Senior Moments: Reaching Out

The opening minutes, hours, days of any class are crucial for the teacher, but also the student. Thanks to the frequent use of school management platforms like Schoolloop, this window of opportunity extends to the days before school even starts now. 

So what was my very first move for my seniors this year? To reach out--both to them and their parents. As the parent of a senior, I know this is a tough stretch for parents, many of whom are beginning to prepare to send their child away the following year. Thus I see myself as a partner to both parents and students and want to convey that before the first bell even rings (12 hours from now...).

Using the school-wide email program within Schoolloop that allows us to communicate to students and their parents, I sent the following email a few days ago:

Date: 8/11/11 7:55 PM  Subject: Welcome!

Hello! I am so glad to see you in my English class for the coming year! I love teaching seniors (and my son will be a senior, too, so it's all seniors all the time for me this year!). I have so many exciting things I can't wait to get busy doing with you. We will get to meet each other on Tuesday but if you have any questions--you or your parents--do not hesitate to write me in the coming days.  I am very committed to having a great year with you and doing all I can to make you learn so much your head hurts---but in a good way, right? See you soon. Until then, enjoy the days. Mr. Burke

There is another side to this idea of reaching out, though, from the student side of the enterprise. In the end, we must all be our own best teachers, making those adults at home and school give us all the best they have to offer when we are young. The kids that realize this ask, send emails, meet with you. They enter into a long conversation with you that takes all year to conclude and, if it is particularly satisfying, continues into the college years and beyond.

Today I got an email from a student who will be in one of my classes. She wanted to know what I thought about the topic for the summer reading (the theme of separate worlds). I told her she was not coming into my class for me to tell her what I think but to learn how to come up with her own thoughts. But we had a good, if brief, connection which will ensure that when I meet her in the morning, I already know her a bit better than the others. She even showed me the respect of capitalizing letters and using punctuation (as opposed to writing it like a text message as too many often do).

So much gain from so small an effort on both our parts by just sending a short email.

In the morning, it all begins.

Me, 180 days, and 100 seniors entering this room and launching out. Bring it!