First two days wrap-up

This is my sixth year teaching and I'm starting my 4th year with TPRS.  Even so, I still feel like it's new.  The difference is that I wasn't stressed out too much in the days and hours leading up to the first day of school.  And it's even better now that I've starting getting to know my students.  I'm always terrified that I'll get a bunch of "stinkers" who will make my year a living hell.  But once I meet the students and look into their eyes, I just feel better. 

Starting off on the first day (yesterday), I had my students do a name game.  This is mostly for me, because most of my students know each other, but it also helps out the new students who start the year off feeling unknown and out of place.  The game I play is super simple: each student comes up with an adjective that starts with the same sound as their first name.  We stand in a circle and I start with my name: Hilarious Hayles (c'est vrai, n'est-ce pas?).  The next person in line says my name and theirs (Hilarious Hayles, Creative Cathy) and then the third person builds on that.  If someone blanks, it starts off with them.  The goal is for one person to make it all the way around the circle.  Imagine the repetition as students mess up again and again!  It's a pretty lame game, but I had some students who said that it was their favorite moment from the first day of school.  Not sure if they are just buttering me up, but I'll take it!  The problem with this type of game is that it takes away the structure for the first day, so it was a struggle to keep kids in line.  Especially since they have never met me before and have no idea what my expectations are.  I was a little bummed at the end of the day yesterday...worrying that my whole year was going to be filled with chatting and disrespect.

Today went much better.  I handed out my syllabus and went over the expectations.  It bored the students to death, but I tried to infuse some humor and promised that class would get better in the future.  Tomorrow we might actually get to learn some French!!

I have to say that I was BLOWN away by my returning students.  Anyone who doubts the method should be with me on the first day of school to hear the conversations I am able to have with my returning students after almost 3 months of NO FRENCH at home.  I was so excited that we started off the year with talking about our summers!  I can't wait to see what these kids can do at the end of their second year of French!!