First grade teachers....I need help!

[lillygator]

I am suprised the school didn't take care of most of the issues before hand?
On meet the teacher day we are given the huge hanging tag with last name and grade on it to hang from rear view mirror, also all paperwork is filled out. If you can't make it, the packets are sent to the parents to bring back the first day. Transportation is all clearly marked before hand.


as far as not remembering their last name....for a first grader, I find that unusual unless the student has issues but something you can easily find in a matter of seconds since you would have a listing of your students and probably the other first grade classes.

hope it gets better for you. my dd started 1st a few weeks ago and her first time riding the bus, which still has me scared..but they get everyone where they need to be.

 

[lillygator]

wow, just read the other posts....about taking it pretty slowly....is that the norm? Didn't the students learn routines and procedures (maybe different ones) in K? shouldn't they be used to that?

DD had homework the first night and two tests the first week, I am not sure the teacher would have settled for math worksheets to just wait...? I am new to this, all I recall about first grade was my teacher's name!

 

[Blueeyes101817]

I remember watching the kindergarten teachers spending a day teaching kids how to walk in a line. It doesn't sound like it should be that hard, but it is when you are 5.

This made me laugh this morning. I am a Kindergarten teacher and we practiced walking in a line through the hallway both Tuesday and yesterday

I hope your day today is better, OP!

 

[live4christp1]

Not a teacher but the mom of a 1st grader. This is what DD's teacher did:

She used the paper cut outs (like they have at the school supply store) in the shape of a car for car riders and the shape of a bus for bus riders(the buses are yellow paper/cars a different color). On the bus it has the bus number and 1st load or 2nd load. She laminated these and put them on a lanyard. She also printed the child's name, address & phone number on an index card, laminated it and put it on a lanyard. That way everyone gets grouped appropriately when they go to wait for pick up.

Also, the first week of school when they came in off the bus there was someone waiting at the door with masking tape and a sharpie, they would note the bus number and load they came on and stick the masking tape on the child's shirt. I guess this was to help make sure the teachers were sure which bus they went on in the event the parents had not noted it on the students information card.

Hope that might help in some way.

 

[lillygator]

This made me laugh this morning. I am a Kindergarten teacher and we practiced walking in a line through the hallway both Tuesday and yesterday

I hope your day today is better, OP!

is this mainly for children who have not been in a school setting before? I know dd's class didnt have to do anything like that last year, seems like they would learn that in preschool.

 

[5 'LIL *TWINKERS*]

Our kindergarten teachers at my childrens elem. school, make each child a bus tag necklace. Even if they get picked up, every child has one, cause you never know if they will have to ride the bus home at some point.

On the card it has the kids full name, address, phone #, teachers name and bus # on it. The card is slipped into a plasic pouch with a stretchy, elastic string attached to it. The kids have to wear those to and from school. And when not worn, they go into the backpack.

My kids were always picked up so I just stored the necklace in the backpack just in case.

I have a 1st grader this year and I kept her bus tag from last year and put it in her backpack. Even though she knows all the info, it makes me feel more secure.

Another idea, in kindergarten, name tags were always safety-pinned to the childs shirt on their back. They couldn't get it off and simply forgot it was there.

 

[PatsGirl]

I'm quite surprised that there are children in the first grade that don't know their last name, phone number, and street address. What have the parents been doing with them for the last 6 years Sure, if they moved recently, I get it. I also get that they aren't necessarily born knowing how to stand and walk in a line but not knowing your last name Think I would have given Mom and Dad some homework that night,lol. Our school asks that the kids either know how to tie their shoes or are sent with velcro, that they can toilet themselves, blow their own noses, basic 6 year old stuff

Good luck to you! I love that age but I'm sure it is quite challenging in the beginning, especially with a "mixed lot", hehe. I admire the work all teachers do, I'm not sure anyone would want me in a classroom with 25 kids

 

[Disneyluvr]

is this mainly for children who have not been in a school setting before? I know dd's class didnt have to do anything like that last year, seems like they would learn that in preschool.

Depending on what type of area the school is in, many children do not go to pre-school. I am a kindergarten teacher and here it takes weeks for kindergarteners to learn to walk in a line, lol.
Also many 1st graders do not know their last name let alone phone numbers or addresses. Believe it or not there are many children in our schools that have parents that just don't teach them anything before they come to school. "No Child Left Behind" would be a good law if every child had a loving parent who worked with them at home, but sadly that is just not the case!

OP- I can see how frustrated you would be on your 1st day with little ones. They are much more needy than 3rd graders, that's for sure. Like many others have said, the first few months are still just basic training and establishing routines, after Christmas break it gets much easier. Just take the time you need to get the routines down. And make sure you get all the info you need from the office and make tags. I like to use the big "Hello my name is..." tags from the office supply area of many stores. Just put the kids name and the bus number and your name on it. I also group my kids in line according to bus #'s before we leave the room. Keep a big card with the info on it for yourself, ie. Bus 1- Jane, Tom, Sarah Bus 2- Kevin, Mike Ally etc. So when you get to the bus loading area you can easily put everyone where they belong. Good luck and let us know how the rest of the week goes

 

[daisyduck123]

is this mainly for children who have not been in a school setting before? I know dd's class didnt have to do anything like that last year, seems like they would learn that in preschool.

Preschool has nothing to do with it.

Every, and I mean EVERY 1st grade class has to practice lining up & walking in line.

On the first day of school you can not just say to 25 1st graders "Ok class....line up".

Only a teacher can understand this, so if you are parents commenting about this...believe me, I'm sure there are some 1st grade DIS teachers who can back me up on this.

 

[Disneyluvr]

Preschool has nothing to do with it.

Every, and I mean EVERY 1st grade class has to practice lining up & walking in line.

On the first day of school you can not just say to 25 1st graders "Ok class....line up".

Only a teacher can understand this, so if you are parents commenting about this...believe me, I'm sure there are some 1st grade DIS teachers who can back me up on this.

Definitely agree!! They loose a lot over the summer, It seems to take until 3rd grade to finally get it down

I'm wondering where lillygators DD goes to school. I want to teach there

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

wow, just read the other posts....about taking it pretty slowly....is that the norm? Didn't the students learn routines and procedures (maybe different ones) in K? shouldn't they be used to that?

Yes, it is the norm. The children have a new teacher and new classmates and need to work cohesively.

Each teacher has their own procedures and policies for how to enter the room, appropriate times to use the bathroom, where things belong, and everything else. It takes time to teach these things, but the better the kids know them, and the more smoothly the classroom runs, the more time you have to teach the academic curriculum the rest of the year.

I'm quite surprised that there are children in the first grade that don't know their last name, phone number, and street address. What have the parents been doing with them for the last 6 years

That is not unusual. First grade will also occasionally get children in that do not know their letters, numbers, or how to hold a pencil/scissors/crayons/etc.

I'm wondering where lillygators DD goes to school. I want to teach there

I love the school I'm at now or I would too!

 

[teacups]

I'm glad to read about teachers who care.
When my son was 6 his first day of school the teacher really screwed up.
She for some reason told him to stand in the tetherball circle (at the back of the school) and wait there. She then led the rest of the kids around to the buses/parents. Ummm!!! Hello!!!! That was a horrible day. I was around front waiting in the pre-assigned parent waititng area and he never showed up. After about 20 minutes I was more than a little franktic. We couldnt find him anywhere, and nobody could even find the teacher to ask her where he was last seen!!! After I found him (ran all over, my 8 year old fell and I half dragged her on the cement, she had blood running down her legs) he was still standing around back in the circle with a look on his face that I wont forget. There were three teenagers riding their bikes around him in circles. I actually ran back there to look but didnt see him the first time. OMG, I took him by the hand and went looking for that teacher... who proceeded to get right in my face and said "Go ahead, let me have it, I know you want to." What a witch. No "I'm sorry" to me or my son. I let her have it alright. So I am one of those parents who made a teacher go home crying on her first day and I dont regret that part at all. Parents and kids should not go home crying the first day either. Its nice that you care. I really do not think she cared one bit.

 

[ChrizJen]

Depending on what type of area the school is in, many children do not go to pre-school. I am a kindergarten teacher and here it takes weeks for kindergarteners to learn to walk in a line, lol.
Also many 1st graders do not know their last name let alone phone numbers or addresses. Believe it or not there are many children in our schools that have parents that just don't teach them anything before they come to school. "No Child Left Behind" would be a good law if every child had a loving parent who worked with them at home, but sadly that is just not the case!

This is exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn't figure out how...Unfortunately, not all children have parents who are as invested in their education as you and I are. It's that way with many of the children in the schools here in the city of St. Louis. There are parents out there who just don't care.

 

[Ember]

Just wanted to offer some moral support! I'm doing grade one this year and was kindergarten last year. If it makes you feel better, let me tell you about my first day teaching kindergarten.

Once I had successfully herded all my little ones into the room I explained the "getting ready for school" routine. Take off your coat, hang it in your cubby, put on your indoor shoes, hang your back pack up, etc. We were going step by step all as a group. I was helping one little one when I turn around and one little guy has taken off all his clothes! I just stood there for a second and then asked him very gently why he had done that. "You said!" he told me. I explained that I had asked him to take off his coat and that he could leave everything else on. Luckily, one of the benefits of them being so little is that none of the other kids laughed or anything.

Later that morning, I took them for a bathroom break. We all went as a group and I had them line up as they came out. We get back to class and I'm missing one! I had counted before we started walking back, but now someone is missing! I don't know them by sight at this point so I have to do a roll call to figure out who it is. I finally work out who's not there and am getting ready to do something about it, when another teacher brings my student back. He figured that the day was over so wandered off to the front doors to wait for mum!

By the time they left, I was exhausted! By the end of the week I loved it, though. I got so attached to my little ones!! Hang in there, it will get better.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

Ember, That story is so funny. I guess that little guy was an over achiever. Goes above and beyond!

DD goes to a great school and I see the primary grades practicing walking in line at the beginning of the year. Unless the school has a uniform policy on how to walk in the hallway, each teacher's style is different. I volunteer at DD's school and saw a little guy going to Kindergarten for his first day at the school. All of a sudden I hear a teacher screaming in horror. I guess the kid was not ready for school. He took off running out the classroom door, into the hallway, and out the front doors into the parking lot. The gym teacher was free at the moment and was able to catch him! K-1 teachers really have patience!

 

[Minniemama350]

I taught First Grade for the 1st time last year. Whew! After teaching everything from pre-k to 12th grade, I expected to be fine. Well... I too got knocked off my shoes at first. It WILL get better. YOU know what to do. You probably never realized what babies 1st graders are, even if you have your own kids (I do and it didn't seem to help, because it was several years ago.) I also had a really tough class. All of my kids were kids that didn't qualify for an IEP, but many were low and almost all had behavior issues. My best advice is stick to your guns. Practice your routines until they get it. Don't be bullied into moving on until they walk in a quiet line, eat nicely in the cafeteria and learn to raise their hand to talk. Sure, you'll start lessons, but the time you put into teaching routine now will payoff down the road. You can do this! The class I have this year is nothing like last years and those routines that worked for them don't work for these kids, so I changed and found something that does. Learning your curriculum just takes time, I'm sure you know that. Just be firm about your routines, but ready to change when you've given it a good try, but it doesn't work. I love 1st grade now. I don't want to change anymore, but last year I really had my doubts at times. Keep me posted.

 

[Pikester]

I'm glad to read about teachers who care.
When my son was 6 his first day of school the teacher really screwed up.
She for some reason told him to stand in the tetherball circle (at the back of the school) and wait there. She then led the rest of the kids around to the buses/parents. Ummm!!! Hello!!!! That was a horrible day. I was around front waiting in the pre-assigned parent waititng area and he never showed up. After about 20 minutes I was more than a little franktic. We couldnt find him anywhere, and nobody could even find the teacher to ask her where he was last seen!!! After I found him (ran all over, my 8 year old fell and I half dragged her on the cement, she had blood running down her legs) he was still standing around back in the circle with a look on his face that I wont forget. There were three teenagers riding their bikes around him in circles. I actually ran back there to look but didnt see him the first time. OMG, I took him by the hand and went looking for that teacher... who proceeded to get right in my face and said "Go ahead, let me have it, I know you want to." What a witch. No "I'm sorry" to me or my son. I let her have it alright. So I am one of those parents who made a teacher go home crying on her first day and I dont regret that part at all. Parents and kids should not go home crying the first day either. Its nice that you care. I really do not think she cared one bit.

I have been there! I actually sub at my DS8 school. When I work my DS12 and DS8 get home about 5 minutes or so earlier then I do because I have them take the bus. It just makes it easier. One day I arrive home and my oldest son meets me coming down the road on his bike telling me that DS8 never came home on the bus and he has been riding up and down the neighborhood looking for him and asking the other kids if they have seen him. I call the school and am put on hold. I'm told that he is probably there because he may have thought he needed to stay for the afterschool program. I get to the school and they tell me to see one of the afterschool program helpers. Nope, no DS8 there, check outside. Go outside and ask the helper out on the playground. Nope, no DS8 there. I started to cry and finally the school secretary came out with him. I guess he was in one of the groups doing homework in a classroom. Turns out the afterschool program sent teachers a list of students that were to stay after school for the program. The list only had the students last names on it. HELLO! Lots of kids in the school have the same last names! Idiots! I found out that I had been put on hold because another parent had called regarding their missing kid. Kids that were suppose to stay afterschool had gone home and students who were suppose to go home had stayed after.

Just saw a report on TV about a 6yr old child here in NH that got on the wrong bus and was dropped off at a park because he wanted to go there. He ended up walking home. I have no idea how that little thing made it home safe but he did. Idiot bus driver! The Mom was freaked and had every right to be. Big changes are being made there.


And hugs for the OP. Tomorrow will go much more smoothly I just know it! As I mentioned above I sub in my DS8 school K-4 and I am amazed at how much the first graders have to learn. It's not just all the educational stuff but all the school rules and classroom rules.

 

[JoyG]

Just want to say "hi'' and I miss you around here.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Awww...thanks Buckalew! I miss you too.

I still log onto the dis just about everyday, but I don't usually get to the community board anymore. I read the budget board mostly.

 

[JoyG]

And always have your sense of humor, they smell fear you know.

They really do!

Just remember things will fall apart at bus time. Johnny will suddenly remember a note that was in his backpack, but not the home to school folder with his change of plan for the day.

Yes! Bus time is the worst! I had them in a bus line and a walker line today and the goal was not to have my lines get mixed up when we turned corners. Yesterday, we'd take a corner and the lines would combine and afterward nobody could remember which line they belonged in.

I was like Ross in a classic Friends episode, "Pivot, Pivot....stay in your line...Pivot, Pivot..."

 

[JoyG]

I'm quite surprised that there are children in the first grade that don't know their last name, phone number, and street address. What have the parents been doing with them for the last 6 years

I teach in a large urban district, so we get lots of kids at various abilities.

Some of the not knowing the last name thing from yesterday may have been shyness. I'm hoping as they warm up to me, they'll remember it!