Say Hello Eileen

Say Hello









In the classroom of third and fourth graders that I taught, we began our day with what we called, “Say Hello. As children came into the room from the bus they chose a partner to play chess with, or a book to read with a friend, or to build a fort in the back room out of the blankets and orange crates that were there for that purpose. During the year I am remembering there were three boys who regularly chose to play hockey with my sheltie Barnaby as one of their teammates. Barnaby had a plastic food dish that served as a puck when turned upside down. One of the three boys teamed up with the dog and the two of them would push the puck toward the goal while the other two tried to intercept. We had worked out acceptable limits to the game. Often they had an audience of other children who had chosen to draw at a table in the back room while they watched the game. Say Hello lasted about a half hour. What I loved about it was that all of us had a chance to find ourselves and become comfortable in our relation to each other and the classroom. Sometimes a restless somebody needed direction or just a conversation with me in order to settle down. I valued that part of our day because it supported the children in their sense of belonging before we ever got into the teacher directed part of our day . I did make one correction to the beginning of our day. I was writing a math lesson as the children entered. I began to notice that most of them had chosen what they would like to do and were talking to their friends but no one had spoken to me.

“Oops,” I said to myself, “this won’t do.” At our morning planning I explained that I felt left out when they didn’t greet me as well as their friends when they came to school. From then on each child came into the classroom with a “ Good morning Eileen”. I love the sound of that in my memory’s review of school days. It became the sound of my connection with each child. I’ve thought if I ever write about those years I might call it “Good Morning Eileen.”

When people ask me how come they let you have the children call you Eileen, I answer, “I never asked them.” When they ask me how come they let you take your dog to school I answer, “ I never asked them.” When anyone, adult or child, came into our classroom, I asked what they would like to be called. I said, “I like to be called Eileen, what do you like to be called?”