I was recently with the secondary educators of Cache County, Utah,* on what can only be described as a fine Friday of professional development. These folks were just lovely, especially in light of the fact that I was a guy holding them back from their weekend. In one of the sessions, we were looking at […]
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High Expectations: An Ingredient, Not a Meal
Sometimes, we secondary educators can get into a funk of believing that we need not teach our students how to best work at learning in our classrooms. Some of us think this kind of work just isn’t something we should have to do; others think that to teach these things would be boring or insulting […]
Common Misperceptions Regarding Moments of Genuine Connection
Dear colleague, Once folks start trying to implement tracking attempted moments of genuine connection (MGCs), there are a few misperceptions that start to crop up. I’d like to publish those today, in hopes that we can nip confusion in the bud before it has a chance to cause us any undue stress or tension. Misperception […]
Such a Doggone Good Feeling
One of my favorite Fred Rogers repetitions — and boy, let me tell ya, do I have a lot — is, “It’s such a good feeling.” What Rogers does with lines like that is masterful, even for secondary educators like me, for at least two reasons I’d like you to think about today. First, he […]
“We’re the Fork to the Community’s Farm”
I met an FFA educator recently in Linden, CA. She was responsible for teaching students how to prepare the food that her colleagues teach students to grow, develop, harvest, or ship. And she shared with me what she took away from the workshop I led at her school on student motivation. One of the strategies […]