We have the special honor of adding to additional guest co-hosts two this show, Mike Creed and Lee Carlson.  They are both masters of developing positive relationships and classroom communities.  Mike has experience with teaching students K-5 and Lee has experience teaching middle school and high school. The insight they offer is incredible, and amazingly correlates between secondary and elementary.  It is a balancing act between our efforts in the community and pushing the students to make their efforts.

• First day of school activities that highlight the value of each individual student while connecting it to all past students.

• Lee’s strategy for good day/bad day and how the students have taken ownership over that activity.

• The value you in being different and how students buy into that mentality.

• Be explicit and intentional to design activities and conversations to constantly build the classroom culture in a positive direction.

• When we open ourselves up to our students it builds trust in the relationship, but also opens up opportunity for them to share with us.

• We should always be striving to move our students towards a feeling and space where they feel confident to share about themselves to us.

• It is not always going to be perfect, but we do our best everyday.  Sometimes, that is being tough and reminding them we need to hunker down and focus on our work.