Hope Starts Here: Beginning the School Year with Solution-Focused Vision
When I was a brand-new teacher - several eons ago - I attended my very first professional development session.
The guest speaker was none other than Harry Wong, the author behind The First Days of School. I had never heard of him until that day, but after listening for forty-five minutes, I walked away completely inspired.
His words carried me through some of my toughest days in the classroom.
Instead of thinking, “these students are the problem,” I began asking myself, “what can I do so things go better tomorrow?” That simple shift changed everything.
Long before I ever studied counseling, I learned to experiment, create new projects, and refuse to hand out boring textbook worksheets. I wanted to bring my best to them, because they deserved it. The more I tried, the better they were!
Your students will arrive this year carrying their own stories - just as you do. What feels like a big deal to them may seem small in our eyes, but that’s exactly why they come: they come for hope.
Our task is to manage that hope carefully, to look into their eyes and see the expert in front of us.
Yes, that “expert” may show up as disrespectful, disruptive, shy, or even afraid of school’s newness. But remember, only they know themselves perfectly. Our job is to honor that truth by how we respond in the first days of school:
Notice more than problems - search for glimmers of hope. When a student does something well, no matter how small, name it. Tell them you see it. Tell them you are impressed!
Ask questions that open doors. If a student “forgets” homework, notice the times they did remember. Say, “You turned it in three times this week - how did you manage that?”
Listen with the belief that change is possible. When you hear hard stories, resist the urge to fix them. Instead, say, “You’re going through so much, and still showing up here. How are you doing that? You amaze me.”
Hope begins with us. It lives in our schools when we look past difficulties and lean into possibilities—when we choose to see students not as problems to be managed, but as capable humans desperate to hear that someone believes in them.
Harry Wong planted that seed in me long ago.
Today, I’m passing it on to you.
