I hope you are all on the other side of Winter Break well rested and ready for the second semester. January is a unique time of year when students return and basically start over. That’s right. You have a first day all over again. Fortunately, they remember quickly classroom routines and procedures once you remind them. The tea is hot. Let’s look at some quick ways to make sure you start the new semester positively.
Five Easy Actions
- Greet students at the door: This is a practice you have done all year. However, when students return in January, you should treat it like the first day of school. Welcome them back.Remind them they are back in the class. Remind them of entry procedures. This is also a great time to check in and see how they are feeling. The stability of the school day may be something some of them are looking forward to. Many of them may be hesitant to leave vacation mode.
- Have an activity ready to go as soon as students enter: Regardless of what it is labeled – Do Now, Bell Ringer, Warm Up, etc. having something meaningful for the students to complete upon entering the classroom will keep chaos and confusion from being the first things happening when students return. You could even use a Google Form to check in on how students are feeling after the break. Maybe it is a quick activity to see what students can recall in terms of classroom expectations. Whatever it is, it should serve a purpose. This is not busy work. This is to show students that we are getting right back into the groove of learning.
- Stop and correct when necessary: Students will be out of practice. If a routine does not meet your standard, stop and have the students do it again. They know what they should be doing. Their brains just need a little jump start and some grace to get it right again. There is not a need to nag or get angry. If you are concerned your default tone may get the better of you, hop on your favorite AI app and script out a few ways you can redirect and do again any procedure or routine you may have to correct.
- Be clear about expectations: Go over social contracts, syllabi, or anything else that showcase expectations. Have students share what they remember about this expectations and recalibrate to make sure every student is told the same thing. When giving directions, remember to be explicit and give them step-by-step to remind students about procedures. Don’t just say “Get ready.” Say, “Pencils out, laptops closed, eyes on the board.” Students will fall back into expected behaviors.
- Be up and around the room: I’m not a fan of the term “aggressive monitoring.” It sounds very much like a “gotcha” which it is not meant to be. However, it is an important concept. Let the students see that you are back and ready to engage them in learning. Walk around and chat with them about their learning. Look at their work. Just like you always do. They aren’t getting a break after returning from a break. You are back to work, and so are they.
That’s it! A short post to start you back. Remember that the more solid routines and procedures, the fewer behavior problems. You got this!
An Educational Cup of Tea 
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