When The Honeymoon Is Over, The Real Work Begins

Do you remember the feeling when you first fall in love? Everything is great for you are your counterpart. Nothing seems to bother you and even though you have your problems, they all seem minuscule. We all feel as though this feeling will last forever although we are told that it's just the honeymoon stage. And although we hope to always love that significant other, we soon realize that this stage does come to an end.

Week 3 for me is almost over which means the kids have almost been in school for 1 complete month. My teacher pointed out that he recognized more students being disciplined over the past couple of days. He then goes on to make the statement "The honeymoon is over."

30 minutes later (during the first staff meeting of the school year) the principal starts to address the same issue. She also understands that the dynamic of the school is beginning to change a little. Students are becoming comfortable and therefore they are stretching the limits to see how far they will go. The also stated "The honeymoon is over."

So what does this all mean to me as an educator? There is a saying in Greek life from older times that says, "When the pledging ends, the real hazing begins." This simply means that once you have complete the part that seems to be the hardest, the real work for your organization begins. The long meetings, the late nights of planning for programs, the life time commitment to service that you make, etc., make you realize that the process was not as bad as you thought.

As educators, the honeymoon stage seems to be tough. This is the period when the teachers set the rules and become adjusted to their students. But once this period ends, it is our responsibility to work harder for the students in our classroom. My mentor teacher has a great resolution for this topic. He has informed me that a great approach is simply not to panic in the beginning. He likes to give the students 4-6 weeks to fully settle into the quick pace of the classroom.

With this plan, the students have more time to slow but fully settle into their classroom atmosphere, and before they know it, they are working extremely hard towards their goals for the end of the year. Simply put, when the honeymoon is over, the real work begins.