5 Ways to Set the Tone
It’s a new year, and thank God, amirite? What a disaster-cluster-monster 2020-2021 was, even in the best of districts. If your last year went anything like mine, it was a lot of leggings, coffee, crying, and Zoom. Oh, and teaching? Did I mention that part? Thankless, talking to name-boxes, feeling like you’re all alone, teaching. The empty-but-submitted GoogleClassroom assignments. The awkward silence following literally every question. Literally BEGGING the students to speak, to say anything. Yeah, it wasn’t just you. The good news is: we are back. Even in California, we are getting back to classrooms this fall, so I thought I’d throw some ideas out of how to engage your unsocialized students once we are all back together again in person and they can’t hide the fact they’re sleeping from us anymore.
Games: Ya’ll. I KNOW. I know. Most of the games are cringe. Hear me out though: they are also necessary. Find some fun, interactive ways to get our little hermit crabs out of their shells! There are so many fun get-to-know-you games out there, and even if they hate it, some will love it.
Greet your students: It’s a classic for a reason. Stand at your door, smile like a goober, and hold your roster in your hand so you cant take role and not feel quite as dumb.
Play music: Choose something that is upbeat and fun to start out your class. Kids enjoy hearing it, even when it’s a song they think is terrible, it is something to talk about it. Throw up some 90’s jams, they’re usually into it.
Get to know them: Most of us have hundreds of students and it can be overwhelming to try and figure out the personality and stories that sit in our class. It’s always a struggle to get to know their story in meaningful ways. Take the time to get to know them through a choice board or Flipgrid. (See my get-to-know-you resource on TPT).
Call home: No, not the bad kind. We know, in the first two weeks, who the biggest challenge kids will be. They usually come in with an “F-YOU” attitude and are usually immediately causing issues. As a result, I spend the first two weeks focusing in on them and finding something about them that I love. Are they funny? Are they creative? Are they a leader? I focus on that, and I call home and contact tell the parents how much I like their child and what I have noticed about them. This establishes, very early, to parents and students alike that I am on their side. I want them to succeed.
If all else fails, take a breath and give everyone some grace-including yourself. We are doing something incredible: we are coming back to school for the first time in over a year for some. Have patience and grace, and find ways to make yourself and your students smile. Have a great first week!