How Do Your Values Show Up on the First Day of School?

I am currently sitting in an airport on my way home from an inquiry partnership in Mesa, Arizona and as I wait for this last flight to board so I can get home to my sleeping family, I find myself in a highly reflective space.

In part, I am reflecting on my immense gratitude to be able to safely travel once again and share my passion for inquiry in a face to face and more intimate and human context. I feel fortunate. I am privileged. This gift of travel and learning and inquiry doesn’t fall short on my heart. I hope that wherever you are reading this from, your world is returning to one of health, wellness, and collaboration.

In part, I am reflecting on the kindness of the teachers I worked with in Mesa this week. It has been so long (SO long) since we connected face to face. I feel so lucky to have helped kick off their year with kindness, compassion, and inquiry. The laughter, the tears, and the friendships are all gifts I cherish now.

And last, I reflect on something I shared with those I was supporting in Mesa. I asked them to consider how they are starting their year with their new students. I asked them to reflect just as I am doing now. I asked them to consider what their first words, their initial actions, and their first connections with their students say about what they value. First impressions matter. First impressions matter not just because we want students to like us and to like being at school. First impressions matter because they are a student’s lens into what the learning experience will be like. I challenged educators in Mesa to lead with their heart, to start the year with compassion and gratitude, and to begin planting the seeds for student agency on the very first day.

I ask you to do the same. What do you have planned for the first day of school? What do these plans say about you and what you value? And what message do these plans send to your students about what the learning experience will be like under your guidance?

Wherever you are in your school year, I wish you happiness, health, and ease:)