As students arrive first thing in the morning, I’m stationed in my customary position at the door, ready to greet each one. I offer Chase our usual gentle double fist bump and a “Good morning, Chase. It’s so great to see you. How are you this morning?” She replies, “Uh . . . I’m okay,” clearly less bubbly than usual. I make mental notes on how I’ll follow up with her and possibly make small adjustments in our day to support her. Then Brendan bounces through the door with his cheerful “Good morning, Mr.
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AUG
20
2014
8:00 a.m.: I’m at the Classroom Door
Where are you when students arrive in the morning? At your teacher desk looking at paperwork from the office? At the projector setting up a video you'll be showing later that morning?
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APR
05
2011
Morning Routines
What happens in your classroom during arrival time? Those first minutes are so crucial for setting the tone and the pace for the day! The routines you put in place for arrival…
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MAR
24
2011
Good Morning, Friendly Workers!
Question: In many classrooms, the morning message chart is an important part of the beginning of each day and the first place that students go as they enter the classroom. On the…
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MAR
04
2011
Ideas for Morning Meeting Messages
Question:I often struggle to write the Morning Meeting message because my imagination runs dry. What suggestions can you offer that might help me come up with fresh and interesting messages?Answer:This is a…
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NOV
01
2010
Making an Entrance
Think of a place where you feel welcome as soon as you arrive. For some people, that place might be home; for others, someplace where they eat, play, work, or shop; for…
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SEP
13
2010
Books for Back-to-School: Say Hello!
Here’s another children’s book that might come in handy early in the school year. Say Hello!, a picture book by Rachel Isadora, is a good one for when you are introducing Morning…
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JAN
11
2010
Notes from the Road
During a recent school visit, I marveled at the myriad tasks and responsibilities that comprise the first few minutes of the school day. Watching one teacher calmly direct all this activity reinforced…
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SEP
08
2009
Here’s an Idea! Human Treasure Hunt
This video is excerpted from The First Day of School in a Responsive Classroom, which was filmed on the actual first day of school in Caltha Crowe’s third grade classroom in 2007.…
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FEB
01
2009
A Welcoming Routine for Arrival Time
Each morning at the University School of Nashville's lower school begins with a simple routine that welcomes students out of their cars and into the building. As children spill out of the…
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AUG
01
2008
A New Way to Start
When Steve Bahn became principal at Ideal Elementary School, a K–6 school with 245 students, he didn't like how the school day began. "It felt chaotic and fragmented," he recalls. Students entered…
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NOV
01
2006
“Good Morning, Learners!”
One March morning, children entering a fourth grade classroom take turns gathering at a chart on which their teacher has written a message just for them:March 7, 2005Dear Invertebrate Investigators, Yesterday we…
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NOV
01
2005
Hallway Greeters Make the Morning Transition Safe and Pleasant
School Spotlight: Dame School, Concord, New Hampshire
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APR
01
2005
News and Announcement Charts
Question: What’s one activity you’ve found effective for the interactive part of the Morning Meeting News and Announcements chart?
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