I was quietly astounded. That morning in my classroom, and afterword, I would feel a duty to live up to such expectations. These kids were excited for school and, years later in a university, I reviewed research showing the steady decline in student excitement for school as they grew older. I wanted them to always have the feeling and desire this girl expressed that morning, coming to class to learn and wanting to stay. Overtime I learned ways to help the mornings begin with anticipation, and especially exciting Mondays.
Some of the strategies I find invaluable to begin school days primed for learning:
- Students check in with me in the morning, sharing relevant or important information from the night before, including ailments, play dates, sports' practice, movies, or family dynamics. Knowing a little brother kept everyone up with vomiting can be an invaluable piece of information. As can knowing a student overheard parents arguing, the power went out for part of the night, they had no sleep because of a nightmare, or car problems stressed everyone out. This empathy time, the authentic human bonding can prevent dozens of struggles and misunderstanding throughout the day. "They will not care what you know until they know that you care,"
- Some students have permission to come to the classroom before any of the bells (while others, without such permission, have perfected ways to sneak back to the classroom), often to avoid the human flood down the hallway, which they find understandably stressful. These kids are receptive to one-on-one time, being the first to check in on our class pet, reading, taking reading quizzes, or just chatting about the day. They need this!
- The entire morning is the time for students to own up to mistakes, forgotten work, or problems that will need to be problem solved. If students are honest, come to me instead of making me "discover" the issue later in the day, and own the problem instead of blaming parents or siblings, there is no contrived, traditional punishment. Instead, students have natural consequences, but otherwise we move on with the day and kids are able to move past the issue with grace, the issue fully something separate from them; we problem solve the objectified issue together.
- Generally, worksheets during the mornings are moderately helpful, setting a focused, paper-based skills practice opportunity so long as it is relatively short, does not rely upon emerging skills or concepts, and is not a significant portion of their grade. Confidence is the goal, but on Mondays I do not use seat work or busy work. We begin the week with socialization, reading, or often some new item on the classroom table to spark interest.
- MONDAY SURPRISE!
- Copied in below is a rather thrilling example of starting the week with something to grab students' imagination and passion. Though my class does not yet know, I purchased two baby water turtles (about the size of a half-dollar) for our classroom. We have discussed having such classroom pets in the past, but had no definitive timeline or expectations for such quick arrival. I had tracked down these baby water turtles at The Great Mall of The Great Plains (of The Great State, of The Great Country, of The Great Continent, of The Gre... I habitually think whenever hearing the unwieldy name of the place). I will have them in class Monday and I hope for the weekend to fly so I can see the kids' reactions! Feel free to share this blog entry with kids in my class as I believe they would want to know as soon as possible. Monday morning I will be anxious to get to school early!
