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
I have been in education for over 15 years, with 14 of those years spent teaching in the classroom. When I first began teaching, I saw a sense of pride and determination in my students. Most were focused on doing well, pushing themselves to improve, and caring deeply about their progress. Now, in my 14th … More Let’s Build A Thriving Society
The classroom is meant to be a safe place for students to learn, fail, make mistakes, and be loved and encouraged throughout this process. However, we have made the classroom so padded and soft-shelled that students cannot take honest, brutal criticism and feedback. They don’t know what to do when someone who wants results gets … More The Realities of the Real World
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
The other day, our school had a field day consisting of morning activities and a movie in the afternoon. Students were sent home with permission slips so they could watch the movie. For students to participate in watching the movie, they needed to bring back their permission slips signed by their parents. A handful of … More Consistency and Consequences!
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 classroom is a dangerous place. It can be used to create strong men and women with discipline, work ethic, and integrity, or it can be used to create weak men and women who are selfish, egotistical, and lazy. The teacher has the power to influence which type of individual emerges from their classroom. This … More Use Your Platform Responsibly
“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
Welcome To The Classroom 