Your first interaction with your students is your chance to gauge mood, help them reset if needed, make a connection, and positively start off your day together.
“We must be guardians of spaces that allow students to breathe, be curious, and to explore the world and be who they are without suffocation. They deserve one place where they can rumble with vulnerability and their hearts can exhale. We should never underestimate the benefit to a child of having a place to belong—even one—where they can take off their armour. It can and often does change the trajectory of their life.”
This is a link to Brene Brown’s 6-12 classroom integration plans.