August 31, 2025 • 11 mins
The first week of school sets the foundation for the entire year, making it essential to establish clear expectations that build trust and create safety for everyone involved. Educational success hinges on setting the right tone from day one, practicing procedures until they become second nature, and creating environments where both students and staff can thrive rather than merely survive.
• Pre-school anxiety is normal and indicates you care about your work
• Clear expectations create safety and trust for students and staff
• Consistency is critical – correct behaviors every time, not sporadically
• Teachers should model desired behaviors, practice procedures until automatic, and maintain emotional stability
• School leaders need to clearly communicate non-negotiables, remain visible throughout the building, and support before disciplining
• The goal is to thrive this year, not just survive
• Give yourself grace during transitions and when new approaches need adjustment
If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or hit the thumbs up button on YouTube. Your feedback helps us reach more educators who need this support. Visit www.edwarddeshazer.org to connect with me on all platforms.
www.EdwardDeShazer.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This first week of school is not just about
decorating bulletin boards.
It's about building the culturethat will carry us all school
year long.
So it is critical that we setthe tone now so we don't spend
the rest of our year trying toreset it.
If you're an educator, that'spassionate, but you're tired and
(00:24):
you're burnt out and you'rewondering what to do next, this
is the show for you.
We're going to learn together,we're going to recharge together
and we're going to growtogether so you can be the best
you and serve your students andyour community to the best of
your ability.
What's going on pod?
Welcome to the Teacher's EdPodcast.
(00:45):
I'm your host, edward DeShazer.
Teacher's Ed Podcast is theplace where the best and
brightest in education come tobe inspired, to connect, to
learn and to grow.
If you enjoy today's episode,please take a moment, please
subscribe, please leave us areview on Apple Podcasts.
(01:06):
If you're watching on YouTube,hit the little thumbs up button
down there.
Your feedback will help usreach more educators like
yourself.
So let's get started.
You know that this is theholiday weekend.
For us it was a four-dayweekend.
For some people it's athree-day weekend, but either
way it's a longer weekend.
(01:27):
It is a pivotal weekend ineducation because a lot of
people are just getting backwith the students after Labor
Day.
Some have already been back fora few weeks, three, four weeks.
Some have been back for a month.
That's crazy, but that's awhole other conversation.
But this weekend is supposed tobe about rest, it's supposed to
(01:48):
be about family and it'ssupposed to be a time for us to
just recharge.
But for a lot of educators, thisweekend is filled with anxiety.
It's that knot in your stomachon, you know, sunday and Monday
night that you know you're goingback and for some of us it's
(02:10):
the first time we'll haveengagement with our students
since.
You know, june, maybe even May,and Tuesday those students are
gonna be coming through yourdoor.
You know, for some teachers thequestions start swirling of you
know, am I ready?
Did I set my classroom upenough?
Will my students listen?
What about the new policies?
(02:31):
What about these changes theschool's making?
And for school leaders, youknow, some of these questions
may be will my staff followthrough?
Did I communicate everything tothe best of my ability?
Will we start the year strong,or am I going to spend the first
month of school putting outfires?
Here's the truth.
If you are an educator and youfeel anxious right now, you are
(02:55):
not broken, you are not weak,you are human.
That anxiety to me that'sactually proof that you care.
It means that you're aware ofthe weight of the work that we
do.
But the key is to not let thatanxiety control the year you're
(03:15):
about to step into.
And here's what I know afterleading schools and working with
educators for years the toneyou set in the first week of
school will ripple through theentire year.
Expectations are not just therules, they are the foundation
of the trust that your school,that your classroom, is going to
be built on for the entire year.
(03:36):
And when teachers set clear andsolid expectations with
students, they're not justcontrolling behavior, they are
creating safety.
And we talked about that in aprevious episode with Alexia the
dancer teacher, about kids needsafety, staff need safety.
Students thrive when they knowwhat's expected of them.
They relax when the boundariesare clear because they know
(04:00):
where they're at.
And the same goes for our staff, school leaders.
If we don't set expectationswith our teachers, with our
staff, with other people on ourteam, about communication, about
collaboration, about how wetreat each other, then
frustration begins to creep inand frustration spreads fast,
very contagious.
(04:20):
The tone you set in the firstweek of school is going to echo
for the next nine to ten months.
If you start with clarity, ifyou start with consistency, if
you start with high expectations, you will build trust.
You will build momentum.
If you start with confusion, itwill take you months to recover
(04:41):
.
So, teachers, do not shy awayfrom being clear with your
students.
Students may push back at first, but deep down, they want it.
Leaders, do not assume thatyour team knows what you expect.
I want you to say it clearly, Iwant you to show it and then I
want you to reinforce it.
(05:03):
So how do we put this practiceinto practice this week?
For teachers, three quickthings that you can do.
Number one I want you to modelwhat you want to see.
If you want respect, I need youto show respect.
First, us to practice them withthe students until they can do
(05:27):
it in their sleep.
There was a coach I can'tremember who it was, maybe it
was Nick Saban, but it'sprobably a saying that they've
been saying forever.
And some people they say youpractice till you get it right.
And I think that's the problemthat we do in education.
Sometimes we just practice tillyou get it right.
But we need to practice thingsso much that they won't get it
wrong.
So make sure when we have thoseexpectations, we practice them
(05:49):
till they won't get it wrong.
Don't just do it till they doit right the first time, because
you know it takes a long timeto build these habits.
I want us to do these thingswith our students so much that
they can't get it wrong.
Number two I need us to beconsistent.
Don't correct a behavior onMonday and let it slide on
Wednesday.
Students notice this andinconsistency is where trust
(06:09):
begins to break down.
And number three I need us tostay calm.
Your tone matters just as muchas your words.
When students see that you'resteady, when they see that you
are calm, when they see that youare consistent, they then feel
steady, calm and consistent.
Consistent and for leaders, hereare the three things that I
(06:31):
want you to to focus oncommunicate your non-negotiables
clearly.
Don't just bury them in thehandbook.
Don't just say them at thatfirst hr meeting and not talk
about it again.
I need us to say them and Ineed us to repeat them.
Communicate yournon-negotiables clearly.
Number two I need you to bevisible.
(06:55):
Excuse me, teachers want to seeyou in the classrooms, they
want to see you in the hallways,they want to see you in the
lunchroom, they want to see youat the arrival, they want to see
you at departure.
They don't want to just see youin emails.
So I need us to be visible.
And number so I need us to bevisible.
And number three I need us tosupport, before we discipline,
correct staff with coaching, notjust criticism.
(07:21):
Because if we can do thosethree things, if we can
communicate our non-negotiablesclearly, if we can be visible
and if we can support before wediscipline, it will set a tempo
that will help sustain a greatculture for the remainder of the
school year.
Students don't rise to the levelof unclear expectations.
They rise to the level of clearand consistent expectations.
And this is the same with ourstaff.
(07:41):
If you want excellence withyour staff, you can't just hope
for it.
We have to set it, we have tomodel it and we have to hold our
staff to it.
So, as we get ready to headinto this new school year, what
we'll define staff to them with,and if we lead with compassion,
(08:15):
we're not just going to survivethis year.
We're going to thrive this yearand that's got to be our goal.
For too long, some of us havejust been surviving in education
, and that's not fair.
That's why people are burningout.
I want this year to be a yearwhere we don't just survive, but
we actually thrive.
So, as our staff are steppingback in the classrooms, as our
(08:37):
administrators are stepping backin the buildings, into the
hallways, as every one of ourpeople in our team and students
are coming back into thebuilding, we are stepping into
classrooms where students cravestability.
They crave leadership.
Staff crave stability.
They crave leadership.
(08:57):
Staff crave stability.
They crave leadership Leaders.
We're stepping into a schoolwhere staff are craving
direction and support.
They don't want to just figureit out, we want to support them.
Sometimes we all figure thisout together.
(09:18):
Week of school it's not justabout decorating billboards or
billboards.
It's not just to start over.
This first week of school isnot just about decorating
bulletin boards.
It's about building the culturethat will carry us all school
year long.
So it is critical that we setthe tone now so we don't spend
the rest of our year trying toreset it.
(09:40):
We have to set the tone, wehave to be clear we have to have
high expectations and we haveto hold our people accountable
to make sure they are reachingthose expectations, and we have
to support our staff.
We have to pick them up whenthings go wrong.
We have to give them grace andmercy.
We have to give ourselves graceand mercy.
We have to give ourselves graceand mercy.
There are some new policies thatyou're going to put in place.
That may not work right away,and that's okay.
(10:01):
Don't be scared to pivot whensomething does not go right,
after you have tried itconsistently.
It is so important that westart to see it right.
It's so important, as you'relistening this weekend, that you
give yourself grace with thefeelings that you're feeling.
It's okay to be anxious.
It's a new year.
Every single year, that feelingcomes back for people.
(10:22):
Some people just can'tunderstand why.
It's not that something's wrongwith you.
It is a human trait to feelanxious when there's a big
change, because this is a bigchange.
You may have been doing thisfor 30 years.
Every new year is a big changebecause you're starting all over
again.
So I hope we have a phenomenalyear this year.
As always.
(10:43):
I appreciate everyone for tuningin, for being locked in with me
Again.
If you haven't, I want to makesure you please like, please
subscribe, please share thisepisode with another person,
that you care about this ineducation and that's it about
this in education.
And that's it for today'sepisode of teacher that podcast.
I hope you got someencouragement.
I hope you got some remindersas you step into the new square.
(11:05):
If you're on YouTube again,please subscribe.
Please the little thumbs updown there below.
If you're not listening onYouTube, check us, check us out
on YouTube.
You can actually see the videos.
You can see what's going on.
I'm super excited for a lot ofthe guests that are going to be
on this year.
I'm super honored for thepeople that you've already heard
that have been on.
We've got some phenomenalguests that are coming on this
fall, so I'm super excited.
(11:27):
I truly appreciate all the workthat you all do For anyone
that's listening.
If you want more informationabout me, wwwedwarddeshazerorg,
let's get connected.
Let's lock in Edward Deshazeron Instagram and all other
platforms.
But thank you for tuning in tothe Teacher's Ed podcast.
I truly appreciate you.
I hope you're having aphenomenal weekend For those
that are returning back toschool.
I hope you have a phenomenalfirst week of school.
(11:50):
Make sure you like, make sureyou subscribe, but make sure you
keep doing the work.
See you all soon.
This first week of school is not just about
decorating bulletin boards.
It's about building the culturethat will carry us all school
year long.
So it is critical that we setthe tone now so we don't spend
the rest of our year trying toreset it.
If you're an educator, that'spassionate, but you're tired and
(00:24):
you're burnt out and you'rewondering what to do next, this
is the show for you.
We're going to learn together,we're going to recharge together
and we're going to growtogether so you can be the best
you and serve your students andyour community to the best of
your ability.
What's going on pod?
Welcome to the Teacher's EdPodcast.
(00:45):
I'm your host, edward DeShazer.
Teacher's Ed Podcast is theplace where the best and
brightest in education come tobe inspired, to connect, to
learn and to grow.
If you enjoy today's episode,please take a moment, please
subscribe, please leave us areview on Apple Podcasts.
(01:06):
If you're watching on YouTube,hit the little thumbs up button
down there.
Your feedback will help usreach more educators like
yourself.
So let's get started.
You know that this is theholiday weekend.
For us it was a four-dayweekend.
For some people it's athree-day weekend, but either
way it's a longer weekend.
(01:27):
It is a pivotal weekend ineducation because a lot of
people are just getting backwith the students after Labor
Day.
Some have already been back fora few weeks, three, four weeks.
Some have been back for a month.
That's crazy, but that's awhole other conversation.
But this weekend is supposed tobe about rest, it's supposed to
(01:48):
be about family and it'ssupposed to be a time for us to
just recharge.
But for a lot of educators, thisweekend is filled with anxiety.
It's that knot in your stomachon, you know, sunday and Monday
night that you know you're goingback and for some of us it's
(02:10):
the first time we'll haveengagement with our students
since.
You know, june, maybe even May,and Tuesday those students are
gonna be coming through yourdoor.
You know, for some teachers thequestions start swirling of you
know, am I ready?
Did I set my classroom upenough?
Will my students listen?
What about the new policies?
(02:31):
What about these changes theschool's making?
And for school leaders, youknow, some of these questions
may be will my staff followthrough?
Did I communicate everything tothe best of my ability?
Will we start the year strong,or am I going to spend the first
month of school putting outfires?
Here's the truth.
If you are an educator and youfeel anxious right now, you are
(02:55):
not broken, you are not weak,you are human.
That anxiety to me that'sactually proof that you care.
It means that you're aware ofthe weight of the work that we
do.
But the key is to not let thatanxiety control the year you're
(03:15):
about to step into.
And here's what I know afterleading schools and working with
educators for years the toneyou set in the first week of
school will ripple through theentire year.
Expectations are not just therules, they are the foundation
of the trust that your school,that your classroom, is going to
be built on for the entire year.
(03:36):
And when teachers set clear andsolid expectations with
students, they're not justcontrolling behavior, they are
creating safety.
And we talked about that in aprevious episode with Alexia the
dancer teacher, about kids needsafety, staff need safety.
Students thrive when they knowwhat's expected of them.
They relax when the boundariesare clear because they know
(04:00):
where they're at.
And the same goes for our staff, school leaders.
If we don't set expectationswith our teachers, with our
staff, with other people on ourteam, about communication, about
collaboration, about how wetreat each other, then
frustration begins to creep inand frustration spreads fast,
very contagious.
(04:20):
The tone you set in the firstweek of school is going to echo
for the next nine to ten months.
If you start with clarity, ifyou start with consistency, if
you start with high expectations, you will build trust.
You will build momentum.
If you start with confusion, itwill take you months to recover
(04:41):
.
So, teachers, do not shy awayfrom being clear with your
students.
Students may push back at first, but deep down, they want it.
Leaders, do not assume thatyour team knows what you expect.
I want you to say it clearly, Iwant you to show it and then I
want you to reinforce it.
(05:03):
So how do we put this practiceinto practice this week?
For teachers, three quickthings that you can do.
Number one I want you to modelwhat you want to see.
If you want respect, I need youto show respect.
First, us to practice them withthe students until they can do
(05:27):
it in their sleep.
There was a coach I can'tremember who it was, maybe it
was Nick Saban, but it'sprobably a saying that they've
been saying forever.
And some people they say youpractice till you get it right.
And I think that's the problemthat we do in education.
Sometimes we just practice tillyou get it right.
But we need to practice thingsso much that they won't get it
wrong.
So make sure when we have thoseexpectations, we practice them
(05:49):
till they won't get it wrong.
Don't just do it till they doit right the first time, because
you know it takes a long timeto build these habits.
I want us to do these thingswith our students so much that
they can't get it wrong.
Number two I need us to beconsistent.
Don't correct a behavior onMonday and let it slide on
Wednesday.
Students notice this andinconsistency is where trust
(06:09):
begins to break down.
And number three I need us tostay calm.
Your tone matters just as muchas your words.
When students see that you'resteady, when they see that you
are calm, when they see that youare consistent, they then feel
steady, calm and consistent.
Consistent and for leaders, hereare the three things that I
(06:31):
want you to to focus oncommunicate your non-negotiables
clearly.
Don't just bury them in thehandbook.
Don't just say them at thatfirst hr meeting and not talk
about it again.
I need us to say them and Ineed us to repeat them.
Communicate yournon-negotiables clearly.
Number two I need you to bevisible.
(06:55):
Excuse me, teachers want to seeyou in the classrooms, they
want to see you in the hallways,they want to see you in the
lunchroom, they want to see youat the arrival, they want to see
you at departure.
They don't want to just see youin emails.
So I need us to be visible.
And number so I need us to bevisible.
And number three I need us tosupport, before we discipline,
correct staff with coaching, notjust criticism.
(07:21):
Because if we can do thosethree things, if we can
communicate our non-negotiablesclearly, if we can be visible
and if we can support before wediscipline, it will set a tempo
that will help sustain a greatculture for the remainder of the
school year.
Students don't rise to the levelof unclear expectations.
They rise to the level of clearand consistent expectations.
And this is the same with ourstaff.
(07:41):
If you want excellence withyour staff, you can't just hope
for it.
We have to set it, we have tomodel it and we have to hold our
staff to it.
So, as we get ready to headinto this new school year, what
we'll define staff to them with,and if we lead with compassion,
(08:15):
we're not just going to survivethis year.
We're going to thrive this yearand that's got to be our goal.
For too long, some of us havejust been surviving in education
, and that's not fair.
That's why people are burningout.
I want this year to be a yearwhere we don't just survive, but
we actually thrive.
So, as our staff are steppingback in the classrooms, as our
(08:37):
administrators are stepping backin the buildings, into the
hallways, as every one of ourpeople in our team and students
are coming back into thebuilding, we are stepping into
classrooms where students cravestability.
They crave leadership.
Staff crave stability.
They crave leadership.
(08:57):
Staff crave stability.
They crave leadership Leaders.
We're stepping into a schoolwhere staff are craving
direction and support.
They don't want to just figureit out, we want to support them.
Sometimes we all figure thisout together.
(09:18):
Week of school it's not justabout decorating billboards or
billboards.
It's not just to start over.
This first week of school isnot just about decorating
bulletin boards.
It's about building the culturethat will carry us all school
year long.
So it is critical that we setthe tone now so we don't spend
the rest of our year trying toreset it.
(09:40):
We have to set the tone, wehave to be clear we have to have
high expectations and we haveto hold our people accountable
to make sure they are reachingthose expectations, and we have
to support our staff.
We have to pick them up whenthings go wrong.
We have to give them grace andmercy.
We have to give ourselves graceand mercy.
We have to give ourselves graceand mercy.
There are some new policies thatyou're going to put in place.
That may not work right away,and that's okay.
(10:01):
Don't be scared to pivot whensomething does not go right,
after you have tried itconsistently.
It is so important that westart to see it right.
It's so important, as you'relistening this weekend, that you
give yourself grace with thefeelings that you're feeling.
It's okay to be anxious.
It's a new year.
Every single year, that feelingcomes back for people.
(10:22):
Some people just can'tunderstand why.
It's not that something's wrongwith you.
It is a human trait to feelanxious when there's a big
change, because this is a bigchange.
You may have been doing thisfor 30 years.
Every new year is a big changebecause you're starting all over
again.
So I hope we have a phenomenalyear this year.
As always.
(10:43):
I appreciate everyone for tuningin, for being locked in with me
Again.
If you haven't, I want to makesure you please like, please
subscribe, please share thisepisode with another person,
that you care about this ineducation and that's it about
this in education.
And that's it for today'sepisode of teacher that podcast.
I hope you got someencouragement.
I hope you got some remindersas you step into the new square.
(11:05):
If you're on YouTube again,please subscribe.
Please the little thumbs updown there below.
If you're not listening onYouTube, check us, check us out
on YouTube.
You can actually see the videos.
You can see what's going on.
I'm super excited for a lot ofthe guests that are going to be
on this year.
I'm super honored for thepeople that you've already heard
that have been on.
We've got some phenomenalguests that are coming on this
fall, so I'm super excited.
(11:27):
I truly appreciate all the workthat you all do For anyone
that's listening.
If you want more informationabout me, wwwedwarddeshazerorg,
let's get connected.
Let's lock in Edward Deshazeron Instagram and all other
platforms.
But thank you for tuning in tothe Teacher's Ed podcast.
I truly appreciate you.
I hope you're having aphenomenal weekend For those
that are returning back toschool.
I hope you have a phenomenalfirst week of school.
(11:50):
Make sure you like, make sureyou subscribe, but make sure you
keep doing the work.
See you all soon.
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