It’s a new year and back to school
AFTER the holiday season and summer vacation, students and pupils should return to school and resume their normal routines, while for some it’s first time.
The first day of school can bring a host of emotions for both teachers and students.
As always you look forward for the opportunities of learning and educating each other, socialising with peers, and re-establishing our routines. At the same time, both parties are anxious about leaving their comfort zones and are concerned about upcoming challenges.
Some know that you need to manage your emotions and utilize them in ways that only enhance your performance, and our students’, in the new school term.
For teachers, a warm welcome, a back to school treat, or a lovely gesture from students is all that gets us running with enthusiasm.
The same applies to the students who look forward to a memorable first day at school.
You can excite them with fun welcome packs, first-day treats, or warm welcome story from the new teacher.
But you need more than excitement.
You need this day to be a milestone to which you could look back even behind emotional fog in later years of life.
The first day should be a standard-setter for the communication tone you will use throughout the school year.
Here are a few tips to welcome students back to school:
1. Embrace a powerful theme
As we prepare for going back to school, consider setting a theme for the first day. Whether it’s resilience, diversity, growth mind-set, or respect, a well-chosen theme can set the tone for the entire academic year.
·Incorporate the themes into your classroom decor, welcome notes,
◆ Plan a first day activities relevant to the theme
◆ Incorporate storytelling and play time relevant to the theme. ·Share your own story Choose activities that let children talk about, or experience, these principles. Talk about the practice these principles might require. In the end, set the principle their theme of the year. Ask them to collect at least one memory in the coming year that applies the concept and share it with the class at the end of the school year.
2. Kick-off with interactive activities
It is a common practice to welcome students to a decorated classroom. Including activities on the first day of school is not an unheard-of concept.
You can include your touch by using a trending topic to dictate the activity.
Secondly, you can personalise the exercise by developing a theme for this activity which surrounds those aspects which are closer to your heart.
Then, you can interpret their achievements and outcomes with what you learned from a similar experience you had in the past. Also share how your learning outcome was, or was not, applicable to the real world.
Invite them to present conflicting views and build an atmosphere of healthy confrontation.
3. Get to know your students
As we welcome back students to the school, remember that each one is unique. Take time to understand each of their strengths and interests.
Use your ability to learn and study these little human beings for their individuality. Learn their greatest strengths and try to know if these strengths are their most treasured ones.
Create a note to their parents to let them know these attributes in their children’s personality. This individualised analysis of their personality will exponentially enhance their trust in you.
4: Encourage peer interactions
Plan first day activities that encourage students to interact with each other. This can help them form connections and start building a supportive classroom community. Group activities, team-building exercises, or simple ice-breaker games can foster friendships and create a sense of belonging among students.
5. Celebrate the start of the school year
Make the first day back to school a celebration. This can help students feel excited about the upcoming year and motivate them to put their best foot forward. You could organize a special assembly, a fun activity, or even a small party. Celebrating the start of the school year can create positive memories and set a joyful tone for the months to come.
In conclusion, the first day of school is a crucial time to set the tone for the rest of the academic year. We can achieve this goal by choosing a theme which we consider most important for our students and including several activities, meetings, and stories to the mix.