What Will Be Your Impact?

A new school year is upon us. Tonight, families are preparing for the start of a new school year. Parents offer words of encouragement while children think about all the possibilities of their first day of school. In many homes tonight, children will lie restless in their beds pondering many thoughts and questions. Questions like,

What will my teacher be like? 

Will my teacher like me?

Will my teacher be nice? 

Tomorrow morning, teachers throughout my community, will open their classroom doors to meet and greet their students for the first time. What will this experience be like for students? How will students be greeted? 

Tomorrow morning, when students step foot into their classroom for the first time, what will they see? Will they see a classroom designed to engage and inspire? Will they see and feel a classroom that is warm and inviting, one they will want to be in for the next 180 days? 

Tomorrow morning, when the first bell rings, how will students be introduced to the new school year. Will the day begin with a speech about classroom rules and procedures? Will students see a smile on their teacher's face? 

What will be your impact?

Tomorrow morning, from the first opportunity to meet and greet a student or parent, offer a smile a handshake or a high five, or maybe both, and welcome them to your school. 

Tomorrow morning, when greeting students at the classroom door, make eye contact, smile, say hello, and ask each child for their name, and greet them with a positive comment saying their name.

Tomorrow morning, when students enter into your classroom, make the experience memorable. Share your story with your students, letting them know who their teacher is, what their teacher likes, what makes their teacher laugh. 

Tomorrow morning, instead of jumping into classroom rules and procedures, engage your students in activities that will allow you to get to know more about them, so they can get to know more about each other. 

For the next 180 days, continue to build and maintain relationships with all students. This will take work, but it is some of the most important work teachers do. 

For the next 180 days, smile a lot. Children need and deserve to know their teacher believes in them and supports them.

For the next 180 days, use your words to inspire, encourage and motivate students. 

For the next 180 days, please remember, your students need you more than you will ever know. 

As we begin a new school year, make the choice daily to be the difference in the lives of your students.