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I’ve been out of the classroom for 12 years now. But, just two weeks ago, I had a moment every teacher lives for. A moment that defines the very reason we choose this vocation. It was a return on an investment I made 15 years ago. Luke, a former third-grade student, messaged me on Facebook.…
As of December 2015, education is changing again. The United States has passed the bipartisan, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in hopes of it improving education. The White House sums up this bill by saying, “The bill rejects the overuse of standardized test and one-size-fits-all mandates on our schools, ensures that our education system will…
What’s the difference between being lazy and being plain-old “human?” Lazy means you know what needs to be done to accomplish the objective, but consciously choose not to do it. Being “human” means you have the will to accomplish the objective, but something inexplicably has gone wrong. Here’s the problem… To the casual observer, there…
My Last Visit with Aunt Esther: A Powerful Story About Our Hands Powering the Brain… and the Heart Aunt Esther is 94 years old. She’s my dad’s mom’s sister. (Follow that?) Grandma died just before I turned 16. (Perhaps you recall the real-life Halloween Tale of Grandma’s Eternal Departure.) Ever since, Aunt Esther has been a surrogate grandmother. There’s…
What “language” skills do people really need in college and the workplace? There’s an overwhelming amount of language rules. They create tons of places for students (and even adults) to go wrong. The problem with teaching and learning language is that there is so much to cover. So, how do you teach this successfully without…
Last week we introduced our mini-series on student motivation and engagement. I recently found a great article on grading; How one teacher saw motivation and engagement soar for her entire class with a simple shift of her grading policy. Her results were astonishing! Frankly, this is the best idea I have ever seen about grading… How I…
“Only 25% of my students are motivated! The rest don’t care about anything. They don’t respond to anything.” Vivian -a veteran teacher- shared this concern in a recent consulting call. Vivian teaches students with a very low socio-economic background. But, her concern is echoed by teachers and parents all over the country. Student motivation is…
A few simple tweaks in the classroom can have a major impact in helping boys (and girls) discover their potential! The education of boys is in crisis! From birth, boys are wired with higher energy levels, untiring curiosity, and a natural born spirit to compete and win. Although they have great potential, it’s no surprise…
We’re continuing our series on motivation and engagement. Today, the focus is on doing “more with less.” We’ve talked about how paired collaboration works in our business. It can also work great in the classroom! (See our article “Working in Pairs; the Most Powerful Productivity Tool Ever!”) More examples about the power of pairing are…
“What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?” Do you remember the first time you were asked this question? My grandfather asked me at age four. With sincere conviction, I answered, “I want to work at Arby’s.” He laughed out loud and patted me on the head. I got the message that my…
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