Five Practices to Build Early-Year Momentum

Once the school year is underway, we face the challenge of establishing routines, setting a pace, and creating a rhythm to carry our instruction and, by extension, student learning forward. We may be eager to introduce the curriculum and move forward with what we have to share with students, but success with these priorities depends on creating a solid context and processes to support what lies ahead. 

A successful launch to the new year will require some patience, discipline, and focus from us. Time spent in the first weeks of school helping students practice routines, develop confidence, and refresh their learning can make our work with students in the coming weeks and months significantly more successful. Let’s review five start-of-the-year practices that can position our students and us for success in the year ahead. 

Observe before expecting. We may have ideas and hold assumptions about what students should know and be able to do, but we must remember that what students bring to our classroom may vary widely due to a number of factors. Some students may not have fully grasped past learning or may have forgotten much of what they have learned. They may have had a summer filled with distractions and trauma. Or they may have engaged in activities that accelerated their knowledge and built new skills. The truth is that students will begin the year where they are, not where we expect or want them to be. By taking time to observe what students know, how they behave, and what they may be ready to learn, we can gain insights that inform our planning and guide our instruction in the coming weeks.  

Prioritize progress over perfection. We want students to find success. Yet, we need to remember that learning is a journey. Perfection may be a goal, but expecting perfection can be a recipe for frustration and disappointment—for our students and for us. The gap between where students are and where they are going will be closed by effort and progress. We need not lose sight of where we want to take students, but we must be realistic about the length and nature of the journey. Prioritizing progress is a better strategy than expecting perfection, especially in the first few weeks.  

Go slow to go fast. The beginning of the new year, those first few weeks when we meet and begin getting to know our students, is the time to focus on building a foundation for the rest of the year. Relationships built in the initial weeks can create a foundation of trust and reassurance that can prevent future resistance and conflict while building cooperation and commitment. Time spent refreshing concepts and renewing skills can save time and frustration later as students encounter more complex ideas and build new capacities. We may worry that we are off to a slow start, but momentum fueled by confidence and competence can easily make up for lost time.  

Repeat to automate. Students do their best when they know what is expected and when they are comfortable and confident with routines. We may think that a few repetitions should be adequate for students to learn and follow daily procedures, but when students are still trying to find their place and hoping to fit in, this type of learning can take longer than we expect. Rather than place a number on how many times we will explain and repeat, we might continue until students no longer need reminding. While getting started may take longer than we anticipate, well-established routines and expectations can pay rich dividends as the year unfolds.  

Assume positive efforts and intentions. Student behavior in the opening weeks may be erratic and unpredictable. Some students will withdraw until they feel a sense of belonging. Other students will act out and even be defiant until they feel assured in their relationship with us. Still others may test our boundaries and expectations until they are confident that we are serious and will follow through. In response to these varying and sometimes confusing behaviors, seeking to understand the reasons behind the behaviors we see will be more productive than drawing premature conclusions or assuming the worst of students. Unfortunately, when what we assume and expect is negative, we are more likely to encounter more negativity. Students often need time and a fresh start. We can help by assuming students’ intentions are positive—or at least suspending judgment until we have more experience with them.  

There is much to do and think about in the initial weeks of the new school year. We might find ourselves wanting to immediately launch into the curriculum and leave relationship building, routines, and expectations for later, yet this is usually a mistake. Trying to correct and undo unacceptable and unproductive behaviors and processes usually takes more time and effort than establishing a strong foundation from the beginning.