First, to help you remember their names, a seating chart will help. They should be sitting at their desk or table all of the time. If they have desks you can make name cards and tape them to the front. You should take attendance every day. Look at them directly every day you do this. It will not take you long to get to know each of them by name.

Secondly, you need to implement a behavior management program in class. A good example of this is to reward good behavior at the end of the day with a sticker.

After they earn so many stickers they can purchase something from your school store

( the people I know usng this use things from the Dollar Store) or you reward the class with a special activity, etc.

One other thing, they will learn from the behavior you model. It is an awesome responsibility, but you are “bigger than life” to them. Try to be calm, only use raising your voice when absolutely necessary. As part of that modeling try to clean up your writing. Write and speak in proper English not the stuff you use in your I.M.’s. Good luck, it is a great career.

In order to help you remember their names, name tags are very useful, but be aware that students often swap with a friend to confuse you. Hopefully yours are too young to have thought of that! The best option is to have them raise their hand each time they answer to their name on the roll, and have them say their name each time they answer a question or ask one. Use their names as much as you can. Be honest. I have done some casual teaching and I tell the students in each new class that there is only one name for them to remember and 30 names for me, so don’t be upset if I forget yours, just remind me.

In terms of gaining their respect and getting them to listen, be clear (and simple) about what you expect of them, and be clear about the consequences and rewards. BE CONSISTENT. That is so important. Make it visual for them, and reinforce it regularly. it is important to have your own class management system in place that the class understands. When starting with a new class, sometimes it takes a few tries to find out what works with them, and some ideas can get stale and need changing after a while. Be flexible and willing to try something new if the first doesn’t work, but give it a decent try first.

A K/1 teacher I know uses a traffic light chart. Each child has a little car with their name on it, stuck on with velcro. They all start on green. If a child is being very naughty and given a warning, their car is moved to the orange/yellow circle. If they continue, it is moved to the red and they are given a consequence (such as missing something good). She also gives the whole class rewards if no cars are moved for a whole week. It is one of the many effective techniques to choose from.

To summarise: be clear, be consistent, don’t let them call the shots. You can be nice, but don’t be a pushover. Good luck.

I don’t know if this will work in first grade or not but I explain to my middle school students that there are 30 of them times 5 and only 1 of me so I have to work a little harder to remember everyone’s name, so I need your help! You will memorize some names very quickly automatically. The one’s you don’t know, you need to practice using everyday until you know it well, keep doing that until you have all their names down. Try to make sure you use every kids name at least once a day until you know them by site. I have also found it helpful, in the beginning, to hand out paperwork by calling their names and having them come forward to get the paper or item. Once you have their names down you can find a less time consuming way to hand things out.

As far as them listening to you, you have to be consistent with your message. Explain to them what you expect and then practice that with them—you should model the desired behavior and them have them practice it. Also have them practice the undesired behavior so they understand that breaking the rules, or participating in bad behavior has a consequence and make sure you dole it out the same to each student, the same with the rewards.

Good luck!

It sometimes helps with young kids to put their name tags on their backs so you can say their name if they run away from you, because that is generally when they act up when they can’t see you. Also play name games, most likely the kids don’t know each other that well either. So have them arrange themselves in alphabetical order as a game and say their names and time them, so they can compete against themselves to be faster. Look up ice-breakers online, they should have lots of name games.

The more you know about the kids the easier it will be to remember their names so ask them questions like how many brothers do you have? Do you have any pets? What is your favorite toy? ect.

Do you have a digital camera, a notebook computer, and a means to project your screen to the entire class?

I teach English in a junior high in Taiwan. With 520 students (half of whom are aborignal, by the way), I had a heck of a time learning all the names.

I took a head and shoulders picture of each student, and did them in to a PowerPoint slideshow (one for each class). I labelled all their names on to the slides.

I made a working copy, and delete each slide off the working copy as each student speaks in class–taking great care not to save my changes on the working copy.

I learn the names, and I track that every kid speaks in class at least once.

I expect that grade one kids would be thrilled to see pictures of themselves on screen.

You can also use it to reinforce the behaviour that you want, by adding captions “Judy tried her best today”. “Bill was very helpful in class” “Jack was kind to Jill, and shared his snack today”

Good luck. You have the best, and the most important, job in the world. You can make or break a kids’ willingness to learn, and their self-esteem for their entire lives.

I’m a substitute teacher. So many days I’m in a new class with 25 new faces. To learn their names I sometimes play name association games. I take attendance while looking directly at them, and if there are no name tags on the desks, I pass out post-it notes for them to write their names on.

I use their names everytime I speak to them at their desks and by afternoon, I seldom need to look for their name. By this time I have begun to associate their name with the part of the room they are in, and its simply a matter of deciding which names are not theirs to use the right name.

another trick:

imagine their name tattooed on their forhead.

* Have your students be seated their inregular places. Draw up a plan, each having their name. Keep this with you on your desk; within, at most, two weeks you will be able to remember their names.

* Try to get them to share in class. You can divide them into groups, then in pairs.

* Look for intersting short stories. Start your class with ‘part 1’ of the story; tell them if they are going to do well, you will finish it.

* Don’t say: ‘I want them to respect me’ BUT say: ‘listen to what i tell them’

when i am young i usually respect teachers when they are nice when we do the right thing and they will reward us….but to make us respect i think a bit of scolding would be need if some of them cget naughty or u can give out prizes to those who listen to u…on how to remember their names….ask them to make a name board and paste in front of their desk and in long term u will eventually know their names

name tags on their desk. Its the simpliest way. 2nd would be alphabetical order. That’s my suggestions.

have them wear nametags for the first week 🙂

good luck!!