English Leadership Quarterly, Volume 33, Number 1, August 2010

First days are critical, not only for the students, but for teachers doubly so when fostering positive student attitudes toward reading is a goal. Introducing an expectation from the very first day that the more students read, the better readers they become and setting aside time to read in school we set a productive tone for the rest of the year. In this issue, we take a glimpse into Victoria Whitfield’s English class in Alabama, where her students are immediately welcomed by displays of books all over the classroom. Then Joshua Johnston reminds us of the importance of learning students’ names the first day of school. Alan Brown provides an extensive review of English Journal articles from 1995–2010 that explore what beginning English teachers need to be successful the first days of school. We close with teachers’ voices giving their perspective on how to begin a productive and successful year, including a helpful checklist.