The First 20 Minutes

Mrs. Barker sends me the best kids in the whole school.

I loved you before you even showed up.

I'm surrounded by greatness.

Within the first 20 minutes of the first day of school my students have heard me say these significant words about them. I hope these words set the tone for the classroom I have visions about long before I've met the little people are on my roster. Calling out the greatness in the room before I've even seen the hand I'm dealt is an intentional move. 

They are words I'll repeat often, not only during the first few days of school, but right up until the very end. But in order to help my new friends remember these momentous words even on day one, I say each important statement with an intentionally chosen object in hand. I actually pull them out of a bag, because bags make everything more exciting in first grade.

 Mrs. Barker sends me the best kids in the whole school.

 I loved you before you even showed up.

 I'm surrounded by greatness.

By the end of the first day of school, my young friends can recite the meaning of each object. (I like to imagine the possible conversations at home that night. Guess what Miss McMorrow told us today?) The ease with which my students can remember my words reminds me to thoughtfully consider strategies for making my teaching stick, and an intentionally chosen object can certainly do the hard work for me. 

Words are powerful, and it's never too early in the year to say what matters most. Every teacher has a surplus of things that could be said during the first 20 minutes of school. Why not choose the most important ones first? 

To sum up, intentionally choose your message and purposefully make your words hard to forget. I'm not sure there's any better way to start the year.