Lose The Training Wheels And Embrace Failure New Teachers by Joel Wagner - February 26, 2011February 26, 20111 Remember the first time you realized you were riding a bicycle by yourself? Probably not. But what about when you first got to drive solo? Your parents trusted you enough to give you the keys and go out on your own! It was a great feeling. If you're like most people, you were so scared of messing up that you were nervous and overcautious. Do you ever see the "Student Driver" cars where they put their turn signal on two blocks before turning and check the mirror seven times before changing lanes? For many of us, teaching was once like that. For some, it still is. Fast forwardWhat happened after a few years? You began to drive like a pro! Some
Week 1 Summary (Total Teacher Transformation Day 7) Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 9, 2009June 30, 20102 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. What a wild week this has been! I'm surprised by how much even going over these classroom management basics on here has impacted my teaching. When I preach this stuff, I sort of have to force myself to follow through. I've been discussing this stuff with a couple of friends this week, and just in case one of them walks into my classroom, I want to make sure they see the same stuff! So if you've been following along, you are coming to a realization of just how important classroom management is to your overall effectiveness as a teacher. I know that the week
Find A Mirror (Total Teacher Transformation Day 2) Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 4, 2009June 30, 20102 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. Today's lesson is simple, and yet profound. One of the most difficult concepts for me to grasp was one of the most important in my early days of teaching. It is also the most transformational and pivotal of everything that we're going to be doing through this process. Every problem that happens in my classroom is my fault. Or stated more positively I am responsible to ensure good things happen in my class. If we can get over that hurdle, if we can get through that first barrier, we are on the downhill ride to becoming a great teacher. We are responsible for
Total Teacher Transformation: Hope For All Teachers Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 3, 2009June 30, 20100 This is an ongoing series. Bookmark this page as a way of navigating your way around the series. By the way, this was my 400th post on the blog. Day 1: Find A Moment Day 2: Find A Mirror Day 3: Find A Mentor Day 4: Find A Mother Day 5: Find A Motivation Day 6: Find A Mentor (Again) Day 7: Week 1 Summary Day 8: Be Prepared Day 9: Be Consistent Day 10: Be Fair Day 11: Be Respectful Day 12: Be Respectable
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