There are many ingredients that go into making a thriving learning environment. And whether it’s your first year in education or your thirtieth, the first days, weeks, and months of the school year are the time to create the learning environment you want for your students.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.

Remember that you and your students are only human. You can plan, map, and research all summer, but once those kids get in the room anything can happen. You don’t have to have everything together on day one, said Amy Hirzel.