You know the feeling….you see the Attendance Clerk walking down the hall with a little piece of paper and the librarian following close behind with a stack of books. You get this sinking feeling in your gut. Not because you don’t want the new student but because it’s April 27th…WHY?! There’s just a few weeks left of school and who knows if this kid has been taught cursive and that’s how you write everything on the board. What has this new kid been taught or not been taught, there’s not even enough time to fill in any missing gaps of what they haven’t been taught… you’re overwhelmed, you’re teacher end of the year tired and you just want to finish the year strong of course but with as little bumps in the road as possible. I get it, I hear ya. As I see them coming I remind myself of this:
However, we are here to teach every child and with all my heart I believe each child has been put into my class for a reason. So, I have a couple tips to make the mid or end of the year new student transition a bit easier for both of you.
One of the best ideas I have come across I found on Pinterest way back in like 2011 or so. I use this idea but have added a little twist to it that I want to share with you.
The idea is to fill a gallon size bag up with all the necessities you’ll need for a new student: laminated name tag ready to go, first day letter for the parents, Friday Folder insert, cubby tags, etc.
That way if you are given very short notice that you are getting a new student you are not running around searching for these things in your files, etc. You are all ready and look super organized. ( whether you are or not ).
If you have very little notice from the front office and the parents are basically walking down the hall at that very moment….you will look like a rockstar with a parent note ready to go and a name tag already on his/her desk. But….you can also….
prep ahead of time sticky notes. I like to use these as you see above. I place one on the new students desk right away and say welcome or I’m glad you are here. Then after snack or lunch depending on 2 things if I’m going to keep it real. Snack if I think they need encouragement and seem sad/nervous or most likely lunch because I always seem to remember more at lunch than I do at snack. Then I make sure to give them one at the end of the day that says – great first day! Lastly, I always am sure to place one right on top of their graded work in their Friday folder for them and their parents to see. I usually win the parents over quickly with these as they are nervous themselves for their child to adjust and this extra little step helps them feel like their child has a very loving, supportive teacher. This goes a long way in building bridges between home and school and can make all the difference. Especially if something comes up and you need to talk to them about their child’s behavior or academics. You have already kinda earned their trust and respect with going above and beyond with the little things and you’d be surprised how often they are more receptive to hear what you have to say after you’ve helped their child have their best first week ever. =)
Hope you find this helpful…as always you can find me here every Wednesday for my weekly series:
xo ~ happy teaching,
