Start Strong, Stay Strong - 5 First-Week Moves that Matter

The first week of school can feel like a sprint, but it’s also your best chance to change the trajectory of the entire year. As we open season four of Straight Chalk, I’m sharing five foundational moves that help you build a classroom where students feel connected, supported, and ready to learn, without relying on gimmicks or one-off activities.

We start with belonging because students are silently asking, “Do I belong here?” A simple threshold greeting at the door, names said out loud, and a quick connection question can answer that in seconds. From there, we dig into relationships before rigor, including practical tools like a relationship map and the Two-by-Ten strategy, plus easy ways to build student-to-student community so your room feels safer for participation and risk-taking.

Next comes clarity. We talk classroom routines and procedures as a real instructional priority, not housekeeping, and why predictable expectations reduce cognitive load and improve student engagement. I also break down how CHAMPS can shift behavior management from reactive correction to proactive prevention. Then we move into learning your students before teaching the curriculum, using interest inventories, data, and low-stakes tasks to understand the learner behind the roster.

We wrap with hope, growth mindset, and the power of “yet,” along with feedback that names the next step and simple weekly reflections that make progress visible. If you’re planning for back-to-school, classroom management, and stronger teacher-student relationships, hit play and take what you need. Subscribe, share with a fellow educator, and leave a quick review so more teachers can find this support.

Transcript

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Season Four And The Big Goal

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Hello and welcome to Straight Chalk, a podcast for busy educators. My name's Belinda Benner O'Donez, and I am an instructional specialist in St. Lucie Public Schools. Before we jump into today's episode, I have to pause for a moment because I can hardly believe what I'm about to say. Welcome to season four of Straight Chalk. Four years, honestly, it feels incredible to say out loud. When I first started this podcast, my goal was simple to create a space where educators could find practical ideas, encouragement, and meaningful conversations they could take directly back to their classrooms. Since then, we've explored countless topics, celebrated success, tackled challenges, and learnt together as a community of educators committed to making a difference. So as we begin this brand new season, it feels fitting that we start where every school year starts with possibility. Whether you're listening or setting up your classroom, driving to school, or enjoying a few quiet moments before the students arrive, we all know this time of year brings a unique mix of excitement, optimism, and maybe a few butterflies. After nearly 30 years in education as a classroom teacher, district instructional specialist, and lifelong learner myself, I can honestly say some of the most important work we do happens long before we teach our first lesson. It happens in the moments that set the tone, the welcome at the classroom door, the relationships we begin to build, the routines we establish, and the expectations we communicate, and of course the hope that we inspire. The good news is that research continues to confirm what many experienced educators have known for years. When students feel connected, supported, and valued, learning is far more likely to happen. So as we kick off season four of Straight Talk, I want to share five moves that I believe have the power to shape the rest of the school year. These aren't quick tips or one-time activities, they are foundational moves that create the conditions where students can learn, grow,

Move 1 Build Belonging Fast

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and thrive. And it all starts with the very first impression we make. Students may certainly forget their first lesson, but they rarely forget how you make them feel. One of the most important moments of the school year happens before the first lesson is ever taught. It's that first greeting at the door, the first smile, first conversation with a student who may be excited, nervous, or wondering where they fit in. After nearly three decades in education, I've learnt that students need to feel like they belong before they're ready to fully engage in the learning. What's encouraging is that current research continues to reinforce this idea. Researchers studying school belonging have found that students who actually feel welcome, connected, and supported by adults at school are more likely to attend regularly, participate in learning, and experience academic success. Educational researcher Kelly Ann Allen describes belonging as a critical driver of student engagement and achievement, while findings from the Institute of Education Sciences highlight the powerful role caring adults play in helping students feel connected to school. As teachers, we spend hours planning lessons and organizing resources. Meanwhile, students are often asking themselves a much simpler question, like, do I belong here? The way we welcome students during those first few days often answers that question before we even begin instruction. So, one high impact move teachers can use right away is a threshold greeting. Stand at the door, greet students each by name, and offer a simple choice such as a smile, wave, fist bump, or a quick hello. Another simple strategy that I've always used is a one-minute connection question during the first week, such as what's one thing I should know about you as a learner? Both strategies help students feel noticed before instruction begins.

Move 2 Relationships Before Rigor

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And that brings me to a second move. Once students feel like they belong, they begin asking another important question. Can I trust the adults in the room? A warm welcome opens the door, but relationships are what keeps that door open throughout the year. So my move number two is relationships before rigor. In the course of my career, I've heard this many times and also experienced this to be true. Students work harder for teachers they trust. I know how tempting it can be to jump immediately into content. There are always pacing guides, benchmarks, and curriculum maps waiting for us all. But throughout my career, one lesson has remained consistent. Relationships and learning are not separate things, but rather they are deeply connected. Some of the largest educational reviews conducted in recent years have found that positive teacher-student relationships are associated with higher achievement, stronger engagement, greater motivation, improved self-regulation, and increased student well-being. In fact, Heinz, Gershwin, Robinson, and Mitchell highlight meaningful student-teacher relationships as a crucial foundation for improving outcomes, particularly for students who may struggle behaviorally or academically. John Hattie often reminds us that the relationships teachers build with students influence how effectively learning occurs. Students are more likely to take risks, persevere through challenges, and invest effort when they know their teacher genuinely believes in their success. In my role as an instructional specialist, I often tell beginning teachers that relationship building is not something you do after teaching. In fact, relationship building is teaching. One practical strategy that helped me as a beginning teacher was creating a relationship map. I would list my students and place a check next to the names of those I had a positive personal interaction with. Then I would intentionally connect with anyone missing a check. Another highly effective strategy is the two by ten approach. Spending two minutes a day for 10 consecutive days talking with a student about non-academic topics such as interests, hobbies, or goals. As a classroom teacher, I also put an emphasis on building student-to-student relationships. One activity my students love was creating a Who Am I poster. Instead of introducing themselves at the beginning of the year, they partnered with another student and introduced each other to the class. Doing this reduced anxiety, it created immediate connections and helped build a stronger classroom community from the very beginning. Now, once those relationships begin to develop, students need something else to help them feel successful. They need clarity. They need to know how the classroom

Move 3 Teach Routines On Purpose

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works, what's expected of them, and what success looks like. That's why the third move focuses on routines and procedures. Move number three, teach procedures like they matter because they do. Don't assume routines are understood. We have to teach them, practice them, and revisit them often. One of the greatest gifts we can provide students at the beginning of the school year is clarity. Students thrive when they know what to expect. Researchers studying classroom routines and learning environments have found that predictable procedures help reduce unnecessary cognitive load and allow students to devote more attention to learning. Put simply, when students do not have to spend energy figuring out what comes next, they have more energy available for the task itself. Think about your own workplace. When expectations are clear, you feel more confident and productive. Well, the same principle applies to our students. One high impact strategy is to teach every major routine using the model, practice, feedback, and retry. Show students what it looks like, let them practice, provide immediate feedback, and repeat until it becomes automatic. Another approach to helping students with routines and procedures is to use the CHAMPS framework to clearly define expectations for different learning situations. Here in St. Lucy Public Schools, I've had the opportunity to learn from our behavior specialists, Caroline Redding and Susie Power, and even feature Caroline on previous straight chalk episodes. Those conversations continually remind me that the most effective behavior systems are preventative and not reactive. I found that when students understand the components of champs, conversation, help, activity, movement, participation, and success, they spend less time guessing what is expected and more time engaging in that learning. What I appreciate most about Champs is that it shifts behavior management from correction to prevention. Instead of constantly responding to misbehavior, we're proactively teaching students what success looks and sounds like. That clarity creates a learning environment where students feel confident, teachers spend less time redirecting behavior and more time focusing on meaningful instruction. Ultimately, effective classroom management is not about control. It's about creating conditions where every student can learn successfully. But even the best classroom systems are only a part of the equation. Once we've established routines and expectations, the next move is making sure we truly understand the learners in front of us because we can't effectively teach students

Move 4 Know Students First

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we don't know yet. So move number four is learn your students before teaching the curriculum. The more you know about your students, the better equipped you are to meet their needs. And this is really important at the beginning of the school year where we're getting to know them. As educators, we have standards to teach and learning goals to achieve. But before we can effectively teach that content, we need to understand who our learners are. Research continues to show that students are more likely to engage in learning when they feel known and valued and understood by their teachers. Studies examining belonging and engagement consistently find that personalized support from educators is among the strongest contributors to student success. This is why I encourage teachers to spend the first days of school learning as much as possible about their students. Ask questions, review available data, learn their interests, listen to their goals, learn what excites them and what worries them. Data can tell us a part of the story. Students themselves can tell us the rest. One of my favorite ways to gather this information was through a student interest inventory. Students would share how they learned best, what classroom activities they enjoyed most, what challenged them, and the goals they had for the year in my class. Those responses gave me insight into both the learner and the person behind the learner. I would also use a low-stakes writing task during the first week. As an English teacher, it provided valuable information about a student's strengths, needs, communication skills, and confidence as a writer. Together, those two activities gave me a strong starting point for instructional planning and helped me respond to students as learners, not just names on a roster. And so the more we learn about our students, the better equipped we are to support them. And perhaps one of the most important things we can nurture from the very beginning is their belief in themselves and what they're truly capable of becoming.

Move 5 Teach Hope And Yet

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So that leads me to talk about the fifth and final move, move number five, focus on hope, growth, and possibility. Growth happens when students believe improvement is possible and know they will not have to do it alone. If there's one message every student deserves to hear early in the school year, it's this. You do not have to know everything today. You just need to be willing to grow. It's the power of one simple word. Yet. I can't do this yet. I don't understand this yet. I'm not successful yet. Throughout my career, I've watched students accomplish remarkable things when they believed improvement was possible. Research on growth mindset continues to support this observation. Carol Dweck's work, along with more recent studies, suggests that students who believe abilities can grow through effort, effective strategies, feedback, and support are often more resilient when facing academic challenges. Current research also suggests these beliefs can particularly be beneficial for students experiencing academic risk or transitions. It's important to remember that growth mindset is not about telling students to simply work harder, it's about helping them understand that mistakes are a part of learning. Challenges are opportunities, setbacks are temporary, and progress matters. One high impact classroom strategy is to use feedback that identifies the next step. So, for example, it you could say something like, You're on the right track. Your next move is to add evidence rather than offering only praise or correction. Teachers can also build in weekly goal and growth reflections where students identify one thing they've improved, one challenge they face, and one next step forward. This keeps growth visible and helps students see progress as something they can track and then really that something that they can own. In my classroom, students knew it was a place where mistakes were welcomed as a part of learning. I wanted them to feel safe taking risks and confident that through persistence feedback and support, they would get there. Maybe it wasn't today, maybe not even tomorrow, but eventually with effort and guidance, they would get there.

How The Five Moves Connect

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When you take a step back and look at these five moves together, you begin to see how connected they really are. One naturally builds on the next. A positive first impression creates a sense of belonging. Belonging helps build relationships. Strong relationships make it easier to establish routines and expectations. Clear routines create space for us to truly know our learners. And when students feel known, supported, and capable of growth, incredible things can happen. So as I wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with one final thought. The beginning of the school year is not really about classroom decorations, lesson plans, or even curriculum maps. It is about creating the conditions where learning can flourish, the greeting at the door, the relationship you intentionally build, the routine you patiently teach, the story you take time to learn, and the encouragement you offer at exactly the right moment. These may seem like small actions, but we know they have tremendous impact on student success. Belonging matters, relationships matter, clear expectations matter, hope matters. And after 30 years in education, I can honestly say I've seen these principles transform classrooms time and time again. As you are embarking on the year ahead, remember this: your students do not need perfection on day one. They need connection, they need consistency, they need encouragement, and most importantly, they need to know that someone believes in their

Thanks, Share, And Next Month

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potential. And before I sign off, I want to say thank you. If you've been listening since season one, thank you for joining me on this incredible journey. If this is your very first episode, welcome to the Straight Chalk Family. I still find it hard to believe we're beginning our fourth year together. Four seasons of conversations, ideas, challenges, successes, and learning alongside one another. As we begin a new school year and a new season, my hope is that this podcast continues to provide encouragement, practical strategies, and a reminder that the work we do as teachers matters every day. Thank you for joining me for the first episode of season four of Straight Chalk. Until next time, keep learning, keep leading, and keep making a difference. One student, one classroom, and one moment at a time. Once again, thank you for listening to Straight Chalk Podcast for Busy Educators. And be sure you share this podcast with a friend and tune in again next month for more from anywhere you get your podcasts.