The Now-Foreign Concept of a Normal School Week
Virtual learning is a lot for students. To help them, I need to throw out the traditional playbook.
Throughout my teaching career, I’ve always felt like the first day of school should be when we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day. While it’s the day when most of us are anxious to meet our new students and make positive impressions, it’s also when we get visits from former students. Whether it’s marveling at their physical changes, getting an earful about their summer, or simply doing one of my signature handshakes with them, these moments reaffirm the fruition of my labor the previous year.
Early on, you learn that students can be extremely explicit about how they feel about you or your class. If you’re one of the first people a student rushes to see on the first day of school, it becomes clear that you must’ve done something right. I use these interactions as capital for my new set of students. Beyond any innovative lesson or crafty icebreaker I can develop, my former students visiting me is the greatest first impression I can make with my new students. It’s here that they get a glimpse into what our teacher-student relationship can be — enjoyable, accountable, trustworthy, authentic, and reliable.
