How many times have you sat through a lesson or speech and noticed someone setting expectations for you, only to realize they don’t meet those expectations themselves? Did you lose respect for that person? Did it make you want to keep listening? I’ve noticed that many of us in education do this with our students. … More Be The Example
What is the level of expectation in your classroom? The expectations we set will determine the overall success of our students. If we set the bar too low, then there is nothing for students to work for. On the other hand, if we set the bar too high, students become discouraged, and they will stop … More Setting Expectations
Reading, language arts, and math are the focus in lower and upper elementary grades. This doesn’t mean history and science are not taught but are not considered core subject matter. State and national assessments focus on the three core subjects. Science starts being assessed in fifth grade and then again every two years. Schools put … More The Key To Academic Success
The morning meeting was about to start, and everyone was involved in some kind of small talk. The administrator walked to the front of the room to get the group’s attention. As he called for everyone’s attention, some people kept on talking. As the noise started to subside, you could still hear side conversations happening … More Be The Example
I write this post in honor of Dr. Nina, who provided a wonderful comment on one of my previous posts. She brought up a topic that is very important to talk about for the classroom. Every year, teachers serve numerous students. Some students are tough and difficult, while others are hard working and respectful. It … More The Power of Relationship
At the beginning of every year, teachers go through content standards and lesson plans and figure out how they are going to get through all the required content standards for that school year. Elementary teachers who teach all subjects have hundreds of content standards to get through throughout the year. High school teachers who teach … More CONTENT
“There is no easy way. There is only hard work, late nights, early mornings, practice, rehearsal, repetition, study, sweat, blood, toil, frustration, and discipline” (Jocko Willink). In my last post, I stated that very little has changed in the public school system since its establishment 100+ years ago. When it comes to how a classroom … More Let This Be The Foundation
All educators want a successful classroom. They want students to come ready to learn, ready to dive deep, and willing to take risks in their learning. Teachers can’t expect students to show up this way. Students are tired, they have baggage they are dealing with at home, some come from a chaotic home life, and … More An Important Ingredient
Welcome To The Classroom 