Teaching Alternatively
Greeting Students at the Door
Greeting Students at the door is a tried and true timeless practice. I often think it gets dismissed by educators all too easily. It is so easy to get caught up in cleaning up after the last class, talking to a student after class, and getting things ready. To make time for this, I encourage a mindful practice of greeting students at the door. However, I believe we have time for everything we put our attention to.
The Research
One of the first doctoral dissertations on Continuation schools I found had this as a promising practice. Published in 1991, "Holding Power" Practices Continuation High School Principals Can Use to Keep Students in School Until Successful Completion by Mario Dacco Johnson, Ed.D. describes 8 holding practices that are essential for all continuation school leaders.
I can’t help but notice, in 2023, how true these holding practices still are. Of all the practices in the study, these rose as the most important in this research study:
1. Students have the opportunity to receive counseling that is completely confidential.
2. Teachers maintain high expectations for student performance.
3. The school site discipline plan is clear, in writing, and signed by students and parents during orientation of new students.
4. A structured discipline procedure is consistently implemented by all staff members that fosters student responsibility rather than adult authority.
5. Substance abuse prevention is an ever-present part of the curriculum offering.
6. Students who graduate from continuation schools are recognized for their achievement in many ways, including a formal ceremony with a cap and gown.
7. All staff members build rapport by listening to students’ ideas and problems; in addition, each student is assigned to one adult who is his/her unofficial counselor and support system.
8. Students are greeted at the door and made to feel welcome and wanted.
While there has not been a formal list of promising practices in alternative schools/continuation schools in California from the state or a widely agreed upon list from researchers in alternative ed, I find this one as a great foundation. As an aside, NAEA and the state of Massachusetts have a list of promising practices for alternative education.
Greeting Student at the Door
Research outside of alternative education makes us aware of the necessity. It is always great to greet students at the door. It sets the tone for the class. Brain research tells us that mirror neurons have us reflect back to us what we see. A teacher smiling at the door will probably result in a student smiling back through the door. Whatever energy is given at the initial moment of meeting is typically given back to us. So, a nuance is that greeting students at the door should be an act of choreographing the energy one would love to see in the classroom. Generally, that means a smile and a caring greeting. We want students to feel wanted and safe in our schools and classrooms. This simple practice has been proven to increase a positive school climate, create better classroom relationships, and make students feel seen, which can be said to decrease their perceptions of feeling lonely. There are quotes from educators that remind us that these moments, for some students, may be the only moment in the day that someone says “hi” to them.
It doesn’t only feel good to get greeted, but it also models a social skill. In the Boystown program, that list 300+ social skills for students, greeting others is one of their top 15 skills. It is a skill deficit for many of our students and is a great skill to teach and model.
One thing I have noticed as a parent is when my daughter comes home and says, “OMG my teacher loves me.” I know that her teacher does not really love her (the same way I do), but they made her feel loved or valued in the classroom and part of the classroom community. It is hard to give students your undivided attention in every class, especially those classes with more students or students who are in a lot of need. To ensure students get your undivided attention for just a few seconds in that initial few minutes of class is money in the relationships bank.
From a positive and trauma-informed discipline approach, this time could be a quick pre-teaching time of expectations of a student having a hard time in class the previous day/class period. A simple, “Hi, xxxx, I am so glad you are here today. Today, I know you are going to be ready to participate. I am interested in what you have to say about xxxxx.” The goal is not for student behavior, but pre-teaching expectations are really important, and this is a really good quick time to do that check-in with a student. No more than 20 seconds.
Alright, now to the I have too much to do, and I get so caught up in everything that is going on that I always forget to greet students at the door concerns. I get it. The goal is to greet students at the door. Just as the goal is to take attendance every day at the beginning of the period and to flush the toilet. Sometimes we are going to forget. But making this a priority and putting energy into this act is a great practice to make this a habit. Here are a few ways you can make this a priority:
Set a timer for the last 10-15 minutes of a class to allow for enough time to wrap things up, clean up, and do the exit ticket or check for understanding. That way, you will not be cleaning up between classes (students should be doing this anyway, not just classroom teachers).
If your classroom is a mess, but students are coming in. Be okay with that. Your classroom is a community. You may start by having your students help you clean up, and then they will start the lesson. In terms of best practices, I think setting the tone for the day is better than worrying about starting a lesson a few minutes late while a different class is tidying up. It also teaches some mature social skills like cleaning up others’ messes for the greater good and other leadership qualities.
If a student has a question to ask right after class or during passing period, it is tempting to want to continue that conversation. It may be a conversation that needs to be had, and for this one period, it might be that greeting students at the door is not possible. It happens. That is a rare occurrence, not the norm. We are not going to sweat the small stuff. If it continues and a student is looking to engage you at the end of every class period, this is the time to practice boundaries. Hi, xxxx, I love talking to you about xxxx, but I really want to make sure to greet period xxx students at the door to let them know I care. Can we continue this conversation at xxxxx. We also don’t want those students to be late to their next class and all the other things. We in alted can make time for those cool conversations by starting a club, starting a mentorship program, and designing our school day to be able to be that one caring adult some students need in schools. It also models boundaries with students. Boundaries are not a bad thing. We all need them to be our best selves.
Smartwatch with timer. I know I already added set an alarm, but I am a person who is super time blind. My Apple watch saves me. I not only set alarms, but I also set timers so I know when to transition to different things. If this works for you, great. It works for me. This can be for the last 10 minutes of class, this can be a 3-minute clean-up timer, or a one-minute end-of-class discussion. Whatever it is, I set a timer for it.
Greeting students at the door is one simple way to engage students who may not be holding onto many positive experiences in school. This practice is quick, simple, and can be done in all classrooms. As far as alternative ed, it is one of my non-negotiables. I hope you make time for this simple practice. I hope it changes the climate of your school even a little.
Hugs!
-jamie