Begin Again: Giving Students a Fresh Start for the New School Year

What if we do not allow the shadow of their pasts to precede students as they bounce down the hall the first day of school?

We are teachers. We were born to share ideas. It is in our nature to want to talk to each other about our experiences with different students.

We have all taken part in the moans and groans coming from inside the Teacher’s Lounge about John’s recent addition to his long list of curse words or Maria’s failure to memorize her multiplication facts. The news of a second grader’s suspension after hitting another students reaches the teachers on the fifth grade hall before the end of the day. And of course, no one is surprised when Michael is seen sitting in the principal’s office, because there is a reason why all teachers in the school already know his name. The cycle of misbehavior and poor academic performance is perpetuated by our need to talk and complain about it. Perhaps it’s time to approach our newest group of students in a different way.

What if we do not allow the shadow of their pasts to precede students as they bounce down the hall the first day of school?

What if we avoid labeling students before they walk through our door?

Instead of sharing the frustrations of the previous year with a student, what if we share the most positive memories we have? We preach about the importance of a Growth Mindset, yet our own minds our quite fixed on what we have heard about students.

What we have heard or been told about a student does not have to be the truth. Even as adults, we behave very differently with certain types of people and personalities. Every student in your class deserves a fresh start with you this year. You just might be the first person a student truly connects with and learns from.

In the words of the immortal Dr. Seuss, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world.”

Isn’t it time to be the world for your students?

Staci Robbins, Educator, Atlanta, Georgia