Making Time for What Matters in the First Weeks of School

I got the call two days before the start of the school year; “we have a teaching position to offer you.” With only two days to prep a classroom before the beginning of the school year, I was a mess of nerves and excitement. After a quick stop at a few stores, I headed in to see my space for the first time. I spent hours decorating my classroom, it was “Pinterest worthy” before Pinterest was a thing. After two days my classroom was beautiful and ready to welcome students, but I hadn’t spent anytime thinking about what I was going to actually do with my students. I had heard I should be firm and not too friendly and make sure the students knew the rules of my classroom. Beyond that, I was winging it. After 25 years in this profession I have learned from trial and error, and watching great teachers, what the most important things to make time for in those first weeks of school.

Some great start of the year Mentor Texts to get to know your students.

1. Make Time for Relationships First

In a prior post, I talked about the importance of getting ot know your ingredients (your students). Getting to know your students is the most important thing you can do to set up your school year for success. Prioritize knowing students’ names, interests, and learning stories. Mentor texts can be a great way to do this, starting off having students talk about a story character is a low stakes way of introducing them to sharing more about themselves. We know that students learn best when they feel safe, known and valued. Getting to know your students, and allowing them to get to know you, creates a culture of trust that will set you up for a great school year.

• Activities and Mentor Texts to Launch Them

  • Artifact box or bag— students bring small items that represent who they are and tell the story of their families culture and identity. Mentor Text - Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman

  • Same, Same but Different - have students connect with one another and create a venn diagram of the things they share in common (same) and the things that make them different. Mentor Text - Same, Same But Different

    Book by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

  • What’s in a Name? - students will share the story of their name, and where it came from. If students don’t know they can interview a family member, or research what their names mean and where they originated. Mentor Text - Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, 2001, Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

2. Make Time for Building Routines and Classroom Culture

In my book Making Time for it All, I talk about the importance of setting routines early in the year. This can be an exhausting process, however, it sets your year up for success. When students are clear on the expectations and routines, they are better able to hit the target. When students are clear on the expectations and are partners in co-creating the expected norms, they thrive. Instead of creating a list of “rules” that are written in the negative, consider creating a list of agreements; I will do my best to learn. I will help others learn. You can point to these throughout the school year to remind students of expected behaviours.

Spending time building stamina in reading and writing, as well as outlining the expectations during your stations will allow for greater independence and success later in the year. Instead of cramming in all routines at once, layer them in, have students work on one or two routines and a time and build on them as they are successful. Don’t be afraid of stopping something in the middle of the lesson, or station, to reset the behaviours and remind them of the expectations (I often use humour when I do this to help keep it light). Relentless consistency is key.

• Activities and Mentor Texts to Build Classroom Routines

  • Yet - students will learn the power of the word yet. The Magical Yet by  Angela DiTerlizzi  (Author), Lorena Alvarez Gómez  (Illustrator)

  • Creating classroom norms - brainstorm with your students things that help their learning, vs hurt their learning. The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill

  • What do readers (and writers) do? - Helping students see examples of what the expected behaviour looks like, allows them to be clear on the expectations for themselves. Using a children’s story to talk about reading (and writing) behaviours is a fun way of setting the stage for the expectations in your classroom. Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon, How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexande

  • We can do hard things - Create a challenge for your students (build the tallest tower, pop a balloon, build a bridge using limited resources, untie a series of knots using only one hand each), after discuss the challenges and ask the students to reflect on the ways they persevered through the difficulties. Create an anchor chart where students can share the places they struggled, and kept trying. Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

3. Make Time for Joyful Reading and Writing

In British Columbia, one of our Big Ideas that runs through our K-9 curriculum is “Reading and Writing is a source of creativity and joy.” I believe this statement is foundational to our point as educators. We want our students to learn to read and write so that they can create and communicate, and enjoy it. Starting the year by finding the students interests can help you begin to find books and writing topics that the students would enjoy. I loved starting my school year (no matter the grade) reading Ralph tells a Story by Abby Hanlon, the idea that “Stories are Everywhere” is a great launch to exposing students to the love of reading and writing. In Donalyn Millers book the Book Whisperer she gives wonderful practical ways of creating a culture in your classroom that promotes a love of reading.

Having a space in your classroom where students can promote great books they have read, or share their own writing will help build and create a culture where reading and writing is celebrated. In one of the chapters of my book, I talk about book commercials, where students can share highlights of the books they are reading to tease their classmates and encourage them to want to read that book as well.

• Mentor Texts

  • Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce, Rocket Learns to Read by Tad Hills

  • Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon, Ideas Are All Around by Philip C. Stead, A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen, The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli, Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

The start of the school year is both exciting and overwhelming. There can often be a lot of pressure to “hit the ground running” and begin ensuring that content and competencies are covered. Give yourself (and your students) permission to start off with the things that truly matter. Relationships, classroom culture and a love of learning. Not only is this a softer start, but it will set you up for a classroom year where students know they are known and loved and that they are clear on the expectations. Proactively beginning your school year this way, avoids much of the reactive behaviour management later on.