First Day of School Advice for Math Teachers

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Ahh, this brings back nervous memories just typing this!  The first day can be nerve-racking for students and teachers.  For first-year math teachers, it can be especially terrifying!

My goal is to always be on the lookout for ways to make life easier for math teachers and students.   I know how overwhelming that first day of teaching can feel, so my goal with this post is to give you some ideas of things you can do to make that first day of math class go a little easier.

To help put together this post, I reached out to over 10,000 math teachers for their advice and I was blown away by the wisdom they shared!  

If you start to feel overwhelmed by all the tips, take a deep breath and remember you don't need to do it all!  Your first day will likely look different from year to year.  Here are some of the top pieces of advice from veteran math teachers for you:

Preparing for the First Day of School for Math Teachers

I got hired for my first teaching job right before school started.  I didn't have my own classroom so I had to figure out how to organize all my materials on a little cart that I pushed from room to room.   It was so stressful!

If you have your own classroom, it helps to get it as organized as you can before school starts.  I found that the first few weeks of school were always crazy.  Try to get as many organizational systems in place as you can before you get caught up in the busyness of the school year.

Things to do if you have time before the school year begins:

• Decorate Your Room   You don't need to go all out, especially in your first year, but I do think it's important for a classroom to feel welcoming.  I am not the best in the decorating department, but thankfully ​Teachers Pay Teachers has tons of printable options!  You can buy pre-made bulletin board kits or printable posters (affiliate link).  I also think it's fun to cut out little comic strips like these and put them up by the doorway to get kids to smile on their way in.  You could also print off some funny (school appropriate!) memes or some inspirational quotes to put up around the room.  You don't need to spend a lot, but some simple things up around your room can go a long way.

 

• Organize Your Supplies    According to Jamie M., "Containers with labels save lives." 😂  I am not a naturally organized person, but this is so true!  Check out the Dollar Store or Target for bins or containers to help you get organized.  Lori said "An organized classroom is important to teaching because it takes care of the little 'time munchers' that eat away minutes of our teaching.  Label everything like crayons, pencils, school supplies, graph paper, etc and keep them in the same place so the students know if they need something they can take care of themselves."    I knew a teacher who would lose his seating charts every day because he was so unorganized.  Don't let this be you!  Even if you're not a naturally organized person, force yourself to decide ahead of time where you'll keep supplies before school starts if you can.​

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• ​Set up a System for ALLLL the Papers      With so many papers coming and going, you're going to lose your mind if you don't have some sort of system to keep them organized!  Nancy D. said, "Have trays or containers to collect all work class by class. I use stackable drawers labeled per class period so at the end of the day all the work is sorted and ready for grading."  Another option is to use a desktop organizer like this one (affiliate link) with file folders to help you keep track of everything.

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• Set up a System for Absent Students   Try to avoid all of the "What did I miss?" questions by designating a place for students to find their make-up work.  Trays or hanging folders work great for this as well.  I liked to keep this system far away from my desk so students didn't accidentally grab something from the wrong spot.  I found it easiest to staple file folders to a bulletin board near the door and print off a sheet for each absent student at the end of the day.  I would put their name at the top in large, bold font so it was easy to remind students who forgot to grab theirs the next day.

• Make Yourself a Cheat Sheet   Donna B. recommends that you "Make yourself a one-sheet schedule that is easy to refer to . . . Keep a schedule posted so you stay on time...especially if you change classes."  It can be extremely helpful to type up a one-page paper with all the important details you'll need for the first day that you can quickly refer to during the day.  

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• Pick Out Your First Day Outfit    Claudia A. had a great reminder: "Don't wear uncomfortable shoes."   When I first started teaching, I really wasn't that much older than some of my students.  I remember trying to look older and more mature by wearing high heels on my first day.  I had blisters and was absolutely miserable by the end of the day.  Don't make the same mistake I did!  Donna B. recommends that you choose a comfortable outfit that "makes you feel confident and happy" and I completely agree. 

 

First Day of School Ideas for Math Teachers

Ok, you've gotten as ready as you can be and the first day is here.  Now what?

I loved Nancy D.'s advice to "Take a deep breath. Remember everyone is nervous. You can do this."

Some common themes for first-day advice from veteran math teachers were:

• Relax!  Breathe!    Remember, a lot of the students are nervous on the first day too!  Sarah K. had a great reminder to relax and "Enjoy FINALLY being a teacher in your own classroom!"   You've worked hard to get to this point and you can do this.  The first day will be exciting and exhausting, but it will get easier."

 

• Learn Names  I think the faster you can learn names, the better.  I always used a seating chart from Day 1 so I could try and learn as many names as possible on the first day.   One idea from Sheryl is to "Do a making a Name Tag activity which allows you to move around the room focused on learning names."   Sara VanderWerf has a great template for Name Tents that students can set on their desks (I also love the idea of printing something on the inside of the name tent to communicate with students). 

 

• Focus on Building Relationships   I loved Lisa's advice: "Building relationships should start the minute they walk through your door and the time it takes to do that is never wasted."     Couldn't agree more.  You're probably familiar with the quote "Students don’t care what you know until they know that you care." from John C. Maxwell.  It's quoted often because it's true!  Students need to know that you care about them and they'll respond differently to you when you take the time to build a relationship with them.  Focus less on how strict you think you should be and more on getting to know students and building trust.

 

• Set Clear Expectations for Behavior    I used to think that teachers were either fun and let inappropriate behaviors go OR super strict and didn't smile before December.  This is such a myth!  Smile as much as you want on the first day!  You can be fun, show students you care, and also set high expectations for student behavior.  Patty V. said "Keep it simple. Keep it fair. Allow for adjustments through the year."  Kasey B. said to "Be firm, fair, and consistent. Firm doesn't mean that you're being mean.  Firm means that you are setting boundaries and plan to stick to them." She also said, "Don't take challenging behaviors personally. There will be at least one student that tries to push ALL of the buttons this year. 'They're not giving me a hard time - they are having a hard time' is a mantra to keep in mind when this happens."

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First Day of School Activities for Math Teachers

So the big question is what to actually do on the first day with students?  Should you go through a syllabus, teach a lesson, or do an ice breaker?

There is no one right answer!  Of all the teachers who responded to the survey, there were all sorts of responses.  Some teachers like to dive right in and start teaching math on the first day while others like doing fun, get-to-know-you type activities.  Some like to go through the syllabus and others like to get students up and moving around the classroom.

I think you need to decide what feels the most natural and comfortable to you.  Students are going to remember more about how you made them feel on the first day than what you said or did.  Don't feel pressure to do the same thing as the math teacher next door.   Pick the activity that feels best for your style of teaching.

If you need some activity ideas, make sure to check out the 30+ first week of school activities from Sarah Carter at Math Equals Love.  She has tons of great ideas!

And remember, your first day of school is going to look different from year to year.  If you decide to do an ice breaker or teach a lesson this year, it doesn't mean you're committed to that for life.  You'll learn what works and what doesn't for you and make adjustments as you go.

Jamie M. had a great point: "Education is always changing. Whether you are new or seasoned, no two years will be the same."

You're going to learn and grow as a math teacher.  Don't put too much pressure on yourself and expect the first day to be perfect.  It won't be.  Prepare, Do Your Best, and Breathe!

I hope this post was helpful for you!  Any more suggestions to add?  Let me know in the comments below!