Restoring Hope To Your Teaching Job Inspiration by Joel Wagner - October 7, 2008June 5, 20164 I've noticed something lately. I have gotten a handful of comments and emails from people who seem to be teaching in what appears outwardly as a hopeless situation. I contend that the problem very rarely is in their situation. The problem rests in the lost joy and the long forgotten hope they once had. The dream is not shattered, it simply is not in sight right now. Why have we lost sight of that hope? Because we lack focus. My assertion is that we have lost focus because we are too busy reacting to events and items that try to wrestle our attention away from the important things. Jonathan wrote a great article about dealing with your mailbox last week. I think
How to Empower Your Students Inspiration by Kelly Curtis - July 28, 2008July 1, 20105 (Guest post by author/educator Kelly Curtis) Sometimes when I speak to fellow educators about youth empowerment, the idea of following student leadership on a project is seen as a complication in an already burdened schedule. In certain situations, this may be true -- and it's a valid concern. But it doesn’t have to be the case. Obviously it depends on the project, and it may not work with much of the standard curriculum. But in my experience – as well as that of educators I interviewed in the course of writing my book -- sometimes the process of empowering young people can make special projects more efficient, more meaningful, and less work for the educator. As a school counselor,
10 Reasons to Love Rural Schools Inspiration by Waski the Squirrel - July 23, 2008July 1, 20106 This is a guest post by Waski The Squirrel. Joel's invitation to be a guest-writer here was a prime opportunity to advertise the joys of teaching in rural America. I run a small blog on Townhall. Rural America is an ignored sector of education, except in the occasional news article about poverty. I can't really contrast rural America with anywhere else. I've always taught in rural schools: first in Pennsylvania and now in North Dakota. My current school educates about 450 students who come from an area of just over 1000 square miles. When I first moved to North Dakota 10 years ago, I discovered that "rural" is a relative term. The school where I student taught back in
On The Brink Of Quitting Inspiration by Joel Wagner - June 25, 2008July 1, 201010 Lisa writes: I googled "bitter about teaching" and came up with your blog. I was recently let go from a school I busted my a$$ in for a whole year (my first year) - constant criticism, cattiness, and pointing out and embellishing the negative things I had done while minimizing the positive (all the while they were telling me to stay positive!). She concludes her email: I just wanted to let you know that your blog picked me up a little bit. I still have a lot of healing to do, but I'm glad that I'm not the only person that this has happened to. What an awesome thing! In case you missed the story, here are a few articles
The Top 10 Rejected Meanings of TAKS Inspiration by Mister Teacher - January 25, 2008June 30, 20103 This is a guest post by Mister Teacher of Learn Me Good. Mister Teacher teaches third grade near Dallas, TX. Greetings, faithful readers of So You Want to Teach? Do not attempt to change the channel! We have taken control of the vertical; we have taken control of the horizontal; we have taken control of clichés and tag lines from old 60’s sci-fi television shows. Joel has graciously offered me the opportunity to write a guest post here on his blog. So I suppose I should take a moment to identify myself. My name is Mister Teacher, and I have a drinking problem. No wait, now's not the time to say that. Let me
10 Tips To Stay Motivated And Love Teaching Inspiration by Jane Little - December 3, 2007June 30, 20105 This is a guest post by Jane Little of My Many Colored Crayons. Jane teaches third grade in Los Angeles, CA. I teach in a school that has more than it’s share of challenges. Low morale is just one of them. About a year ago I started blogging with this post. It was a raw and honest account of a low point in my teaching career. The problems some of my students faced were heartbreaking to say the least.I had to chuckle when Joel said, "As I read your stuff, I just imagine you being someone who wakes up each morning with a smile on your face. I'd like to see how that plays out in reality a little bit
Overcoming Adversity Inspiration by Joel Wagner - November 18, 2007July 5, 20102 As teachers, how often do we stop to think about how much of an impact we could potentially make in the life of one of our students. Even if that student doesn't ever thank us or even show marked improvement in their academic skills or behavior or whatever, we still may be helping him. Our job is often thankless. Our job is often life-changing. We will not know this side of heaven the number of lives we have changed. I was recently contacted by a reader who shared an amazing story with me. This deaf man, Stephen J. Hopson, was changed by three simple words from his fifth grade teacher. The story, and the accompanying video, truly made me smile.
Transforming A Tense Relationship Where There Is Low Respect Inspiration by Joel Wagner - November 2, 2007July 5, 20104 Recently, a reader wrote to me saying: I am currently midway through student teaching and am struggling with classroom management (surprise!). I am not really getting any feedback from my cooperating teacher, other than "use short, quick redirects" and "your emotions are too transparent to students". I worked in business for 18 years prior to this experience and I'm just struggling with how to try and turn a tense situation around. I have read through the articles posted on this site and they have given me some good ideas to work with. Here is my question: What can you do to turn around a tense relationship with students who do not regard you as "the
15 Tips To Stay Positive Inspiration by Joel Wagner - July 17, 2007July 5, 20106 I recently read an article entitled Is Positive Possible? by Samantha on TeacherLingo.com. In the article, she writes in part: Why are we so depressed? Why do we only feel needed and understood when we are griping together? I think about this a lot. It is as if we are all addicted to the frenzy, the wretched wreck of it all. "Who said this? Who is quitting? What are they making us do now?" If you say anything good-everyone looks at you like you've got to be kidding. My response to her was: Dave Ramsey says "If your broke friends are making fun of your financial plan, you're on the right track." Similarly, if your miserable colleagues are making fun
The Source Of Motivation Inspiration by Joel Wagner - June 28, 2007July 5, 20101 We've all seen them. People who are able to motivate large numbers of people to do things as a team. Great coaches, teachers, politicians, and even dictators. All of them are great motivators. Until recently, I would have agreed with that statement. I sat down this week and began reading through Bandmasters Review, the official publication of the Texas Bandmasters Association. The first article is entitled "The Real Key to True Leadership" by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser. In the article, Dr. Lautzenheiser argues that motivation can only come intrinsically. He refers to any attempts at extrinsic motivation as merely manipulation. Powerful stuff there. So what is the source of motivation? Etymologically, the word "motivation" comes from the Latin word motere. This
Is Education Really That Important? (Part 2) Inspiration by Joel Wagner - June 25, 2007July 5, 20103 After my first post this morning, I realized that I actually met a few high school dropouts yesterday. One was mentioned in the previous post. On the flip side were two other young ladies I had lunch with. These women were 22 and 29 years old. One finished 11th grade and the other was kicked out of school after assaulting a teacher and principal in 8th grade. Both of them met while living in a rehabilitation type home run by people from a local church. Admittedly, they grew up in the inner city, while the other young lady grew up in a South Texas Border Town. Environment was different from that standpoint. But demographically, they would all be listed the
Is Education Really That Important? (Part 1) Inspiration by Joel Wagner - June 25, 2007July 5, 20102 I met a high school dropout yesterday. We talked for something like an hour and a half or two hours. It was very revealing and confirms a lot of my thoughts about education. Beware as you read this. If you're comfortable thinking that everyone needs to go to school, get a degree, and get a safe secure job, then this article will challenge you. She is 17 years old. She came to my door to talk with me about switching my electricity provider. I have been thinking of doing the same thing anyway, and the rates are lower than my current provider. The reason I haven't is because my landlord's name is on the bill and I didn't want to
The Dip Inspiration by Joel Wagner - May 27, 2007July 5, 20100 It came in the mail on Friday. I read it on Saturday. This was my first opportunity to read a book by Seth Godin, and I sure was not disappointed. "The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit (And When To Stick)" and that's exactly what it is. Although Mr. Godin is primarily an internet marketing guru, the book can easily be applied to anything we do in life. Anything from relationships to business to where you are teaching to even overall career choice -- it's covered here. The book is broad in scope, and can be applied to any and all of these areas. At 76 pages (and not very tall pages at that), this baby
Be The Best Teacher In The World Inspiration by Joel Wagner - May 19, 2007June 19, 20164 Dave Ramsey recently wrote an article entitled High-Performance Achievement and it's about his training to run of a marathon. In this article, we're going to look at how you can use that knowledge to help you become the best teacher in the world. In Seth Godin's latest book, "The Dip" (which I'm going to read this summer), he talks about being the best in the world. That term is defined basically as the best in your sphere of influence at doing what you do. My goal as a band director is to be the best band director in my school district. Then my goal is to have the best band at whatever competition we go to. Then my goal is to have
Do You Run The Risk of Becoming Successful? Inspiration by Joel Wagner - March 21, 2007July 6, 20160 The time from spring break to the end of the school year often seems like a battle between students and teachers to see who is most ready for the summer to begin. One of the teachers I worked with in my first job was fond of saying, "When you look forward to Monday more than Friday, you run the risk of becoming successful." I find this to be true in most anything. Success comes on the heels of both starting well and finishing strongly. When you look forward to Monday more than Friday, you run the risk of becoming successful.Applied to the teaching profession, I have come to the point where I look forward to the beginning of the school day