Rigor Grit The “10,000 Hour Rule” Growth Mindset We hear these buzzwords thrown around a lot in educational circles these days. Why? Because they’re catchy! But what do they mean? The concepts are interrelated, and they stem from a series of recent research projects. Today we’ll look at a few new books about the science behind … Read more
Do you ever feel alone in your quest to become a teacher? Well, the truth is that finding a teaching job can be lonely, but it is not a unique experience. Over the next few weeks, I will be curating Resource Posts that will serve as a springboard for digging deeper into specific topics that have been … Read more
This Sunday is Father’s Day. It’s not too late to buy that last-minute gift if you haven’t already. I read at least four books this school year that were amazing. If your father reads and thinks, these would be ideal. 🙂 I read some others, but some of them were music education related, and others … Read more
When I first started out teaching, I desperately wanted the kids to like me. To this end, I ended up letting my classes get out of control. A handful of things contributed to this: Concerning myself with every matter that was brought to my attention Allowing kids to mesbehave Trying to get the kids to … Read more
On February 11th, 2007 I wrote the first blog post that is included in the archives of So You Want To Teach? I didn ‘t actually set up the blog on this domain until June, but I thought that since the blog was now over a year old (at least as far as some of … Read more
I get so tired of hearing teachers complaining about No Child Left Behind. I get so tired of hearing teachers complain about administration. I get so tired of hearing teachers complain about parents. Shut up and teach! It’s a simple concept, but some teachers seem to derive greater joy from feeling victimized than they do … Read more
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 … Read more
Life as a teacher can be awfully challenging. While the challenges change as we gain experience, there are always new ones. It can be an awfully lonely time for many teachers. This article looks at 9 reasons to quit teaching and also raises 10 reasons to stick with teaching. Think of the many reasons you have … Read more
Embed from Getty Images “What are you doing to motivate them?” I was talking with a friend this afternoon about her class. She is a second year teacher. She taught elementary last year and is teaching seventh grade this year. What a change! In the process of our conversation, I asked her, “what are you … Read more
Above all else that you do in education, classroom management skills will pay greater dividends. I cannot tell you how much more teaching I actually get done now that I have learned how to get and keep children quiet. This one skill was the single thing that prevented me from being useful at all during … Read more