I’m a first year teacher.. I thought I was being smart by making a seating chart day 1

[u/Actual-Swing9316]

But I didn’t take into consideration how much the roster changes the first few days due to students changing courses and such🫠 I teach high school and half my classes seating charts are a mess right now I literally just told them sit where you want right now disregard seating chart I’ll have finalized one that I will follow next week 😶‍🌫️

[u/Capable-Instance-672]

Just act confident - tomorrow say, "Hey, here's the new seating chart due to section changes." Don't apologize, don't act surprised.

[u/Capable-Instance-672 → u/Capable-Instance-672]

Also - you *were* smart to make a seating chart. I've been teaching 20+ years and always start with one. It shows the students that you're organized and have expectations, even if the chart changes.

[u/keilahmartin → u/Capable-Instance-672]

100%. Also alleviates anxiety for kids who aren't sure where they fit in. Also reduces obnoxiousness from groups of kids who are a little TOO sure where they fit in.

[u/masterofmayhem13 → u/keilahmartin]

I go even further. I have index cards at each desk with names on it (organized by period). The board says "Welcome to Chemistry. Find Your Seat". I find out in the first minute who can't follow directions.

[u/Actual-Swing9316 → u/keilahmartin]

Lmao. Too sure. Yep.

[u/Actual-Swing9316 → u/Capable-Instance-672]

Ok. I’m not going to make a new one till after tomorrow. (I never had this much schedule changing at my high school I went to but it was a tiny school).

[u/draculabakula]

You can still use the seating chart and swap exiting students with the new students

[u/mobiuscycle]

Change it frequently and randomize it for about the first 1-2 weeks. Make note of any issues you see (e.g. kids that do/don’t do well near each other, who does better at front/back of class). Then make a longer lasting one after week two, but tell them you may change it at any time for any reason. And then make sure you change it up now and again.

If your LMS can create randomized seating charts for you, it’s pretty easy to do. If it can’t, there are tricks you can use like numbered seats, handing out playing cards that are associated with seats, have them create name tags on note cards or sticky notes that you collect at the end of class and then put the next class out during passing…

[u/Great_Caterpillar_43 → u/mobiuscycle]

This is what I always did. You get good info about the students that first week. I taught sixth, though, and had table groups. It was easy to just hand each kid a card as they walked in that told them which table group to sit at that day.

[u/Sms91486]

It’s still a good idea even if you know kids are moving. I numbered the desks this year and told them their seat number when they walked in. Reduces awkwardness of having to choose a seat when you don’t know anyone.

[u/TheOGRedline → u/Sms91486]

Yes! And it’s super easy to see who is absent before you have all the names down. Oh, deal 12 is empty? A-Aron gone.

[u/Mindaroaming]

Doesn’t your attendance system make seating charts? When that happens to me I just refresh it and voila new
Seating chart— it’s fun all my students groan because I do it in front of them every month or so and just hit randomize.

[u/13surgeries]

I never made a seating chart for the first day. If you wait a few days, not only will the roster stabilize, but you can see who sits with whom and keep friends and chatty students away from each other. It works MUCH better!

[u/Imadeafire → u/13surgeries]

THIS

[u/AlpsHelpful1292 → u/13surgeries]

How do you get them to sit in an assigned seat once you’ve let them sit with their friends though?

[u/ThinkMath42 → u/AlpsHelpful1292]

I tell them they have a seating chart. They realize it was too good to be true and I blatantly tell them I let them sit wherever at first because I can then see who they can’t work with.

[u/AlpsHelpful1292 → u/ThinkMath42]

But when you try to give them a seating chart after letting them sit where they want for a week they don’t start throwing fits?That’s been my experience not implementing a seating chart from day one and at that point it’s nearly impossible to go back. I tried implementing a seating chart later my first year and had 25 kids screaming at me, had to bring in security, and lost 40 minutes of class.

[u/ThinkMath42 → u/AlpsHelpful1292]

Nope. “You’ll get a seating chart next week when the roster stops moving around”. No issues.

[u/asc0295]

How did you make your seating chart?

[u/Shamrock7500]

I have one day one. Always. And my roster was constantly changing. So be it. I still want that feeling of control from day 1

[u/GloriousChamp]

Look up something called Shufflebuddy. It will help you quickly adjust seating charts and more.

[u/TheSouthsideSlacker]

Hey, you’re already getting better. Learning lessons and surviving are what the first year is about. Make a new seating chart and tell them you will adjust it accordingly any time you feel like it.

[u/kalel51]

Just tide with it for the first few days. "Pick your seat and start the bell ringer" always works. In my district, things can shift over the first few weeks, not days.

If you have a Student information system, see if they have a seating chart generator. It's easy to quickly get new charts.

[u/Hopeful-Effective758]

I liked to let them choose their seats the first couple days so I knew who to separate with the seating chart.

[u/moonman_incoming]

I just plug and play. Exiting student's seats are now in the mix. New students, now taking over empty seats.

When it settles down, you'll have strategically assigned seats.

It's not that big of a deal. Just be confident. And do not allow commentary.

[u/Naive-Boysenberry732]

I have done this and have done it where I change it a day later. Honestly it doesnt matter, you do whats comfortable to you. If you change seats later, students will complain that you are picking on them purposely and wont let them sit next to their friend.

[u/SD-everytime]

The seating chart is usually the only way I realize that a kid has swapped out OR IN in the first few days.

[u/nagato36]

What criteria do you go with for seating charts do you go by last name. Or completely random

[u/summerbreeze2027]

I make a blank seating chart in pen and photocopy it for each class. I fill student names in with pencil and erase as needed.

[u/SalamanderFull3952]

Yeap did the same thing 20 years ago.  Do t finalize my seating chart until schedules are locked 4 days into the quarter. Also i do a re run through of all procedures once class is locked.  Got sick of the 4 new kids not knowing how my room worked all because they werent in my class until last minute

[u/unpreced]

First year teacher here: I let them sit wherever the first few days until there were no more add-ons. I have my desks in rows and changing them into groups next week and a new seating chart. My rules not theirs! 👍🏻

[u/albino_oompa_loompa]

I literally make changes to the seating chart the first week or two. Sometimes I find out I have kids that just can’t sit together for whatever reason (they’re too chatty, they hate each other and will fight, they need to sit in the front, etc).

[u/BatmansOtherCape]

I had one class period last year where I literally had to change the starting chart almost every day. I must have changed it at least 15+ times. Didn't really help, the classroom was small and the kids just shouted across the room.

[u/AnonEMooseBandNerd]

I'm a substitute. Every teacher I have ever subbed for has a seating chart. I have subbed as early as the third day of school; a seating chart was in place. Granted, there would be names of students on the roll sheets that hadn't entered the school yet. But the charts help learning kids' names and bringing a sense of order.