Your Personal Pantheon of Teachers

Does a teacher make a difference in a child’s life? With 100% certainty, yes. Each of has a personal pantheon of teachers who hooked us and we became theirs for our lifetime. Continue reading

A “Bummer” Is When Children Are Spectators In Class

When you know what to teach and how to teach, don’t assume all children are ready to learn, Pay attention to setting the hook for learning to avoid bummer lessons. Continue reading

How Do We Measure a Rounded Education When the School Report Does Not?

We know the School Report Card is a flawed measure of a student education yet we wear it as a hairshirt hating the feel and not being able to anything about it. Continue reading

The Tension of High Expectations

Increasing personal tension to learn is part of motivation theory; there needs to be a degree of tension between expectations and achievement. Effective teachers know how to use tension, anxiety, and personal pressure to spur students to learn. Continue reading

Highly Effective Teachers are Masters at Adjusting Instruction

Master teachers know that some children will not reach secure learning after initial instruction only. They readily check formative data and adjust subsequent instruction to cause all children to be successful learners. Teach, assess, adjust teaching and assess again is a necessary pedagogical sequence. Continue reading