Its a hot day in late August, somewhere in the south. You're frantically reviewing class rosters, seating charts, and syllabi. The first bell rings around 8:00 Am and 25 or so students begin filing into your carefully constructed and (somewhat) organized art room. The first day of school has begun.
How do you begin class? Are you standing at the door, or waiting near your desk? Do you set up a seating chart right away or can students choose their own seats? All of these questions must be answered before that first bell rings.
At 8:00 AM on that first day of class, I will be standing at the door, greeting each student as they come in with my roster in hand. As each student enters the hallowed hall that is the High School Art Room, I will ask their names and finally put a face to each. To bridge that ever widening generational gap between myself and my students, I will have pandora (online radio) playing in the background (theres a great station that features classical instrumental renditions of the top 20 hits that keeps the music school friendly, but age relevant).
The first day of school is always a tedious one filled with course contents, syllabi, and seating charts. I want to offer up a different approach to those first day norms. I have never believed in reading aloud a syllabus to a class. Students who have made it to high school (I assume), can read. I will ask them to read over the syllabus and as their first assignment, sign the back sheet and return it to class on the second day. Easy enough, right? Yes. In theory.
As far as seating goes, I would allow students to choose their seats. Choosing for them not only restricts their freedom, but may cause problems if the seats aren't chosen carefully according to each students needs, needs which will be addressed as I come to know their personalities. The syllabus is always going to be there, the course content will always be available for review, I am more concerned with getting to know my students.
I really enjoyed the notecard game where each student writes their name, birthday, least favorite food, where I'll be in 5 years, karaoke song, ect. It gets the students up, moving, and interacting with each other. Offering 'grandma' candy is a great motivator because who doesn't like peppermints?! After we play a few games, I will assign the syllabus reading and signature (from both parent and student) to have a record that each student has read and reviewed the course expectations and outlines.
I also believe its vital to establish ground rules and expectations for my students at the get go. Basic rules like: respect yourself, your peers, and your instructor. Craftsmanship matters. Voices off when the music is on. ect. By outlining what is expected from students at the beginning, if (and when) they break the rules or do not meet expectations, I can remind them.
I want the first day to be fun, light, and new. I don't want my students to think of me as some old weirdo art freak who wants to shove Van Gogh or Ansel Adams down their throats. I want my art room to be a space for exploration, experimentation, and inspiration. Establishing this philosophy will hopefully get students excited for the upcoming semester and ready to make some awesome art!
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