How To Support Your Students As They Return To The Classroom After Christmas

As we begin the return to school after the Christmas break, it is important that we do everything we can as teachers to support our young people as they make the return to the classroom. There are various challenges that our young people may face such as disruptions to their routines, a lingering holiday mindset and for some, an emotional adjustment to being back in school. Their behaviour in the classroom may be challenging as they do their best to communicate this to us and it is important that we support them adjust back into classroom routines and expectations.

Communication with Families

One of first things that needs to be thought about as students return to school is communication with their families. Simple things such as sending out reminders and tips to help students adjust back to school life before it starts and encouraging families to gradually return to school routines such as bedtimes and homework etc is a good first step in easing children and families back into education after some time away.

Classroom Readiness

Alongside preparing families for the return to school, taking the time to prepare your classroom for the students is another important step to ensuring a smooth transition. Two ways you can do this is by refreshing your classroom by changing and fixing displays and tidying up any mess left behind from before the Christmas break. Also, preparing some simple but challenging materials for your students is a good way of easing them back into the practise of learning without overwhelming them.

Addressing Social & Emotional Needs

As is evident, the social and emotional needs of students is becoming part and parcel of the teaching profession. As your students return to the classroom, taking the time to focus on this as well as their academic progress is a sure-fire way of creating a successful return.

Greeting students with a warm persona and acknowledgment of their return to the classroom with phrases such as “so glad to see you!” and “welcome back!” is the easiest way to make students feel like they belong in your classroom and that they, and their success, matter to you. You can also reconnect with students through check-ins and class discussions about their holiday experiences and their goals for the new year.

Re-establishing Routines

The reintroduction of your classroom routines and expectations should be the very first thing that happens when the students return. It may seem cumbersome and you will definitely have students telling you that they already know, but the last thing you need is one of your rules being broken and being met with the standard “but you never told us!” Using visual aids as well as verbally articulating your expectations is a good way to ensure you are catering for every learner in your classroom.

Supporting Academic Readiness

Using games or revision activities is a simple and engaging way of re-enforcing past knowledge with your students, especially those who are KS4 and beyond. Using short and snappy game style lessons will also give you the information you need to plan lessons to address any misconceptions or gaps in learning. You can also spend time setting goals with students to encourage motivation and focus.

Recognising and Addressing Challenges

Part of your role as a teacher is to support students pastorally as well as academically. With this in mind, taking some time to monitor your students for signs of stress or disengagement put in place some interventions by collaborating with other school staff such as Counsellors and Year Teams as well as Parents when needed.

Encouraging a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is something that we as teachers must work to develop amongst students. The easiest way to do this is by celebrating progress and highlighting small wins as students settle back in and using positive reinforcement to motivate continued effort.

Promoting Resilience

Resilience is skill that some young people lack but must develop. As teachers, we must teach coping strategies for managing set-backs as well as encouraging self-reflection and adaptibility as they come up against academic and personal challenges.

To summerise, taking the time to create a welcoming and safe environment to enable students to succeed should be at the top of your to-do list when returning to school after the winter break. Hopefully this article gives you some ideas on how to do this.