As the saying goes, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” and this couldn’t be more important than at the beginning of a school year. A student’s first impression of you as their teacher can set the tone for your entire school year together. As a result, many veteran teachers give all sorts of advice like “Don’t smile until Winter break” or “Gain control of your students the second they walk through the door”, but we have to ask ourselves if this the best message to give our students during our first interaction with them. Does this approach foster relationships with students which will allow them to grow and achieve their potential?

The answer is obviously no because cold and coercive tactics can never create an inviting and accepting space that is needed for growth. How do we create a first impression that will allow for students to foster and actualize their potential? One of the easiest and best ways is to have your first interaction with new students allow them to present their authentic selves. I have one quick and easy trick that I have incorporated into my practice for the first day of school. It’s as simple as greeting your students at the door with a copy of your school’s SIS roster. After the initial salutation and verification of their schedule, ask the student to point to their name on the roster and ask them how they pronounce their name or what they want to be called. I have found over the years many students prefer nicknames, or middle names, and some students have names that I have difficulty pronouncing. Other students may have a deadname that I would never want to use when fostering a caring relationship. Whatever the reason may be I always want to create a space for my students to be their authentic selves. Ultimately, this first small interaction creates the foundation for a learning environment which allows students to reach their potential to begin to grow.