Wouldn’t it be nice to multiply the impact of your effort? You can do just that by taking time at the beginning of the school year to create a positive community with your students. It takes a small amount of time upfront and yields a big payoff over the course of the school year. There is urgency to close the opportunity gap and to support all students in mastering grade level math content, and it may seem counterintuitive to take time away from academics to focus on culture. It’s natural to feel pressure to get right down to business and start drilling content when school starts, and that pressure will be even higher this coming school year. However, there ARE compelling reasons to ‘go slow to go fast’ and to take time to build relationships with and between students. Creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment before jumping into content yields a huge return on investment. In this episode, I’m sharing the top 3 benefits you’ll receive when you prioritize community building in your classroom, especially at the beginning of the year.