Regardless of how many new school years we have experienced, it seems that every year there are elements of the new start we fail to recall or expect. We may even find ourselves thinking something along the lines of “Whoa, I forgot that my new students would be like this.”
After all, the summer has given us psychological distance from the routines and realities of the classroom. We have had time to allow memories to fade and even for some assumptions to form. For example, we may assume—without reflection—that our new students will be like the students we sent on their way in May or June.
It is true that each school year offers a new beginning. It also means we will be starting where we started last year, not where we ended. The students we will meet are likely to present several surprises, even though we may have been through this yearly cycle multiple times.
As we prepare to meet our students, there are several realities to keep in mind to minimize surprises and be prepared for what lies ahead. Here are six start-of-the-new-year truths that are likely to mystify us if we are not ready to deal with them.
Students will seem younger and less mature than we expect. We can easily forget that our new students are nearly a year younger than the students we finished with the previous year. While students’ appearance and behaviors may surprise us, they are likely to be just about where last year’s students were when the year began. As the year unfolds, we will again have a front-row seat as students grow, mature, and end the year in places not much different from those of the students we said goodbye to in the spring.
Students will have forgotten more than we expect. Depending on the students’ summer, they may have had few opportunities to use, refresh, and build on what they learned last year. Consequently, some of what students knew and could do when school ended in the spring may not be immediately available to them when they return. Review, reinforcement, and even some reteaching will probably be required before students are ready to engage in new learning.
Students’ readiness to learn will be more varied than we expect. Not unlike what students may have forgotten over the summer, they will return in the fall at different levels of readiness to learn. Some students may have had a traumatic summer, some may have lost skills due to neglect, and some may have had a stimulating, academically rich summer. A successful beginning to the new year will require understanding of where students are in their learning readiness and what we need to do to engage and support them.
Students will take longer to learn and follow routines than we expect. Routines may have seemed like second nature by the time school ended in the spring. In fact, we may have had to give little thought to managing and reinforcing routines after students spent months in our presence and under our influence. Unfortunately, the students we encounter as school starts may be unfamiliar with our routines and expectations. Our challenge will be to return to the basics, explain the importance of routines, give students opportunities to practice, and provide ongoing guidance and feedback. Of course, they will also need our patience.
Students will be more anxious than we expect. We can forget that we represent a significant and even scary unknown to many students. They will be trying to figure out what life will be like in our presence. Some students may show far less anxiety than they feel. Other students may act out, seem distracted, or even be defiant as they sort through what to expect in the year ahead. Obviously, we need to do what we can to inform and reassure students about the rich, meaningful experiences we have planned and the accepting and supportive class community we intend to build.
Student relationships will take longer to develop than we expect. By the end of the previous year, we had developed strong relationships with students. They had learned to trust us, feel free to take learning risks, and depend on us for understanding and support. Unfortunately, the new students with whom we will begin the year will not have had the experiences of last year’s class. They likely have had varying experiences with adults, some of which may leave them reluctant to form relationships. Our challenge is to understand that building relationships will take time and remind ourselves that the investment we make will help the year go better and our students to learn more.
The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time. Months of discovery, engagement, challenge, and progress lie ahead. However, we must remember that each year, students come to us where last year’s class started, not where they ended. We need to give ourselves space and grace to find our way and our rhythm with this new group of students.
