Reflection on the First Week of School

I'm Brian Martin, a second grade teacher who find so much joy and fulfillment in what I do. Being in the classroom for almost 20 years, I know all about the time, effort and energy that you are continuously pouring into those you serve. That's why each week, I'm going to bring you an inspiring message to give you a little joy, and help fill your cup back up. Thank you for being here. And welcome to the teaching champions podcast. What's going on everybody, I hope this finds you striving and thriving and doing absolutely amazing. It finally happened. My friends, the school year kicked off this week. And it was that typical busy first week that we all have as educators. You know, last weekend, I was in my classroom on Saturday and Sunday, getting the room up and ready to go. And then we had in service day on Tuesday, followed by an open house at night. And on Wednesday, the students were there. And can I just say, it was amazing. There's something special about that first day of school, the nerves, the anticipation, hearing that bell ring, seeing those students in the hallways, and then meeting your own students at the classroom doorway. I'm here for my friends, that energy is something special. And if you want to talk about starting your day off, right, every single morning before the bell rings, I stand outside my door, and in my hallway, on the first classroom, to get to the kindergarten classrooms in first grade classrooms, you have to pass by my door. And if you want to talk about starting your day off with a little joy, when that bell rings, the kindergarteners walk in a line to their class. And you see these precious little humans with their tiny backpacks. And some of them are carrying their lunch pails, and they walk by your classroom. And as you wave to them, wishing them a good day. They sit there and they wave back. And it's just so precious. And it's easy to forget what a kindergartner is like at the beginning of the school year, and how much they grow from now until the end of the year. It's unreal. And a special shout out to all the kindergarten and pre K teachers out there. You know, every teacher works hard. every grade level has his own set of unique challenges. But kindergarten, especially at the beginning of the year, is a whole nother level. And those teachers are absolute magicians and what they do. So hats off to them. Now, I can't even put into words what it was like to see my students in person, the energy of being right there with them is something special. And I just can't wait to take the journey of the school year with them. Now with that being said, Is there anyone who comes out of that first week without being exhausted? Now today's episode is a reflection on my first week of school, things that are at the forefront of my mind as my students and I head into week two. And as always, what I want you to do is listen to this, think of your own classroom, reflect and think, what are the things you've learned so far? What are the things you want to remind yourself moving forward. And hopefully this episode will make you think a little bit. First and foremost, I'm thankful to be together with my students. After almost a year and a half of teaching virtually. It's nice to be back face to face. And it's important to hold on to that gratitude. Because it's easy to lose sight and take things for granted. You know, we might look and say that we're thankful for something that we're thankful to have our students back and that were filled with so much gratitude and appreciation. But then a few weeks go by and having all the students back isn't anything that's brand new anymore. And those small obstacles start popping up and all of a sudden, we forget About how thankful we were just to be there with our students. And we get caught up in everything that is going wrong. And that positive energy that we had, it falls to the wayside. And we end up focusing only on the negative things. This happens. So if you're feeling grateful, and thankful and appreciative, in this moment, take a second to really grasp on to those feelings, hold on to it and remember it so that when time goes by, and our appreciation begins to wane, we can remind ourselves of how lucky we truly are. A second reflection is trust in the process, the beginning of the year. While it's exciting, it also contains its fair share of frustration and overwhelm. So it's important that you remind yourself that it's all going to come together, the routines and procedures will be learned. And as the days go on, you'll find yourself in the flow of the school day. And that's important, because it's easy to get swept up in the beginning of the year frustrations. And at times, this causes us to verbally start airing out our frustrations, which hurts the energy and morale of everyone around us. So when those negative thoughts start creeping in, reflect on the school years that you've taught in the past, you know, every year, the students come to you, and at the beginning of the year, we have to teach them the routines and the procedures. And every year, you have to re establish your own workflow and find that group. And this year, it will be the same. Now this is a big thing, don't get lost on where the students are at academically coming into this year, when I was an assistant coach for the varsity boys basketball team. And we were making runs to the final foreign state championship games. The other two coaches that I coached with taught me so much. And one thing that they would always stress is it doesn't matter how good or bad the team looked in November, when the season started, what mattered was the level of basketball, the team was playing it, when we hit the end of the season and entered the playoffs. And each and every single day, the coaches and the players would show up. And they would put in the work every day striving to be better and make progress. And that mentality didn't change whether the team was looking good on opening day. Or if they had those early season struggles. It was consistent and constant daily actions throughout the season. And every year the team was playing their best basketball when the playoffs started. And the same goes for your class, you had students that showed up to your class, and they were soaring. And there were some who may have shown up and maybe they weren't at the academic level that you anticipated them to be at. And that's all right. You see, we meet them where they're at, you put in that constant and consistent work day in and day out. And the growth that these champions will show from the beginning of the year to the end, it's gonna be phenomenal, you're going to be so proud of them. So don't let all your focus go on what they can't do right now. Focus on what they can do. meet them where they're at, show up for them, push them, guide them, inspire them, and you're going to see them soar. Another thought that I had to remind myself this week is that every lesson won't be perfect. Being back face to face after not being in an actual classroom for almost a year and a half. It's awesome. But it's also different, you know, teaching virtually in teaching in person, they have their own dynamics. And then as I stepped back into the classroom this week, it went really well. But there's a few things I have to adjust. There's certain aspects of teaching in person, then I'm a little rusty at certain parts of the flow of the classroom that need to be ironed out and a few other things. And that's okay. Just as the students are learning, I'm gaining insight, taking in feedback and adjusting my practice. And that same goes for you. You don't have to be perfect. inside the classroom. There are a million different variables, some we can control, but many of them we can't. You show up. You do the best you can do. And you make adjustments where need and if it's Perfect, that's okay. Give yourself the permission to not be perfect. And another thing to keep in mind as we start up the school year, is to be cognizant of the fact that we don't know where the school year will take us. One of the summer shows that I watched with my wife, his big brother, and they're always saying, expect the unexpected. And I feel like that has been the motto for the teaching profession for the last year and a half. We don't know what the school year is going to bring. But many of you have been teaching for a long time. And you know, that each school year is guaranteed to bring a lot of challenges, a few sleepless nights, moment of frustration, overwhelm, and at times exhaustion. But the year will also bring joy, moments of connection, those aha moments, moments where you get so filled up inside because of something your students say or do those moments, when we feel so much pride and love and joy for our students. school year. It brings all the feelings over the course of the year, we know this. So we can prepare ourselves mentally for the tougher moments, and also lead in those amazing moments. In my last thought, that I want to share with you about the school year is all about relationships, they matter. And it's not just the ones with your students, the relationships that we have, with our colleagues, look to cultivate those relationships this year, be there for each other, encourage each other, let your colleagues know that you value them. This week, a colleague stopped by my class. Now, to try and socially distance inside the classroom, I've spread out my students desk. And because of that, I had to switch up the layout of my classroom. And with that, I had to get rid of my desk, which was fairly large, and in turn, went to a thinner stand up desk to try and conserve some space. And a colleague, she stopped in in Chicago, complimented me on the setup and the desk. And she said, I'm proud of you for being brave, and trying something new. Now, listen, that was so touching. And it's something that I've held on to all week. Now, do I think that the changes to my classroom are that big of a deal? No, it really isn't a big deal at all. We'll made that so impactful was this colleague went out of her way to offer a compliment, she could have easily just walked on by. But she took the time to stop and share something positive, to encourage to compliment. And How good does it feel when others Cheers. I'm for trying something new. It feels great. And it means a lot in those small words, strengthen our bond, and honestly, I can't wait to cheer on in the future. So what if we all took this approach for those around us? What if we recognize something new that others are trying, whether it's a new seating arrangement, a new activity, a new teaching strategy, you know, teachers in general are high achievers, we want to be great at what we do. We want to be seen as excellent by our students, by the parents of our students, and by our colleagues. And with that, though, can come some insecurity. Where if the teacher next door, try something new, and it's great. That means somehow that we are less of a teacher. But in reality that is so far from the truth. So instead of approaching the school year, with a mindset that we have to be the best teacher in the school, we should understand that we should only be competing against ourselves. And then we should be cheering on all the other teachers in our building. Imagine the culture that is built. If the moment we walk into the building, we look to compliment those around us that we look to cheer each other on that we look to learn from each other and support one another. And that time when we really don't know what the future holds, where there's so much overwhelm and exhaustion. Some of the greatest support team members that we can have other people that walk in the same school hallways that we do. So be on the lookout for those who are trying new things at your school. cheer them on. Their success has no bearing on how amazing the teacher that you So recognize them cheer on their bravery, it will make a difference for them. And it's gonna make a difference for you. I promise you that. Now, these are just a few reflections from the first week of school and reflection. It's powerful. It's meaningful as one of the ways in which we can learn. And I hope that you are able to think of some things that are near and dear to your heart. as you embark on the school year. You know, we're never a finished product, we're always learning, and we're always growing. And as we wrap up today, I just want to share an opportunity from the road to awesome team, Dr. Daren pepper, and Dr. Brandon back. They have a coaching program called Open Road accelerate. And they're going to be offering coaching and helping you achieve your goals and dreams. You know, athletes have coaches, business executives, have coaches, people in the entertainment industry have coaches that help them achieve their goals. But people in the education field, miss out on that. So if you have a goal or dream that you're working towards, check them out, as they're here to help you. And I'm gonna leave their information in the show notes. I appreciate you. And thank you for being part of the amazing teaching champions community, we encourage we support, we lift each other up. And if you could, like, subscribe or share this message to others, I greatly appreciate it. The whole aim of this podcast, it's just to give people in the world of education, a little positivity, hopefully, give them a little boost to their day. And always remember, whether you're from rural America, to urban America, to Canada to spend about rain, we're all on that same team. We're all on that same mesh. And we're always better to gather. My challenge for you this week is to do something brave. Too often we hold ourselves back because we're afraid of failing. We're afraid of how we'll be perceived that we'll be judged by others. So shake off that mindset. Don't let fear of the unknown hold you back. Try something new this week, and works great. If it falls short, great. You tried and that's what matters, whether it's successes or failures. We take those lessons. We learn from them, we grow from them, and we become better versions of ourselves. So be brave, my friends. Keep being amazing, my friends. And as you go out into this week, may step into your strength may step into your shine, and let's build our champions up. Have a great week, everybody.