Why You Need a Morning Message
Do you remember last spring? Of course you do. It’s seared in our memories. And, one thing that became explicitly clear was the need for greater connection with our students. The morning message helps achieve that, and it isn’t just for elementary teachers! Just as you would welcome students to your physical classrooms, we must take time to connect and reflect with our students online. This can be used both synchronously or asynchronously, depending on your set up. But, regardless, it is important to make the time to connect.
Do you have about 3 minutes? If so, the below video offers some ideas on what to include in a morning message and a wide variety of ways to create your morning message based on your personality and classroom community. If you don’t, here is the “cliff notes” version;
Keep it short
A message that is 5 minutes or less works well; 2-3 minutes is perfect!
Keep it consistent
Have a predictable structure you follow each day. The beginning and end should be similar for every morning message.
Make it visual
As entertaining as you might be, something visual to cue their interest is always more engaging than simply listening to someone talk.
Make it personal
Students love to connect on a personal level. Letting your dog make an appearance or telling them a funny story about dinner last night builds a sense of community between you and the students.
Have fun
If you are having fun, its more likely your students are having fun. And, I assume we all know the research behind that. Change your background to outer space, invite a guest to say “hello". Be creative.
I hope the video (or “cliff notes”) have provided some food for thought and ways to refine your mornings with students. Regardless of whether you are face-to-face or virtual, many of the tips shared can be practical.
I have always encouraged teachers to have a slide up when students entered with a welcome and the pertinent details for the day including: the date, agenda, a quote, joke, or riddle, and reminders. Now, with many of us teaching virtually, I feel that it is more important than ever to have this visual. I’ve seen countless impressive examples of this, but if you aren’t the one who likes to spend endless hours playing on Google slides, you might consider checking out some options that I just added to my TPT shop. You can find them here and here.
I would love to see what you are doing for morning messages!
:) Brandy