215. Here's EXACTLY What to Do in the First 20 Minutes on the First Day of School

Just like a football coach scripts the first few plays of a game, you can script the first 20 minutes of your classroom, and in this episode, we’re walking you through exactly how to do that. We’re sharing our top first day of school teacher tips, including five essential goals to guide your opening moments: how to greet students, which procedure to teach first (hint: not your attention signal!), and how to keep students calm and engaged while you handle behind-the-scenes tasks. These practical strategies will help you kick off the year with confidence, clarity, and a classroom that feels warm and welcoming from the start!

Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/first-day-of-school-teacher-tips/

Resources:

• Pattern Block Activity Mats
• Lego Activity Mats
• First Day of School Lesson Plan Guide
• Back to School Brain Breaks
• Laurel Denise Portrait Week + Month planner
• Join the Teacher Approved Club!
• Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow.
• Shop our teacher-approved resources.
• Join our Facebook group, Teacher Approved
• Leave your review on Apple Podcasts!

Related Episodes to Enjoy:

• Episode 98, 5 Reasons Your Attention Signal Isn’t Working and How to Improve It
• Episode 209, The Most Important Back-to-School Prep No One Talks About
• Episode 211, The 3 Questions Every Student Needs Answered in the First 3 Days of School
• Episode 213, 6 Simple Goals to Make Open House or Back-to-School Night a Success

Mentioned in this episode:

Join the Teacher Approved Club, where members get seasonal morning work pages for grades K–5 this month to add fall and holiday fun without throwing off their routines: https://secondstorywindow.net/club