Return to School

When the summer ends and we begin thinking about returning to school I can’t help but think of Adam Sandler’s scene from the movie Billy Madison where he’s preparing to get on the bus. In waiting for the bus, Sandler begins to sing about his purpose and anxieties for the upcoming school year. As educators I think we can totally relate. We too have a checklist of things that we’re excited about, but also worried about. What looked like a return to “normal” school in the spring has now brought us the excitement of the new school year with more anxieties than normal. With that in mind, here is my checklist for staying focused on ourselves and our students. 

     Start with relationships. A typical school year starts and for a lot of us, we have our resources, curriculum map, pacing guide and test dates tentatively scheduled so we can work through the more than necessary number of standards for the year in what equates to less than a full school year once we begin testing. For the next few years especially, focusing on relationships is going to be vital to rebuilding ourselves, our colleagues and our students. Caring for our students begins with caring for each other. As stated by Lori Desautels in an August 2021 Edutopia article, “We come into this world wired for connection—it’s a biological imperative. Our nervous systems require reciprocity to regulate our states so that we feel safe. A sense of belonging brings satisfaction, and our individual sense of happiness is impacted by being part of a social network.” Our connection was altered and we’re left to pick up the pieces. If we’re going to take care of our students, we need to start with each other. 

     While we’re taking care of ourselves and our students, inevitably we’ll focus on student learning. While it shouldn’t be the primary focus, it is still a focal point of our profession. One of the best takeaways from our Spring conference at Kalahari was Weston Kieschnick talking about social emotional learning. At the conference (and in his second book Breaking Bold)  Kieschnick says what we all know from experience. All learning is social and emotional learning. “Particularly the brain research that says all learning is social and emotional learning. All learning is then relational. What this means is that if you want to improve learning outcomes, yes you must have a top notch tool kit of high effect size instructional strategies that help students achieve high levels of rigor. Yes you must have a solid suite of tools and technologies that will enhance the relevance of learning and make you more efficient as you meet varying student needs. But you must also make sure your students are OK. To do this, you have to connect with them on an emotional level; get to know them as people; and develop meaningful, positive relationships with them.” Don’t allow “social / emotional learning” to just be buzz words repeated in staff meetings or a district initiative. Allow it to be our center, our guiding light. The most important thing we may do this year is create those relationships with students. Creating those relationships will lead to learning. Learning will lead to feelings of personal accomplishments for our students and our staff. It will be continuing to create a soft space to land for students and a familiar rhythm that is so important in the development of middle level learners. 

     Finally, to quote Ted Lasso (or is it to quote Jason Sedakis?), “Be a goldfish.” According to Ted Lasso, and who’s arguing with a fake mediocre European Soccer Coach, the goldfish is the happiest animal on the planet. Happiness comes from only having a 10 second memory. If we’re in for another roller coaster of a year, having a 10 second memory can really come in handy. Have a great year everyone, we hope to see you in Columbus on October 28-29, and most importantly, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. See you soon!

 1 Desautels, L. (2021, August 9). What students will need as the year begins. Edutopia. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-students-will-need-year-begins.

 2 Kieschnick, Weston, & Kieschnick, Molly (2020). Boldly Breaking toward Relationships. In BREAKING bold: Dare to defy the tyranny of trends & live the 12 habits of a master educator (pp. 16–17). essay, INTL CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP.