My first year as a lead (art) teacher I was told to incentivize my classroom. I had a group of students who didn't want to participate in activities, projects, or learning. I started a Friday donut club. I would write a note to every student who earned a donut through finishing projects and kind behavior. The note would say something nice about them and that I was proud of them. They brought the note to my classroom and I gave them a donut and told them in-person how proud I was of them. This seriously was a game changer that year. I do things differently now that I know all of my students, but when I was first establishing a relationship this truly helped.
...the most successful thing we did together was the "car wash". We learned how to give compliments to each other, and the person sitting in the center of the circle would get a genuine compliment (character-related) from each person seated in the circle as their "car wash" so the they emerged feeling fresh and clean! Took a ton of time, but was a true community builder we all loved.
I agree that building rapport with students inside and outside the classroom is the best thing a new teacher can do. As a new art teacher also, I find learning each student’s name was a monumental task. I ended up owing students a piece of candy anytime I forgot or got their name wrong. This has become a fun game between me and the students. It also helped me learn their name faster, but most importantly it built that relationship and trust that helps with student motivation and behaviors. In addition, choosing to come into school before my scheduled hours and volunteer to supervise morning drop off had helped me get to know the parents. This was a beneficial decision in the long run because that relationship building with students/parents outside the art room makes certain aspects of classroom management much easier.
Invite families! There’s nothing more important that building those relationships, especially your first year. And no one knows your students better than their families. Invite them to read, to help run a station, to be an audience member to your writing publishing party. Students are proud, families feel included, and it helps to build respect among all. Conversations throughout the year might go more smoothly too
Thinking back one urgent lesson I would hand all new teachers is: How you help students feel about themselves, each other, and their ability to learn successfully ALWAYS trumps the content you cover. Cut yourself some slack and model a true joy in learning and exploring together.