01 — Teacher Guide & Best Practices

Written so a first-year teacher can survive and a 20-year teacher can thrive.

Part A — Stance: What Kind of Teacher This Course Asks You to Be

Leadership is caught more than taught. You are not the sage on the stage —
you are the lead learner and the architect of the conditions in which
adolescents practice leading themselves and each other. Three commitments:

1. Predictable structure, unpredictable thinking. Routines are rigid; ideas

are not. Students take risks only when the container is safe.

1. Practice over presentation. Aim for at least 60% student talk/do in

every lesson. If you are talking more than 15 minutes straight, stop.

1. Reflection is the curriculum. Skills don't transfer without metacognition.

Every lesson ends with a written or spoken reflection.

Part B — The First 10 Days: Non-Negotiables

If you do nothing else, do these. They are the foundation of everything in
Weeks 2–20.

• Day 1: Learn every name. Greet at the door. Co-create norms by Day 3.
• Days 1–5: Run the Daily 5 (see 03-daily-weekly-monthly-rhythms.md) every

single day, even if you feel rushed. Routine is your salary.

• Days 1–10: No phones during circle, no exceptions. Model it yourself.
• Day 5: Friday Circle (closing circle). Even if it's awkward. Especially if

it's awkward.

• By Day 10: Every student has spoken in a whole-class setting *at least

once*. Track it on a roster.

Part C — Facilitation Moves (steal these)

Keep this list under your podium.

• Wait time: count to 7 silently after asking a question. Always.
• Cold call with warm-up: "I'm going to call on three people in a minute —

take 30 seconds to think." Then call. Reduces shame, raises rigor.

• Pair → Square → Share: pair talks, two pairs combine, then share to whole

class. Triples participation without raising risk.

• Talking piece: in circles, only the person holding the object speaks.
• Name three: "Give me three ideas before we move on." Forces depth.
• Re-voice: "What I hear you saying is ___. Did I get that right?" Models

active listening; students will copy you.

• Press for evidence: "What makes you say that?" Every time.
• Affirm the move, not the person: "That was a brave question" (not "you're

so smart"). Builds growth mindset.

Part D — Classroom Culture

• Room arrangement: circle or U-shape by default. Rows kill leadership class.
• Walls: post the Roseville Leader Profile, the class norms, the "Parking

Lot" sticky board, and the Leader of the Week board.

• Greeting: stand at the door, handshake or fist-bump, eye contact, name.
• Closure: every period ends with a 1-minute reflection. No exceptions.
• Phones: in a numbered caddy on the way in. Returned at the bell.

Part E — Restorative & Trauma-Informed Practices

You will get hard stuff in this class. Plan for it.

• Pre-frame consent: "We talk about real things in here. You can always pass."
• The pass rule: any student can pass on any question with no penalty, one

time per circle. Honors autonomy, prevents shutdown.

• Repair, don't punish: when harm happens, use a 4-question repair circle —

What happened? Who was affected? What do you need? What will you do next time?

• Notice the body: if a student is dysregulated, offer a "reset card" — 5

minutes outside the room, no questions asked, return with a one-sentence
check-in.

• Mandated reporting: know your district policy. Tell students Day 1: "There

are three things I have to tell another adult about — if you or someone else is
being hurt, hurting themselves, or being abused. Everything else stays here."

Part F — Differentiation

Every lesson has three tiers:

• Foundational — for students new to the skill or with language scaffolding

needs. Provides sentence frames, partner support, fewer choices.

• Core — the lesson as written. Most students.
• Stretch — extra complexity, leadership role within the activity, or option

to teach a peer.

For multilingual learners (ML/EL), provide vocabulary cards (English + home
language) and use the Pair → Square → Share move heavily. For students with
IEPs/504s, the Friday Circle reflection can be written or audio recorded.

Part G — Assessment Philosophy

• Grade growth, not performance. A shy 9th grader who speaks once in circle

by Week 5 gets the same recognition as a confident senior who does it daily.

• Portfolio over points. 60% of the grade comes from the Leadership

Portfolio (see 02-assessment-and-rubrics.md).

• Self + peer + teacher: every major assessment uses all three voices.
• No zeros for missing work. Use "Incomplete — re-engage by [date]."

Part H — Year 1 vs. Year 20 — Where to Spend Your Energy

Part I — Common Pitfalls (and the fix)

• "My students won't talk." → You're rescuing. Use wait time. Use pair-share.

Try anonymous Padlet/sticky-note responses first, then verbal.

• "They roll their eyes at 'leadership' language." → Drop jargon. Use their

words. "Leader" can mean "the kind of person you want to be."

• "One kid dominates every circle." → Talking piece. Pre-assign roles.

Privately give that student a "facilitator" job — channel the energy.

• "I ran out of time for reflection." → Then the lesson didn't happen.

Reflection is non-negotiable. Cut the mini-lesson, not the close.

• "The capstone is falling apart in Week 18." → That's normal. Don't rescue.

Use the project autopsy protocol in Week 18, Day 3.

Part J — Self-Care for the Teacher

This class is emotionally heavy. You hear stories. Build in your own routine:

• A 5-minute decompression between classes (door closed, water, breath).
• A weekly debrief with a colleague — not about students, about you.
• A hard stop time at least 3 nights per week.
• A "joy file" — keep student notes and wins. Read on the hard days.

Part K — Resources & Recommended Reading

• Dare to Lead — Brené Brown
• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse — Charlie Mackesy (use excerpts!)
• Drive — Daniel Pink
• Tribes — Seth Godin
• Multipliers — Liz Wiseman
• Restorative Practices Handbook — IIRP
• CASEL Program Guide (casel.org)
• The "Better Lesson" leadership coaching library
• Habits of a Successful Leader — School Reform Initiative protocols