Shaping School Culture

  New Teacher Tips Supporting new teachers is more important now than ever. Every week I will share tips for new teachers to help them throughout the year. If you’re an educational leader or veteran teacher, make sure you are checking in and supporting your teachers and set them up with a solid foundation that will help them throughout their entire career.  New Teacher Tip #1: Teach Procedures before Content I spoke about this at greater length in my blog post The First Days Matter. Teaching procedures, expectations, and beginning to build relationships and getting  to know your students, is crucial. Do not rush into teaching your content and curriculum. The better of a foundation you have establishing your procedures and your classroom climate, the easier teaching your content will be as the year goes on. Make sure you take time in the beginning of the new school year to teach (and model) expectations ...

The First Days Matter How Culture is Established Before Curriculum Takes Hold It’s time to welcome students and staff back to our buildings for another school year! Hopefully you’ve had a restful summer and are ready for another year! Before you jump into your content, setting the foundation of your classroom environment, expectations, and beginning to build relationships with your students must come first.  The First Impression Matters  What are students seeing as they enter your school building and your classroom? Is it a welcoming environment? Are teachers excited to see their new students? It is important that our students feel like they belong and the atmosphere is inviting for them. (This is important for staff to feel too and that will be addressed in a future leadership blog post.) The first impression you make on your class is important as it sets the tone for the year. Make sure you create a welcoming...

Throughout the school year I will add a quick classroom management strategy that you can implement in your classroom. Classroom management is important and student behaviors are a big issue that teachers face. So every Monday throughout the school year I will add on and give some meaningful classroom management tips! I hope they help you succeed this school year!  Classroom Management Minute #1: Greet Every Student at the Door This is such a simple gesture that goes along way with students of any age. It not only sets the tone for the day, but also is the foundation of a terrific and welcoming classroom environment. It is also a way to have a quick conversation to get to know your students without sacrificing instructional time. Doing this small gesture consistently throughout the year will pay big dividends. I began each class this way and also ended the day at dismissal with a fist bump for every student on the way out. It got to the point that each student wouldn't leave the bui...