About a week ago, a former student texted me and said, “I can’t wait for classes to start!” It was the best text ever because her enthusiasm ignited my enthusiasm. It got me ready to get back into the classroom (and the air conditioning!) and try out some new ideas. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the first day and how I can better create that sense of welcome and belonging that I want my students to feel in my classroom and here at NMC. I get them talking to each other, I move them around the classroom, I show them that their voice matters. But then I ran across this post from the Scholarly Teacher Blog that reminded me that I need to reinforce what we build on the first day right through the first month and the entire semester.

Good luck to you as you start another school year! Remember, CIE is always here to support you as you work on your first day, your first month, and your entire semester. Reach out to me or a member of the CIE Board or visit the teaching.nmc.edu site for lots of good information throughout the year. And keep an eye out every two weeks or so for this newsletter. We’ll try to fill it with useful articles to help you keep your enthusiasm high all year!