Try This Tomorrow!

Dave Robles has been teaching for 10 years and looks forward to sharing small but highly impactful best practices that you can try tomorrow! 

Try: Greet Them at the Door 

Why This Works: This works because we have no clue what students are carrying when they arrive. Greeting students at the door gives us a split second to check their spiritual pulse. A fist bump, smile, or encouraging word can potentially remove the armor, break down the wall, take a sledgehammer to some of that concrete building up around the heart. You didn’t ask for it and you’re not fully trained for it. But in small ways, let them know you’re a trusted adult and you’re on their team. 

The Lore: Marigold (pseudonym) was a brilliant student who loved gadgets and anime. We eventually raised enough money to get her a go pro cam and a robot. She’s one of those kiddos you can pair with anybody and make your management look like magic. 

Every morning, she was getting into heated arguments with her mother. She came to school visibly distressed. Before our morning meeting, we sat down and drew anime characters. Laughed about nonsense. 

In video games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Knights of the Old Republic, you spend a lot of time building strong relationships with your crew, squad, or party. This, in turn, helps you navigate difficult missions later in the game. 

Greeting Marigold at the door and drawing with her at the desk inadvertently smoothed out some of the wrinkles on what would have been an otherwise horrible day for all of us! Instead, our classroom gained a stalwart leader who edified and celebrated others. 

Drawing of Mr. Roble's dog - by Marigold