Whether the smiley salutation is “GOOD MORNING, FRESHMEN,” or “WHAT’S UP, SENIORS,” your class dean’s joyful face will greet you at each and every grade-level meeting. Your class dean is essentially your grade’s best friend. From planning your grade-wide retreat in the fall to lending you an ear and advocating for your needs to coordinating Random Acts of Fun for you and your peers to enjoy, they do it all. Thus, it’s natural to grow fond of them over the course of the year. As the first semester flies by and the second arrives, your dean will know each of your names and you’ll surely know theirs. But summer always sneaks up on us when we least expect it, like an unexpected but menacing sunburn. So what happens when lounging in the pool becomes returning to school, and your class dean is suddenly someone… different?
Don’t get me wrong: different is not a bad thing. Menlo class deans, permanent or not, prioritize making their students’ school year as memorable as possible and care deeply about them. However, there would be a huge benefit if class deans traveled with their grades. Not only would a permanent class dean understand the needs of their specific grade more deeply, but their permanence would also promote a longer-lasting bond between deans and students. Allowing a grade to get to know a class dean over four years, instead of just one, will ensure that all students feel they have an adult to trust on campus. If advocacy lasts for all four years, why can’t your class dean stay there for the ride, too?
The secret to building interpersonal relationships is time. Deans who travel with a grade for multiple years will have more opportunities to build meaningful, deeper relationships with their students. They would also better understand their individual students’ challenges and strengths. As students move forward in high school, they and their deans can build on that foundation of trust and understanding they have cultivated throughout their first year together. Consistent class deans would also be better grade-level advocates: they would have a more nuanced knowledge of their grade’s goals and dynamics. Additionally, a consistent class dean can provide students with smoother transitions from one grade to the next. What’s more: traveling class deans can plan initiatives and programs that span multiple years, tailored to their students’ ever-evolving needs. These programs can be designed based on the comprehensive knowledge deans have of their assigned grade. Overall, permanent class deans offer a more multifaceted approach to their students’ growth, and it goes without saying that their students will miss them when they leave.
