​In Summer 2020, I found a resource that changed my perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’ve been sharing it as widely as I can ever since: the psychological phases of disaster1. It turns out that humans have very predictable reactions to not only living through a massively disruptive and damaging event, but also recovering from it. 

​I once worked with an Academic Leader who encouraged teachers to think about relationships with students as similar to a bank account. Positive interactions, they said, put “money in the bank.” Difficult conversations are withdrawals. If you haven’t been diligently depositing in your relationship “accounts,” challenging interactions will quickly deplete goodwill. Here are three strategies for front-loading the year with positive interactions.

​In order to build strong relationships, it’s important to get out of your office. At the same time (let’s be honest) you have more than enough work to keep you at your desk for days. There are concrete ways to make sure your time outside of your office is well spent. Follow our three tips to make the most of your time this week.

In order to do your best work, you need to take care of your basic needs–rest, food, and relationships. With after-school activities, meetings, and events, your calendar is full to bursting. Make time to set the foundations of self-care that will power your job.

​Classroom teachers instinctively understand the impact of a first impression. They greet students as they walk through the door and carefully plan the first days’ work to ensure a strong foundation for the learning to come. They know, too, that the space they teach in also communicates their values, from the way they arrange their classroom furniture to the posters they hang on the walls.