First Impressions
How did the students start the year?
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The first day of school started early. Parents and students showed up at the gate at the same time we did. There was an all school assembly to welcome the students and remind them that it really wasn’t summer anymore. All of the new teachers (half of the staff) were introduced. I waved at a sea of blue collared shirts and wondered which faces would soon be familiar. After the assembly, the students gathered their schedules and went to their first period class. I went to my classroom and waited. No seniors.
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Around 8:30 all of the high school students and staff gathered in the C courtyard and stared at the parking lot. I wandered over, hoping to find someone who could tell me why I didn’t have any students yet. One of the teachers who arrived last year filled me in, “the seniors are on their way.” On their way? Ok. They’re not here yet.
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The “Senior Entrance” is a tradition at EIS. The students stay up all night partying and parade to school around 3rd period. This year the students were escorted by men in uniforms. They had swords too. (Hmmmm. I wonder if they can just pay the government to play along?) After these official looking gentlemen were in place, the seniors entered the gates. They were circling the drive in and on vans, semis and 4-wheelers. There were trucks full of speakers. Confetti was flying around. The underclassmen were cheering. These seniors were in control.
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I didn’t know what to do. Should I stand where they can all see me? Should I stay out of sight? I was mostly confused, because this wasn’t really bothering me. It finally hit me when the parents paraded in after the seniors. They were all teary-eyed behind their cameras. After everything the other teachers had told me, I was sure that these parents (and their money) had more power than our administration and, possibly, the law. The parents bothered me. What were the students expecting me to say, “Cool parade…I got you some breakfast and Gatorade…You can nap for the rest of the period?”
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How did I start the year?
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I couldn’t ignore the “senior entrance” or the bags under their eyes. We talked about it. I didn’t have breakfast or Gadorade.The teacher who had the classroom before me left a student project behind. It was a Styrofoam structure of some kind. It was poorly painted and full of spider webs. I gave a little lecture about transitions and leaving things that we don’t need behind us. I cut a hole in the top of that hideous project and asked students to write down something that they wanted to leave behind. They put their notes inside the project. I didn’t read them.
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I handed out info cards and asked them to fill in their names etc. On the back of the card, I asked them to write some words of wisdom. What are you going to take with you? I read these. I put a different one in a picture frame on my desk everyday.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
“What are you going to leave behind,” is a profound question in more than one way, as I am sure you know. But the impulse to even ask this question shows what an innate teacher you are. It was the perfect question at the perfect time. And you put their answers day by day in front of them to remind them of their hopes or the inadequacies of their dreams. You will want them to do more than parade to school, filled with entitlement. After a year with you, I hope they will want that too.