About this Video

• Video Title: The First Day of High School: Establishing Classroom Expectations and Building Relationships
• Channel: SBCUSD
• Speakers: Mr. Gomez
• Duration: 00:06:22

Introduction

This video documents Mr. Gomez's approach to the first day of high school math class. He focuses on establishing classroom expectations and building relationships with his students. The video shows his classroom management techniques and his philosophy of connecting with students on a personal level.

Key Takeaways

• Building Rapport: Mr. Gomez prioritized building relationships with students from the moment they entered the classroom, even using informal greetings in Spanish to connect. He believes that students respond positively to a teacher who shows genuine care.
• Structured Seating Chart: A pre-planned seating chart provided structure and allowed Mr. Gomez to strategically group students with varying math skills, fostering peer learning and support. This also immediately established his authority in the classroom.
• Active Learning with Syllabus: Instead of a passive presentation, Mr. Gomez engaged students with a syllabus "scavenger hunt" activity, making the process of learning class rules and expectations more interactive.
• Transparency and Vulnerability: Mr. Gomez shared personal anecdotes about his parents' struggles, highlighting his own journey and emphasizing the importance of students having choices and opportunities he didn't initially have.
• Emphasis on Connection over Subject Matter: Mr. Gomez suggests that student connection and feeling cared for is more important than simply demonstrating subject matter expertise.

Mr. Gomez shared a story about his parents' immigration experience and their limited educational opportunities and subsequent jobs. His mother worked packing oranges, and his father worked in construction, neither speaking English. The intention was to illustrate that he understood their struggles and to show students that they have choices and opportunities he didn't have growing up. He wanted to emphasize the importance of their education and the potential they possess.