I’ve spent quite a bit of time figuring out what I want to do with my students during the first three days of school. Setting the tone and environment for the year is one of the most important aspects of a successful launch. During my recent workshops in Mobile, Alabama and Little Rock, Arkansas, I paid extra attention to explaining why I feel my third day is one of the most important things I do all year.
Basically, my third day is a massive, high-energy, frenetic sales pitch designed to convince my students that my class is different than anything that they have ever experienced in school and that they can, and absolutely will, be successful.
Here is the truth of the matter:
Many of the students who will be sitting in front of you as you start the year have not been successful in school in the past.
School has beaten them up. They have been told, and shown, that they don’t measure up. They have been made to believe that the gifts and talents that they have are not valued by the educational system because they are not reflected in test scores.
They don’t believe that school respects and honors their individuality but is rather used against them as a tool to force conformity. They’re evaluating whether or not this will be an emotionally and psychologically safe environment. They’re wondering whether or not it is worth their time and effort to give it another shot and try. It’s easier, sometimes, to not give your best and then blame failure on a lack of effort rather than possibly be forced to consider that it could be a lack of ability. If you don’t try, it’s easier to save face with your peers when you fail.
These aren’t things that will ever be verbally expressed! However, if you teach the same clientele that I do, it is absolutely what some of them are thinking. It is our job to address these unspoken thoughts that are rattling through the minds of our students and the earlier that we do it the better. My goal is to completely smash all thoughts and ideas that my students have about my class being more of the same for them. I will pull out all of the stops to convince them that it doesn’t matter if they have failed before because my class is absolutely and completely different. My class has been specially designed for them to be successful. My class is based on all of the current brain research. My class will incorporate incredible mnemonics that are designed to help them easily learn and retain more content in less time. I explain to them how the brain works and how a positive learning environment is critical for higher order thinking to take place. I talk to them about learning styles. I spend a great deal of time talking to them about Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. I give them compelling examples of how school systems have consistently neglected and not valued many of these types of intelligence because they are not on “the test.” I show how these special gifts and talents, like artistic and musical creativity, should be equally valued in school. I talk to the athletes and dancers about kinesthetic intelligence. I give examples of how those with interpersonal intelligence might find themselves in trouble in school but have incredible opportunities for success in the “real world.” I use humor, music, a fast paced delivery, and when the day is over I’m ready to collapse. It just may be the single most important day of the year and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I do not have a casual, nonchalant attitude about this day. Make no mistake about it…I am SELLING! I ‘ve always tried to convince people that great teaching incorporates many of the same skills and techniques that lead to successful salesmanship and marketing. I am attempting to fully persuade my students that they will be successful by offering a powerfully compelling and engaging argument. I’m spinning the story to the best of my ability and what I’m selling is absolutely worthy of the effort. At the
very least, I want the most difficult and stubborn student in my class to leave with an open mind and say to themselves, “O.k., maybe this guy is on to something…I’ll give this a shot and see what happens.” BOOM! I got him…that opening is all I need and want.
Next comes the fun part…living up to it and providing a course that will knock their socks off and rock their world!
Want to hear about Day #1 and Day #2? I’ll save those for another time or if I see you at a seminar. Everybody has their favorite opening week activities and I don’t believe that mine are the final or best answer. All I would recommend is that at some point in that first week you directly address this unspoken question; “Why should I believe that I can be successful in your class when I haven’t been successful before?”
Dave Burgess