Today, many teachers arrive on their first day of school full of hope and eager to educate students. Encountering a scarcity of resources creates concern about whether they will be sufficiently equipped to achieve what is expected of them. Their concerns could be alleviated if expectations of them were supported with adequate professional resources.

Inadequate preparation for managing classrooms inevitably leads to questions about who will be expected to bear the responsibility of assisting new teachers when issues arise. The first inclination is to look to the principal's office.

Supporting the development of skills that will lead to self-reliance and lessen dependency on school administrators is the intention of many strategies represented in this book. Since classrooms also belong to students, they should be entrusted with taking on some responsibility for cultivating environments that make all students feel welcome.