Starting School Right

[00:01] SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Principal Center Radio, bringing you the best in professional practice.

[00:06] Announcer:

Here's your host, director of the Principal Center and champion of high-performance instructional leadership, Justin Bader. Welcome, everyone, to Principal Center Radio.

[00:15] SPEAKER_02:

I'm your host, Justin Bader, and I'm honored to be joined today from Germany by Otis Kriegel. Mr. Kriegel is a 15-year veteran elementary and middle school teacher who's worked in dual language, monolingual co-teaching settings throughout the U.S. and Europe, and he's the author of Starting School Right, How Do I Plan for a Successful First Week in My Classroom, published by ASCD.

[00:39] Announcer:

And now, our feature presentation.

[00:41] SPEAKER_02:

Otis, welcome to Principal Center Radio.

[00:43] SPEAKER_01:

Thanks, Justin. Happy to be here.

[00:45] SPEAKER_02:

So tell me, what did you see as the need in our profession for this book? Thinking about the work that I do with principals, I mean, obviously, we're often in a situation where we're hiring new teachers, and we want to make sure that they're successful right off the bat, and we often don't know exactly what they'll need. What did you see as some of the key needs within our profession in writing this book?

[01:06] SPEAKER_01:

First of all, there's a lot of pressure that goes around the first week of school and the first weeks of school that there's – you have to set everything up correctly or your entire year is going to go south and it's not going to go well. And I wanted to break down what it is that you can do to create a first week of school that feels successful, that sets up routines, strategies and skills that you can employ. that you can really start off on the right foot and a positive foot. And I think that that's something that administrators can really do is really help, especially those new to the career, What are some of these things they need to do? What are some of the ideas or concepts that they can implement in their classroom that first week of school? And it's not only working with students, but it's also starting to reach out to families and create that bridge as well.

[01:57]

And I've also worked with a lot of new teachers over the years. And although I do think the first week of school is important, if you have a rough first week of school, it's not going to determine whether you have a successful year. But it definitely helps.

[02:10] SPEAKER_02:

And I think one of the challenges that I personally remember facing as a new teacher is that there's just so much. It's just so overwhelming. I've got this huge textbook with a huge teacher's guide. I've got this huge binder from my district of stuff that I'm supposed to read and adhere to. I've got three copies of Harry Wong's book, The First Days of School. I've got all these things that I'm supposed to be doing.

[02:30]

but your book, Starting School Right, is very concise, and I imagine that's intentional.

[02:35] SPEAKER_01:

It is. I wrote this book as something that could be read cover to cover, but also something that could be used as a resource on the teacher's desk, that they can pick it up, whether they're a rookie or a veteran, and get some ideas. Whether they use directly the ideas that I've written about in the book, great, or More importantly, it just inspires them to think about something. And so easy to access, short, and something that can get them to really think about what they want to implement next in the classroom. And as you said, the amount of things you have to think about that first week of school or even those first few days that you prepare – It's just it's overwhelming. And one thing is all the meetings you have to attend.

[03:15]

And especially I remember working with new teachers and they'd look at me and be like, well, when do I have time to set up my classroom? I have like a grade level meeting. I have a science meeting, a math meeting. I got to meet with the principal. And they're like, when do I have time to do this? And so this book breaks it down.

[03:29]

And so we really look at what should you really think about that first week and what do you not need to think about that week? And that's something that I think administrators can really do. And I've been lucky to work under some great principals who I remember my second year of teaching, one of my principals said to me, she said, I don't want you thinking about curriculum the first week, the first two weeks, the first three weeks. I want you to create a community. Because without that community and without the routines and the strategies and the rituals, you won't be able to teach anything. And so I kind of think about it like, you know, we think about it in an airport.

[04:09]

without air traffic control. We need air traffic control to make sure those airplanes can take off, can touch down, people can get on planes and so on. And that's how I think about routines, strategies, classroom guidelines or rules, all those things. So then things can move smoothly when you're really getting into the heart of the curriculum.

[04:28] SPEAKER_02:

I remember that distinctly in my second semester. I got new students every semester when I was a middle school science teacher, and there was such a dramatic difference between that second semester when I did that, when I said, okay, this is not me jumping right into the curriculum and then looking back three weeks later and realizing that I've left everybody behind. This is about procedures and routines and getting to know my students. And I appreciate your articulation of the issue that not only do we need to focus on a specific set of things that matter, that we need to pay attention to in that first week, but we also need to be clear about what does not need to occupy our attention during that time frame.

[05:03] SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, because I remember, I mean, we all remember as a first year teacher that And even after the first couple of years, you still start opening up that curtain going, oh, my God, what do I need to do now? And it's, OK, let's put that aside and let's really think about working as a team here. And when I talk about the team, I talk about that community. And I think a lot of times is we assume. That especially new teachers will know how to do this. And I think they don't.

[05:31]

A lot of them are coming out of graduate programs or teacher certification programs where there's a lot of emphasis on theory and curriculum and not on procedures and strategies and the real nuts and bolts of what we have to do in the classroom to make it work. And so even having – the book really – it's filled with different checklists and so on. So teachers can go through the book and go, OK, what do I need to think about now? What do I need to think about now? Just to get yourself set up for that first week and to put other things on the back burner so you can really focus on developing that community. And also as I talk about – Feeling comfortable yourself in the classroom.

[06:10]

And, you know, I've taught a lot of different grades. And so when I would teach a different grade, there would be a sense of discomfort like I was starting over again. And I'd have to go back to them and be like, okay, how am I going to approach this as a teacher? And what's my attitude? And how am I going to do this? And it's a sense of comfort that teachers really need to find in themselves that first week of school as well.

[06:31] SPEAKER_02:

So what's on your shortlist? What are some of the things that, you know, as administrators, we should be talking to our, especially our new teachers about and saying, okay, I don't want you to think about a lot of other things that will come later. You know, don't worry about all these committee meetings and getting on the school improvement plan. committee and all of those things that we tend to, you know, and honestly, I think that's a huge challenge because new teachers want to impress. They want to show that they're willing to pitch in. They want to get fully involved.

[06:58]

But as you said, those committee meetings, those teams, you know, everybody's on two or three teams and everybody's on two or three committees. And I would love to see principals say, all right, first year, no committees. You know, you show up, do a great job, get to know everybody, have fun, but no committees.

[07:14] SPEAKER_01:

That's a genius idea. I mean, I was working with a new teacher last year who had signed up for what's called the Sunshine Committee, where you do events and parties for people who get married or have kids or so on. And then she was on a parent, Leah Zink. And I finally looked at her. I said, are you teaching or are you just doing those committees? And she broke down in tears.

[07:34]

She's like, I feel overwhelmed. I was like, yeah, take the committees, put them to the side. So I think that's a great idea. Short list on what to do with new teachers. I think...

[07:44]

There's a few things. Even before the kids come and arrive at the sound of the first bell, you need to think about a classroom setup. And I really get down to just how you're organizing the classroom so there's a smooth traffic plan. And I think a lot of new teachers don't think about that. They'll try to make this kind of complicated, really highly developed classroom that has all these different centers and areas where kids can go where you really need to start the year simply. In a room where kids aren't going to bump into each other.

[08:19]

And whether you're teaching first grade through eighth or high school is a little bit different. So kids can move around easily and you can move around and address all the kids. I always have my tables or desks in collaborative groups, but I need to make sure that I can get around the room. And that kids can get to a pencil sharpener, they can get to different manipulatives if they need to, and they're not squished together and there's not going to be a problem when I say it's time to go to lunch and all the kids squeeze together and funnel out of the room. Because that creates chaos, discomfort, and it's uncontrollable. So that's one thing I always look at when I walk in and say, okay, what's the traffic plan?

[08:56]

How are you going to move around the room? How are your kids going to move around the room?

[09:00] SPEAKER_02:

I got to jump in here because that is honestly something I would not have thought of. Just thinking about how long it's been since I was in that moment, I would not have thought, okay, traffic plan is going to be one of the top priorities. But that makes so much sense because if that's not squared away, if that's not taken care of, everything takes longer. You've got kids who are getting mad at each other. You've got your class showing up late for wherever else you need to be in the building. You're going to frustrate yourself with having to climb over people and difficult to get to the pencil sharpener and things like that.

[09:28]

So I love the non-obvious but incredibly powerful nature of that. What's next on your list?

[09:35] SPEAKER_01:

Next is getting their attention and how they can get your attention. Really simple again is whatever you use. I use a call and response because I've taught elementary school for most of my career and middle school some. But it's something like bop-ba-da-bop-bop and the kids bop-bop. Whatever it is. Clapping.

[09:53]

So you can't move on in the first five or ten minutes if you get the kids in the class unless you have a way to get their attention. Because if you can't get their attention, then you're saying, um, hello, excuse me, and that just doesn't work. It needs to be powerful, succinct, and you're not turning the lights off and on to get their attention. That doesn't work. And then also, how do they get your attention? And obviously, I mean, it's pretty common knowledge and an accepted method that everybody raises their hand, but I don't assume anyone remembers anything after summer vacation.

[10:27]

So I go over those like, so how do you want to get my attention? Do you want to raise your hand? Do you want to raise your foot? Should we all yell? Let's try yelling. And you see that that doesn't work.

[10:36]

And so you go through these things. And again, some kids will look at you and they'll roll their eyes and say, well, you know, I know how to do all this, Mr. K. And I say, you know what? But maybe not everyone does. And I think it's great.

[10:48]

We just remind ourselves. And so we practice these things. And it just makes things go smoothly because then I can get their attention and say, okay, now we're going to that next class. The traffic plan is totally smooth. I can get everybody lined up out the door, in the door. You know, it just makes it easier.

[11:06]

And it puts everybody on the same page immediately. And I think it also makes the kids feel safe that they have a way that I can keep the class calm and they have a way that they can get my attention without calling out.

[11:16] SPEAKER_02:

Well, I do appreciate the way the book is laid out to go through those issues and several others that matter so much in the first week of school. So advice for administrators, you know, people who are trying to support and supervise teachers in the first couple of weeks of school. We've already talked about kind of keeping committees and keeping the, you know, maybe the nuances of curriculum on the back burner for a while. What are some other recommendations that you have for administrators and anyone supporting teachers who are new to their classroom to be successful in those first few weeks of school?

[11:46] SPEAKER_01:

I mean, two things I really like to talk about are classroom guidelines and really talking new teachers through how to create somewhat of a democratic classroom where kids are involved in the development of how the classroom runs. I mean, classroom guidelines more or less known for years as classroom rules. And something that I think new teachers need support with is how to do that, is that – You can get kids to come in and really participate in the development of the structure of the classroom. And it's creating a list of more or less rules or things that you can go through. No disrespecting people, no teasing people, however they are. So you're not using pre-printed lists of rules on the wall, which I don't think really gets kids to buy in that first week.

[12:30]

You're really creating a community by including rules. their ideas and experience in school. Another thing I think administrators can really help new teachers with is how to work with families. And I think for new teachers, that is extremely intimidating. And there's all the nightmare stories of families and parents criticizing you and you know, overwhelming you with different questions and so on and coming to your classroom door. And I've really had the opposite experience as a teacher for the past 15 years is part of what I love about the job is working with families.

[13:06]

And I tell new teachers, if you just want to work with kids, this isn't the right job. If you want to work with kids and their families, this is the right job. And I think administrators can lend support to by breaking down different ways you can really start to create that partnership. One thing is simplifying the first week note home. I think the packet we sent home on that first day of school, I mean, it's like, I don't know anybody can get through it. And I'm not surprised that, you know, I remember talking with some teachers I was coaching and they said, well, I didn't really get back any of the paperwork.

[13:40]

I only got one thing from this kid and that kid. And I have all these checklists trying to get them back. I was like, well, what'd you send home? And they showed me a packet of 20 pages. I was like, well, yeah, no one's reading that. They're a parents.

[13:50]

They're busy. Create something smooth. First week, send home something that talks about who you are, how long you've taught for, and then ask the family a question. Can you tell me something about your child? Because nobody knows your students better than the families. And have them just show them that you really value their opinion and idea.

[14:12]

Then the next week, send something else home. And also, I think administrators can really lend the support about creating some sort of paradigm about how you communicate feedback. with families some principals don't want teachers emailing they just want them to talk on the phone some just want them emailing not talking whatever it is clear expectations for all teachers but especially new teachers on how they are to communicate with families because if they have that structure then these new teachers can follow that and they're going to feel a lot more comfortable

[14:47] SPEAKER_02:

Well, Otis, it has been fantastic to talk with you about the book and how we support new teachers. If people want to get in touch with you and learn more about your workshops or support you provide, where can they find you online?

[14:59] SPEAKER_01:

They can find me at otiscriegel.com. That's O-T-I-S and then my last name, K-R-I-E-G-E-L.com. And they can email me. Tell me at Otis at OtisKriegel.com about workshops.

[15:15]

I also do Skype sessions with new teachers if I'm not available to get to the school. And also just I consult with administrators on how really to set up framework and paradigms in the classroom to really help support new teachers and veterans alike. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter. My handle is MyNameIsOtis.

[15:36] SPEAKER_02:

Well, Otis, thanks again for joining me on Principal Center Radio.

[15:38] SPEAKER_01:

It's my pleasure, Justin.

[15:39] SPEAKER_00:

Great to speak with you today. And now, Justin Bader on high-performance instructional leadership.

[15:46] SPEAKER_02:

So high-performance instructional leaders, what did you take away from my conversation with Otis Kriegel about supporting new teachers? One thing that I've heard over and over again this year from a variety of sources is this trend that we are overwhelming people in their first couple of weeks on the job, that we're putting people into too many support programs and too many mentoring programs and giving them too many books to read. And I appreciate the simplicity of Otis's message as we talked about today. If we can give our new teachers just a narrow set of things to focus on and to be successful with, instead of trying to be comprehensive. There are a lot of things that matter in teaching. There are a lot of things that teachers need to know to be successful, but not everything can be done well at once so we've got to prioritize we've got to help people kind of triage those issues and figure out what needs to be taken care of now and if you look in otis's book you'll see there are some very short checklists i love checklists that have three items on them to complete rather than 20 or 30 because that that feeling of overwhelm we know is so paralyzing to new teachers and we know that that feeling of overwhelm is a challenge in our work as leaders as well

[16:55]

So if I can leave you with one thought for today, it is try to streamline things. Make it simpler. Take things off teachers' plates. Say, hey, this is not the year where you need to sign up for every committee. We do not think you are a slacker in our school if you're not on every committee. No committees.

[17:10]

Go ahead and meet with your grade level team, meet with your department, and do what you're here to do, and then we'll add on the committees later. But give people permission to prioritize their work in the classroom, especially in their first few weeks.

[17:22] Announcer:

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