My August started with this message…
“Hi I just found out that you are my son ____’s teacher this year. I wish I could have videoed ______’s response when I told him that you were going to be his teacher this year. He was overjoyed and excited because and I quote you are the coolest funnest teacher ever!”
I’ll be 100% honest, this has been the best start to a school year I’ve ever had. I don’t understand how. I don’t understand why. But I’m going to keep riding this wave as long as I can!
That message set the tone this year. I read the message when I got home and immediately lit up like a Christmas tree! If the mother couldn’t get a video of his response, she could receive one from me. I pulled out my phone, flipped the camera, and began filming how excited I was to have her son. The mother and son watched the video together. She immediately filmed her son’s response back to me. Tone Set. Let’s go!
Fast forward to the first day of school. Balloons and red drapes decorated the outside of my door with the message, “Throw kindness like confetti!” That’s when it hit me at the last minute. I need my confetti! When the students arrived, I greeted them with a handful of confetti! The smiles went up just as the confetti did. It was a magical moment that I’ll remember more than the kids will. It made me think…imagine if everyday you were thrown confetti as you were welcomed to your job. How awesome!
The magic continued: students adjectively described me by placing sticky notes all over. I even wore them all day (including my meeting with my principal). I can’t forget about our ant farm, daily lunch, the grand opening our library, the red carpet, Harry Potter welcome letters, book giveaways, daily read alouds, random drum parties, Go Noodle brain breaks, the science labs, beach balls, astronaut costume and more!
We can’t do those things above without two things. The first is, buy in from the class. I’ve never heard so many kids tell me during the first days that they’ve wanted to be in my classroom. It made me so happy to hear that. The class is showed it with their attitudes and commitment with whatever I ask of them. Everyday is so special! Thank goodness I’m still doing my daily positive journal because this class is superb!
The other thing is me. To do those magical things above it takes energy, cost, and commitment outside of school hours…but it’s always worth it. I want to do these things for my students. I recall of the days when I was a student and sat in a desk and felt like a ghost. I don’t want my students to feel the way I felt. I strive for the exact opposite. All kids deserve it.
It’s not hard to greet students with a smile and high-five at your door. (Don’t forget to say goodbye to your students too.) I also don’t think it’s hard to go on YouTube, and chank music as students enter or softly play music while students work. While we’re at it, those science labs that look daunting are simpler than you think; just do them…your students will thank you. Stop working and make eye contact with a smile with that the student that always asks you questions at your back table that you love to see.
As much as my classroom set up, the crazy activities, and the goofy dress up days are for my students, they’re also for me. I want to have fun too! Teaching is more fun when you’re having fun! Playing with students at recess gives me energy and makes me feel young. Eating with students prevents teachers from gossiping to me and from me gossiping. If I expect my students to make eye contact with me and use their manners, then I should listen to them when they ask questions and want to share stories with me.
All these things have been in prefect unison like no year before. I’m using my time more effectively before, during, and after school. My teaching has been better than ever, full of progress monitoring, Kagan strategies, and engagement. Whatever I’m doing, I’m going to keep doing it! This will be the BEST SCHOOL YET! What an Awesome August!
