Hey Teacher—This One’s Just for You 💛


Hey Reader!

It’s time to go back to school! Some of you have been back for a couple of weeks and some of you are gearing up for your first day very, very soon!

Here are three tips to help you start your year out successfully:

  1. Root yourself in Christ FIRST! Before you plan lessons, buy cute decorations, plan your meet the teacher outfit…spend some time with God. Pause and ask God to speak to you in a way that is unique to your relationship with Him. Listen to a worship song (THIS is one my favorites); read a piece of scripture (THIS is what I’m focused on for our conference year); notice your thoughts while you listen and read. What is God saying to you?
  2. Start with relationships – with your coworkers, with your students and with their parents. Relationships are the foundation for everything else. Build trust first! All the other learning will come…once relationships are solid.
  3. Create (and practice) predictable routines. Routines make children feel secure and they build confidence and courage as children become accustomed to new environments, schedules, friends, and authority figures. Remember, practice, practice, practice these routines. And then practice them one more time!

BONUS TIP: Make all of this as FUN as you can. Laughter and joy as a part of relationships and routines…that’s the winning combination every time! Routines stick faster and relationships are built stronger when there’s lots of shared joy involved!


Remember that these first 6 weeks might be really, really hard. Stay with it. Keep working on relationships and routines as you trust God to give you what you need every day. After 4-6 weeks, you’ll be so glad you stayed. God has specifically chosen YOU for this season in these children’s lives. We can’t wait to hear how He shows up - for you and for them! Will you let us know how your first few weeks are going? Send us an email!

Is there a topic you’d like for us to cover in an email or podcast episode? Reply here and let us know!

P.S. And if you’re looking for some major encouragement as you start out this new year…check out this podcast episode with Nichole Sims as we talk about being planted by streams of living water in Christ. One of my favorite conversations recently!

Cheering you on this week!

-Your ECCN team

Listen to this podcast episode with host Monica Healer now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Early Childhood Christian Network

You want to provide the best early childhood experience for children and their parents. But you don’t have easy access to high-quality training. We provide you with relevant, research-based, and Biblically-sound training and on-demand courses so that you and your staff can confidently care for and teach young children.

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