From the Principal's Desk: The Gift of a Story

So, it’s the first week of school. Teachers all across Albany are getting the students re-acquainted with expectations of behavior that will make them successful. Of course, part of that routine is to clearly establish what the rules are. It’s a fairly simple concept: review a list of the rules that help us get along. Then, we can learn. Fortunately, we have teachers who are more than simple.

It was by chance that I happened to be visiting a particular classroom last week. The teacher needed a quick chat with me and when I arrived I was asked to wait just a few minutes so she could “get the kids started.”

Those few minutes were a gift. She told a story. This was no ordinary story. It was a story that started with an element of suspense. “I want to introduce you to our class pets, but before I do, I have some things I want to tell you." Everyone, including me, looked over at a large cage on the counter. It wasn’t there yesterday...and all we could see inside were two Quaker Oats cardboard tubes lying on their sides.

The teacher stayed at the front of the room and told us about her dear mom; a mom who was a teacher and who brought her young daughter to her classroom on weekends to take care of the class pets; a mom who taught her daughter to be a teacher; a mom who passed away only a couple of years ago.

I and the students were riveted to this teacher. It was only the second day of school and here she was building a crucial relationship that creates the magic of a good classroom.

The story continued with a tale about how the pets received their names...an act of democracy last year that invited the French teacher to bring in some fancy ideas. The story had characters that were real. It had sentiments that were universal. And, it had joy and fun...and an end. The teacher finally unhitched the cage door, picked up one of the cardboard tubes, and introduced us to “Roger” one of the two class guinea pigs. (The other, “Pantonfle” was too nervous to come out of hiding.)

This amazing teacher only used about three minutes to capture our attention, endear us to herself, and sell us on the ideas of responsibility, respect and safety. Now, it was finally time to copy some rules down and I wanted to return to sixth grade.  In the end, I’m not even certain this teacher was fully conscious of all that she had just created. It wasn’t in her lesson plans...it just came naturally. She gave the gift of a story.

This week, we will be helping all of our students learn our three rules: Be Responsible, Be Respectful and Be Safe. By the time you read this; we’ll have hosted an assembly and introduced our students to all of the adults on campus. And, we’ll be telling some stories. Join us in these important first steps. Tell your own true stories. Add some suspense, add some heart and sentiment, and finish with a lesson. It’s a great way to make you feel proud.

Sincerely,

, Principal
Albany Middle School 

This letter originally appeared in Albany Middle School's Cobra Clarion and has been reprinted here with permission. Learn how to sign up for the middle school email newsletter , and scrolling to the '"schools" section. Click the green "Keep me posted!" button below to receive an alert when we post a new message from Principal Parenti.

See more from the principal's desk here.