The first six weeks of school are notoriously important. I am glad I learned that early. It allows space and grace for both students and teachers to feel like things are still coming together as September ends. After all, we’ve only just finished week four and the resurgence of COVID in our area has led to a lot of absence. I wasn’t formally trained in Responsive Classroom, but I’ve been lucky to work with talented colleagues who showed me its value. If any new teachers out there are struggling with classroom management, they have a lot of wonderful ideas and resources.

I think a lot about new teachers. It’s a tough time to be one. Amid all the noise and negativity out there (especially on social media), I feel compelled to keep saying over and over again, this is a good career. You can be happy. The work is worthwhile. Still, these first few weeks likely feel chaotic. How do you start to reign it in? By focusing on the essentials. We used to say those were Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. Let’s call these the new 3 Rs of teaching.

Rest

If you’ve been reading this blog a while, you are wondering when I am getting this word tattooed across my chest. It’s just that for teachers, there really isn’t anything more important. We give so much, and it is so easy to become depleted. Everytime I fly with my son, the flight attendants tell me to put my own mask on first. A primary goal in the beginning of the year is to find a rhythm of work and life that lets me rest. Teaching is tiring. Arriving tired is added brutality. That tired might be from lack of sleep or more of a moral weariness, but either way it’s important that we take care of ourselves. Right now for me that means I don’t do Friday nights or Saturday mornings outside of our house, especially after the atumnal equinox. I like a lazy start to my weekend. It feels luxurious after all the hustle. A special treat I make time for once a week is Yin Yoga. It’s so restorative.

Routines

My brand of neuro hates routines. They are so hard for me to come up with, to implement, and to stick. I easily fool myself into thinking novelty is cooler, even when it looks like reinventing the wheel. Age is slowly changing me. I now have a favorite eyeliner. My teaching schedule changes every year so the first six weeks are about feeling out the ebb and flow of time and energy. I have to identify which prep periods will work best for creating new lessons and which are long enough to hunker down and grade. I also want to make time for fresh air and visiting with colleagues. Organizing the week around some sort of predictable pattern allows me to make sure I use my time at school well, which leads to a greater likelihood that I won’t have to take work home, which leads to more rest. Classroom routines are also highly beneficial for students. Streamlining and clearly communicating expectations gives students more agency and opportunity to perform well. This year, I am a huge fan of bellringers, which give kids a chance to settle in and get into the groove before the lesson starts. I am currently using these awesome standards based activities to start our class.

Relationships

We just had back to school night, which I actually enjoy because I like public speaking and value transparency. My message to parents was simple: we are in this together. Relationships with students, families, and colleagues are the lynchpin to a smooth year. I take partnership with parents seriously. I never bad mouth them. Raising kids is hard, and teachers have the power to make it harder. Thinking back to when I did not have kids, I made a lot of assumptions about parenting and parents. Now I don’t. I just want to make it easier for all of us. I can best do this by forming good relationships with my students. If my students feel like they know me and trust me, then they will 1) do what they need to do for my class and 2) handle issues that arise on their own or in direct partnership with me. As a parent, I know how much relief it brings when you feel your child is seen and cared for. It is a simple and powerful gift to offer. There are other valuable relationships to nurture in a school building: creative coworkers, supportive administrators, helpful coaches and counselors. Lean on anyone who makes your job easier or more delightful. Joy can be found in the smallest of interactions, and luckily the school day is filled with them.

At the start of the school year, focusing on these three Rs is a great idea whether you’ve been teaching for six weeks or sixteen years. To all the newbies and middlings and veterans, hang in there.

News, Events, and Reviews:

I had the pleasure of keynoting an incredible hybrid event for International Literacy Day, hosted by Chemonics International, Reading Partners, and Room to Read. Here is a link to the recording. My speech is about twelve minutes in.

On Saturday October 21st, I will be presenting at the Inaugural USA Festival of Education hosted by St. Andrews Episcopal School.

On Sunday October 22nd from 3-5pm, I will be helping to host an event honoring the placement of a marker in rememberance of George Peck who was lynched in Poolesville, Maryland. All are welcome to attend. For more information visit www.mocolmp.org.

You can also catch me at NCTE in Columbus, Ohio November 16-21. The line-up of workshops and speakers is stellar!

I will also be signing copies of Nearer My Freedom at the Lerner Books exhibition booth and presenting during the Conference on English Leadership with my colleage from MoCoLMP. Our topic is how to incorporate local lynching history, remembrance, and reconciliation into the English classroom.

Hope to see you out and about this fall!