The first month of school brings on a full range of emotions...excitement, motivation, anxiety, anticipation, competitive drive, you name it! It’s a time of fresh starts and new beginnings. As an educator, you know how important it is to make a great first impression. So, here are three tips you can use to make sure you are starting the school year right.

1.     Focus on Lowering Social Anxiety - people will never forget how you made them feel

Every student shows up to a new school year with at least some level of fear…fear of failing, fear of not belonging, fear of not measuring up. Our priority as educators is to create a learning environment where every student feels safe and we do that by lowering social anxiety. Start each day at your classroom door (or the entrance to the building) making a quick personal connection with each student individually. Greet them by name and with a smile as you welcome them to your class or team.

2.     Capture Hearts - When you have a child’s heart, you have a child’s mind

The content you teach is vitally important to the growth of your students, however, if you jump straight to communicating lesson plans, and don’t first focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of students, your message may not stick. When you are intentional about connecting with each student in your class and ensure they feel seen, heard, and valued you create a learning environment where students want to be and are motivated to learn.

3.     Grow Your Group - culture starts with connection 

Students are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors and succeed academically when they feel connected to school. Your students, especially after the last year and a half, are longing for community and belonging. Intentionally add in activities, especially in the first few weeks of school, that build community within your classroom. A fun ice-breaker, journal question, or bell ringer at the beginning of class will go a long way when it comes to growing your group.

In a year when catching students up academically will inherently be a top priority, please remember to first take a moment to make personal connections. Lowering social anxiety and creating a learning environment where students feel seen, heard, and valued will contribute greatly to opening minds for learning.

About us: We love educators! Through experiential training, expert coaching, a character-based curriculum for students, and personalized support, Capturing Kids' Hearts® equips professionals in K-12 education to implement transformational processes focused on social-emotional wellbeing, relationship-driven campus culture, and student connectedness.