As a child, I always looked forward to the beginning of the school year. I think that is partially because my mom put us (mostly) in charge of our own summers. We determined how much time we wanted for resting and recharging, for running around with other kids and being silly, for doing projects with/for Mom, and for poking around outdoors; this left an appropriate amount of time for a just enough boredom. I was always glad to get back to friends, to learning, and to activity, looking forward to it with a bit of nervous anticipation. And with brand-new supplies!
I still carry that same Great Anticipation as an adult. I find the beginning of the school year to be supercharged with hope and a sense of possibility. Of course, children look to the beginning of the school year with the full gamut of emotions – sometimes all at the same time. Whether they are mourning the loss of unlimited free time or over the moon about school starting up again, one thing is true for each child; we want each to feel welcome in the place that will be their home for the next 1-3 years!
There is an old adage that says that we only get one chance to make a first impression. Nowhere is this given greater attention than in Montessori classrooms. We are devoted to preparing the physical environment for the first impression of every day, especially those crucial first hours and first days. We want the classroom and the shelves to be orderly, immaculate, well organized, logical and beautiful. We hope that the work that has been prepared for the children will be seductive.
Once the physical environment is prepared, we turn our attention to preparing the social environment. How will we offer radical hospitality to our children and their parents, to help them immediately felt anticipated, included, and welcome?
WELCOMING THE CHILDREN What are the ways that you convey the message to each child that you knew that he or she was coming and thought that it was a good idea – actually looked forward to it? Here are but a few ideas. If you have other traditions, practices, or ideas, please share them in the comments (especially if you have photos!)
- Something that visually welcomes the whole class. A WELCOME sign or flag outside the classroom creates a cheerful focal point. While commercial products are available all over right now, I especially appreciate those that share something of the culture that makes a particular classroom unique.
- Things that recognize each child as an anticipated member of the community A simple opening-day activity that I love is having labels or tags with children’s names pre-printed on them, to be decorated by the children and then attached to anything that is for personal use: storage (desks, lockers, tackle boxes, cubbies, …) and supplies (folders, notebooks).
- Activities that promote the idea that each child is valued in the community. A favorite, shamelessly stolen from my friend Anne Macomber, starts by taking a photo of each child upon arrival on the first day and affixing it to a paper that looks like an old-time WANTED poster. The photo goes on the top half, and on the bottom half, the child writes or draws the things that s/he is wanted for (being a kind friend, a person obsessed with cows, a great laugher, a hard worker, a snappy dresser, an animal lover, a great joke-teller…). Posting these on a classroom wall for the first few weeks can help children get to know one another’s names and passions.
- Activities that allow children to show their individuality, creativity, and personality For writers, having each child create an acrostic poem using their name as a title can not only allow creative expression of the child’s personality but also inspire collaboration. (“I need an ‘e’ word to describe myself. Can anyone give me an ‘e’ word?”). These are great for decorating a writing folder (or a locker).
- A balance of activities ensures that there is something for each child to recount to parents at the end of the day. The key is to have many short, diverse activities across the day. Weather permitting, there should be a balance of indoor and outdoor time. Outdoor activities can be much more than recess: they can include get-to-know-you games, first lessons in botany, language, Earth science or ecology, or songs (silly and purposeful), and much more. Through the design of the day, we want to promote social skills, cognitive skills, emotional well-being, and physical skills, as well as to discuss all of the dos and don’ts. There should be time for children to lead and time to follow. Time for the introvert and for the extrovert to recharge their batteries. Can you incorporate a bit of art, music, math, practical life and language? Looking at your plan for the first days, do you imagine that when the parent asks the child at the end of each day, “What did you do today?” that the child will be able to describe some incident or aspect of the day with enthusiasm?
- Something that tells the child that you are glad s/he is there Do you remember how exciting it is to get something in the mail? Something with first-class postage stamp instead of bulk mail? A postcard, mailed halfway through the first week with children, addressed personally to the child, can be extremely welcoming and memorable. The message can be quite simple. “I hope you enjoyed your first week of this wonderful new year in our classroom. I have so many interesting and fun things planned for us. Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday!” (Be sure to verify home addresses with school records before mailing!)
WELCOMING THE PARENTS Parents are a vital part of our community as well! What are the ways that you make parents feel welcome in your community? Of course, we want to strike a balance to intentionally welcome them to the community without giving the impression that we are inviting them into the classroom for daily coffee and/or conversation! Here are a few thoughts:
- Anything that makes the child feel welcome increases the parents’ comfortability and their faith in the teacher. Happy and excited children make happy and excited parents.
- If parents drop children off at school, be extra vigilant about maintaining a positive demeanor during carpool. Often, we lose track of time and suddenly it is time to drop everything and go to carpool duty. Sometimes carpool itself can be a bit harry with lots of “moving pieces”! Remember that for parents, the few minutes that they see performing carpool duty may be the only times they see you until the first conferences of the year. Be sure that the impression they develop by observing you matches the image you wish to portray.
- Personal contact is important for parents of children new to the classroom. If you interview children who are new to your classroom, taking just 5 minutes to talk privately with parents at that time offers the opportunity to hear about any goals, concerns, or fears that parents have for their child. If you do not do entrance interviews, can you make time to call 2-3 parents after school each day until you have spoken to all new parents, just to check-in and see how the year is starting off? Parents will appreciate receiving a phone call that is purely social – not related to discipline or paperwork or any other deficit! And it will set the tone for a healthy, trusting partnership that may last for several years.
- Ensure that parents of children who struggle (behaviorally or academically) feel heard. Lead by sharing a few things that are going right for the child. Then ask the parents how this compares to prior years. Give them a little time (on the phone or in-person) to tell their story of the child’s struggle and how they feel about it. Ask what has been tried before and been successful (at home and at school); ask what has been tried before and failed; most importantly, ask about what has not been tried that they wish had been tried. Overtly form a partnership for the good of their child.
- Help parents feel connected. Can you send out a brief, chatty, newsletter within the first few days that is infused with enthusiasm for whatever is coming up in the next week?
- Start talking about Parent Ed now! Whether you do a “Back to School” night just for parents of children who are new to your room or do a Parent Potpourri that is geared towards all parents, making parents feel wanted and welcome at this event may be a bit challenging with all of the other distracting things that are going on. Consider handing each parent a little slip of paper bearing the date and time to each parent at carpool with the words, “We are so excited to be starting the school year! We hope we can count on you to come to this interesting and informative event. You will get a chance to meet all of the other parents. (The implicit message: if you are not there, you will be missed. For “bonus points”, have the children create /decorate the invitation and then deliver it to the parent who picks them up at the end of the day.
In aggregate, we want all of our preparation and radical hospitality to say much more than “Welcome Back!” but “Welcome to the family! Welcome home!”
REFLECTION FOR ADULTS An aspect of preparation for the beginning of the year that is often given less attention is the preparation of the adults who will be welcoming the children to the community.
- Have I taken the time to prepare myself cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually?
- Have I taken the time to develop or renew relationships with the other adult(s) that share the environment with me – my work spouses, if you will?
- Have I dusted off albums and revisited isolated difficulties, key concepts, and direct aims of the lessons I know so well and plan to give in the first days?
- How can I make the time this weekend to provide for adequate rest and exposure to nature to enhance my natural patience at the beginning of the year?
“True hospitality is marked by an open response to the dignity of each and every person. Henri Nouwen has described it as receiving the stranger on his own terms, and asserts that it can be offered only by those who ‘have found the center of their lives in their own hearts’.”
― Kathleen Norris, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography