Breaking the Ice

I do not know of anything more important than the first day of school.  So much of what happens during the year comes is a direct result of whta happens in the classroom that first few days of school.  The most important thing to me is for my students to feel comfortable and safe in my classroom.  It is a place to have fun and learn all at the same time.

 Relationships are vital to the success of every student.  The old cliche says "That students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."   I couldn't agree more with this.  When one of my students kow I am invested in them, they work harder because they care about what I think about them.  They want to do better and not let me down.

In following the theme of +Dave Burgess 's book Teach Like a Pirate, I pirated +Garnet Hillman 's pipe cleaner activity to learn a little about my kiddos.  The activity had students take two pipe cleaners (at least) and draw something that represented them.  The student would then present it to the class and tell why it was important while giving their name.  This let me float around the room while they were working.

I couldn't be more proud of the work my students did.  My Spanish I and II students loved the activity and had a great time.  I could have started the year off bombarding them with vocabulary, homework, class expectations, or rapid fire Spanish.  I chose to focus on relationship building.  Breaking the ice with my students.

After the pipe cleaners, we got to play a little Sr. Adkins fact or fiction.  This is always a great way to see what the students think from just a few minute impression.  Tonight, students will fill out a personal inventory to let me know about them and I will pass out one I have filled out.  I want my students to know that I am human.  It is me working WITH them not me working at or against them.  Breking the ice and getting to know my students is what I valued today.  My class expectations and  supply list can wait.  Getting to know my students cannot and will not.

My goal is as my superintendent says is to BE AWESOME!

Here are some examples of the pipe cleners:

                                  Swimming

                             Script Ohio (I'll let the school up north's colors slide :))

                          I love you in sign language because the girl can use sign language

           Student said basketball hoop....I said toilet...what do you think?

               Cow (albeit one on a very strict diet)

             Fisherman 

         The best one by far!  Owl  She asked for more cleaners.  I kept this one intact

Thanks for reading!   #BEAWESOME!