I remember with vivid clarity as a child and adolescent the three most dreaded words I could imagine hearing in late July and early August, "Back to School." Walking through retail stores and seeing the Back to School banners, aisles upon aisles of school supplies, ridiculously early of course. I remember trying to quell my ominous thoughts of fear, while my stomach would begin its knot -tying routine. It never ceased to irritate me that the sales industry would begin advertising during the mere shank of vacation and regularly burst my summer bubble. I was painfully shy as a child, an adolescent and even as a young adult. Although I did posses a love of learning as I believe most children do, new situations for me were always comparable to scaling a steep, rather treacherous peak. Therefore, beginning each new school year for me was a huge emotional obstacle.
I don't think it is mere coincidence that because of my own life experiences, I've been able to be offer empathy for my students and their many transitions. We, as teachers, spend a wealth of time preparing our classrooms, the external environment to meet the learning needs of our students. We spent meticulous minutes preparing bulletins boards, name-tags, creating schedules and management plans. We fine tune our external preparations with the utmost scrutiny. But, we often overlook the area of emotional preparation for our students. We assume our students will arrive fresh and eager as new robins to be willing recipients of our teaching efforts. I dare say that most children, even those who are naturally outgoing, need attention and support to acclimate to a new situation. Beginning a new school year for a child, be it a student just beginning his primary years or a high school student, would be comparable to an adult starting a new job EVERY year. Students are placed in a new environment, given new expectations, and surrounded by a new peer group. Children by their very nature are amazingly adaptable and resilient, but a new school year remains a huge transition.
So how do we as educators balance our preparations to include focus on the our students emotional needs? An ideal scenario would include unlimited time to devote to each and every student and offer an all inclusive approach which would meet his/her wide variety of needs. Unfortunately, reality often dictates that teachers are overloaded, overworked, and underpaid. We find ourselves taking on the additional roles of counselor, social worker, policeman, and parent. How then can we begin to guide our students through the emotional transition of a new school year? It is my belief that establishing a bond of trust with children lays the groundwork for both receptive and expressive learning. When we focus on a child and are genuinely interested in wanting to know about him/her, it not only boosts self-esteem, but it conveys a vital message that we earnestly care about what each of our students has to offer. The following are simple suggestions for activities to help students with the emotional transition of a new school year.
TALK with your students!
Not simply a generic greeting and general dialog with the whole class, but make an effort to speak to each of your students individually every day. Obviously if you have 25-30 students, this is no easy task, but even a few sentences specifically focused on a student will make a difference. Use the following guidelines:
Use "door openers" that invite children to say more. Use phrases such as "Tell me more about that," "That really sounds interesting," and "Say that again."
Give the child your undivided attention. Don't try to talk to a student while doing paperwork, writing on the board, etc..
Look the child in the eyes, ask questions, and affirm responses. Comment on something that is specific.
For the first weeks of school, have a "question of the day" which would be a daily question for students to answer about themselves. They can do this as an ongoing project such as an "About Me' book or journal which can be shared with the rest of the class. For young children, responses could be used to write a class experiential story, or display responses as part of a class "Bio Board", or an "Introducing Us" bulletin board.
Cooperative activities such as dividing the class into small groups or teams serve several important purposes. Students will get to know their new peer group, learn to work cooperatively with others and feel like a valued member of the class. Encourage students to work together to set both short term and long term goals for themselves and their group. Use cooperative groups to teach team and leadership attributes, also character education.
Incorporate lessons on feelings, and give students a variety of self-expression outlets like art, music, creative dramatics, role play to adapt to a new school situation. Use the student's creations as vehicles to discuss feelings, expectations and concerns.
Use role play activities to teach classroom procedures, rules and limits. Directly involving the student in an active role will help solidify expectations, rather than the student passively listening to information. Role play is also a great "ice breaker". Students love to switch roles with the teacher and each other.
Know your students! If at all possible glean as much information about your student's backgrounds as possible. Talk with previous teachers if applicable, research student records. A welcome call to parents either before the school year begins or during the first week can be very helpful. A general inquiry about the student's summer can yield important information that can contribute to the child's adjustment.
Be aware and attentive to children who show signs of anxiety and/or difficulties adjusting after the first few weeks of school. These symptoms may include withdrawl, isolation or no attempts at making friendships, depressed manner, noncompliance, acting out, serious separation anxiety in younger children, etc.. Keep communication lines open with parents. Providing a student with a secure and trusting environment will enable the student to open up and express feelings, and empower teachers to offer solutions.
Use the right words and provide a caring, secure and motivating environment. In this way teachers can help children feel good about themselves and excited about learning opportunities the new school year has to offer. Feeling worthy, having good self esteem and knowing what to expect in a new environment is critical to a child succeeding in school and in life. Achieving a balance of physical, mental and emotional preparation for students will clear a path for stability and success.
