Teachers and students come to school bringing a wide range of backgrounds, languages, abilities, and temperaments. Get things off to the best start by asking them to respect their differences and make the most of their similarities. By sharing information on their lives and dreams, students and teachers can build community in the classroom that will support literacy instruction throughout the school year.

Students write an owner's manual that helps them get to know their classroom, provides them with a sense of ownership, and lets others know about their classroom.

UEN Teacher Tips is a weekly series from the UEN Professional Development team. Every Tuesday, we'll share a new tip, how-to video and classroom resource. When life is busy and time is short, we hope these tips lead to bright ideas, just in time! This week's tip is "Helpful Tools For When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed" by Matt Winters.

UEN Teacher Tips is a weekly series from the UEN Professional Development team. Every Tuesday, we'll share a new tip, how-to video and classroom resource. When life is busy and time is short, we hope these tips lead to bright ideas, just in time! This week's tip is "Tips For Building a Supportive Classroom Culture" by Nicole Johnson.