Plan the drive to school. If you plan to drive to school each morning, drive at least once to check traffic patterns, find the best route, and to determine how long it will take to get to work.
Learn your way around. Familiarize yourself with the building. Locate exits, principal's office, gym, nurse's office, cafeteria, supply room, faculty lounge, media center, and the custodian's station.
Know the rules. Get acquainted beforehand with school policies and procedures such opening and closing hours, attendance procedures, fire drill regulations, lunchroom procedures, etc. Set up a notebook to hold official notices, policies, and schedules.
Introduce yourself. Meet the teachers around you. They can be of real help in the first few weeks of school. Take the time to say "hello." Get to know other important people: the librarian, counselor, school nurse, cafeteria workers, and custodians.
Get your room ready. Make sure that your classroom is attractive and friendly for the first. day. Put up pictures, a colorful bulletin, and even add a few plants.
Use traditional seating. Start the traditional arrangement of desks until you've established control and know your students' names. Make a temporary seating plan to assist you. Check for " blind spots" from your desk and various parts of the room. Keep traffic patterns in mind when arranging desks, work areas, and other parts of your room.
Get your materials ready. Make sure you have all the materials you will need for getting school underway: paper, pencils, books. Obtain blank forms such hall passes and textbook forms that will be used the first week. Find out what information should be included and how they should be used. There are more than you could ever expect.
Schedule your time. Make a detailed schedule for the first few days including times for each subject, restroom and lunch breaks, and other times your students will leave the room.
Plan, plan, plan. Create lesson plans for the first few days. Plan at least twice as much as you think you can cover. Write down everything. Detailed plans will provide you a feeling of security when facing the class for the first time.
Make procedural decisions. School will begin much more smoothly if you have decided in advance how to handle routine procedures. It is especially important for you to develop classroom discipline procedures that follow your district's policy and guidelines.
Get there early. On the first morning, arrive early so you will have time to ask any last-minute questions, go over final plans and relax before the students arrive at school.
Greet your pupils. Be in your room when the students arrive. Have your name on the chalkboard. Greet the students with a smile. Encourage them to be seated and remain so.
Get down to business. Make opening exercises brief. Your goal for the morning is to get down to the business at hand.