About the Author: Jenn Breisacher

The first time I tried to run a Socratic seminar in my high school history classroom, I nearly abandoned student-centered teaching altogether, simple because I didn’t understand how much I didn’t grasp how student centered behavior management worked. It was 2008, my second year in the classroom, and I had thirty freshmen who had spent … Read more

I remember my first year of teaching like it was yesterday, but the truth is, I walked into that classroom in 2007 with a history degree, a stack of lesson plans I’d spent all summer perfecting, and absolutely no idea how to actually manage a room full of teenagers. I taught at a nationally ranked academic school … Read more

Click above to listen to Podcast Episode 48: “What is Student Engagement (and why is it alluring now)?“ The term “student engagement” is ubiquitous in educational circles, yet its definition often remains elusive. For teachers, administrators, and parents, having a clear, actionable understanding of this concept is the foundational first step toward improving student success. … Read more

I remember sitting in a conference room five years ago, watching a vendor demo an interactive display that cost more than my first car. The sales pitch was polished, the graphics were stunning, and every teacher in the room was nodding along. But something nagged at me. The company kept talking about what the display … Read more

Click above to listen to Podcast Episode 56: “How to Spot Behavioral Engagement in the Classroom“ Student engagement stands as one of the most critical, yet complex, constructs in the field of education today. It is a multidimensional construct widely recognized as the cornerstone of effective learning and a primary driver of academic success. For … Read more

Drafting a philosophy for classroom management can feel overwhelming because it asks you to answer a deceptively simple question: What kind of teacher do you want to be? The answer isn’t found in a single set of classroom rules or a pre-packaged behavior chart. It’s a living document, shaped by your core beliefs about how … Read more

Click above to listen to podcast episode 58: “Classroom Management Skills Necessary for Success“ A simple Google search for “classroom management skills” reveals a landscape that is not only plentiful but overwhelmingly complex. For educators at any grade level, from high school to the purview of university teachers, the quest to find a system that … Read more

There is nothing more frustrating as a teacher than having the perfect lesson or activity ready to go, only to find out that there are students absent or that they did not bring the work they needed to proceed. The lesson stalls. Momentum evaporates. Suddenly, instead of facilitating critical thinking, you are playing detective, trying … Read more

Click above to listen to podcast episode 59: “Engaging Disengaged Students“ As classroom teachers, few scenarios are more disheartening than facing a classroom where student disengagement is palpable. This silent epidemic of student disengagement can feel like a personal affront, but it is crucial to understand that a difficult student’s behavior is rarely about you … Read more

If we can agree on anything, it’s that COVID-19 made its mark on education. Good, bad, and indifferent, our classrooms were thrown for a loop and are still settling into what the “new normal” actually means. I’ve spent the past several years training K-12 teachers across the country, and the question I hear more than … Read more

In our classrooms, character development is just as crucial as academic growth. Traditionally, reward systems have a natural focus on students who excel academically. While it is important to recognize this hard work, countless young people often get left out because academics are not their strong suit. The reasons are diverse: perhaps it has been … Read more