Be a “Compass” for your students!
Guide your students, be their “compass.” Are you wondering what I mean when I say “be a compass for your students?
Well, for many students, especially those living in poverty, the classroom is the most stable place they have in their young lives.
These are the students who look forward to school beginning again after a long summer of doing nothing. Often being hungry and bored.
So, our job as their teacher is to welcome them with a friendly smile and a warm heart. Yes, you can be stern the first month (as so many experienced teachers suggest).
But you can also smile and be friendly some of the time. This will teach your students that you are human and have compassion and feelings as they do.
Let me tell you about my compass in the picture above!
I was given this compass by a wonderful, humble first grade teacher at the last school where I was a principal.
That August at the Back-to-School staff meeting I decided to honor and recognize each grade-level teacher with a token gift. These gifts were to remind them ALL how much positive effect they all have on student achievement in our school.
You see, our school was K-3 only and in the state I worked in, the standardized testing was given to students in 3rd grade and above. The previous spring our third grade students had scored well on the state testing.
So, although only one grade-level tests, it takes all the previous grade levels to prepare all the students for third-grade content.
During that assembly, I gave the Kindergarten teachers a ‘block’ since they are the building blocks for content knowledge. The other grade-level teachers were given similar token gifts (with an underlying theme) that I don’t recall specifically right now.
What about the compass?
I know, you are wondering how this relates to a compass! Well about a week or so after that meeting, one of the first-grade teachers came into my office to present it to me. She said that she was really touched with the gifts and recognition I gave them (and her team members were also).
Here is a picture of me with that teacher and part of her team.
And that it got her thinking about what a supportive principal I was for all of them. Then she gave me the gift and said that I was the “compass” that guides our school and teachers.
You see, I had always told them that I am a teacher at heart. I have always, as a principal, remembered what it is like to be in the classroom.
As a matter of fact, I used to “do everything I could” to make that first staff meeting as short as I could. You know, the one where teachers want to really be in their rooms setting up for the first day of school.
I wasn’t allowed to cancel it (orders from the district office). But I made it just an hour and a half instead of six hours
You may also be interested in an article I wrote about the….
Back to the original topic – being the compass for your students.
Sometimes in our busy hectic academic year, we can lose sight of the fact that we are a HUGE PART OF A CHILD’S LIFE FOR THE YEAR WE HAVE THEM.
That reminds me of a recent blurb I read online. The story begged teachers to refrain from asking students to tell or write about what they did over the summer. The author was reminding teachers that many students from poverty don’t do anything.
That often they are trying to stay out of the way of arguing adults. That they often don’t have enough nutritious food throughout the day.
And that hearing that assignment (to tell what they did over the summer) each first day of school only brought anxiety and upset stomachs. When I forwarded that information to friends, I even had a male friend comment that he was one of those studen
Words Matter
This also reminds me to mention that “WORDS MATTER.” Often, a kind supportive word can be remembered by that student for years, if not their whole life.
In the same way that a cruel word can leave an inprint, so too can kind and caring words.
Here is another article I wrote about your moral compass.
Are You Following the Four Agreements? You Should Be?
By the way, I keep that compass on my desk where I currently work. It still means the world to me!
I saw this saying recently online. It was on a fancy graphic and there was no author listed. So, whoever wrote it, I’m borrowing it….
“Sometimes it only takes a single teacher to turn a child’s life around. Some children will come to school today because of that teacher! Be that teacher every day!”
I hope I have inspired you a tiny bit to take a moment to remember the impact you have on the students you teach, whether they are big or small.
And just in case there are some new teachers reading this, or anyone for that matter that would like a reminder, I have a FREE downloadable about 101 Teacher Tips. Just complete the form below.
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Do you have a sweet story about a student or parent that you have impacted in a positive way? Let me know.
Until Next Time,
Your Teacher Buddy
