We tell our students that failure is a step in learning, but how often do we explain to them the value of failure, or more importantly, the importance of making mistakes? We train our students to get problems right, rather than to learn from their mistakes. We give students assignments and mark off what is … More Mistakes Are A Necessity
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 walked into my Assistant Principal’s office the other day and waited patiently for her to finish her phone call before speaking with her. While I waited, I noticed the middle schooler sitting at a desk in the corner spending time for lunch detention. She was pounding away on her desk while the Assistant Principal … More You Don’t Know Me!
From the time a student enters the classroom, they are assessed and graded on content knowledge and level of understanding. Throughout their time in the education system, they receive report cards with grades for all subjects they have studied. Grades are used to tell students, especially those who do poorly in school, to work and … More What’s In A Grade?
The other day, my class was finishing up their last assignment for the day, when I had one student who was refusing to do anything. They were struggling with being focused and having a good attitude. In fact, he was sitting at his table, head down, and loudly rubbing a piece of paper on the … More Just Breathe
In my last post, I stated that teachers shouldn’t waste precious energy and time on students who don’t care and choose not to put any effort into their learning. This is a very controversial statement, as all students should be supported and encouraged. This is why I followed up my statements with the understanding that … More Can’t Win Them All – Follow Up
This post may be controversial! I remember when I first started teaching that I thought I was going to “change” or “save” each student, and that they would become successful in everything they did. The truth is that I wasn’t going to save, change, or win all of my students. This was a hard pill … More You Can’t Win Them All
Education is an ever changing system. The problem is that it changes for all the wrong reasons. For decades education was focused on preparing students to enter factory work. This is why students sit in rows, work according to a bell schedule, and do monotonous assignments. A shift then occurred after World War II. The … More There Needs To Be A Shift
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
Why are your students struggling to meet academic goals? Why is your class struggling to follow the expectations? Why is the school culture struggling? How can you be more intentional in the classroom? How can you help your students better understand the content? How can you help your teachers be great at what they do? … More Reflection Is Key
Welcome To The Classroom 