Recently one of our colleagues wrote in to me with a tactic that ties right in to our desire to optimize the long-term flourishing outcomes of our students without burning ourselves out in the process: My name is Marisa Silver, a 4th grade teacher in Eugene, Oregon. I am a longtime reader of your material […]
Search Results for: moments of genuine connection
People, Not Passwords: Why You Need a Catchphrase or Two to Define Your Challenges This Fall
A quick story: last week I was speaking with a former student named Dylan. At one point, he asked me a question. “So, Mr. Stuart, will you be teaching students or usernames this fall?” What he meant with his wry smile was clear — at the time, our district hadn’t released its finalized back-to-school plan […]
The Four Pillars of High School Success
Recently, I shared the Everest statement of our social studies team. I’m not the leader of the team, but boy, am I privileged to be a part of it. This time, I’d like to share how our ninth grade transition team focuses its work. Why Ninth Grade? Every year of a child’s education is important, […]
The First Key to Connecting Well with All Students is to Like Them; This Often Takes Work
Please note: Names and details in my articles are changed for the sake of protecting students’ privacy. Here’s a moment of genuine connection that stood out to me today while teaching my four classes of 120 students total. While students were doing an independent practice portion of my lesson, I pulled Kandyce into the hallway. […]
On the Labeling of Students
Last week, I tweeted an invitation to a free evening PD on student motivation. The title was based on dozens of questions I’ve received from earnest teachers around the planet. Here’s the placard: Within a few moments, an ELA coordinator from the American Northeast tweeted this take: “Um, let’s change the title of this. What […]