The first day of school is the most important day of the year. Here are some ways you make students feel positive and welcome as they enter your classroom (followed by ten ways NOT to welcome your students):
- Say hello!
- Shake their hands as they come in.
- Give them a high five.
- Lead them in a prayer service.
- Give them each a blessing.
- Welcome them in Pig Latin.
- Say Hola!
- Write a message on the chalkboard/overhead/digital screen.
- Have a positive song playing as they enter.
- Play a musical instrument.
- Recite an inspirational poem.
- Sing a happy song.
- Give them each a piece of candy.
- Give them a fortune cookie.
- Scramble the words Welcome Back on the board and have them solve it.
- Do a tap dance.
- Play a clip from Dead Poets Society or another inspirational movie.
- Have them punch a time clock as they enter.
- Perform a singing telegram.
- Give them each a holy card/bookmark.
- Say Wilkommen!
- Introduce yourself.
- Teach them how to line dance
- Yell, “Let’s get ready to rumble!”
- Play “Zombie Nation” by Kernkraft 400.
- Play a YouTube video.
- Breakdance.
- Take a picture of the class to remember their names.
- Hand them a free pencil customized with your name.
- Recite “Pioneers, O Pioneers” by Walt Whitman.
- Ask all your online teacher friends to send well wishes and advice via Twitter, and read them.
- Bring in a brown bag filled with objects that define you, explain the objects, then invite your students to do the same.
- Laugh like a mad scientist (BWAH HAH HAH!).
- Bring in plain donuts, frosting and cake decorations and invite them to decorate their own breakfast (or make one for a friend).
- Have them introduce themselves.
- Have them introduce themselves while doing jumping jacks.
- Have them break through a big Go Get ‘Em poster, like a football team running onto the field.
- Ask for their autographs for your autograph book of Future Famous People.
- Read them one of St. Paul’s greetings such as 1 Corinthians 1:4-9.
- Ask them to bless each other and you on this grace-filled day.
Be sure to add your own ideas by commenting below.
And, as a bonus, 10 ways NOT to welcome students back:
- Show them a slide show of your summer vacation.
- Tell them the results of your annual physical.
- Hand them a discipline slip as they enter and tell them not to lose it, because they’ll probably need it soon.
- Slap them on the butt and say, “Way to go! You actually got up in time to make it to school!”
- Sit at your desk reading Retirement Planning for the Aging Schoolteacher
- Assign them seats based on last year’s standardized test results, highest scores in the back, lowest scores in the front.
- Play grunge music and start a mosh pit.
- As they walk into your room, have your principal point out individual students who got in trouble last year.
- Hand them a Christmas list so they can get working on your gift early.
- And finally, point out the big countdown you’ve posted in the front of the room that marks the number of days until school gets out.