How would this make you feel if you came into work, a friend’s house, or even your own home and everyone is there, and they don’t acknowledge that you have arrived. What if no one spoke to you for the first couple of minutes, would you feel welcome? Would you feel awkward? How would you handle this? Now picture a student walking into their classroom. Does the teacher and other students greet them? Does anyone smile at them and welcome them to school for the day? Do they keep going with what you are doing and there is no acknowledgement of the student entering the room? How do you think the students feel?
I know how I like to be greeted upon entering a classroom, my home, or a friend’s home. I believe many people feel the same way, we all like to be acknowledged and validated. I believe this is what happens when you welcome students to the classroom each day. According to an article published by Edutopia.org called Welcoming Students with a Smile (https://www.edutopia.org/article/welcoming-students-smile) there are some incredibly positive outcomes to greeting children at the door. It helps create a sense of community, it helps build trust, and it decrease behavior problems in class. I can picture some teacher's eyes getting big and them saying what. Yes it helps decrease behavior problems. The reason this works is that you are letting the child know they are important. It says that you think that they are worth the effort to say good morning and see them. I ask then how hard is it to greet a child and acknowledge that you are glad to see them. With the outcomes being so important and the effort so small, this to me seems like a no brainer. I would encourage everyone to take a couple of minutes in the morning and greet your students in the morning. Set a positive tone for your classroom that builds community and trust. |
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Diana Atkinson, Administator:According to research done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dealing with this level of stress can “make it harder for staff to serve as models and meet the needs of children and families” (Whitaker, 2013, p. 1). Archives |