Let’s Make This Simple: We can pretend that because we are teachers we should have autonomous and authoritative control over everything that goes in our grade books, and that we should get to decide how we grade, what our grade books look like, and what is represented in them. As you clutch your grade book against your chest protectively, I’m … Read More
1 Simple Way to Motivate Students
Motivating students is probably one of the hardest things we do as teachers. Delivering content is meaningless without a student motivated to learn and apply it. During our workshops this is one of the most common topics that come up. While this is usually in the context of Mastery Learning the general advice I give us universally applicable to any instructional model. … Read More
Stop Hiding and Start Standing Out While Teaching
I distinctively remember during in my first year of teaching; a colleague telling me: “Hey, your first year of teaching…just blend in and fly under the radar to get through it.” I also remember nodding my head and smiling as I thought, “WHY?” I made the decision, then and there, that I wasn’t going to take the well intentioned advice of … Read More
5 Ways To Waste Your Summer Break
Ok, I know it’s the end of the year and all you can think about is sleeping in, maybe getting your feet in the sand, and finally having a little time to relax and eat a meal without having to complete it in under 10 minutes as you grade stacks of papers or help a student in your classroom. As teachers … Read More
3 Ways to Finish The Year Strong in Your Classroom
It’s almost here! As the days grow longer, the students in your classroom get more volatile, and the smell of Summer break is in the air, I want you to STOP. Right now, as you decide not to finish that lesson plan and just play Kahoot with your students tomorrow, I want you to consider the opportunity being wasted. The opportunity to … Read More