by tekassi19 | Aug 11, 2017 | Effectiveness & Efficiency, Margin, Strategies & Tips for the Classroom
What if you could steal back time from one of the biggest time thieves? How would your life be different? What would you be able to accomplish?
Everyone gets the same 24 hours each day. There will never be enough minutes in a day to get everything done. As much as we say we want more hours in the day, do we really want more time added to an already long day?! Some days I can’t wait for it to be over. I drop into bed with the hope tomorrow will be better.
My guess is we don’t want more hours in a day. Really, what we want is to accomplish what we need to and still have time left for a personal life. We want more margin in our lives.
. . . Those glorious, empty spaces that allow us to breathe. – Jed Jurchenko
So how do we steal back time?
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by tekassi19 | Aug 6, 2017 | Effectiveness & Efficiency, Strategies & Tips for the Classroom
Have you ever tried to follow your own directions? Picture this scene:
A class of 28 energetic and excited 8-year-olds arrives at the music room. A teacher, standing at the doorway ready to greet them, gives these directions to her primary grade students as they enter the classroom.
Teacher:
Good morning, class! Shhhh! I want you to come in quietly and find your place on the floor. Make sure you get your carpet square. Shhhh! If you look at the board, you will see the activities we are doing today. Remember, come in quietly. I told you, Johnny, to find your seat on the floor. Don’t fight over the carpet squares! There are plenty. Quiet, class! No we aren’t playing the instruments today. We will be dancing. Look at the board. Come sit on the floor, everyone.
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by tekassi19 | Jul 30, 2017 | School-Home Relationships, Strategies & Tips for the Classroom
One of the most harmful things we can do to children is to hold them accountable for their parent choices. Not only because it damages the teacher-student relationship, but also because we are instilling in children, the false belief that they are responsible for someone else’s behavior.
Parents make decisions all the time that impact their child’s learning in both positive and negative ways. As professionals, we can help inform and educate parents about what is best from an educational perspective, but we cannot place ourselves in the position of judge or jury over parent decision-making.
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by tekassi19 | Jul 23, 2017 | Effectiveness & Efficiency, Strategies & Tips for the Classroom
Peek into classrooms during the first week of school and you will find students completing a student interest inventory. Teachers collect this information, but don’t always know how to use it effectively. Combine the information you’ve collected with this research-based strategy that will positively impact even your most challenging student.
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by tekassi19 | Jul 17, 2017 | Identity, Mission
The summer is a great time for catching up on movies. This past week I went to see the new release of Wonder Woman (2017) and I was inspired in a way I least expected. As educators, we have a lot to learn from her.
I’ve always been a fan of Wonder Woman since I was a child. As much as I loved her ability to save the day back in the 1970s, I have a deeper and more profound respect and admiration for the Wonder Woman of the 21st century, who has taught me more about identity and mission than anyone else.
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