Sarah Besand, a teacher and Possip Reporter, shares steps to transition to assigned seating during lunch!
To assign seats in the cafeteria or not to assign seats in the cafeteria? Now that is the question.
Administrators across the globe grapple with this same question as the school year gets rolling and students become more and more comfortable with each other. We are simultaneously thrilled they are making new friends, but we also strive to create a lunchroom environment where everyone can thrive.
Ultimately, the best practice for your decision on assigned seating during lunch is to respond to your individual student body. The needs of staff members and students will vary wildly from school to school, and responding to those needs will be critical to your lunchtime success. This resource could be helpful if you are looking to provide more flexible cafeteria procedures, but we also know some campuses may require structure in the form of assigned seating for these routines. This practice has been proven to help facilitate more opportunities for student connection and can improve overall school culture as well. Read more on that research here.
Here are some steps to implement a plan for assigned seating during lunch:
Step 1: Ask Your Staff
As you begin brainstorming about what assigned seating during lunch can look like on your campus, asking your staff or utilizing a Possip bonus question for your staff Pulse Check can be very helpful. Garnering staff feedback can go a long way in showing teachers you are continuing to value their input, and it will demonstrate your commitment to considering their voices when making decisions. An example bonus question could look like: “Would you like to see assigned seating during lunch?” or “What lunchtime procedures would you like to see re-imagined?” Asking these important questions will help you continue to gauge ideas and may shine a light on any other places for improvement in the lunchtime routines as well.
Step 2: Brainstorm With Your Leadership Team
Meeting with your leadership team is another great next step toward your transition to assigned seating during lunch. During this time together, we recommend reviewing the responses from the staff bonus question anonymously as well as providing space for the leadership team to share their thoughts on this change in the cafeteria. From there, you can synthesize the ideas you received in the bonus questions as well as brainstorm together about smaller details.
For example, it will be helpful to decide how assigned seating will be arranged by considering the following questions:
- Is the seating to be arranged alphabetically?
- Do teachers have a say?
- Are there student behaviors to keep in mind?
- Is there flexibility within your plan or will the students know to expect the same thing every day?
All of these topics will be critical to the success of your meeting and the plans you walk away with.
Step 3: Finalize Your Plan With Admin
To solidify your assigned seating rollout plan, it’s time to meet with the rest of your administration team. This could include creating a diagram of the plan, setting aside a time to run through a practice with teachers, and deciding on a date for the rollout. Presenting a united front on new procedures like this ultimately leaves students feeling more comfortable with the change.
Step 4: Share Your Plan With Teachers, Families, and Students
Woo! We’re finally here! You have done all of the heavy lifting in terms of planning, and now it’s time to integrate this new procedure with your staff and students. This can look different in response to student needs, but practicing before lunchtime or providing a one-pager for teachers can be helpful tools to make sure your assigned seating plan runs efficiently.
As you embrace the new procedure, anticipate parent concerns and how you will address them. You can preemptively let families know about the change and why by including a simple statement in your school or classroom newsletters such as this:
“On Monday, October 2, we will be using an assigned seating arrangement during lunch time. This is to help make sure every child get the nourishment they need during our 25 minute lunch breaks and develop new relationships with their peers. You can help support this effort by asking your child who they get to sit next to at lunch this week.”
Keep in mind that some parents may wonder why the school is initiating the change. Be transparent so parents know they can trust you to develop and enforce systems that are thoughtful and in the best interest of their child.
Administrators, best of luck to you as you make decisions with your teams during surrounding assigned seating during lunch. We know your responsive leadership practices will make this a smooth transition, and we hope these steps help you along the way!
