You've just been doing it so long, on so little sleep, with so much noise around you, that somewhere along the way you stopped trusting yourself.
You know the first ten days matter. You've lived it — the years it clicked and the years it didn't. But somewhere between the staff meetings, the new initiatives, and the quiet accumulation of August dread, the plan that used to feel like yours started to feel like a performance.
The First 10 Days will give you a framework that's structured enough to feel organized and flexible enough to feel like you — so you walk into that first day calm, clear, and actually excited again.
Thirteen years in a secondary ELA classroom. Enough first days to know that the difference between a year that flows and a year that fights you is almost always decided in the first ten days.
I learned that the hard way — and sometimes the very messy way.
I remember spilling coffee all over my students on the first day of school...
I mean, what kind of an idiot puts a styrofoam coffee cup on top of a cupholder made out of marshmallows and toothpicks? 😝
The day I spilled an entire Dunkin' coffee on my students during a marshmallow challenge, I wasn't embarrassed. I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe — and so were they. That moment of chaos became the foundation of one of the most connected classrooms I ever had.
Not because I planned the spill. Because I had planned everything else — the activity, the intention behind it, the kind of community I wanted us to become. The coffee just sealed the deal. It's what showed me that my students needed me to:
➡️ Set boundaries
➡️ Be real
➡️ Be honest
➡️ Set the bar high
and most of all...
⭐️ be myself.
All photos used with permission.
You already know what chaos costs you. When the structures aren't solid in the first ten days, you spend the next nine months managing behavior instead of teaching. We start here — on purpose.
High expectations don't stick if they're introduced too late. The veterans who have the most academically engaged students set the bar in week one and never apologize for it. We'll build that into your plan from day one.
Not the "getting to know you" worksheet kind. The kind that makes a student stay after class to tell you something hard. That trust is built intentionally — and earlier than most teachers think.
Ready to take a peek?
The three-pillar method, the why behind every decision, and the backward planning system that makes the whole thing click. This is the core — and it's designed to be completed in one focused sitting. Value: $97
Your personalized ten-day plan built inside an interactive, color-coded calendar. You leave with an actual document — not just good intentions. Value: $47
Every activity mentioned in the course, ready to print and use. Marshmallow challenge, bell work systems, digital syllabus template, QR station materials, Meet-the-Teacher Canva deck — all of it. Value: $35
Day 8 is your first seminar. This kit makes it doable even if you've never run one — sentence stems, outer-circle role cards, an editable rubric, and a first-seminar walkthrough guide. Value: $47
The entire ten days on one printable page. Fridge-worthy. Planner-worthy. Peace-of-mind-worthy. Value: $17
Short on time? This curated path through the course gets you to your plan in even less time. The essentials, sequenced for the teacher who needs it yesterday. Value: $27
(or 2 payments of $50)
"I wanted to let you know they were amazing. This has been my best school year by far! I truly believe those lessons are a huge part of why. They really helped me focus on building a classroom where both my students and I enjoy spending time. It set an amazing foundation and I am so grateful!"
When planned intentionally, the work of the first ten days will be felt in your classroom for the next nine months. In this workshop, we will not only plan the first 10 days together, but you will be coached about the reasons behind each decision, each plan. Your First 10 Day plan will:
Prioritize creating a space safe for hard conversations
Eliminate students' need to ever ask you "why are we doing this?"
Create structures that allow you to flexibly adapt to the ever changing demands on you as a teacher while still maintaining organization
Help you sift out the clutter from the power -- which activities will move you closer to your goals?
Welcome & Overview Get oriented, get excited, and understand exactly how this course is going to work for you — even if you only have a couple of hours.
Module 1: Find Your Why Reconnect with what actually matters to you — not what the curriculum map says, not what admin wants. What do YOU believe a great classroom looks and feels like?
Module 2: The Big Picture Plan Zoom out and backward plan your entire ten days before you plan a single lesson. This is the move that makes everything else easier.
Module 3: Days 1–3 Design the first three days with intention — the energy you set here will echo for nine months. We'll choose activities that send exactly the message you want to send.
Module 4: Days 4–6 The bridge between breaking the ice and getting down to business. These are your flex days — and we'll make sure you know exactly how to use them.
Module 5: Days 7–10 End strong with your first Socratic Seminar. We'll prepare your students, run the discussion, and close with reflection that sets the tone for everything to come.
Bonus: Back to School with Canva The digital hacks that make your classroom feel polished and professional — Meet the Teacher deck, QR station templates, and more.
The room setup. The new initiatives. The fresh start energy you manufacture even when you're running on empty.
This year, give something to yourself first.
The First 10 Days won't just help you plan a better start to the year. It'll remind you that the teacher you were when you fell in love with this job? She's still in there. She just needs a plan that's worthy of her.
Instant access. Self-paced. Yours to revisit every August.
Already a member? Log in to access your updated course, including the brand new Socratic Seminar Confidence Kit and Quick Start Checklist — added just for you.