This post was contributed by Hannah LeBlanc.
As a teacher, by the time May rolls around, I often find myself thinking about my class in a loving way, but also “it’s time for y’all to move on down the hall to the next grade.” And then, August rolls around and you find yourself face to face with a bunch of little people you don’t know and you meet them, along with their (often anxious) parents at Meet the Teacher. All the while, those friends from last year swing in and out to say hello, and you watch them walk away and wish they could stay and teach your new students all the routines and expectations… and a bonus… if their parents could stay and tell these newbie parents that everything is going to be just fine… and second grade really is an awesome year!
Building relationships seems to be a very special part of the first 6 weeks of school in the Lower School. But, as special as it may be, it can be the hardest part of the year. As teachers, we often want to get to know each other, learn the routines… but we REALLY want to dig into the teaching part of the year. Honestly, the first month of school is my least favorite month of school…. And that feels like a shameful secret. Without fail, every year, I try to start academics much too quickly… and then I have to rethink my expectations for the first few weeks and talk myself off the ledge. Every year. No exceptions. Knowing this is hard for me, I try to set a few things in stone as nonnegotiables for each new school year. As I have become a stepmom in the last year, I also try to keep in mind that building relationships with 2nd grade parents is just as important as building a relationship with the 2nd grade student. I want to know that my stepsons’ teachers know who they are, are aware of their strengths and areas for growth (and are aware that WE know about those areas for growth and are welcoming of any and all feedback, advice, or things we can do to support). So the two things that I have done this year and last that have helped me build those relationships are parent surveys and an email check in – but make it catchy!
- Parent Survey:
Before the school year even begins, I try to email a link to parents asking (pleading?) for them to tell me about their child. I used to send a piece of paper home at Meet the Teacher, but now, as a stepmom, I loathe those forms and love when I can type without too many parameters. I have found I get a whole lot more information and robust responses when I send out a google form.
What is powerful for me in reading this forms is both the answers that are given about the child, but also how the parent views their child, what they see, what they expect, and what they hope and dream for their child’s 2nd grade year. It is very rare that the parent hope/dream (becoming an avid reader, stand up for themselves, become a leader) aligns with the hopes and dreams the students fill out during the school year (have more recess, learn to write in cursive, trade as many pokemon cards as I can). But it gives me a good place to start and a good picture of some fears, anxieties, and worries, in addition to hopes and dreams. I also can’t tell you the valuable little nuggets of information I can gain that help me connect with a child instantly – favorite foods, hobbies they enjoy at home, things they complain about after school, etc. So much knowledge to give an insider peek into a child. But what is difficult here is not letting this paint a picture of the child before you meet them. It is a delicate balance.
Another favorite part of these surveys is coming back to them throughout the year… times when a child maybe struggling, or when they’re on a roll, before conferences, halfway through the year… it’s helpful to come back to over and over again.
- 2nd Week of 2nd Grade
Taking what I can glean from parent surveys and the first few weeks of school, I take random notes all over papers, sticky notes, in email drafts, etc about things I’m noticing that a child is doing specifically well – being a friend to a new student, being honest about being anxious about a certain subject area, following routines and procedures, getting to know new classmates, being respectful, etc. I take all these little notes and send out a very brief 3-4 sentence email at the end of the 2nd week of 2nd grade to let parents know that I’m seeing their child as I get to know them. It is also helpful for me to observe areas where students are already shining in the classroom so I can use that to my advantage … hello teacher helper for the year…this child knows how to use a stapler 🙂
There are also lots of amazing things happening in the Lower School to build relationships. Below, I asked a few of my coworkers to describe some things they do to build relationships in their grade level or classroom.
1st Grade: Hannah Doggett
One of the many things I love about St. Andrew’s is the fact that we use Responsive Classroom. I love that one of the goals for the first six weeks of the school year with Responsive Classroom is to create a climate of warmth, inclusion, and safety for students. This is essential to start establishing trust which is the foundation for building relationships with students. Morning meetings are one of my favorite parts of the school day, and I really use the “share” time at the beginning of the school year to learn about my students. I find that learning what they love both inside and outside of school really helps me connect with them. Finding little ways to incorporate their interests outside of school into academic learning increases their engagement and excitement. This year, I had two boys that started off the year with some rocky behavior. During the second week of school, I sat them down on a bench outside for the first minute of recess and we talked about the importance of making good choices and being respectful to teachers by listening to directions the first time they are given. I explained that if the next day was as rough as the day they just had, their logical consequence would be to sit with me longer at recess while we talked through our classroom rules that we came up with and agreed on together. When I let them go play, I noticed they both went to the basketball court. I spent the rest of recess on the basketball court shooting around with them and teaching them how to make a layup. They were all smiles and seemed to love every minute of it. Coming back inside hot and sweaty was totally worth it the next day when they had the best day of the year. Four weeks into the year, while we still have some rough moments, I have seen such a difference since the day we played basketball. This shows that taking the time to build relationships with students outside of the classroom really helps inside the classroom.
2nd Grade: Rachel Newman
We have an All About Me Bag that each student brings to school filled with a few small things that represent their hobbies or favorite things. We share these bags throughout the first week of school during morning meeting. When students share what is in their bags, we talk about what we have in common with the person who shared. We find out things we never knew about each other. I also create a bag and share, and we discuss what they have in common with me too. This year a lot of my class brought money. I don’t know what that means, but maybe they’ll all be entrepreneurs when they grow up.
3rd Grade: Dalton Howard
We play “Just Like Me” in the first week of school every year. It’s so simple, always a winner.
Morning Meeting questions – I’ll pose a question and they’ll answer on a post it note. Sometimes it’s silly “If you could turn into any animal, what would you be, and why?”
I’ll have them write a letter to me in their journals, and I respond whenever I can. It can be prompted “Tell Me Something Tuesday” or just a basic ” Write a letter to me about your weekend!” It’s funny what they’ll write in their journals, but won’t share in morning meeting. Sometimes this helps when we’re low on time and I can’t hear from everyone during morning meeting.
“Find Someone Who” – A classroom hunt, if you will. Students have to find a friend in the room who matches the description. Find someone who… is an only child, can count backwards by 5s from 200, has lost a tooth in the last month, etc.
“This or That” basically would you rather using 2 sides of the room. I use this to differentiate between by beach people and my mountain people. My musical arts people and my sports people. Movies vs. books. Fall or Spring, etc.
4th Grade: Kerri Black
The main way we start to build relationships with students is getting to know them as a person and not just as a student. We take time to learn about the sports they play, the music they like, the places they love to visit, their families, etc. We sometimes do this by playing games but many times it’s through conversations at break or during transition periods. Students love when teachers ask them follow up questions about their hobbies and interests, too. The students feel important and proud when they feel we are taking the time to listen to them. Getting to know each other helps build trust and create a classroom community that is a safe haven for learning.
4th Grade: Anna Frame
In social studies for the past few years I’ve done a thing called “Mapping My World,” where students add 5 places in the metro Jackson area where they spend a lot of time to a map. I’ve done different versions of this…..one year they drew a map, one year they created a Google Map and printed it, this year we did a collaborative map. It always takes way longer than I think it will, and I question whether it is worth the time, but it really does give me an idea of what these kids do when they aren’t in school……horseback riding, soccer, TKD, how far they have to commute each day, music lessons, and even favorite restaurants. I find myself calling back to this information throughout the year to make connections to them and whatever content is at hand. It also allows them to share and learn things about each other…..who are the fellow tennis players in the class, etc. etc. So, yes, it’s probably worth the time, but I’m still working out a more efficient way to do it!
So, from all of these things, I feel like we should all walk the halls at the start of a new year offering each other continued reminders of “take the time to do this… it can be hard, but let the BIG academics wait!”