There is so much hype for a new school year. Of course there are always the BTS sales of must-have gear and attire. There are Open Houses and Back to School nights where students nervously meet their teachers and where teachers equally as nervously meet parents. New students wonder how they’ll meet new friends and where to sit for lunch. Teachers plan lessons and spend almost as much time planning when they can sneak a trip to the bathroom after a summer of peeing at will.
Students and teachers both are told the old adage of the importance of a first impression, and outfits are meticulously prepared the night before. Lipstick is checked and ties are straightened as students enter the building at the bell. But then, you spill your coffee. A poster falls off the wall. The printer jams. You’re looking at the wrong assembly schedule. Your strong first impression is ruined, and your students see you as a hot mess. Great.
Yes, great! Congratulations, you just showed your students your humanity, as in YOU ARE A HUMAN. Big whoop. But, what is important? How you respond to your setback is what is important. Do you show off your prior enrollment in Scouts and with a resounding “Be prepared!” you take out a Tide Stick and remove that coffee pre-stain? Do you have extra 3M strips at the ready? Do you take a breather and just talk to your students on the first day instead of review rules with them? Do you run into the correct room after the bell saying, “Everyone gets one late freebie?”
That is what matters: your reaction. Because, there is always tomorrow, and another opportunity for a fresh new drip. (I feel my students from prior years rolling their eyes and expressing regret at teaching me that.)
In our next post, let’s think about applying this idea of a second/third impression to our lessons and our classroom.
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