"You Don't Talk to Me Anymore"

The other day, a student stopped me in the hallway and said that to me.

"You don't talk to me anymore."

And, well, he was sort of right.

I had talked to him a lot at the beginning of the year. It wasn't all bad, but it was intentional. I believe in the power of mentoring and relationships with students, and I think that strong relationships can also lead to academic gains and improved behavior. So, he was right; I did talk to him a lot more at the beginning of the year.

He said it and was smiling. I'm taking it as a nice way of him asking for me to spend time with him, without actually asking me. I think he also scored a few bonus points in front of his friends. Naturally, he was laughing as he eventually walked away.

In the moment though, I admitted he was right. And I reassured him that it was a "good thing," but I've also stopped and thought about my role as an assistant principal. I don't just want to talk to students when they are "in trouble"; I want to talk to them about the things that matter to them, the climate and culture of our school, and how their classes are going.

I'll be making more of an effort to talk to him. His reminder was the reminder that I needed.

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