Those few minutes before the morning bell are perfect for improving relationships and for building a natural, trusting bond between you. But you have to get up from your desk to do it. You have to set aside your lesson plans, walk away from your last minute preparations, and give up your most treasured final moments of morning solitude. For wherever your students congregate before school—in the hallway, on the playground, lined up outside your classroom—that’s where you should be. Chatting, listening, smiling . . . just visiting.
