Greet Me Please

Greet Me Please

One thing that I love about my job is that no matter how my morning starts at home (spilled coffee) or on the way to school (terrible traffic) or in the school building before students arrive (copier is broken), when my students arrive it feels like it's the start of something new and positive.  My hope for my students is that they feel that same sense of a fresh start when they walk into my class each morning. One way I've helped build this feeling is to implement a special morning greeting.  

Why not start each day with a greeting at the door?  

Mornings in the classroom can be chaotic at times. There are days it feels like quite an accomplishment to get attendance taken.  So then why would I propose adding one more thing to your busy morning? Because it's a simple thing that can have a tremendously positive impact on the rest of the day for you and your students.  A personal morning greeting begins the day in a positive way. I love the smiles that appear when students get to choose a greeting that allows their individual personality to shine through. It also serves as a chance to renew a day that may have started off rough. A welcome allows every student the opportunity to feel warmth and respect, maybe for the first time that day. Morning greetings are also an excellent way to create strong bonds with your students. They allow students to feel individually noticed by you. Giving every child a sense of belonging is key to ensuring they feel safe and are ready to learn.  

How can we start our mornings with a greeting?

Though the start of the year is probably ideal, I believe morning greetings can be put into effect at any point throughout the year, as long as it is introduced and made into a daily routine so that your students will embrace it with open arms.

1. Create a variety of morning greeting options for students to choose from.
2. Hang the greetings on the door and change them weekly.
3. Every morning open the door and have students choose what greeting they want by pointing to it.  
4. Greet students with that greeting.
5. Watch them smile!

After I teach the teacher-student morning greeting, I then introduce procedures on how students can greet each other each morning. As with all new classroom routines, it takes time to learn.  I consistently model and practice many times over before I expect students to automatically do it each morning. Just as with the teacher greeting, I give students a choice of partner greetings.  

We then practice proper ways to greet a friend.  The kids practice each morning until it becomes part of their morning routine.  Here is the list I give to students:

1. Stand up tall.
2. Make eye contact and smile.
3. Use a clear, friendly voice.
4. Use friendly body language.
5. Be safe.
6. Wait for your turn.
7. Listen while others greet you.

I hope the smiles on my students' faces will motivate you to try morning greetings with your class. It's a fun and straightforward routine that sets a positive mood for the rest of the day. It has the ability to brighten days, deepen relationships, and build our students' confidence and communication skills. That seems like a whole lot of good for one routine!

 Positively Teaching,  

Randi Muehlen