📩 I’m drafting an email to my colleagues about the first day of class, but I thought I’d test it out here first. What would you add to this note? Does it inspire? How’s the tone?  What resources would you link to?

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Subject: Making the First Day of Class Count

Dear Colleagues,

I’m sharing some thoughts on preparing for the first day of classes – my FAVOURITE day of the year. The first day is so important for setting the tone for the semester, so let’s make it count!

As I prepare to return to teaching after RSL, I’ve been reading Priya Parker’s excellent book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, which offers valuable insights on creating meaningful in-person experiences in our post-COVID world. Her ideas help us design gatherings that provide real value for being together in person, rather than leaving people longing for their pyjamas and pets at home. Her concepts are super relevant to our teaching!

In her chapter, (hilariously) titled “Never start a funeral with logistics,” Parker identifies three key phases to consider when starting a gathering: Priming, Ushering, and Launching – all of which can be applied to that crucial first class. Here’s my (unsolicited but enthusiastic) advice:

1️⃣ Priming – Your course begins before you even enter the classroom. Start making students feel welcome several days in advance:

• Open your D2L shell early – at least 2-3 days before classes start so students can poke around and get familiar with your course
• Post a welcome message in the news feed indicating where students should begin exploring the course materials (the course outline is ideal)
• Ensure your course outline is posted and easy to find
• Send a welcome email that covers:
  • Why the course is valuable, interesting, exciting
  • Who you are and your teaching beliefs
  • What you are hoping students will gain in the course
  • Practical logistics (date, time, location, pre-class prep) for the first day
  • How to navigate the D2L shell, most importantly find the course outline.

I’ve attached my welcome email so you can see the kinds of things I address.

2️⃣ Ushering – Help students transition into your classroom community:

• Arrive early and greet students outside the classroom
• Chat informally about summer experiences, interests, or anything to break the ice
• Learn names – even just a few make a huge difference
• Display a clear welcome slide showing the course name, number, your name, and room confirmation so students know they are in the right place at the right time
• Use those precious 10 minutes before class starts to connect with as many students as possible

3️⃣ Launching– Start that first class with intention and energy:

• Honour and inspire – acknowledge your students and help them feel excited about the subject matter
• Facilitate connections – My goal is always that students know at least four people by the end of class: me plus three classmates.
• Encourage introductions – Without an invitation to do so, many students may feel uncomfortable introducing themselves to the people around them. We can help by creating structured opportunities (even suggesting that they write down the names of people they meet). Repeat this in the second and even third classes of the term
• Share yourself first – Let them know who you are, why you teach, what you love about it, and what you hope for them this term
• Save logistics for after connection – Build excitement and community before diving into policies and procedures

Here are several other resources on starting the semester off right:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-teach-a-good-first-day-of-class/?sra=true

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/ten-tips-for-dealing-with-nervousness-the-first-day-of-class/

https://www.westfield.ma.edu/images/uploads/media-services/facultyfocus.com-The_First_Day_of_Class_A_Once-a-Semester_Opportunity.pdf

[??? what else to include???]

Reminder, if you have TAs in your course, they are about to have their BEST DAY OF TERM, too. Help them start their first lab/tutorial off on the right foot by sharing these strategies or others that you use.

Wishing you all a fantastic start to the semester. Here’s to creating classrooms where students are genuinely excited to learn and connect!

Cheers,

Kyla

P.S. My favourite first day of class story: One year in my Quantitative Biology course, on the first day I had students introduce themselves to three classmates. At the end of the term, a couple approached me to share that they’d met during those introductions, started dating, and now called each other their “statistically significant other.” A few years later, they returned – married and still using that nerdy yet adorable phrase for each other!