A few years ago, I saw a video that went viral. I am sure that you saw it too. It's the one where the teacher has a greeting for each of her students as the entered the door in the morning. Those kids were all smiling (even the ones who were trying to hide their smile, because they were too cool for the greeting).These kids were beaming because they were making that personal connection with their teacher. And with that greeting, their teacher was saying "I see you and I am glad you are here."

I thought about this video and how it would make my students' mornings more pleasant and less crazy. Yes, I greeted my kids at the door before this, but it was just a quick hello, and getting them to the classroom and giving them directions to get them to the start of their day.

 After seeing this video, I decided I wanted to try a different way of greeting students. However, I wanted to give them a daily choice in their greetings with me. So last summer I created 26 greetings and every month I would choose 3 new greetings that I could use with my kids at the door.

I worked hard to make them purposeful. To meet the needs of a variety of students.

For example:

I have one choice that is something along the line of a hug, one choice that requires little contact (such as a finger touch), and one that requires no contact at all (like a salute).  I also have options for students for whom eye contact is really hard (such as a spin greeting or a jump greeting).

I really thought about each students and what they would need for a greeting. If you want to see these greetings check them out here.

Now, I don't just use my morning greetings at the door. I also use them during my morning meeting time, when the kids get to greet each other as well. This is important for a few reasons. First, it teaches students how to greet another student (a skill they will need for the rest of their lives). It also builds a sense of community in the classroom. It gives them a sense of being loved and valued by not only their peers but by me too.

Spending just a few moments welcoming students promotes a sense of belonging, giving them a social and emotional support that helps them feel accepted and loved. Having students greet each other is important too. It teaches them the importance of greeting other people and how to do it successfully. It builds that stronger community and allows the students to feel safe and take risks. 

Don't forget to check out my greetings here. 

To listen to the full podcast on morning greetings, check out One Basic Teacher Podcast on iTunes and Spotify.