Happy New Year to all our educators around the country! I hope you had a very restful and relaxing Winter Break. Even a short break to rest our minds and bodies can do wonders as the second half of the school year begins.
Each time my class and I returned from Winter Break, I was always surprised by the change in my students. Often there was a shift, more so for some than others, in maturity. It was evident in how students asked questions, adhered to classroom norms, or in how they treated one another. I once had a struggling student, who left for Winter Break not knowing how to write his name or able to identify many of the letters of the alphabet, come back from break writing his whole name, identifying most of the letters, and even able to read a very basic book. A break can have some good for all of us.
That first day back often also felt like the first day of school all over again. Students were excited to be in class. They were on their best behavior. There was an eagerness to continue learning. This energy provided a great opportunity to revisit classroom expectations, outline what we would learn by the end of year, but most importantly, to reconnect with my students.
Because I knew the homelives of my students—which ones wouldn’t have seen an incarcerated parent, those expecting a new sibling, or who were expected to be able to move into a new apartment after living in a hotel for months—I would check-in with these particular students to see how they were doing or adjusting.
Using a morning journal writing prompt, such as telling me three things they wanted me to know about their Winter Break, I could check-in with all my students. Sometimes a family member would also send me a note or had stopped me at drop-off to let me know of any changes that would help either the transition back to school, or what might have happened that might hinder learning at this moment.
All this information was always helpful to get the classroom back into its routines as well as minimizing disruptions to the learning process. It was also very helpful in deciding what supports a student and/or family may need to help them be successful.
What strategies or techniques do you use that have been successful upon return from breaks?