One of the biggest struggles that teachers are seeing in the classroom right now is the lack of student motivation. Though this has been a growing problem for years, the pandemic exacerbated the issue. There are so many ideas out there that explain how to motivate students, but so many of them include rewards. This … Read more
We know that our classrooms are not one size fits all. It doesn’t take a special education teacher to interact on a daily basis with neurodivergent students. However, it does take a little extra effort to be proactive and understand how best to support these students. Unfortunately, many general education teachers are not extensively trained … Read more
Sometimes, quiet and independent work is necessary for the classroom. This could be for any number of reasons, but searching for quiet independent classroom activities is a good start to finding options that will work for your students. The key here is finding activities that will work for your students. This means they buy into … Read more
We all know the bread and butter of a well-oiled classroom isn’t the content material or the depth of a lesson plan. Heck, it can be argued that it’s not even the dynamic of the students or the strength of the teacher (stick with me here). Yes, all of this is important, but without classroom … Read more
I once heard teaching described as “herding cats,” and I laughed because I’ve lived it. Not in my own high school history classroom (11th graders are a different kind of chaos), but in the elementary classrooms I’ve spent time in as a trainer and as a parent volunteer. I remember standing in a kindergarten classroom … Read more
I remember the exact moment a teacher I was coaching realized she had completely lost one of her students. She had been struggling to reach this particular kid for weeks. No eye contact. No participation. Assignments were turned in blank or not at all. She told me about it during one of our coaching calls, … Read more
I still remember the exact sound. It was a Tuesday in late October, second period, my 9th-grade world history class. We were mid-discussion about the Treaty of Versailles, and for one of those rare, precious moments, nearly every student was locked in. Hands were going up. Students were responding to each other without my prompting. … Read more
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the energy in a classroom shifts from curious engagement to passive compliance, yet experienced teachers recognize the signs immediately. Students slouch a little lower in their chairs, their eyes drift toward the clock, and the questions you worked so hard to prepare land with a thud in the silence. … Read more
I have read a lot of bad resumes. When I was hiring for my own business, I learned something painful. The most qualified candidates often wrote the most forgettable applications. They listed duties like they were filling out a tax form. They buried their wins under passive language. They lost opportunities to less experienced people … Read more
(This post may contain affiliate links that won’t change your price but will share some commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read our disclosure policy for more information.) I started teaching high school history in 2007, back when smartboards were still novel, and most of us were just trying to … Read more
When many teachers hear the term “student-centered project-based learning,” you can see the color drain from their faces. It is a buzzword-laden phrase that sounds intimidating, yet it truly isn’t as daunting as it seems. At its core, this instructional approach builds upon the familiar practice of assigning projects. The key shift is that it … Read more
One of the most frequent and pressing questions I hear from educators, from elementary school to higher education institutions, is for strategies for increasing student engagement. We’ve all faced the quiet room, the glazed eyes, and yes, the challenge of that “one kid” who seems impervious to our best efforts. While no method is a … Read more