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

You can spend hours crafting the perfect history or science lesson, but if you haven’t built dedicated classroom management lesson plans that naturally weave into the curriculum, that beautiful lesson will fall apart before the first bell rings. I learned this the hard way during my first year of teaching back in 2007. I walked … Read more

Educators today face a uniquely modern challenge. As they strive to ensure their students not only cover but truly comprehend the required curriculum, many feel they are approaching the end of their line. A pervasive myth suggests that the only way to capture the attention of Gen Z and the emerging Generation Alpha is through … Read more

With today’s students, it always seems like it’s the same argument: they’re hard to motivate and then even harder to keep engaged. We’ve all heard the labels…distracted, disaffected, digital natives who’d rather be on YouTube. While that can be a surface diagnosis, it is a matter of digging just a bit deeper to spark genuine … Read more

In recent years, the issue of students not completing their work has emerged as a significant challenge in educational settings. I spent years watching bright kids stare at blank worksheets. Not because they couldn’t do the work, but because something had stopped them. Since 2018, I’ve trained teachers across multiple public school districts in student-centered … Read more

In recent years, education has undergone significant shifts in how we view the learning process. Traditional teacher-centered learning, where instructors deliver new information through lectures, is increasingly being replaced by student-centered learning, a dynamic teaching method that places the student at the center of the classroom. What is the theory of student-centered learning? This instructional … Read more

Walk into almost any teacher workroom during lunch, and you will hear the same confession whispered over a sad microwaved meal. “I totally lost control of second period today.” The teacher across the table nods. They have been there too. Maybe that teacher was you yesterday. Classroom management mistakes happen to everyone who stands in … Read more