After decades of teaching, Nancy Steineke passionately believes this much to be true: a collaborative classroom environment is essential for student learning, and for teachers' well -being. In this guide for every teacher, Nancy makes a powerful argument that we can dramatically reduce the stress of classroom management and improve student achievement when we cultivate classroom communities built on student-centered collaboration. Laying out a plan for collaborative classroom management across a semester or a whole school year, Nancy offers teaching moves and student activities that: build strong relationships between students and teachers, and between each other help students develop, invest in, and uphold positive classroom norms show students the importance and real-life value of soft skills, including what those skills look and sound like in action. Nancy's strategies can easily be integrated into your classes as you teach required content. By threading community-building work through your schedule, Nancy explains, you show your students that they matter as individuals, and that social skills are intertwined with academic success.

Reducing the stress of classroom management -- The first few days -- The first few weeks of school -- The rest of the year -- Staying the course.