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Positive greetings at the door of classroom increased students' academic engagement by 20% and decreased disruptive classroom behavior by 9%, according to a study published in the Journal of Positive Behavior earlier this year, and potentially adds an extra hour of learning per day, Edutopia reports.

The study suggests that teachers should greet students individually by name, as well as use a non-verbal greeting, and make positive and pre-corrective statements encouraging good behavior or suggesting how the student should begin the day.

The approach promotes a sense of belonging in the classroom, builds a sense of community, and reduces students' and teachers' stress levels as they begin the day.

Dive Insight:

Greeting students at the door is another way to build a positive school culture. By starting the day on a bright note and with a warm greeting, students feel happier about coming to school and approach learning with a more optimistic mindset. The act also helps build relationships between students and teachers, which is an important part of making connections for learning for the rest of the day.

The act also builds a sense of community in a classroom. Students who may not always feel welcome in their home environments need to be able to feel that school is a safe refuge for them - a place where they are loved and wanted. By supporting these feelings, teachers are encouraging students to engage more fully in the learning process.

In an article on STEDI.org, author Jessica Smith also recommends a strategy for substitute teachers:

"Greeting students at the door serves two purposes. First, when substitute teachers stand in the doorway and are welcoming and inviting, it gives an immediate first impression of professionalism; this gesture lets students know in a very non-threatening way that it will not be a wasted day. Second, by greeting students at the door it gives you the chance to direct students to the starter activity. Students who are on task are less likely to behave inappropriately. It's important as a substitute teacher to get students on task immediately," she said.

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New study suggests that greeting students with a positive message yields benefits

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Positive greetings at the door of classroom increased students' academic engagement by 20% and decreased disruptive classroom behavior by 9%, according to a study published in the Journal of Positive Behavior earlier this year, and potentially adds an extra hour of learning per day, Edutopia reports.

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Greeting in Schools leads to a 20% high engagement rate and encourages good behavior. It also builds a good community.

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“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
You never truly know yourself until you step out of the box and try something new. Step 1 of getting out of your zone is by getting rid of fear. Fear can control your actions and make you stuck in life. Step 2 is making a plan. While stepping out of your comfort zone, you need to create a plan on pushing your boundaries. Step 3 take baby steps.

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Neale Donald Walsch once said:

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

Simply put:

Only when you stop letting fears and anxiety hold you back, will you start to make those major breakthroughs in life.

Unfortunately, many people have problems with getting out of their comfort zones. They want to do more in life, but they're afraid to challenge themselves and push the envelope on what they think is safe.

So, in this post we're going to talk about your comfort zone. Specifically, I'll give you seven steps you can use to push those self-created boundaries of what you think is possible.

Getting out of your comfort zone?

Before we get to these seven steps to getting out of your comfort zone, let's define the term "comfort zone" and how this concept can hold back many people.

For instance, let's say you just started a new sales job. Probably there are certain aspects of this job that you feel comfortable doing. Like talking to individual co-workers or clients.

On the other hand, the idea of cold-calling fills you with anxiety. Basically, you feel uncomfortable with doing anything that's not a one-on-one conversation.

It's really easy to fall into the trap of never pushing your comfort zone. The problem with this is it often prevents you from true success and happiness in life. That's because one of the best ways to grow is to test the limits of what most people consider "normal" to live the life you want.

So let's talk about the seven steps for getting out of your comfort zone.

Step #1 - Get Information

Anxiety usually comes from a fear of the unknown. Usually we imagine the worst-case scenario of what could happen when we push past the boundaries of what makes us feel safe.

To break through your comfort zone, you need to first educate yourself. Your goal here is to find out about whatever skill or activity you're pursuing. You'll talk to people who have done the same thing. You'll read books on the subject. And you'll check-out articles on the Internet about this subject.

Information is power. And the more you know about something, the less scary and more powerful you'll feel.

To learn more on getting information, then I recommend reading these 20 tips on self-education and/or reading my book, .

Step #2 - Have a Plan

After educating yourself, you want to create a plan of action for pushing the boundaries on what you think is possible.

With this step you're going to write down a step-by-step blueprint for how you're going to get out of your comfort zone. You start with the easiest thing to do. Then you create a plan to get to each level.

In this plan you need to create benchmarks. These are mini-goals that put you one step close to pushing past your comfort zone.

Furthermore, it's important to identify the key challenges you're going to face and what you'll do to overcome them.

Step #3 - Hold Yourself Accountable

Accountability is another key to breaking through your comfort zone. You want to tell your friends and family about what you're trying to do. Or you can even find an accountability partner or form a mastermind group.

This is an important step because the people in your life will keep you on track. You want them to give you that 'push' as you're pushing your boundaries. They will make it hard for you to quit because you know you'll look foolish if you did.

Step #4 - Take Baby Steps

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~ Lao Tzu

Breaking out of your comfort zone starts with the first step. Once you have a plan in place you'll simply start with that crucial initial action.

Taking 'baby steps' is a great way to de-sensitize yourself to the feelings of anxiety. You're not trying to become an overnight success. Instead you're steadily pushing the boundaries of your comfort levels and working towards an overall goal.

Step #5 - Aggressively Challenge Your Comfort Zone

To really blast through your comfort zone, you would do what I call an "aggressive challenge." This is a rapid-fire approach where do a lot of something that makes you scared. The idea here is you're shocking the system into becoming comfortable.

You won't have time to think about your fear. Instead you'll be so busy pushing your boundaries that you forget about what used to make you scared.

Step #6 - Remain Positive

There will be times when you experience a negative outcome. Something that shakes your confidence and makes you feel scared. The trick is to not let anything prevent you from blasting past the point of comfort.

Recognize that you will have negative outcomes. It's a natural part of the process.

Don't allow negativity to creep into your mind. Remind yourself that it's going to happen. In fact, you should recognize that you're actually being given feedback about how you can do something better.

The trick here is to create the mantra of "next." Whenever someone is negative you quickly identify the mistake that you made and simply say next as you move on to the next phone call.

Step #7 - Keep Expanding Your Comfort Zone

Never stop expanding your comfort zone. Even if you arrive at your stated goal it's important to keep pushing those boundaries.

Look for new challenges. Find stuff that you would never imagined you would do. Like teaching a class on the subject that once filled you fear. Or you could work on a related skill.

The important thing is to keep pushing the boundaries of your job.

How Do YOU Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?

Breaking out of your comfort zone gives you more opportunity in life. Don't let anxiety prevent you from doing what you truly want. Attack your fears and push the boundaries of what makes feel comfortable.

The truth is you might actually learn to like what you're doing. Maybe you'll find that this experience will provide an opportunity you never knew existed.

Before concluding this post, I want to ask a simple question: "How do you get out of your comfort zone?"

In the comment box below, I would love to hear your thoughts about what you've done to push past your anxiety and break out of your comfort zone.

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7 Steps for Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

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Neale Donald Walsch once said:"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."Simply put:Only when you stop letting fears and anxiety hold you back, will you start to make those major breakthroughs in life. Unfortunately, many people have problems with getting out of their comfort zones.

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When a person feels comfortable/uncomfortable they are able to give a number from 1-10. With trying something new, you should always make sure a person is okay with it. One way to do so is by showing them the comfort zone chart.

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"Every person deserves to be acknowledged, however small or simple the greeting is."
People spend their time rushing through the day so it would be nice if someone would take the time out of their day to say hello. You never know the impact you can have,

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It wasn't too long ago that I was in your shoes. Just a little over a year ago, I was the senior that had a month left. One month left in the hometown that I grew up in. One month left with the friends that I didn't want to leave. One month left in the place that I had called "my school" for the past four years. You are probably thinking the same things I thought whenever it came down to only 30 days left. You're probably scared, nervous, worried, or anxious. Maybe you're like me and are dying to get out of high school, ready to start a new chapter. Or maybe you aren't so ready yet. Maybe you're wishing for a little more time.

As scary as it is, this month you have left will fly by. You'll blink and you'll be standing in your cap and gown, waiting for your name to be called to receive your diploma. You'll look back on your last four years at your school and wonder why time went by so fast. It'll be bittersweet. However, trust me when I say that you have so much to look forward to. You are about to begin taking the steps to build your future. You are going to grow and learn so much more than any high school class could teach you. You are going to meet amazing people and accomplish amazing things. So, as scared as you might be, I encourage you to take that first step out of your comfort zone and face this world head on. Chase your dreams and work towards your goals. You are smart. You are brave. You are capable of achieving amazing things. All your life, the lessons you have learned have prepared you for this point in your life. You are more than ready.

There are times when you will feel alone, scared, or confused. There are times when it won't always be easy. But those are the times when you will shine the most because I know you will work through whatever problems you may face. Don't think of the bad times as a terrible thing. Use them all as learning experiences. As author Joshua Marine once said, "Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

You might think that this is the end. However, it's not. This is only the beginning. Trust me when I say that the adventures and opportunities you are about to face are nothing compared to high school. Whether you are going to college, going to work, or something else, this is the beginning of your journey called life. It will be exciting, it will be terrifying, but it will all be worth it.

So, as you walk out of your high school for the very last time, I encourage you to take a deep breath. Relax. You'll always have the memories to look back on from high school. But your time is now, it begins today. Embrace it.

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It wasn't too long ago that I was in your shoes. Just a little over a year ago, I was the senior that had a month left. One month left in the hometown that I grew up in. One month left with the friends that I didn't want to leave.

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A teacher created personal handshakes per student to start their day. In a majority black neighborhood and school and black male teacher tries to encourage that school is fun by creating something fun before class starts.

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Teacher Has Personalized Handshakes With Every Single One of His Students