After long weekend, it was nice to get back into my classroom with no students in sight. Teacher work days can be a blessing where I can rearrange my room and get re-organized. Sometimes the craziness of a 7 period day really creates havoc on the organization system. So, I came in early, turned my Pandora station up and got to work.
Needless to say, despite there not being any students, I was consistently interrupted by people just coming in to say hi. At first I was annoyed because I had a finite amount of time and so much to do. However, I realized that relationship building starting at the beginning of the school year and maintaining that adult contact in the absence of talking about which student needs what and what’s due when is far more important. With each person that came in, we reconnected, talking about our lives and weekends and what our plans were for the upcoming grading period and holidays.
I also realized that as a lead teacher, I have a huge responsibility for my teachers. They rely on that one-on-one connection with me as a person they can trust in the presence of a questionable new administration. These conversations help build those relationships and help me figure out how best to support my team.
Thus, the lesson today is always make time for conversation. I am thankful for people stopping in to chat, just because they wanted to and not for a particular reason.