Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
There is an old joke in which a parent is shouting upstairs to encourage someone to get out of bed and get ready for school on the first day of term. ‘Get up’ they shout ‘you’re going to be late!’
‘But I don’t want to go in to school’ comes the reply. ‘Everyone hates me; they call me names and tease me behind my back. I hate it there!’
‘But you have to go in’ is the response to this, ‘you’re the teacher!’
At this time of year children, teachers and parents are preparing for the new school term and that can be a time of great stress and anxiety for all particularly if the school and the country are new.
There will be hundreds of new starters on the island in September (children, teachers and parents) and it can be assumed that every one of them will be anxious about their first day. Anxiety is normal in these circumstances, but unless schools deal sensitively with new starters of every kind, anxiety can lead to stress and that can be very damaging.
The thing about first days is that everyone has to have one. I can’t remember how many leaving speeches from teachers I’ve heard throughout my career that start with, ‘I can still remember my first day at the school I can’t believe it’s been x amount of years since I first walked in through those front doors’.
Similarly, it is a very common sight to see emotional students on the last day of term who just don’t want to leave!
First days are always remembered because of the emotions that are associated with them, but if they are handled expertly and supportively, it doesn’t take long before new children, teachers and parents begin to feel a part of the school which of course means that they become more relaxed and are able to perform to the best of their ability.
First impressions really do last, but you would be surprised how many schools forget this, so how do good schools welcome new starters to their schools?
There are many tried and tested methods of welcoming newcomers, but the key is always effective communication. Good schools will always ensure that the basics of the schools expectations are communicated widely and consistently so that everyone concerned knows how the school functions and that is half the battle won. This includes welcome packs with key information for all such as start times, term dates and homework and behaviour expectations etc.
Secondly, it is the non-verbal communication that enables newcomers to settle in quickly. This comes in a variety of forms but a warm, welcoming smile and an open door for questions will help all newcomers to feel that they have somewhere to go to should they need a bit of support or help in the all important first month of term.
Finally, nervousness doesn’t just exist on the first day, so a consistent approach to involving and informing all newcomers is required to ensure that confidence grows quickly and isn’t diminished.
A welcoming spirit in a school is always immediately obvious from the moment you walk in (and vice versa) and good schools always demonstrate this be it on the first day of term or the last.
It is sometimes easy to forget that teachers and parents can be as nervous as children on the first day of school but if the systems of welcome and support are clearly in place then everyone can feel that they are working together and are part of a team, because that is to the benefit of everyone.
