Whether they are on track to the be valedictorian, or they had the worst year ever in school last year, every kid believes this on the first day of school.
This may be the year I discover my purpose on this earth.
If they know with certainty what they want to be, or they are rebelling against everything we want them to be, every kid wonders if this will be their year. But the real question is this.
Will WE leverage their inner desire?
On the first day of school every kid, every parent, every teacher and every administrator is anxious and excited. The first day of school is the first paragraph of a new chapter. It is the start of a new journey. Last year was last year, and this year offers new opportunities. On the first day of school every kid will walk in to your school with hope.
Think about it.
Before school started, you dreamed about what the new school year would be like. Before you knew who your teachers were, you envisioned what they would do for you and your education. Every kid is thinking the same thing, and those with a history of failure hope that this year is going to be different for them.
Will we ignore it?
Make This the Year They Find their Purpose
We don't teach content. We teach kids, and our purpose for the first weeks of school is to keep the main thing the main thing. We must send the message that they can be anything that they want to be, so long as they are willing to work hard, commit to learning, and develop their tenacity. But words alone aren't enough. Kids must hear, see and feel that message through the following ways:
Our passion for our own learning, and how it will help them find their purpose.
Our passion for helping every student reach high levels of excellence.
Our high expectations for learning, and how we will help all students reach those expectations.
Our desire to know our students as individuals, not names on a roster.
Passion is Contagious
If we can commit to our passion for learning on the first days and weeks of school and the days that follow, we will solidify their belief in themselves. However, if we fail to embrace kids on the first weeks of school, the belief that each student developed all summer long will die a little bit each day until their belief transforms from one of hope into one of apathy.
On the first week of school, kids will be excited, anxious, scared, apathetic, or angry about school. These emotions are natural, but the one thing we must never forget is that every kid, no matter their outward emotion, has the same belief about the first day of school. Every child is hoping and praying that this will be the year that you and I will look past their history or beyond their intellect and help them reach their ultimate goal, finding their true purpose to life.
Happy 1st Week of School
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