Derek L. McCoy

First impressions are huge.

While we shouldn’t make judgements about people or situations from a first glance, they are undeniably powerful.

I asked teachers to tap into this powerful opportunity by thinking of a saying or message and painting it above their freshly painted door frame. This is an opportunity to form a first opinion with families during our “We’re Glad You’re Here” night and to give students a great way to start each period, with the reassurance of a positive, uplifting, foward-moving quote.

There were some hesitations [hand-writing, timeliness, uniformity, etc] but in the end I think students value being welcomed more than a teacher’s handwriting!

I put the majority in this slideshow for your ease of viewing:

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Major props to teachers who embraced this as an opportunity and try something new! Which one really resonates with you? Let me know and I’ll forward your message to the teacher.

Love this room! Here is a great way to welcome students:

What do you do if you can’t sum up your beliefs in one quote? Get ’em all!

Can’t wait to see what the next iteration of inspiration brings!