This is from Jody:
This is not an activity, but is a good reminder that since our classroom expectations can fall off our student’s screens pretty easily over a vacation, it is important to do a “reset” on the very first day back. I extracted and summarized an article I read today from the Smart Classroom Management folks. You may find something here that helps you to get a good start back next week:
First day back from vacation: the great day of opportunity (don’t miss it)!
Reestablish who you are, what you’re about, and what it means to be a member of your classroom.
Greet each and every student. Look each on in the eyes and tell them how glad you are to see them. You are building rapport and likability. You are starting the chain of reciprocal kindness and thoughtfulness that will spread in your classroom.
Model and practice your first routine: coming in the classroom
Model for them how you want them to walk in, settle themselves in their seats, get their desks cleared and ready, etc. Choose a few students to model it properly. Have the whole class model it. Leave nothing to chance.
Spend time enjoying each other’s company and getting reacquainted. Allow them to share some of their vacation experiences and share some of your own. Model how to have a polite conversation. Draw them back into the classroom environment of learning and shared participation. You are building rapport once again, showing your leadership, creating leverage you need to have influence with your students.
Review and reteach your classroom expectations and the consequences in detail. Personally model the misbehaviors you’ve witnessed so far that hour, and walk them through the steps of your classroom discipline plan. Leave nothing to chance—no room for excuses. Take questions, check for understanding, clear up doubts, and promise them that you will protect their right to learn and enjoy school by (you) following your classroom management plan as written—no exceptions.
Go SLOW(ly)!! Watch your demeanor, pace, and temperament. When we struggle with classroom management, we are usually going way too fast. We communicate an undercurrent of tension to our students. That, in itself, causes excitability, distraction and misbehavior. When we set a calm, easy pace, students feel reassured. It frees them—energizes them—and promotes an environment students want to be part of, an environment conducive to learning.