Greetings and Attendance
Why this lesson is important
Learning to greet and be greeted helps students feel safer and more connected. As they feel safer and give more connection signals, they participate in a 'coregulation' cycle.
This cycle actually helps them get better attention and engagement from adults and peers.
How we greet each other dramatically influences how the rest of the interaction goes. Each person's nervous system in scanning to see, 'Am I safe here?' or 'Am I in danger?'.
The default is to assume we are in danger until we prove that we are safe.
This response to fear and danger can be very subtle.
It can look like a distraction, silliness, blankness, withdrawal.
Making contact is one way to help establish that we are safe.
Also this greeting helps students to be more oriented to where they are. This activity is different from other activities.
When they really know where they are, they can participate more fully.
Here are some ways to begin a class to establish 'emotional' safety.
Simple hand shake and introduction
First, model this with another trusted adult in the room. Simple handshake: "Hi, my name is Mr. M. What's your name?" Hello.
Watermelon Handshake
The Watermelon handshake is important because it require a unique partnering and working together. At the conclusion is the experience 'we' accomplished something together. We are a team.
A little more vigorous is the watermelon hand shake. Again model this in front of the students so they know what to expect.
Watermelon hand shake:
"Wa" shake the student's right hand with your right hand.
"ter" while still holding the right hand, shake the student's left hand with your left hand.
"Mel," while still holding their left hand, let go of their right hand. Cross over their left hand and again shake their right hand.
"lon," while still holding their right hand, let go of their left hand. Cross over their right hand and again shake their left hand.
Finish by shaking both hands together.
Note: generally match the student's tone. If they are timid, be gentle. If they are feisty, be a little stronger.
Fruit Salad Handshake
Once the Watermelon Handshake is mastered, we can add other movements to the hand shake. At first teachers can make these up. Eventually studnets can start creating their own.
Ap ple - touch the inside of the foot together.
Wa ter mel lon- four hand shakes alternating hands.
Ki wi- touch elbows.
Plums- touch both hands together.
Attendance
Attendance is important because is helps student integrate movement, vocal tone, a word and often eye contact. They experience geting 'to show up' and be welcomed in the circle.
In this context, attendance is about more than just who did or didn't get to class. Attendance helps guide students to be connected in a way that they are 'Here', 'Present", and 'Engaged'. We support them to feel safe enough that they can respond without collapsing or hiding in anxious silliness. We encourage students to bring their bodies, eye contact, and vocal tone to work together.
Directions:
When I call your name, say 'Here', 'Present' or 'Check' and give me a thumbs up.
It can be helpful to have a 'puppet show'. Have one puppet, cow, model doing this well. You call cows name. Cow responds timely, with medium volume and a warm tone. Ask the students, "How did cow do?".
Then call "Dragon". Dragon is inattentive, says nothing, and gets busy looking at something else. Again, you call "Dragon". Then Dragon is overly loud, aggressive, and contemptuous, "I'm HERE!!".
Ask the students, How did Dragon do? Can you show him how to do it better?
I also ask to model being present and responcive. Then I ask the students, "How did you teacher do?". This can help students reflect on what is being expected of them.
What is most important, is how we respond to the student. If we meet the students with contact, they will feel more safe and welcome.
If a student mumbles, shouts, or gets inappropriately silly, we redirect them to a better response. If they don't move their hand with their voice, we ask them to do it again. "I love how to said 'Check, can you do that while you give a thumbs up?" Note: some younger children have trouble isolating their thumb. Accept what gesture they give.
After making some personal contact, the "Hello Song" works well as a group ritual greeting.