What do new elementary educators need to find success and joy in the classroom? National Board Certified Teacher Steve Reifman presents a comprehensive, whole-child approach to help you think through all of the key elements of your first classroom – including the learning environment, academic mission, character development, social-emotional learning, relationship building, student user experience, mindsets for success, and an intellectual framework that contains guiding principles of classroom life and effectively addresses issues of motivation and purpose.

This reader-friendly, accessible handbook offers strategies, activity ideas, implementation suggestions, printable pages, photographs, and diagrams. You’ll also find a plethora of tools such as classroom visuals, parent resources, rubrics, feedback methods, student work samples, goal-setting and self-evaluation sheets, checklists, charts, and more. Reifman enhances these clear, actionable tools and takeaways with numerous classroom anecdotes and examples, and personal experiences. Whether you’re reading in order or jumping to sections that most apply to your classroom, you’re sure to benefit from his wisdom gained from a career spent helping children reach their amazing potential.

Becoming a new teacher takes a lot of preparation, and this book gives you everything you need at your fingertips so you can become a passionate, successful educator—while empowering your students to become passionate, successful learners.