Meet and Greet

On that first day of class, I do a meet and greet outside the door to my room. All of my classes line up outside the door, which also happens to be outdoors. Fortunately for the kids, weather is rarely a concern – in our part of the country we have 2 standard forecasts: sunny and warm OR sunny and hot.

This meeting process is a great visual and physical transition from the classroom teacher’s authority to mine. We meet on neutral territory so there is no confusion about who is in charge – we both are! Somewhat like the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace! At the end of class, we reverse the process: teachers pick up their students outside where I have them lined up and quiet…

The classroom teacher and myself exchange pleasantries, and on this first day I hand him/her a copy of my special needs list to fill out and return by next class/week. The teacher then leaves so I can continue giving my spiel…

During that first Meet and Greet I say my name, ask the students who are new to our school to raise their hands and welcome back those who are returning. If I’m lucky, I’ll remember the names of several returning students and welcome them by name. I don’t know about you but my brain tends to turn to mush over the summer and although I rarely forget a face, names tend to slip in and out of the gray matter…

The last things I talk about are the art room, how to enter (I use/teach specific traffic patterns) and the seat assignments for this first day (details about that process in the next blog). I’m a firm believer in assigned seating. I spend hours analyzing and using the info gathered from this first class to put together my table groups for an optimal learning experience all year long.

This meet and greet process should take no more than 3 – 5 minutes. Students don’t come in until I have invited them in. Of course they need to be quiet and ready (hands and feet to self, in line, etc…) before that invitation is extended!

Some of you may feel that all of this is a waste of precious class time but I’ve learned you can accomplish far more in less time if your students are taught and know the routines to move smoothly through their class time.

Recommended Summer Reading

If you’re looking for good summer reading to gear up for the school year I highly recommend the following books. They are easy reading, give a lot of easy-to-put-into-action ideas and will help you become a more well-rounded teacher.

The first book is First days of School by Harry Wong. I discovered this book a few years ago and it opened up to me a new way of thinking about the structure in my classroom. I’ve always been a big proponent of preventative discipline and this book sealed the deal. Although it’s geared for a ‘regular’ classroom teacher (whereas we are an extraordinary bunch, you know), the ideas and methods convert easily to our art classrooms. It revolutionized what I do the first 2 class periods of every school year, which sets the tone for the rest of the year…



The second book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, was a real eye opener. The district I teach in is predominately low income – my school has 83% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunches. It talks about the unwritten rules of income levels and how we, as teachers, can help our students understand and overcome those unseen barriers.



From a review on Amazon.com: People in poverty face challenges virtually unknown to those in middle class or wealth--challenges from both obvious and hidden sources. The reality of being poor brings out a survival mentality, and turns attention away from opportunities taken for granted by everyone else. If you work with people from poverty, some understanding of how different their world is from yours will be invaluable. Whether you're an educator--or a social, health, or legal services professional--this breakthrough book gives you practical, real-world support and guidance to improve your effectiveness in working with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Since 1995 A Framework for Understanding Poverty has guided hundreds of thousands of educators and other professionals through the pitfalls and barriers faced by all classes, especially the poor. Carefully researched and packed with charts, tables, and questionnaires, Framework not only documents the facts of poverty, it provides practical yet compassionate strategies for addressing its impact on people's lives.

Both of these books have been in print long enough that you can find them at a decent, teacher-income-price on Amazon or any other used book site.

Do you have any books to recommend?