As I write this the summer is half over — at least for students and teachers in BC, Canada. Schools are generally out for July and August, and then begin after Labour Day in September. I know in other places school will resume in mid- or late-August.
Whenever it begins for you, my question is this: what tone do you set in those first days/weeks of school? What is the most important message that you relay to your students?
For me it was simply this: WELCOME TO SUCCESS! I had cut the letters for that saying out of construction paper 12 inches high (one letter for each page) and I stapled the message above the chalk board at the front of the classroom.
I talked about student success many times each day for the first few weeks. I basically inundated the students with the message that they would succeed in my classroom because I would not let them fail. I would do whatever it takes to work with them to be successful throughout the year. Failure was NOT an option — this was a classroom of successful students! I even went so far as to tell them that it was their lucky year getting me for a teacher! Oh, there would be work involved along with lots of learning, talking, thinking, wondering, solving, thinking, testing, proving, thinking, recording, demonstrating, thinking… But we would be working together as a class and each and every student would be successful.
I was especially vocal about success in mathematics. I was teaching grade 6/7 in the early years of my “WELCOME TO SUCCESS” campaign, and it was clearly evident that a large proportion of the class came to me telling me they did not like math and that they were not good at it. I knew the real story was that they did not UNDERSTAND the math and they were not good at remembering all the rules. My plan was to work continually with the concepts in the mathematics knowing that once they understood they would get better and be more confident. My promise was to help them be successful even in an area of study they thought they could not be successful in.
The wonderful things was, of course, that my statement of declaration proved true year after year. All of the students WERE successful! They believed me when I declared it (I guess I said it and they read it so many times that they could not help but believe it!) and ultimately their personal belief regarding their personal success was a turning point for them.
I will ask my question again: what tone do you set in those first days/weeks of school? What is the most important message that you relay to your students?
Mathematically yours,
Carollee As I write this the summer is half over — at least for students and teachers in BC, Canada. Schools are generally out for July and August, and then begin after Labour Day in September. I know in other places school will resume in mid- or late-August.
Whenever it begins for you, my question is this: what tone do you set in those first days/weeks of school? What is the most important message that you relay to your students?
For me it was simply this: WELCOME TO SUCCESS! I had cut the letters for that saying out of construction paper 12 inches high (one letter for each page) and I stapled the message above the chalk board at the front of the classroom.
I talked about student success many times each day for the first few weeks. I basically inundated the students with the message that they would succeed in my classroom because I would not let them fail. I would do whatever it takes to work with them to be successful throughout the year. Failure was NOT an option — this was a classroom of successful students! I even went so far as to tell them that it was their lucky year getting me for a teacher! Oh, there would be work involved along with lots of learning, talking, thinking, wondering, solving, thinking, testing, proving, thinking, recording, demonstrating, thinking… But we would be working together as a class and each and every student would be successful.
I was especially vocal about success in mathematics. I was teaching grade 6/7 in the early years of my “WELCOME TO SUCCESS” campaign, and it was clearly evident that a large proportion of the class came to me telling me they did not like math and that they were not good at it. I knew the real story was that they did not UNDERSTAND the math and they were not good at remembering all the rules. My plan was to work continually with the concepts in the mathematics knowing that once they understood they would get better and be more confident. My promise was to help them be successful even in an area of study they thought they could not be successful in.
The wonderful things was, of course, that my statement of declaration proved true year after year. All of the students WERE successful! They believed me when I declared it (I guess I said it and they read it so many times that they could not help but believe it!) and ultimately their personal belief regarding their personal success was a turning point for them.
I will ask my question again: what tone do you set in those first days/weeks of school? What is the most important message that you relay to your students?
Mathematically yours,
Carollee 
Great Message Carollee! Such an important one for kids to believe in. P.S. I miss you. 🙂
I miss you, too, Angela! I think it is really going to “hit” me in September! Wishing you a fabulous, successful school year!!