One of my favorite things to do is to have the students complete a self portrait of themselves on the first day of school and then again at the end of school. It is so neat to see how much their writing and drawing skills have approved! Just make sure to keep these in a place you will remember. One year I thought I had lost mine and I was so worried!
Also, I always do one of myself when the kids draw theirs. It is interesting to see how my perception of myself changes throughout the year. My favorite was the one I had to draw of my pregnant self at the end of the year. The kids got such a kick out of seeing my before and after drawings!

To download your free self portrait handouts click here!

One of the most important things I have learned as a teacher is how valuable positive notes home are. As a mother myself, I appreciate all the communication from teachers, but I LOVE hearing how great my kid is doing in school.

As a teacher, we always remember to send home the notes about problems at school, but often we overlook the good days. So, remember to send home those positive notes too! I keep a sheet taped to my desk with each student’s name on it, and I send home a few positive notes each week. Once a student gets a note, I mark their name off the list. When my list is finished, I take it off my desk and tape a new one down and start all over!

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get these notes out, they can be something super simple, like this one here, or you can even purchase rewards at the teacher store. Just make sure every once in a while you send out something to make the parents smile!

I hope you enjoy your free first day home note!

First Day Note