During your four years at Scituate High School, you get the opportunity to build relationships with the people you are surrounded with every day. I think being able to connect with your teachers whether you’re in class or not is key to building our school’s community. Because of this, I decided to conduct research on what teachers and a peer of mine had to say about the impact of saying hello to your teachers in the hallway.
History teacher Andrew Roberts was eager to discuss this topic. One of his goals is to say hello to every student he knows by name, believing that it “builds camaraderie and helps him include everyone.” Mr. Roberts not only believes greeting his students builds one on one relationships but influences the overall school environment: “The more students and teachers can interact outside of school subjects, the stronger the community is feeling welcomed,” Roberts said. When asked about how important small interactions and greetings are in building student teacher relationships, he immediately responded, “they’re huge,” and said something that stuck with me: “You can’t build a big picture without the little puzzle pieces.”
Math teacher Jonathon Schindler is also known for being a social person. From my personal experience, I greet Mr. Schindler at least three times a day simply by seeing him in the hall so I knew it would be beneficial to get his perspective. Mr. Schindler claims he gets most of his visitors during WIN block, but makes it his priority to stand outside in between passing periods. He believes greeting people in a place like a hallway “promotes community building and can serve as a pick me up when you see someone is noticeably down.” When asked if students saying hello to teachers in the hall can benefit the overall school environment, he said, “Definitely, I enjoy the overall vibes of a community, and [the hallway] should be a place where people are comfortable to talk and show their personality.”
The last person I interviewed was sophomore Sydney McLean. I felt it was best to interview her because she is a very sociable person and has a lot of connections with her current and former teachers. Starting our conversation, I asked her if there were any teachers she had noticeably grown closer with during this year, and her response was art teacher Julie Hickey. She recently started an art class with Mrs. Hickey this semester, and the two have already created a great bond just by constantly being friendly with each other. When asked whether it’s a norm to greet your teachers, McLean responded, “Yes, especially if you’ve had them as a teacher. It’s something that you should one hundred percent do.” We also discussed how if more people see others greeting their teachers, they’ll find greeting them normal and motivate them to do the same. McLean claimed that acknowledging people at school isn’t only good for making friends, but it builds bonds with your educators.
A simple hello in the hallway can make a bigger difference than people think. It shows respect, builds a stronger connection between students and teachers, and helps create a friendlier school environment. When students take a moment to greet their teachers, it can brighten someone’s day and make school feel like a place where people can be open. Sometimes the smallest actions, like saying hello, can have the biggest impact.