Students are not the only ones who have to say three interesting facts about themselves to the class on the first day of school. Teachers do too. 

This 2019-2020 school year, administration has introduced a new idea to strengthen the bond between students and teachers: “My Journey to Solon High School (SHS)” posters. These posters displayed in or around the vicinity of the teacher’s classrooms, allow students to know the teachers before even meeting them. 

“My Journey to Solon High School” posters soothed Arni Patel’s “freshman anxieties” when she saw her French teacher’s, Madame Frasier, poster.

“It made me feel more connected because if I saw on a poster that it was somewhere I have lived before, I could relate to [the teacher] better,” Patel said. 

There are a handful of questions that guide the student in learning more about the teacher that range from, “Where were you born?” to “What is the biggest struggle you’ve overcome?”

Patel‘s favorite question on the poster is,  “̈Places you have lived?̈ 

”It’s the beginning to one’s life,” she said. “Just knowing where people come from can say a lot about them or a lot about their traditions or what they do. 

My French Teacher [lived in France.] I thought it was really really cool and it made me [trust her more] as a French teacher.”

Sydnee Kee, a Senior at SHS, said the posters have served the purpose of not only introducing the teachers and potentially creating a bond, but providing an introduction to the atmosphere of Solon High School as well. 

“I feel like for some students who are new and are interested in learning more about people and their teachers, [the posters] give them more of a chance to get to know the school better,” Kee said.

One the other hand, Kee wishes that the posters would’ve been around for her freshman year. 

“I feel like I would be more connected with them if this had started earlier than I am now since it’s my last year and there’s not really any time to form a bond,” Kee said.

Students are not the only ones benefiting from the posters. Mrs. Kenzig,  a Chemistry teacher at SHS, agrees that the posters have strengthened the bond among staff members as well.

“I think that it’s been fun reading [their posters] and seeing what they put down,” Kenzig said.

Whether it’s having a better understanding of your colleague of 5 years or getting to know more about your history teacher, the My Journey to Solon High School Posters helps everyone at SHS to get to know the teachers beyond the surface.