As your Fairy Tea Mother, I plan to continue discussing the Phases of a First Year Teacher compared to the Hero’s Journey. I will post at the beginning of each phase throughout the year. In between will be regular posts about other topics. The tea is ready, so let’s start with the Survival Phase.
Action Plan for the First Few Weeks of Teaching
In this first stage of your journey, you are Crossing the Threshold—leaving the known world of teacher training and stepping into the unpredictable, wonderful reality of your own classroom. According to the Phases established by Ellen Moir, this first month is the
Survival Phase, a time when new teachers are learning at a rapid pace and are often bombarded with problems and situations they had not anticipated.
As much as you want to start delivering inspiring lessons a la Dead Poets Society (or Stand and Deliver or Lean on Me or Mr. Holland’s Opus, etc.), there is groundwork that must happen first. Your mission is to build the vessel that will carry you and your students through the entire year. A strong, predictable, and positive classroom environment is that vessel. Your goals should center on three areas: building relationships, focusing on Classroom Management, and establishing a Behavior Management system.
The Power of Relationships
Think about any book or movie, the main character rarely goes it alone. There is the whole Fellowship that accompanied Frodo to Mordor. The Pevensie siblings had Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers. For Simba, it was Timone and Pumba. Woody had Buzz and Buzz had Wood. You get the idea. Relationships are a must not only through the Survival Phase but for the whole year.
You cannot complete this quest alone. Your allies are your students, their families, and your colleagues. Building these relationships proactively is one of the most important investments you can make.
- The Principle: Every interaction is a deposit into or a withdrawal from a relationship. Make as many positive deposits as you can, as early as you can.
- Actionable Strategy: Positive Contact Home. You may here this advice during in service training: make one positive phone call, email, or note home for every single student within the first four weeks of school. While I agree this must happen before any academic or behavioral issues arise, it can be difficult for a secondary teacher with 150+ students. It may help to identify the students you have a feeling may encounter behavior issues sooner rather than later. Start with those students. That way, if a negative or concerning event does occur, you have already reached out with a positive call, email, or note even if you are finished reaching out for all of your students.
- Actionable Strategy: Proactive Colleague Connection. Make one specific, positive, and proactive contact with at least three key colleagues (like your mentor, a grade-level peer, or a teacher in a connecting subject) and one administrator within the first month of school. This contact must be made before you need to ask for a favor or require support for a problem. This builds professional goodwill, establishes you as a collaborative and observant team member, and makes it much easier to ask for help or work through challenges later.
Remember, you are the main character in your Hero’s Journey. Who you choose to be your Ron and Hermione or Mushu and Cricket or Pepper and Happy matter.
The Power of Procedures
The first weeks are for teaching procedures and routines, not just the curriculum. An effective teacher manages their classroom with procedures; an ineffective one is forced to discipline it. As Harry Wong points out in The First Days of School: if the teacher doesn’t set routines and procedures for the classroom, the students will.
- The Principle: Students thrive when they know what is expected of them. As Brené Brown likes to emphasize: Clear is Kind.
- Actionable Strategy: Script Your Top 5 Procedures. Don’t leave the most common classroom interactions to chance. Identify the most critical procedures, write out the explicit steps, and be prepared to teach, model, and practice them relentlessly.
- Example: Script for “Entering the Classroom (Strong Start)” You could have this on a slide every single day for the first month:
- Enter Silently: Greet Mr. Davis at the door, then walk silently to your seat.
- Unpack Materials: Place your binder and pencil case on your desk. Put your backpack under your chair.
- Begin ‘Do Now’: Read the instructions on the board and begin the “Do Now” assignment in your notebook immediately. You have 5 minutes.
- Example: Script for “Entering the Classroom (Strong Start)” You could have this on a slide every single day for the first month:
Another resource I like to use with new teachers in my district is Teach Like a Champion.
- Actionable Strategy (from Teach Like a Champion): Master Your “Threshold” and “What to Do.”
- Threshold: This is the act of greeting your students at the door every single day. It’s a simple but powerful tool to set a positive tone and build a personal connection. A warm, “Good morning, Maria! Glad you’re here,” makes a world of difference.
- What to Do: Provide directions that are specific, concrete, and sequential. This eliminates confusion and off-task behavior.
- Vague: “Okay everyone, get your stuff out for the next activity.”
- Specific and Actionable: “Listen carefully. In 30 seconds, you will: 1. Silently close your textbook. 2. Place it under your desk. 3. Take out a single sheet of paper and a pen. I will say ‘Go’ when you may begin.”
Interestingly, my niece started the 4th grade this year. Her main complaint when she came home from the first day of school was “too many procedures” and she lamented they had to keep practicing them. I chuckled when my sister told me this because all I could think was that my niece’s teacher knew exactly what she was doing and how to help those students be successful this year.
The Power of Clear Choices
Even in the most well-managed classroom, you will guide students through their behavior. The key is to be proactive, not reactive. As Harry Wong emphasizes, your procedures and routines are your first and best line of defense; they should eliminate most opportunities for misbehavior. When issues do arise, it’s crucial to remember that behavior is a choice. Our role as educators is not simply to punish poor choices but to teach and guide students toward making better, more responsible ones.
One of the best ways to be proactive is to look at the Learning Environment Practices your district has in place. In my district, this is lead and supported by our MTSS department. All new teachers spend time looking at ways to create a classroom where behavior can be addressed without always needing to escalate to a visit to campus admin or end up in a yelling match with the student.
- The Principle: A proactive classroom manager teaches students how to behave responsibly. The environment is structured so that the right choice is the easiest and most rewarding choice.
- Actionable Strategy 1: Establish and Teach Your Rules and Consequences. Your classroom should have a simple, clear, and consistent system for behavior. This system isn’t a list of threats; it’s a predictable framework that makes everyone feel safe. This should be taught with the same rigor as a math lesson.
- Example: A Simple and Clear System
- Establish 3-5 Positively Stated Rules:
- Respect yourself, your classmates, and your teacher.
- Come to class prepared and ready to learn.
- Follow directions the first time.
- Define Positive Consequences for Good Choices:
- Verbal praise (“Excellent job getting right to work, David.”)
- A positive note or email home.
- Class points toward a shared goal.
- Define Corrective Consequences for Poor Choices:
- 1st time: A private, non-verbal reminder.
- 2nd time: A private conversation and re-teaching of the expected behavior. THIS IS KEY: A reteaching of the behavior. Sometimes a student needs to be reminded in a safe way.
- 3rd time: Parent contact and a reflection form. The reflection form is meant to help the student understand why they made the choice and how to make better ones going forward.
- Establish 3-5 Positively Stated Rules:
- Example: A Simple and Clear System
- Actionable Strategy 2: “Narrate the Positive” to Reinforce Good Choices. The most powerful tool for shaping behavior is positive reinforcement. Instead of constantly scanning for misbehavior, actively scan for students who are making the right choice and publicly acknowledge them. This shows everyone else what success looks like.
- Example: Putting it into Practice
- Instead of: “James, stop talking to your neighbor.”
- Try: “I see Maria is silently reading the instructions on the board. Thank you, Maria. I can see Michael has his notebook open and is ready. Fantastic.” (James will almost always fall in line without you ever having to say his name).
- When re-teaching: “Remember, a responsible choice during group work is to use a quiet voice so you don’t disturb other teams. Let’s try that again.”
- Example: Putting it into Practice
It is important to remember that behavior is ALWAYS about a choice and not a commentary on the character of the student. Students will have off days. They will make poor choices, but that does not make them bad humans. Yes, the difference matters.
Your Quest Awaits
The first month is a whirlwind, but it is not an impossible storm. By focusing on these foundational goals, you are not just surviving; you are building the classroom, the relationships, and the behavioral habits that will allow you and your students to thrive for the rest of the year.
Every hero feels doubt when they first cross the threshold. Actually, Refusal of the Call can be an invaluable step during the Hero’s Journey (think about Luke Skywalker telling Obi Wan he cannot leave because his uncle needs him…only to find his aunt and uncle’s skeletons awaiting a home – Yikes.) Be patient with yourself, celebrate the small victories, and know that you are laying the groundwork for an incredible adventure.
An Educational Cup of Tea 
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