With the school year well underway, we’ve had the good fortune to be in schools around the country and seen the amazing work teachers are doing to set students up for success this year! Here are some of the things we are noticing in classrooms across the country:
- Students are more appreciative to be back in person together. They are showing this through their willingness to participate in activities and are working together to build a solid learning community.
- School staff is actively aware of, and carefully crafting, how they SPEAK to students! From being explicit in directions to matching body language to verbals, it is clear that students are receiving language that promotes learning throughout the day!
- Teachers, even more so than in previous years, are utilizing their strength of being flexible and patient to ensure they are meeting students’ basic needs first. Reminding students of where they need to be, providing them opportunities to step out of the classroom for additional support, and using a variety of teaching methods are a few of the ways we’ve seen their flexibility and patience in practice.
- Schoolwide comradery is high! Teachers are building relationships with colleagues that they might not have in previous years due to the ever-changing circumstances. School staff members are working together to make sure everyone feels supported through having someone to bounce ideas off of, vent, or get new strategies to try to help create a positive learning environment.
- Teachers are craving professional feedback through coaching and are initiating that relationship. In the different schools we’ve had an opportunity to observe, visit, and coach, we are noticing that teachers are welcoming us into their classrooms and are actively seeking ideas and feedback on how to strengthen their craft.
- Classrooms and schools that have taken time to create, teach, and practice routines with students are noticing that students are already becoming independent in completing the routines with success.
One additional observation made, both by teachers and ourselves, emphasizes the importance of routines. As coaches, we find we are reminding teachers that are struggling with student misbehavior and/or engagement that creating routines and procedures for learners is taking longer in all schools. A popular graphic circling on social media from @weareteachers serves as a great visual to illustrate that the last normal school year for students was three grade levels ago!
This year, more than ever, without giving consistent attention to routines and procedures, students are likely to improvise to meet their own needs of safety, belongingness, and esteem. As the year continues, focusing on schoolwide routines as a staff is necessary to capitalize on the camaraderie we are feeling to set our students up for success throughout the building! For more information on faculty meetings that establish schoolwide routines and observations with instructional coaching, visit our website!
Written by Dana Januszka & Sarah Fillion 2021
