First Impression

“The beginning is the most important part of the work” – Plato

I agree when they told me that first impressions play a strong part in everything you do. I have been experiencing most of my time preparing myself to look good in front of others. As far as I remember, the very first time I felt nervous to look perfect in people's eyes was during the selection of athletes for high jump when I was 11 years old. This time around, I was relaxing my anxiety for the nth time to look good in front of teachers and administrators in the school during my School Based Experience (SBE).

A certified veteran teacher told me that you will never have a second chance to make a first impression especially in the classroom. To students, parents and teachers, the first day of school can be a little challenging. We always encounter a lot of students’ anxiety on their very first day of school. It is the same for the first-day-of-teaching teachers. They do experience first day nervousness which can often give the wrong impression about their personality and character. A teacher approached me during my SBE. She gave me advice and tips on being a novice teacher specifically. She asked me if I still remember how my teachers impressed us back then. I said I am not certain if what they did can be considered as a first impression but they did something like wearing appropriate attire and they tried to remember our names. “That's exactly what you have to do to impress others”, she said.

Presentation is everything and that includes what you are wearing because what you wear would also reflect who you are. Always wear nice-looking and appropriate dress code outfits. Do not only wear them for the first day because not everyone at the school saw you on your first day, she said. Remember to wear comfortable clothes as you should be able to move around the classroom comfortably. She advised ; make the first day of teaching as the chance to create an impactful impression on your students. The students are more likely as anxious as you are when it comes to the first day with a new teacher. Therefore, you need to brighten up the class by relieving some of their fears and ease the tension by greeting them with an ear-to-ear smile. By doing this also open a way to build a strong relationship with your students.

I have read somewhere online where they mentioned that only 45% of a first impression has anything to do with words coming out of our mouth. The other 55% of a first impression is visual - how you look, how you dress, how you stand. It’s your personal appearance. They said, first impressions can be either beneficial to one’s career, or can be detrimental to one’s career. Students’ first impression of you will stick with them in the long run, thus prepare yourself to make a lasting impression.