Hellos and Goodbyes

By Mrs. Tricia Heyer

Mrs. Heyer joins us on the fourth grade team, but out in the world she's known by another name: Tricia Lott Williford. In addition to teaching, she is also a writer and author, capturing slices of life in books, blogs, and articles. Here are her thoughts on the way we start and end our days at SkyView: the hellos and the goodbyes.

Hellos and Goodbyes

Hellos and goodbyes, first impressions and parting words, they matter much to me. I read somewhere that the first two minutes you spend with someone can determine the rest of the day, and goodbyes spill right over into the spirit of the next day. That wisdom dug roots right into my heart.

I couldn't send my children into school with harsh words in the air; I can't do it any easier than I can finish a day in an argument, or close the car door on an unfinished sentence, or greet someone I love without smiling, or continue a business call when my guys will come out of school at any moment. First impressions and parting words matter. Every time.

It matters even when we know each other well. Perhaps, then especially.

I’m a new teacher at SkyView Academy, and during my many hours of orientation and professional development last week, I learned two of the non-negotiables of our school’s culture: Hellos and Goodbyes.

At SkyView Academy, every adult pauses anything else they might have been doing at the start of the school day, because everyone’s priority is the same: to greet students. Everyone stops what they are doing, no matter what it is, and everybody is greeting.

Our head of schools stands outside, directing traffic and greeting families. Our principal stands at the main entrance, greeting individual students. The reception staff greet students and volunteers. And every single teacher stands at the doorway of his or her classroom, each to greet students.

You can greet them however you choose: handshake, fist bump, elbows, hug. Your choice. But you will greet them. That is your job at the start of the day, because it is everyone’s job at the start of the day.

In middle school and high school, where they transition every 45 minutes, they do the same thing. Every staff and faculty member pauses what they are doing, all to greet students as they travel in the hallways, transition to their next class, and enter the classrooms.

On the flip, I learned that goodbyes are called Launches, an intentional end to your time together. Each teacher can launch however you choose, in a style that works for you, but you must launch. Send them off, and send them well.

One teacher shows a short and funny movie clip.
One teacher ends by sharing a powerful quote.
One ends with a question to ponder for tomorrow.
One teacher shouts, “Take care of each other!”

In my classroom, we will hug or shake hands to start the day, and in the afternoon, I will launch them into the world with the words of Brene Brown: “Stay awkward, brave, and kind.”

Hellos and goodbyes matter. I’ve always thought so. And now I teach at a place where the hellos and goodbyes are structured right into the day, even listed as a non-negotiable.

In the words of little Orphan Annie, "I think I'm gonna' like it here."