With the first few weeks of school under our belts and the long grind ahead of us, now is an appropriate time to look back at the first couple weeks and examine what went well and what didn’t. As a junior, I now consider myself a veteran of the opening weeks. I’ve seen it all, from elementary get-to-know-you worksheets to ludicrous essay assignments; from the shy first-year teacher to the one that wanted to retire years ago; and from the well-prepared student to the one awakening from a summer-long coma. And through all these years I’ve brainstormed a few tips that might just help with the transition from summer to school.

1) Teachers should spend the first week reviewing past material:

Instead of introducing new material right away, teachers should spend some time going over material that students learned in previous years. Isn’t the whole point of homework over the summer to make sure students retain the knowledge they learned the year before? I spent the first week revisiting the metric system in physics, and reviewing the summer packet in math. Not only was this helpful in jogging my memory, but it was also strangely comforting to start off with concepts I already knew. If I had walked into math the first day and the teacher said we were going to be doing differential calculus, I probably would have cried. I definitely would have cried. This minor change could be the difference between starting out the year with the “hey, I’ve got this” mentality and starting off with the mentality of “I can’t do this.”

2) School should start up again on a Wednesday:

Coming back from a 10-week break to a full five days of school is a brutal punch in the gut. Having a full week of school leaves no time for the major adjustment from summer to school to take place. If school started on a Wednesday, however, students and staff would only have to endure three days of school before that ever-glorious three-day weekend. Yes, staff also have a tough job coping with the first week. In some ways, teachers have an even more stressful time than students—dealing with lesson plans, learning names and adjusting to the new year. With just three days of school and then three days of recovery, the process of restarting school would seem far less daunting.

3) Have a school-wide event the first week:

With no school events to look forward to the first week, the SGA should take initiative and think of a way to pump up school spirit. The key with this one is that it can’t be overdone, much like a medium-rare steak. This will give the SGA an early opportunity to flex their muscles and show their capabilities. The event could be any number of things, such as a “What would you do for a Klondike bar?” assembly, where students and staff humiliate themselves and are rewarded with the sweet taste of chocolate and ice cream (hey, just an idea). Hardworking students, especially here at Whitman, need to be reminded that school isn’t only about the academics. And with all the stress and drama of the first week, a relaxing, funny, and carefree night would do wonders for tense students.