absolute nightmare lol
@@shivanibala8299 6th grade open seating??? Insane lol
I’m so happy to hear your philosophy on no homework. As a mom and middle school teacher, this makes learning life stress free!
Helena Vigil I absolutely hate homework and assign as little as possible!
Any tasks not completed in class becomes homework. I assign student peer graders with a rubric and they turn in the grades to me. The grades and I check three pieces of work (moderation) to ensure fairness and accuracy. What I really like about this is that this process is allowing students to critically engage with their peers ideas and check to see if their peers are meeting the criteria and where they need support.
I am a new teacher- this will be my second year teaching grade 6. Last year was the most rewarding work I have ever done. I built very strong relationships with my kids and feel that it was by being real with them and because I was myself. I didn’t often need to discipline because we respected each other and often in place of discipline we could poke fun at each other and make light of most situations. I am aware of my newness and sometimes second guessed myself but watching you helps ground me and know to be true to my teaching style of regardless of whether it is different from the norm.
Kelsey. Thanks for being an inspiration. That sounds like the best year you could have asked for. ❤️😊
Happy to hear a first year teaching experience was so rewarding and great.
Love the syllabus style. Over half of our students are ELLs and speak a different language at home. That style of syllabus is perfect.
Send me an email at realrapwithreynolds@gmail.com if you’d like a copy. 😊❤️
Career changing brand new teacher with ZERO experience and starting in a month. Your videos have been a godsend. I have been watching all of these and I'm finally getting to the point where I can actually draw up a classroom management plan rather than knowing vaguely I need one. Thank you so much!
How did you go in starting that new career?
SAME! Career changer here and I just finished my first semester. Being inexperienced is hard enough but starting in the middle of the year was awful! The wolfpack was already formed and I was thrown in the middle. I was eaten alive. But I am going back because even though it was rough, the students respected me at the end. These videos are setting me up for success!
@jennymiller3630 love to hear your going back!! We will have multiple workshops starting in July aimed to helping new(ish) teachers if you’re interested.
@@CJReynolds I'm looking forward to them! Thank you so much!
"Game of thrones was on" 💀
Hi Reynolds, I've just started teaching at a high school in China, just south of Shanghai. I'm not a first-time teacher (20 years actually) but it was very refreshing to watch this video and the First Day one. Everything you say resonates with me, and I too have adopted a similar seating arrangement system that you explained. I have a tiny room that would be ideal for 15 tiny desks for an English/ICT class, but in actuality, there's twice the number plus half a dozen. So I'm forced to have them in rows, except that I have two rows of 8 pairs of desks that face each other, and a giant smartboard that stands at one end of the room. So they don't face me at the "front", which suits me fine because I don't lecture to them in the 19th-20th century-style of teaching. But they do need to turn their heads to the other side to view the smartboard and maybe take occasional notes if I'm showing them a tutorial video. This arrangement actually worked neatly for me on my first day when I had them do an icebreaker activity that involved competition between the rows, then another group discussion activity in fours, which I called islands. I do admire the fact that you printed out the seating arrangement, and it inspires me to do the same. I'm just kinda lazy or in more self-compassionate terms, "preoccupied with other priorities". But the fact is, I need to do what you have done because I can see it serving a variety of practical purposes to have it handy on paper. Anyway, I've typed too many bytes of space here already so I'll bid adieu and thanks. Looking forward to more videos from you and your class! Cheers, Tob
Hahahahah "seizure at the back of a bus". Oh that was a good one lol
That would be funny if my sister didn’t have epilepsy. We want to teach compassion, yet we come up short. There is a broad audience out there, on this platform as well as our classrooms. We don’t know the experiences each individual may suffer. I hate to be the stick in the mud, but seizure jokes make me cringe...seizures can be fatal. Do we laugh at Cancer or Heart Failure? Why are seizures funny?
Seriously just laughed out loud at that line and came to comment...high five to you
Love it!! Day 2 will be a syllabus-old school style, but I’ll only hit the highlights. Then I’m thinking we might do a “Would You Rather” question set to get a sense of who are the leaders, who are the quiet ones, how well they work together, etc. This is a GREAT video! Thanks for sharing!
That’s a great idea too, love it and thanks for sharing!
Love "Would you Rather?" Do you have a list of questions you love that you could share?
PS What grade(s) do you teach?
Marie B. I teach 11th and 12th grade! I grab questions from the game and go from there. Shoot me your email and I’ll send you what I have!
mgillian10@hotmail.com Thank you!
I do a world cafe activity on day 2 or 3 for students to come up with what my basic 5 rules will look like for their class. I take large sheets of paper (I have used butcher paper, bulletin board paper, large construction paper, etc) and for each class period make 5 posters (Be present and prepared, Be Respectful of people and property, Be Responsible for your own learning, Treat others as you want to be treated, Be an active participant). I then divide the class up into 4 groups and have them spend a set number of minutes at each poster brainstorming what that "rule" looks like and writing their ideas on the poster and then taking the last 10 or 15 minutes to talk about them. By the end of the day, each class period has made a set of posters for my room, and they have contributed to what we can expect from one another.
What do you think about the class coming up with a set of expectations - what they expect from the teacher, what they expect from each other, and what I expect from them? I’m thinking of doing this for each class and setting it up like an informal, non-binding, but often referred to type of contract. A social contract for the class, if you will.
Love this idea!
I do this every year with every class. It creates shared ownership and my students refer to it often to keep things fair and flowing. It keeps us accountable to each other almost like a contract but in our indigenous language we call it tikanga - meaning 'the way we do things around here'.
It works so well combined with high expectations, differentiation, localised curriculum, and positive behaviour for learning strategies that we rarely experience behaviour issues.
Thanks for your videos. My school environment is toxic. The way you think about teaching helps me to think about ways that I can make my classroom environment everything it needs to be for me and for my students. Your videos help me keep the faith.
Thanks so much. I’m glad I could help in any way possible!
I absolutely love the number seats idea and will definitely be using it when I starting my first year of teaching in a few weeks! I’m so glad I found your videos before I started teaching because I just feel like I’m going to be ahead of the game and skip over a lot of mistakes teachers normally make starting off!
100% on the seating arrangement! I don't do an exact alpha order, because A is always with B... so I tend to go across, then down or across alphabetically. I spice it up to at least mix so that A isn't next to B. And I totally agree with just looking up and immediately knowing who's away. I only call attendance on day 1. After that, never. If a desk is empty, I know immediately. And yes to little homework. I'm the same, but I give enough time in class to finish work. It becomes hmwk if they haven't used their time wisely.
Are you on Teachers pay Teachers? would love to see your teaching material ^^
New teacher here, for World Language! I really love your energy and I hope that I will remain as excited about teaching as you are. Thanks for sharing!!
So helpful. Going to substitute teach until I pick a grade and get a full time position. I'm so nervous and I've watched a bunch of your videos and now I feel more prepared. Thanks!
That’s awesome. Best of luck to you Solymar!
Love your vids! Just found you. Wish I’d had a teacher like you. Your kids are lucky. Thanks for sharing your tips!
It’s my pleasure Deb! ☺️
Great video. Love to see what other teachers do on their first few days of class and how they set things up for a productive and successful year. The first few day are so important to setting the stage for student success.
Agreed. I like to keep it fun and about the relationships!
Future teacher here! I love your homework policy! I will definitely implement this because it's important for kids to be kids and for adults to remember high school isn't just about academics 24/7!
Great suggestions. "You make me write something, you lose the point for that day." 👍I am involved with a 3-week ESL summer school, and this + the seating chart should make things easier for our staff when we run it again next year. Thanks!
Day 2 - +25 year teach - I do a "room zoom" - where things are; what's available for them to use; what's "off limits" e.g. THE PORTAL OF DOOM! it's nasty in there. Too many students are glued to their desks - it's their safe place and their coping mechanism. So my antics leads to my room scavenger hunt - in trios + they are on the clock! Have fun!
I wish I could not accept late work, but my school lets them turn it in until the end of the semester. It's really hard to keep up with missing assignments. I also do a questionnaire with my freshmen, but I don't with my seniors because it's the same kids I had as freshmen. The seniors reflect on the past three years of school, and then tell me what they want to get out of their senior year in high school. It has to be a real goal like "be the best on the basketball team" or "write an 'A' paper". Then we talk about independent reading books, and their homework is to get a book they want to read from the library or home.
You will minimize your late work issues if you minimize homework. There are so many kids for which homework just isn't going to happen. Additionally if they need help, they may have a parent who is unable to provide they help they need.
I will be a first year teacher (career change, I was working in mental health with adults) at the age of 36 in my old high school. I will be a special education teacher with three sections of Math intervention on my own and two sections of Recovery Algebra where I will co- teach. I planned on switching up tables to fit a Socratic formation. I want the classes I teach on my own to be more collaborative in nature. I was pregnant my senior year of high school so I want to drive home the message that life may throw curve balls but you can work hard to overcome obstacles. My daughter will be a freshman in college this fall so lots of new beginnings
What a spectacular story!! So excited to hear how your yr goes, please keep me updated! All your life experience will serve you well in the classroom 😁
How did your first years go? I am Career Switching right now. I (hopefully) will be in the classroom for my 35th birthday. I too had my oldest in high school-my junior year. I truly hope I can turn someone around by being an example. This guy is a great inspiration and I'm trying to suck up all the information I can.
squigeymom
My first year was hard, I’m glad I had teacher mentors and pretty good students and families I connected with. I think it helped immensely that I was a parent before becoming a teacher. Good luck, and as you know everything happens for a reason.
AMEN on the homework! Love your view so much. I could spend days on my soapbox about it.
☺️
I love how you keep it real! I find that I relate to you in a lot of ways. I often get called out for my sarcasm skills by my kids in speeches and videos. Have a great school year!
I'm about to start my first year teaching high school English and Theatre and I am so happy I found this channel. Amazing advice and resources. Thank you for doing this!!!
Those lines though!!! Love it...
Thank you so much. Super video. First time teacher abroad.
I started teaching middle school math mid-year this year and it was crazy. A lot of it stemmed from lack of structure, changing teachers, covid, etc, but I’m really worried about next year since I’m moving grades with my students. I’m thinking 3 rules (be respectful, be responsible, and follow instructions). I like your idea for numbering the desks and it would also make passing out calculators and things easier. I think my main focus this year will be on developing the kids ability to think/reason through more class discussion and activities rather than just notes and worksheets. I tried activities last year, but it really wasn’t a good year for it thanks to the other issues
I love the alpha seating plan for the first few days (or more)- and when they complain, I'm like- "I'm old- there's a lot of you, I need to learn your names- help me out!" I let them know when they arrive and then I also have a sticky note on each desk with their name. I've tried putting it up on the board- but they can't read it- although sometimes it's a good gage to see how bright the class is going to be!
A lot of the teachers at my school use remind to send out notifications. It’s super simple and looks just like a text message. Maybe that could work for you as well.
I use Remind also. Easy to set up and just need the parent's cellphone number and they accept. Be sure the parents put their name and the child's name in ( ) so you can match them up! You can attach files/docs/photos/etc. to it. Parents won't see your "real" phone number.
I love your channel even though I am not a teacher. Just your ideas about keeping the room organized were great! I would never have thought of the row alphabetizing thing, tape on the floor, etc.
Hello Mr Reynolds. I am so excited watching your videos. They are so helpful. I am going to teach this year after a long time. Am so excited going back to the classroom
You're a stud. These videos are great.
I use the exact same Who I Am questionnaire! I fill one out about myself and put it on the projector while the kids do theirs so they can learn a little about their football and unicorn loving crazy cat lady teacher. I also give out a very similar syllabus. No need to give out pages of details.
I hate having my desks in rows, but my classroom is the size of a closet. I can’t fit 30 kids in there any other way.
BTW, I’m birdee18 on Instagram, and I’m the one who said I’d want to co-teach with you. I don’t know if the kids could handle that much awesomeness, though!
I love that you put yourself out there as the example! I know you Birdee!! Thanks for being the best for your kids!😊
Do you have the file you’d be willing to share? I found it on Pinterest but the link is dead. 😭
Sarah Cooper I don’t have an electronic copy or else I’d be happy to share it.
I think this is it? betterlesson.com/lesson/470836/day-one
This was a fantastic video but Mowgli WAS raised by wolves
This was very helpful!! Thank you..... I’ll be following your day one and day two routine for sure...I love these ideas.
You’re literally incredible!
Would you share that cool getting to know u doc? I loved the format.
Some great tips here!
I’m one of your new followers and I can’t be happy enough. Thanks for these videos. I wish I had gotten these tips in my second year as a Middle School teacher. Thank you!
I love your classroom! I also like how you do your 1st and 2nd days as well as your seating charts! I am going to incorporate some of what I have learned from you (some I was already doing 😊) once I get a classroom again. Thanks for sharing!
It’s my pleasure Steph! 😊
8:50 I can verify this is true. I preferred composition books when I was in the classroom. The only issue I ever had was kids without a comp book. I would buy a bunch during back-to-school season and make those available to kids during the year. They are very expensive once back-to-school season is over.
Richard Royster Last year, I hit up a bunch of B2School sales and stocked up on composition notebooks. Super helpful for when I require students to take notes or complete interactive notebooks.
I get them cheap in the beginning of the year too. That way I can give them to kids that need them or sell them to kids that lose their’s.
Great video. Great content. Just started my Master’s in Secondary Education and this video was spot on with the ideas I have been forming for the future. 👍🏻
Love your style. ✨ Thanks for this.
Thanks!
Nice video man. Currently watching it during a class.
Dude you are funny and cool. I want back in school just to take your class. Is your penmanship like your having a seizure on the back of the bus driving down a bumpy road....? That had me laughing out loud, yeah lol, but this was for real. Keep doing what your doing, it's good.
Thank you so much. You're great. I like it.
I start teaching for the first time next year and this is soooo helpful
I'm going to do the Myers Briggs test with my students.
Have you seen this version of it? www.16personalities.com/ The breakdown is awesome!
Yeh that's what I use
Entj in the house! Haha Meyers Briggs is so helpful
oh that's so cool! I'm a student that decided to take the test on my own and I'm an INFJ
ENTP
I love your homework policy
do you have any links for the syllabus and questionnaires? Thanks for these videos!
Great vid! I would love to see what your 3rd day looks like LOL. Basically, how do you start actual instruction and introduction to coursework. Keep making these vids!
Coming soon! 😊
Would you recommend these same tips for a co-Ed Middle School ?
Love your syllabus idea. I’m going to have to try that. I’m gong into my 2nd year of teaching and work in a K-8 elementary school teaching French and I think the older grades (6+) would dig it. I do plan on having them do an about me sort of page, but in French of course, and I totally read them. Keeping doing you! I’m grateful to have found your videos a while back. They keep me going.
Hi Kendra! Thanks for the compliments. They are not lost on me. 😊
If you'd like, shoot me an email and I can send you the syllabus and the about me form.
Peace!
CJ
Real Rap With Reynolds That would be awesome! I'll send you a message.
Wolves raise their young very well. Respect and the concept of community (or as close as an animal gets to that) is very important in the pack. Every wolf gets his or her share of the hunt, there's just a pecking order as to who eats first. You also don't hunt in another pack's territory unless you're looking to make war, and only the Alpha Wolf decides on whether or not his pack goes to war. I know, you mean it as a metaphor for anarchy, but wolf packs are among one of the most "civilized" animal groups after humans.
I LOVE YOU!!! There are few like you (I know 2-that's all). Love your excitement. Must be ADHD bc you understand it without saying a word. lol. I teach high school SPED - mild intellectual - and I'm taking a few pointers from you. GREAT JOB MAN!!!
I like the questionnaire
The coolest teacher ever! Thanks for the tips. Do you edit your videos by yourself?
Bam! Look at that quick response! Hi Imane! I do edit them myself. It take most of my life to do it but I am glad my efforts are of value to you. Thanks for the compliment!!
Classroom management is my fear because we have large classes of 45 students
So when a new student moves in, do you put them where they would go alphabetically?
How do you communicate the seating chart so the students sit without chaos on the first week?
Awesome tips! The seating arrangements and syllabus sheet look great :) I was wondering if you have any tips for when students are in a fixed classroom and teachers are the ones that rotate (I liked your idea of shaking hands but can't do that because they are already there) and if you have tips on keeping a class interested (voice modulations, pacing, etc). For my second class I was planning to give a bit of literature analysis using Harry Potter or something else they know really well so they can see how we're going to work during the year :)
The Elysianer I’m in the same boat and travel classroom to classroom. I try to enter with a lot of enthusiasm, thank the previous teacher and get the kids focused in on me, maybe ask how they’re doing and even ask them about the previous class (instead of them just making chatter about it) before giving them the info on the next bit of time we are going to have. I might try to shake hands or high five on their way out this year though!
This will be my first year teaching and I was planning on setting up my second day pretty close to what you have your students do. I plan to go over my syllabus and then have students write a letter to me which will help me analyze student writing and their handwriting. I have a prompt/directions for each paragraph of the letter. I really like the student survey you use, but I already created my own for the first day of school.
I think both tactics are useful. Someone else commented and said they write a letter to the students and have them write a letter back to her for the same purpose. Have a great school year and thanks for watching!!
Thanks Reynolds! I hope you have an excellent year as well!
I love how you teach english and the syllabus says “late homework will not be *excepted*” xD time to brush up on those spelling skills Reynolds! ;)
I forgot to mention that! I give extra credit anytime someone catches a spelling or grammatical error. I also take a way points ( not really) if you challenge my spelling and grammar and you are wrong.
Im sure there is a video somewhere , but I keep wondering what happens with the points ?
Great
You rule man
Don’t know if it was mentioned yet- late work is not ACCEPTED (not excepted). Signed, a math teacher 😂
Majority of my work happens in my class.
😁😁😁👌
The videos have been very helpful thank you
My pleasure! If I can ever help with anything please let me know
Reynolds!
I started teaching last year in January. This will be the first time I experience starting from scratch. Last year’s kids were sort of pre-prepped by their previous teacher and I am so nervous to do it by myself.
When do you usually start your actual instruction?
Day 3. I’m going to make a video about it soon. I don’t like wasting time. Starting from scratch is WAY better than finishing what someone else started. Best of luck to you!
Just like me
Hi !! How does your points system work, is there a reward for students who still have points ? Just wondering !
Use edmodo for the electronic idea
Fantastic breakdown for Day 2 ... I’ve been giving students numbers based on their alphabetical order and it saves me time for grading and returning work.. this year I need a quick and easy way to keep parents updated, any suggestions?
I would try the remind app. 👍🏽
Has anyone ever been a department or grade level chair? Any advice? Possible video topic?
N P great topic! My advice is create a meeting agenda, send it prior to meeting and stick to it. Have a time keeper for the meeting (maybe each topic gets 10 minutes?) and stick to it. Keep off the topics that can be discussed, told or decided by email on email.
For example in the elementary grades I don’t want to talk about the field trip coming up next month for 4 weeks. Email me the details and I’ll do my job.
Principal needs teachers to stay for XYZ event, send and email and reply all of you will attend. No one replies, then it gets on the meeting agenda.
We are going into our 3rd offical week of school this week (atleast for me because I started at my school late ) ..is it too late for me to start to implement these practices ?
Reynolds, what is the point system???
First and second day of school? Omg, I’m still on break :). Good luck with the new year.
I’m not in school until September. I know a lot of folks are getting ready to go back. New Mexico looks amazing. 😊
Real Rap With Reynolds New Mexico was a blast. I loved traveling solo! Lol, then I go back before you bahahha
Do you have a link to your student questionnaire ? Would love to use that this year for my caseload.
Shoot me a email and I can send it to you. Realrapwiththereynolds@gmail.com
Very good video, love from China.
Thank you Tom! Are you from China or are you teaching abroad?
Have you tried the text app remind?? You can have the parents and students sign up for it with a code you share and you can send texts of their homework or whatever you want to announce.
I first heard of it last year when my daughters class used it. I might use it this year. Seems super easy and efficient.
Remind is pretty awesome, as is Google Voice. Let's you contact parents via phone without giving out your personal cell number as you pick another number from your area. You can turn this on when calling parents and still get calls on that number when turned off.
Real Rap With Reynolds Please do! I am going to try it myself this year. It's very user friendly and you can even text students en masse or individually, same with parents without sharing your number and vice versa.
Am not sure where the double doors go I see in the early shots where you are talking about seating but I would never ever put desks next to a door - even if it is a closet. Some fire departments may even find this illegal. Check with your fire department to make sure what you did is OK.
The doors go into the next classroom, they are locked and aren’t used. I believe it’s on the agenda this year to finally have the doors taken out and sealed off! Hooray 🎉
How many students do you usually have in class?coz I usually have overcrowded classes.
Please add the link to your syllabus!❤
Shoot me a email realrapwithreynolds@gmail.com and I can give it you!
I have to read a book for summer reading for high school (9 grade) and I will like to know how can the setting of a book affect the characters. Also will you be doing any room decoration videos?
Thanks! Also don't forget to be awesome!!!
"Late work is not excepted" lol
So crazy how many people pick up on my errors 🤣 I’ll be sure to fix it!
Real Rap With Reynolds Because I'm an English teacher, students are alwayyyyyys on me for my typos. I try to avoid it, but sometimes I'm sleepy or in a rush. It happens lol
Im always nervous about behavior of students. It really sucks the life out of me when I have a class clown or a whole group of chatty rude kids. Before school starts every year I get anxious about it because its not really something (being heckled) you encounter in every day life unless you are a comedian or something.
I agree, with teaching your definitely in a spot light for ridicule, judgement, and opinions. I fix that by building relationships with students. I use whit and sarcasm in class or pulling them in the hall to discuss their behaviors, ask if I did something, and tell them why I don’t expect them to continue acting a fool. All the more reason if it’s difficult for you to make sure your really having self care to balance it all out!!
Mr. Hall is always in the hallway
I wish I could’ve had you as a teacher!
It would have been a pleasure to have you as a student. 👍🏽
Is the "Who I Am" graphic organizer still available? I can't seem to find a PDF version of it. Thank you!
This might work for you! Email me at realrapwithreynolds@gmail.com if it does not. www.realrapwithreynolds.com/free-resources/
@@CJReynolds wow. Thank you so much. I appreciate your sharing your ideas and knowledge. You’re a legend! God bless.
Great video! I would love a copy of that syllabus template if at all possible. Where can I get me one of those?
Email me at realrapwiththereynolds@gmail.com ✌🏽😁
Reynolds do you have this introduction doc available for new teachers to steal?
Like how to introduce yourself and what your class will be like?
Yes? A year later I'm noticing that you responded! 🤦
Do children get marks for that first homework? (On the third day )
I grade it as complete/incomplete. I do it to set the tone for the year.
Hey there's a typo in your syllabus it says, "late work is not expected" instead of, "late work is not accepted." I don't know if that is an actual one though I just know you don't accept late work. Good video though. :)
I often have typos. Finding out my son has severe dyslexia and learning it’s hereditary, has made me question that I could possibly be dyslexic. Reading and spelling was always a struggle for me as a student. Its funny that I’m now a literature teacher 👨🏻🏫 ❤️🤷🏻♂️
Approximately how long are each of your classes?
50 minutes. 👍🏽😊
I totally trip over their long legs lol. I assign numbers to kids and it constantly changes but I love organization and alphabetizing.
😂😂 I totally love organizing 👍🏽😊
B Peltier I always trip over their legs or book bags! I’ve spent the last three months in an air cast, though, so I’ll need to be very careful this year.
You always talk about losing points but we need to know your point system. Why do students care about points? What is the consequence?