Relationship-building in secondary schools has a reputation problem. Content-focused teachers stacked with seven or eight periods a day treat connection as a nice-to-have they don't have time for. John Whalen and Doug Overton, co-founders of Ed Tomorrow, argue the opposite: teachers who invest a minute or two in connection get instructional time back, because bought-in students need less behavior management.

Whalen and Overton left stable school leadership jobs to build The First Five, a free daily email that gives teachers grade-banded ways to build connection, care, and character into the first minutes of class. They break down why kids buy into a teacher before they buy into the content, how to get a hesitant secondary staff to try it, and what they'd build if they started a school from scratch.

THINK THROUGH YOUR NEXT LEADERSHIP MOVE

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⌚️ TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 - Why secondary teachers resist relationship building
• 04:11 - John and Doug introduce Ed Tomorrow
• 06:19 - The phone call that led to a cross-country move
• 09:15 - How COVID sparked the First Five
• 12:45 - Winning kid buy-in starts with relevancy
• 14:00 - Why kids buy into you before your content
• 17:01 - Meeting hesitant teachers where they are
• 23:58 - Why middle school is the hardest band to serve
• 33:07 - How the First Five actually works
• 34:34 - The three Cs behind every First Five resource
• 38:56 - The message they'd put on every school marquee
• 41:44 - Three guiding principles for building a dream school
• 47:04 - The one thing to remember before you start a ruckus

CONNECT WITH JOHN WHALEN AND DOUG OVERTON

• Website: edtomorrow.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/edtomorrow/100083061286304
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ed.tomorrow
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edtomorrow
• Quick sign-up Form: https://www.edtomorrow.com/signup/

WHENEVER YOU ARE READY, HERE'S 3 WAYS TO HELP YOU DO SCHOOL DIFFERENT:

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• 📚 Monthly mini-books: https://ruckusmakers.media
• 🧭 Map your next 90-days: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/principals-entry-plan/

TODAY'S RUCKUSCAST IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

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ORCHARD

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KIDS FIRST EDUCATION

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