Spoiler: if you’re tired, it’s probably nothing. At least, nothing related to school or teaching. I know you may be feeling that you need to work this summer — after all, there are summer schools to staff and “learning losses” to recoup — but if you’ve been living on that edge between sane and insane, […]
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Let’s Make Teaching Better.
Dave Stuart Jr. is a husband, father, and high school teacher who writes about education. He reads extensively across the disciplines so that he can create uniquely satisfying professional development experiences for his colleagues around the world. His mission is to encourage and equip educators on the journey to long-term flourishing and professional excellence.
Professional development. (The good kind.)
If we’re going to make teaching better, we’ve got to improve professional development. I’m not the guru, but I have spent thousands of hours practicing and researching the art and science of educator-centered, high-impact PD. My hope with all of these is that they help.
And oh yeah: I’m still a teacher. I’ve never left the classroom. With 120 students on my roster each year, it’s impossible for me to detach theory from practice.
Online PD
My schedule-friendly, all-online professional development courses are designed with busy educators in mind. Whole staff or district applications are available — email support@davestuartjr.com with your needs.
In-Person PD
I speak and lead education workshops for a limited number of schools and organizations around the world each year.
Books + Blog
My best-selling book, These 6 Things, has been read and cherished by secondary teachers around the world. My blog is read by over 35,000 educators each month.
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The Latest from the Blog
Video Response: “My School Is Planning More ‘New’ than Ever: What Do I Do?”
Recently, I received a message from a colleague asking for advice on how to approach the coming school year when the plan at her school is to add more to the schedule than ever before in 2021-2022. I love the question because it’s human. The subtext is, “This year has felt like survival swimming, and […]
Finish Like We’d Like to Start: The Return of These 6 Things
Author’s Note: May the 4th be with you. How’d I do on the title? It was between that and These 6 Things Strikes Back. (These 6 Things: A New Hope seemed a little much.) I was talking with my friend Dr. T a couple weeks back, and he said this line that had immediate resonance: […]
I’m In. Here’s the (Start of the) Plan.
Half a decade or so ago, I had a “should I stay or should I go” soul-searching moment. A few respected friends offered me the chance to join their business as a partner. I’d have to earn my share with lots of sweat, but they saw potential in me and had just the right opportunity […]
Here’s the Thing: We Could Do Something Else
I’ve sat on this article for over a month — not because it’s long, but because it’s risky. In the last six months, I’ve seen at least three people leave education — people who, prior to March 2020, I had expected to be teaching alongside for the next couple of decades. Two have shifted into […]
Habituate What You Can, Motivate What You Can’t
There is no doubt about it: when you infuse your practice, your classroom, your assignments, your relationships, and your culture with the five key beliefs, watch out! The refreshing breezes of inside-out motivation are coming, and your class is about to feel a bit more like the life-giving place you’ve always envisioned. It won’t be […]
Self-Disqualification (+ What To Do About It)
The older a student gets, the quicker they’re likely to disqualify themselves from what you’re up to. “Oh, we’re doing a math problem? I’m bad at math.” Disqualified. “Oh, this teacher likes writing? Not me.” Disqualified. “Wait, the gym teacher wants us to run? I can’t run. I’m out.” Disqualified. “Wait, all my teachers are […]
You Really Don’t Know
The point of telling you this story isn’t to say a thing about me. I’m a normal educator, like you. I do normal work, like you. I’m on a journey to professional excellence, like you. The point is to tell you something about us. The other day I went to the grocery store in town, […]
The Teacher’s Journey
It seems like the teacher’s journey goes something like this: I like this better than the two bottlenecks language from a couple weeks ago. A few reasons for that preference: This shows that the journey is cyclical. Good days can follow bad ones, and bad ones can be followed by good ones again. It’s applicable […]
The Change to Come
Community AND content. Humility AND boldness. Curriculum AND instruction. Hard work AND deep rest. The most impactful teachers in the world are masters of embracing paradox. They’ve got an eye for what Jim Collins calls “the genius of the AND.” Where do they acquire this sense for nuance? In their dogged pursuit of first principle […]
The Two Bottlenecks
So here’s the good news: a lot of teachers have experienced rich, rewarding careers in education, and a lot of teachers are even doing that right now in the midst of all the topsy turvy. On most days, I count myself among this group. Despite its difficulty, this work remains an excellent way to spend […]
Highly Qualified < Highly Competent
(Forgive me if what follows is obvious.) What we’ve called “highly qualified” since No Child Left Behind is not a super useful construct for deciding who should do what in a school building. It’s a way of making sure that the people leading the classrooms once passed enough classes and tests and practica to earn a […]
We’re in the Counterculture Business
The absolute best path to motivating a human being through the Value belief — especially an older one — is through meaning. Meaning acts like a fusion reactor in the human heart. With enough meaning, all manner of things can be endured, understood, pursued, gained. With meaning in mind, take a look at this chart, […]
It Might Not Be Zoom Fatigue
What if it’s not about the screen or the format but is instead about meetings that lack a purpose, an urgent agenda, a vibrant culture, a shared sense of “Isn’t it such a good feeling to be here with one another?” What if the problem isn’t Zoom but is instead an undercurrent of meaninglessness, valuelessness, […]
What If Schools Were Places Where the Value of Learning Was Obvious?
What would it be like if you went into a school building and shadowed a student for a day, and during that day you and the student experienced 100 or so signals that pointed to the following truths: Learning is transformative. When you learn what the solar system is and how stars work, you don’t […]
Ten Things Leaders Can Do to Improve Teacher Morale in Early 2021
According to a recent EdWeek survey, teacher morale isn’t great in the United States right now — at least not according to us teachers. Take a look: When you look at that, you might be nodding your head. Me too. Not exactly a revelation, right? A pause for perspective: it’s not only us Now listen. […]