Hi all! Happy Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer (or at least summer vacation)! I hope all educators and staff had a restful and rejuvenating break and are ready to swing right back into another school year.
September is an extremely hectic time for anyone connected with the concept of "school." Whether you are a principal preparing for the first day, a veteran or first-time teacher ready to make your mark, a relative of a student, or especially the students, the idea of returning to something so familiar and yet also entirely new can be both daunting and exciting.
So, to help myself prepare for the 2019-2020 school year (can't believe we're already here!), I have created a list of seven sensational (in my experience) ways to start of your year right as we get into September.
Some ground rules before we start:
1. The items on the list below are not ranked in any particular order. I have found that all of the items listed are most effective when deployed together, and therefore I don't put much stock in trying to quantify which individual practice is "better" than another.
2. These ideas are taken from my own experiences and time spent teaching. Though I will offer some concrete methods with which to employ these techniques (all of which have been tried and tested), a lot of this list focuses more on the concepts and ideas behind actions. There is no one way to do all of this; as with everything else in teaching, I believe we are most successful when we take an idea or a topic and make it our own.
So, ready or not, let's jump right in!
1. Roll Out the Welcome Wagon
Think of the energy of the first day of school: students excitedly comparing schedules, teachers initiating ice-breaker activities in class, and everyone smiling and sharing stories about summer.
One of my goals at the beginning of each school year is to maintain the excited and welcoming atmosphere of the first day from September all the way to June.
The benefits of accomplishing this speak for themselves: students who are excited and engaged become active learners eager to take charge of their studies and classroom experiences.
The question that remains is: how do we accomplish this? What steps can be taken to keep the "first day of school" levels of excitement and interest alive all year long?
For me, it always starts with getting the students involved in the planning process. From the very first day, I endeavor to instill in my students a feeling of teamwork and camaraderie. I ask my students what their goals are for our time together, and I share my goals with them. We work together to map out a course that will help us get to our goals, and we set up systems to track our progress along the way.
The goals students submit range from subject specific to academic in general and even to feats they want to accomplish in their social or extracurricular lives. It is essential that the students connect with the goal they are setting for themselves. This is not a one-day process that is rarely revisited; in order for these goals to stick and have meaning, they must be personal, specific, and well thought out.
This exercise highlights something I'm sure I'll repeat by the time I'm done with this post: it is essential that your students know you care about them, not just their academic success in your class for the short time you have them each day, but their success and continued growth as a person.
And the welcome wagon doesn't stop there! The beginning of September is the perfect time to initiate and set up systems regarding school-home contact. As discussed in greater detail in "Structured School-Home Contact," it's never a good idea to wait until something's wrong to dive into contact with a parent or guardian. Having a rapport between the classroom and home, established avenues of communication, and clearly communicated standards for classroom work and behavior not only minimizes problems in the classroom, it also greatly deescalates issues when they do arise.
To get the ball rolling, I always start off with a Welcome Letter that highlights my classroom policies and procedures. I try to distribute this letter in both a paper and digital form to ensure it reaches the greatest number of parents and guardians. I also use this initial contact to try to tap into the amazing potential the people in a student's home life can offer. I honestly don't know why parent volunteers and classroom visitations tend to fall out of practice after elementary school when they can be such a powerful experience for any grade. Take the time to get to know who you're emailing or chatting with; you just might find a wealth of knowledge waiting to be unleashed in your classroom.
2. Hype Up Your Grade
You know what students of all ages (and people in general) love? Something new! Even though trying something new can be really scary, there is something inherently appealing about being recognized as a year older and wiser.
So coming into a new grade at the start of a new year is new squared, and you definitely want to capitalize on that potential. Have discussions with your students about the new privileges and expectations unlocked this year. Check in with them about the progress on their long term goals. Give them the space to express how they feel they've changed, and make sure to frame these new experiences in a positive light. No matter what grade you teach, there's always something new and unique that you can hype up for your students.
3. Build Good Classroom Habits
This goal falls squarely into the teacher's best friend: pre-planning. Before the bus pulls up on the first day of school, spend some time thinking about the structures and systems you want to implement in your class.
What will students do when they first enter the classroom? Where will classroom materials be stored? What is the protocol for a fast finisher on an assignment? How do absences and extensions work in your class?
While I am a firm believer in flexibility and being able to instate ideas as they come to you throughout the year, having structured, but non-binding, systems in place from the first day of school promotes organization and sets consistent expectations for all students. This, in turn, helps minimize school-related anxiety and maximize limited classroom time. You don't want to swamp students the first day with a ton of systems they're suddenly expected to memorize, but the first week/month of school is the perfect time to put these invisible practices in place.
4. Establish Professional Habits
Just as it's essential to establish systems and expectations for the students entering your classroom, I find it's critically important to communicate these same practices to your colleagues. As I have learned over my amazing time at BIS, no teacher is an island and, more importantly, no teacher should want to be an island.
My colleagues are absolutely fantastic. I have learned so much from them over the past few years, and some of my favorite lessons have emerged from places of collaboration between a coworker or two. Creating avenues to promote collaboration and communication is a must right from the beginning of the year. Common planning time and the ability to visit other teacher's classrooms are great places to start if you're lucky enough to have access to those in your district. And even if you're not, setting a specific format for communication, a time to meet with the teachers and staff you'd like to collaborate with, and finding topics that lend themselves to group development are all excellent ways to start the year off right with your peers as well as your students. Even if you are wonderful in isolation, think about how fabulous you can become with a little support from someone with a different perspective.
5. Build a Rapport With Your Students
This one I've sort of touched upon in some of the other areas of this post, but it bears repeating. Take the time to get to know your students. Demonstrate that you care about them, and that you consider and value their perspectives when approaching content. Strive to create a classroom where everyone is working together to build up their skills.
In your classroom, you are an expert. There is no question. But there can (and should, by the end of the year) be more than one expert in a room. Instead of holding tight to a rigid schedule that doesn't allow time to explore divergent paths, strive to be flexible.
I understand that this can be difficult. You have a curriculum, a schedule, and all the work you put in behind the scenes riding on covering exactly what you intended to cover in exactly the way you intended to cover it that day. But make time for your students who, in turn, will make time for you. Understand that a professional and effective student/teacher dynamic is not synonymous with a strict, no fun approach to your relationship with your students.
6. Set Attainable Goals for Yourself
September is stressful.
As much as I love the start of the school year (and the start of Fall!), it's no secret: there's a lot going on behind the scenes (and on the scene) once school gets back in session.
And that's okay. It's fine to be busy, but it's also important to move through your expectations at a reasonable pace and make time for yourself.
I've been guilty of shirking this piece of advice to myself in the past, so I speak from experience when I say: it's not worth it. Bogging yourself down with a list of 20 things that all have to get done tonight is not worth it. Trying to be totally planned all the way through December on the first week of school is not worth it (also, I always found myself deviating from those plans by the time I got to them, so...).
There has to be balance, not just for your own good, but for the good of your classroom. As a teacher, it's your energy students pick up on when they enter your room. If you're frazzled and panicky and expecting everything to be done the minute you start, that comes off and your students internalize that sort of attitude.
A good rule of thumb for your professional life is to try to emulate the attitudes you'd like your students to hold. Track your progress using a prioritized to-do list. Plan a few activities to complete at once, and take a break once you've accomplished your goal. Look ahead and schedule yourself and your work. Be forgiving, and build in extra time if something doesn't work out right away.
At the end of the day, take a deep breath and congratulate yourself on a good day. You've done it before and you'll do it again, so try not to stress.
7. Have Fun!
If you're at all like me, you picked this job for a reason (likely several). You enjoy guiding kids to meet their full potential. You're striving to leave a positive impact on someone. You want to do your part helping future generations. You care about your students.
So, for all those reasons and many more, I wish everyone reading this post the happiest, most fun, and best possible start and finish to the 2019-2020 school year! Let's rock this one out!
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