The bell has sounded, everyone is seated, and now is the moment for you to introduce yourself to your pupils! This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to the group and tell them what to expect this year. How can you make the best first impression possible?
We compiled their greatest ideas, as well as some of our other favorites, into one comprehensive list to help you get inspired. Prepare for the most exciting school year ever!
- Send letters or emails to each other
Give your youngster a sense of what to expect over the summer instead of awaiting until the first day of school. Heather U. writes letters to her first-year pupils. “Every year, I have my kids write me a letter, and I use mine as an example.” Handwritten letters allow you to check younger pupils’ writing skills, while email is more likely to be preferred by older students, but both are important if they are individualized. Printable Prompts has a free customizable form that you can use.
- Express yourself through postcards
You don’t have time to write an entire letter? Rather, use postcards. “Over the summer, I shot a photo of myself playing catch with my faithful golden dog and emailed it to each of my new pupils,” James C. explains. “I added a brief note on the reverse, greeting myself and expressing my delight at having them in my class.” Here’s how The Techie Teacher applies this concept.
- Play a presentation for them.
To present themselves, many instructors use a slideshow. With our free customizable template, we’ve made it even simpler to make one—grab it here!
- Use a questionnaire to describe yourself.
Quizzes on the first day of class are a common approach to presenting yourself to pupils. Kahoot! even provides a template for knowing and understanding your teacher that you can easily adapt. On the first day, Lisa T. gives a presentation about herself, then on the next day, she gives a quiz to assess how much they recall.
- Make use of a brochure prepared by students.
Emily F. enlists the assistance of her prior year’s class in introducing herself to new students. Then she offers a challenge to see if the kids have actually read it! “After the year, I have my pupils create a brochure for the freshmen the next year.” Many of the solutions to my questionnaire items are correct if the students read it.” Are you looking for a design template? On Teachers Pay Teachers, we like this one from Teacher Trap.
- Create a digital Bitmoji school.
Bitmoji classrooms are a great way to show off your individuality, whether you’re educating in reality or digitally. This one, from Ms. J’s Social Studies World, includes interactive pictures that direct pupils to several essential links.
- Create a photo album to promote yourself to others.
Start the year off right by reading your children a book about themselves! “Last year, using Shutterfly, I prepared an ‘ABC’ photo book and added one item about myself with each of the English alphabets,” Heidi J. says. (Yes, I had to work hard to figure out ‘X’ and ‘Q.’) After delivering it to my pupils on the first day of school, I put it in the classroom library. Year round, the youngsters read it often enough.”
- Make a Fakebook account.
Exposing your social media sites to pupils is not a good idea. Alternatively, make a “Fakebook” profile like Marissa Q., a schoolteacher. Use the online free tool or draw one on parchment to share intriguing information, images, and other information about yourself that you’re happy sharing with children.
- Allow pupils to investigate your life.
Present yourself to your pupils by teaching them how to collect information from reliable primary resources. Phil L., an eighth-grade instructor, says, “I give pupils a pile of primary papers from my past (letters, report cards, class pictures, etc.) with all the critical material blacked out.” “I have the kids make a chronology out of that knowledge, make assumptions about what occurred in the blanks, and form judgments about the type of individual they believe I am.”
- Organize a scavenger expedition.
Jan R. takes the research activity further by transforming her pupils into investigators. The documents are placed in packets labeled TOP SECRET and strewn over her room. She also provides them with magnifying glasses to read the small print!
- In a film, introduce yourself.
Although it requires a little more effort, teachers note that you may utilize these to reintroduce yourself again and over again. Furthermore, a video can be used in both traditional and digital classrooms. On their school PCs, many instructors already own iMovie. Here’s where you can understand how to use it.
- Create an account on Flipgrid and introduce yourself.
Flipgrid is the most powerful dynamic application you haven’t used yet. It enables students and instructors to shoot and securely share short movies. It’s also absolutely free! To expose yourself to pupils, make a Flipgrid movie and have them do it. This is a wonderful approach for everybody to get to understand each other, whether you’re educating in reality or digitally.
- Allow them to complete the calculations.
This innovative approach can sneak a little arithmetic study into your instructor’s introduction! Make a list of characteristics about yourself that can be expressed as numbers, and then transform them into mathematical problems. This is appropriate for several classes, and the students love it! Learn more about The Magnificent Fourth Grade Year in The Magnificent Fourth Grade Year.
- Create a t-shirt pattern
Put your individuality on display! Sketch the shape of clothing and fill it in with personal characteristics. Encourage your pupils to do the same and use their creations to decorate your space, as Counseling Corner does.
- Make a name chart.
Mapping is a great writing method; you can introduce it to your students with a humorous name map. Compose one to introduce yourself on the first day of school, and then have your pupils do it. Teach With Me has further information.
- Assemble a name canopy
Name tents are effective in both traditional and virtual classes. Put this on your table in an in-person class for the initial week or two. Upload the photograph online during intervals or at the edge of the display. (This activity is also suitable for children!) Spark Creativity has more information.
- Inform them about your situation.
Is there a more adorable way to greet your students? You could throw a dessert party to go with it if you genuinely want to assure yourself of the “greatest teacher ever” title. True Life can teach you more. I work as a teacher.
- Let your star shine
“One student is named Star of the Week every week during the school year, and they get to showcase a patchwork of their best items in the class,” Judith G. explains. “I’m the star for the first week, and my artwork lets my pupils get to know me.” Take ideas from Amanda Hager’s example on Pinterest.
- Put on the appropriate attire.
“I know my pupils perceive me as little of a nerd (hey, what can I expect, I’m a math teacher! ), so I go all out for the first day of school,” Greg S. admits. “I have a pi t-shirt on and heavy glasses on, and I go for the nerdy math teacher look.” Do you want to go all-out? Try on one of these Ms. Frizzle-inspired teacher outfits!
- Play a game of Red Light, Green Light to bond with each other.
Here’s a humorous take on the old “Two Truths and a Lie” game (another instructor introduction favorite). Arrange the children in a line at one side of the classroom or school field. Stand on the opposite side and make a personal remark. Students take a step ahead if they believe the claim is accurate. If they’re incorrect, they have to start over! The victor is the first kid to contact you. Rulin’ The Roost has more on this innovative method to announce oneself.
- Compose a poem about yourself.
“I like to make a personal poem,” Brianna H. says of this concept. I create a model of myself to serve as a basis for them. Pupils use the pattern to compose their own, then develop it on poster board and clip out pictures to make a patchwork.” Melulater has a video of this work in operation.
- Demonstrate that you’re a piece of the jigsaw.
Use this adorable concept to introduce yourself while also creating a fantastic back-to-school noticeboard! Show photos or details about yourself on your puzzle piece to make it more personal. Encourage your students to do the same, and then combine all the pieces to create a fantastic picture for your class. Supply Me has further information.
- Create a photo collage
Create a collage with photos rather than words to tell youngsters about yourself. Paige T. says, “We do a Get to Know Me in Pictures.” “I made it for myself and use it to announce myself to the entire class.” Make your composition in the form of your outline if you would like to go artistic. Kix can teach you how to do it. (If you want to try it online, use Padlet.)
- Create a life timeline for yourself.
As you introduce yourself, Jan R. suggests making a chronology on the whiteboard. Allow children to come up and place incidents on the timeline as you reveal details about yourself from various stages in your life. Add photographs of you, like this one from Surfin’ Through Second, to make it even more enjoyable.
- Create a cloudburst to get to know you.
This easy and colorful project communicates to pupils what matters to you. Allow them to create their own, so you can learn more about them. This was inspired by GuysTeachToo on Instagram.
- Write an essay about a mystery package.
“I put three items that symbolize myself in a bag and employ it to explain the five-paragraph essay format,” Dawn M. explains. Each element corresponds to a section in my essay. Then I show the kids my work and have them pluck out every component while I recite the section for that item.” She then instructs the students to compose their introductory pieces similarly. Visit Welcome to Room 36 to see how one instructor uses this exercise.
- Fill an emoji bubble with your favorite emojis
This ingenious little game, which integrates with Google Slides and is ideal for digital or traditional classes, is one of our favorites. Pupils choose an emoji to “burst” the bubble, and you respond to the question by telling them about yourself. Even kids can have fun! Teachers Pay Teachers has the game available from SSSTeaching.
