New (School Year) Resolutions

I just got back from vacation and almost ruined that stress-free feeling by looking at my calendar and seeing … three weeks left before heading back to school.  I’m going to be honest, last year was a tough one both personally and professionally.  The class I had been hearing about for years finally arrived; and, unfortunately none of their previous teachers were exaggerating.  It was a rough group made more difficult by many years together, coddling parents, and a school district that lacks many qualities.  They walked in smiling that they had five teachers fired the previous year and assured they were in control.  I like to think they left with a greater grasp of reality and hope for next year’s teachers.   

So, it’s time to set the tone for the upcoming school year without any of last year’s baggage.  Similar to what we all do each January, but luckily my school resolutions seem to have much better results for me.  A number of years ago I started selecting a “theme”, but a more mature middle school version of the typical elementary focused themes/decorations I normally see geared to teachers.  For the last few years my theme idea has grown into a group wall shared by three teachers in our little corner of the building.    It seems to set the tone in all three classrooms for the year and I think the kids enjoy it too.  We actually had a mid-year visit by another group of teachers at our school to see this wall after they caught some students pulling up their pants, taking off their ball caps, and changing their speech before entering our “zone”.  Apparently the kids explained to them that “you have to be ready to learn when you go there, because it’s real”. 

 

 Here was last year’s wall sign:

 

The year before we had one the read “When you enter this classroom you are: mathematicians, explorers, important, and respected.  You are the reason we are here”.  Unfortunately I lost the pictures of that one when my cellphone crashed last year.    

Which brings us to the 2016/17 school year.  We started talking about this year’s sign four months ago and still don’t have one.  We all decided to decompress a little this summer and tackle it again.  I’ve been reading articles on teaching middle schoolers, searching Pinterest for inspiration, looking at the latest data, and … still I’m undecided.  Here are a few of my favorites so far:

 

 

 

I really want to focus on making students feel welcome and comfortable in my classroom this year.  I recently read an article by Harry and Rosemary Wong regarding the impact on learning and behavior that comes from creating a welcoming classroom and their belief that “it begins at the door”.  My search continues for the perfect sign that balances a combination of welcome and motivation for teens and tweens.  Apparently the time spent searching and debating is well worth it – because it’s is that important for setting the tone in your room for the year.  What’s your theme going to be this year in your classroom?