Do You Ever Wonder?

It Starts at the Door

It Starts at the Door

**I originally wrote this entry to share before school started. However, this idea can still apply now near the beginning of the 2nd Quarter. If you did this at the start of the year, but stopped somewhere along the way, try again. That child that is giving you trouble, well the problem may just fix itself! It’s never too late to make connections!**

You worked hard all summer to design and organize your classroom, read a great professional book that inspired you, created fantastic lesson plans, and joined a new educational website. What now? What is the single most important thing for you to do on the first day of school?

The best thing that you can do to start your year off right, and every day for that matter, is to stand at your door and great each student every morning. Sounds simple, right? True, but the benefits of this action are far beyond simple. By greeting your students every morning, you create an open relationship, gain immediate insight into each child’s mood, and help to create classroom culture.

Research shows that by making connections to and developing relationships with kids, teachers can make a true impact on a child’s potential to learn. This includes those students that are affected by trauma. A great article to read on this topic is found in Education Week called “Student Trauma is Real. But Connection Can Heal” by Gary G. Abud Jr. He states, “Students who have strong connections in school perform better, because relationships are central to learning and development,” He also states that even a single nurturing personal connection can work to reverse the negative aspects of trauma for a child. In other words, that child that you have been struggling with needs you the most. He needs your love and understanding. He needs you to create a positive relationship with him.

Every day you have that ability to create a classroom environment that feels safe, open, and caring. By greeting each student by name, you make an immediate connection and let them know that they are important and that you care. Begin with a simple, “Good Morning, Billy.” At first, Billy may not even respond. Some kids need to become more familiar and comfortable with adults addressing them in this manner. However, over time the relationship will grow. Billy may end up nodding, responding with a greeting, or even opening up to you.

I have had many positive experiences with this that far outweigh the simple time it takes to greet each child. In one situation, I began greeting a student by name each morning as he passed my door on the way to his classroom. I knew this child had a troubled past. For this blog, I’ll call him, Bob.  I would smile and say, “Good Morning, Bob.” For months, he would just look at me and glare. I know I wondered at times if this was worth it. One morning about 5 months later, I received a wave of his hand in reply. I nearly cried! I knew that I had made at least a small connection with him. From then on, I got a wave every morning. Whether or not it truly made a difference in his life, I probably will never know, but I can only hope that his simple wave was acknowledgement that he knew I cared.

In another instance, One of my students, I’ll call her Becky, was very quiet. Every morning I greeted her, “Good Morning, Becky.” At first, she would just look at me. After a few weeks, I began getting a nod. About a month later, she responded, “Hi.” Eventually, she began telling me about her evening. I learned so much about her through just a few sentences each morning. She grew more confident each day. By the end of the year, she was even raising her hand in class to answer questions. The following year, I was surprised to see her name on our list for Morning Announcement Leaders. She bloomed as a speaker and did a great job!

This quick connection each morning allows me to gauge a child’s mood and emotions very quickly, tell if they had a good night’s sleep, or if they are wearing the same clothes from the day before. In other cases, I learn about sick family members, arguments that may have happened at home, or success outside of school. I can intervene when needed, give a consoling hug, a high five, or know when a child needs to talk to the counselor. All of this takes place in just a few minutes at the beginning of my day.

Not all of your interactions will end in success stories, but even being able to reach one kid is so very important. We may never know how we affect kid’s lives by just a simple greeting every morning. I implore you to give it a try. Start now. Our students need us!