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 […]
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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 […]