Friday, July 28, 2017

B2S Means Security

(Inhales deeply). There is nothing like the smell of a new box of crayons.

I sit here with a T-Minus 12 days until school starts for my 7th and 2nd grade student. The dreaded 'practice routine' conversations have happened where we tighten up bed time rituals, look at shoes and clothes, and work to offer a bit more structure. Probably the most visual back to school event is the school supply stations set up at your favorite Big Box store.

As I trolled my social media watching teachers comment that they were not ready for the July 5th displays, I found myself reflecting how many children who see these displays and breath a sigh of relief. As a school principal, I personally observed so
me of my students truly panic about school ending -- the daily routine, the ability to make mistakes and learn, and the care given were going to be going away for a series of weeks. The day to day patterns would disappear leaving a void that may or may not be filled by others in the summer months.

As I work with my own second grader who is NOT ready to go back to school, I know there is another 2nd grader who cannot wait to start. Our role in education is beyond academic achievement and state data. It's more than 162 days of accountability attendance and teaching the Common Core (insert your own state's name).

As we prepare for the first day of school, remember to take time to do the following:

1. Enjoy the back to school experience. Have your students smell the crayons and remember that smell. Those unique smells will stay with you forever. (Check out this great link about the research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK55967/)

2. Build a family in your school. I had a parent recently post that she commonly referred to me as the "school dad" for her child. It really is the truth. We create the culture for our room or school. How are you impacting the culture daily. Just like you lesson plan, you need to culture plan.

3. Tweet daily. Spend time in your classrooms. Take photos of your environment, interactions, and learning. Give your school a hashtag (#LincolnExcels). Brand your learning and families can follow. This creates the sense of family and belonging.

4. Share a piece of home. Give students an opportunity to bring in an item from home that they can keep close by to create the emotional school and home connection. One teacher I observed used contact paper and allowed each student to have a photograph on the desk and covered with the contact paper.

Back to School is challenging at best - we have a responsibility to create the best B2S experience. It's their only kindergarten, seventh grade, or senior year experience. You have the ability to make it special. Make it count.

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