Take the planning for Classroom Connections off of your plate!

FREE daily resource for educators!
Practical ideas and activities that are perfect for the first five minutes of class time!
Arrives in your email inbox every morning at 7 AM EST.
19+ NEW activities and ideas each day that focus on classroom connections, self-care, care for others, and the development of character.
Ideas and resources for building dynamic and trusting relationships within classroom communities.
Users pick 1 of the 10 activities from either the Primary or Secondary First Five.

Our Backstory

When the world shut down in March 2020, so did my work as an educational consultant. With schools closed and travel halted, I returned to the classroom. This time it was at John Horn High School in Mesquite, TX. That fall, school felt different. Masks, distancing, and safety protocols took over, and the focus on relationships, something I’d spent years promoting, felt like it had disappeared.

I couldn’t visit classrooms to support teachers anymore, but I still believed deeply in the power of connection. So I started emailing one simple idea each morning, something teachers could use in the first five minutes of class to build community. That small daily gesture grew fast. Educators responded. They needed it. And the First Five was born.

A few years later I teamed up with my longtime friend and colleague, John Whalen, and we launched Edtomorrow with the First Five at its core. From our first partner districts in Upstate New York to the team that has joined us along the way, this journey has always been about helping educators make those first five minutes count.

What started as a stopgap became a movement and a reminder that connection still comes first.

Sincerely,

Doug Overton

Creator of the First Five