Dear colleague, A great mini-sermon is a subversive little bit of messaging. In 30-60 seconds, the teacher communicates in an “oh, by the way” manner that learning is good for all kinds of reasons. As they do this over time, they try to paint with all the colors of the Rainbow of Why. When we […]
It Works If We Work It
Dear colleague, A while ago, our colleague Katie from Des Moines wrote in the following: Just wanted to say thank you for putting words to what I always vaguely knew to be true about teacher credibility. As I started the school year, I really focused on MGCs, mini sermons, using time well, and giving quick […]
Wishing You a Regret-Free Winter Break 😁
Dear colleague, This’ll be my last article of 2024; thank you for reading and teaching right beside me this year. (This is the halfway mark of the eighteenth year of my teaching career. Just when I think I’ve got this job figured out, providence brings along a set of challenges that make it feel brand […]
What Mentally Strong Teachers DON’T Do
Dear colleague, In my last article, I did some poor writing unintentionally, alluding to these things that mentally strong teachers don’t do but then not really listing those things. What I’ve written below is my teacher-centered take on psychoanalyst Amy Morin’s book, 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. These aren’t Amy’s words verbatim, but […]
How Psychoanalyst Amy Morin Teaches Through Non-Examples
In 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do, psychotherapist Amy Morin demonstrates a great teaching move: using non-examples. Whether you’re teaching elementary math, high school science, community college composition, or whatever-else-have-you, this idea of teaching from non-examples is really helpful. Now of course, non-examples can be confusing, so you’ve got to be clear about your […]