I've always found it interesting to watch students the first day. Each group of students reacts totally differently to their first day of school.
Grade 9s are often shell-shocked. I usually describe them as "deer in the headlights". They are worried about getting lost, they're overwhelmed and they're trying to be cool all at the same time.
Grade 10s walk with a bit more assurance...with a bit of a swagger. They aren't the bottom of the totem pole anymore. They know their way around the school, but are still a little anxious about what grade 10 will hold and whether they are going to get those really great teachers they liked (or, gasp, those teachers they didn't like) for their classes this year. Grade 10s are a little trickier because they are a mix of wanting to show you they aren't those 'grade 9s', but they're trying to start the year on a good note.
Grade 11s are a little more self-assured. Grade 11s can walk into a class and still not be too sure - grade 11 is when a lot of their optional courses kick in. Many new optional courses open to them mean that they're happy to be in your class because it's THEIR choice they're there. Many new optional courses open to them also means that these are brand new subjects so they are also a little overwhelmed with new information.
Grade 12s are an interesting bunch. They walk into your class understanding that it's okay if they're excited to see you; they'll ask you how your summer went and actually be interested in the answer. Grade 12s are also (usually) focussed on the year ahead because they feel that their marks matter more than last year. In fact, they do, but since our government has granted universities and colleges freedom to look at an applicant's grade 11 marks, they don't stand alone.
Either way, most students (regardless of grade) all usually start the year with good intentions and with good motives. Talk to them in a week, in a month and inevitably there will be students who tell you that they don't know what happened, they are failing.
There's something I say to all my classes each semester's first day; if they attend class regularly, submit their assignments and listen to my feedback throughout the year I promise them that they will not fail my class. It is the truth and, for me at least, it's obvious as a path for success. The students often feel differently. They treat my promise with something akin to disbelief. It's as though no one has sat down with them and said that attendance, submission of your best work and bettering each assignment by listening to teacher feedback are the keys to success in school.
In truth, I don't remember anyone actually sitting my down and TELLING me these things would lead to my success. I just knew that if I didn't skip class, tried my hardest, listened to constructive criticism and tried to incorporate it in my work, I'd do just fine. In fact, I did very well indeed. Where has that common sense gone today in a group of students who seem to think I'm letting them in on some secret to success? Why don't students know these things?
Maybe our expectations have been lowered. Maybe we aren't holding the students to a high enough standard. Maybe the problem is that we are being proactive instead of being forced into reactiveness.
Instead of giving students an opportunity to recoup lost credits after bad choices were made throughout the semester, we let them in to the 'secret' of success right from the beginning. Maybe we shouldn't just hold them accountable for their bad decisions, but show them ahead of time what happens if they make smart choices and EXACTLY what those smart choices look like.
Let them succeed (or fail)...but let them do it with their eyes wide open. Let the end result clearly show which path is preferable as well as exactly how to get there. Let us not just outline how to fail, but how to pass!
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