By Lisa Dennis
The start of a new school year whispers promises of growth, achievement, and understanding. The time of year when new and veteran teachers alike wave goodbye to summer and embrace the opportunity to help our children learn lessons that will carry them beyond our classroom walls and into the world.
It is also the time of year when these possibilities can seem overwhelming – especially to the rookies in our midst. My advice? Short-term goals.
Take for example, my own latest anxiety: Names.
Four days in and I am barely remembering to take attendance, much less identify my students by name. As a special bonus we encounter challenges like six kids in one class with the same name or a shy non-English speaker with a name no American born tongue can pronounce.
In the business world, forgotten names can equate to missed opportunity. In the world of education, forgotten names can lead to resentment and hurt feelings. “Mrs. Dennis… you don’t remember me?!”
Learning names can seem daunting - especially as the new year starts and 4,000 other thoughts linger in your mind at any given moment. Whether working to grasp 20 names or 200 (my sincere sympathy is extended to high school music teachers), repetition is the key. Seeing the names, hearing the names, reading the name, and even writing the names helps the mind start to hold on to a few at a time.
My students create name tags during the first few days and write some interesting facts about themselves on the back. When we have a minute or two left at the end of class, students further introduce themselves. I see the name, hear it, thank the student by name for sharing, and we are all one step closer to holding on to it.
There will always be the names learned with ease. Say for example, Jake, who gets himself sent to the office first. Or John, who stays after class to ask for clarification on an assignment. For the names that just don’t seem to want to stick, keep saying them over and over. Call on those students to answer questions or make it a point to greet students as they sit down. With your seating chart in hand, welcome him/her to class by name and try to work it at least one more time into a brief greeting.
Names aside, the first few weeks back can be an exceptionally emotional time. Be kind to yourself and realize you can only do so much on any given day. The names, planning, preparing, organizing, grading, cleaning, copying, filing, and oh yes, teaching will start to fall into place.
Welcome to a new school year, boys and girls. Take a deep breath. We’re off to the races.