New Teacher Advice From a 3-Time Teacher of the Year

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New teacher advice from a three-time Teacher of the Year. Retired fifth-grade teacher Eric Hall spent 27 years in the classroom, and he says it starts with relationships before rigor. Build trust first, and the curriculum comes easier.

On this Wonderful Classroom Wednesday, Eric, author of Controlled Chaos: Lessons They Didn't Teach You in Teacher School, shares how he got to know students and families before the first day of school, why his first call home is always a positive one, and how he let students help write the classroom agreements. He also tells how a weekend plane ride brought a chapter of Hatchet to life, and how a French chef with a falling-off mustache finally taught his class adjectives.

In this episode, you'll learn:

  • Why relationships come before rigor, and how trust makes the curriculum easier to teach
  • How to connect with students and parents before the first day of school
  • The "first call home is positive" habit, and how to find one good thing about every student in week one
  • Why fair doesn't always mean the same, with breaks, pedal bikes, and wobble stools as tools
  • How to reach a struggling student through their interests, and why taking teaching risks pays off

Eric Hall is a retired fifth-grade teacher from Cheboygan, Michigan, a three-time Teacher of the Year, and the author of Controlled Chaos.

Full show notes, resources, and the complete transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e998


Check out this episode!

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