What Does a Teacher Make Video

If you've never heard Taylor Mali tell his version of "What a Teacher Makes", take 3 minutes to listen to this!  It will inspire and uplift you. 

High Expectations for Students

On March 2, I'll be presenting at the NASSP conference in Washington, DC.  On February 6, I'll also be doing a webinar for them on Rigor and the Common Core State Standards.  Prior to the conference, I'll be blogging for them regularly. Here's the first one:

Our expectations for students begin with our beliefs that each can succeed.  Often, we say that we have high expectations for every student, but subconsciously, that may not be true.  I overheard a teacher comment to a new teacher, “I had that student last year. She was always in trouble.”  Despite his best efforts, the new teacher subconsciously lowered his expectations for that student.   It’s critical to move beyond our words to truly believing that each student in our classrooms can and will succeed.
For the rest of the entry, click here!

Videos for the Common Core

I was recently contacted by the Teaching Channel and had the chance to review their site.  It is filled with videos of quality teaching and innovative ideas, many of which are linked to the Common Core State Standards.  It's definitely worth a look, but once you start looking, you'll end up spending some time on the site, so plan accordingly. 

Three Words for the Future

What is your vision for the new year?  If you imagined that 2013 would be your best year ever, what three words would you use?  Here's a great column on that concept!

Getting Organized E-Newsletter

My newest e-newsletter is out today!  This month's topic is Getting (and Staying) organized for the new year.  Five minutes of your time and you'll find at least two new ideas!  Sign up today.

Motivating Your Students for the New Year

Are you looking for ways to recharge your students for the new year? 
 Do you teach students who are intrinsically motivated? Intrinsic motivation comes from within. It’s the sense of working toward something simply because we want to or because we feel a sense of accomplishment, and it is relatively easy to know when a student is intrinsically motivated. Students are motivated internally when they pursue an activity independently, enjoy the activity, don’t want to stop working until they are finished, move beyond the minimum expectations, and don’t care if there are rewards attached.
Check out my full article here!

Winter Break

I'll be taking a break for a couple of weeks for the holiday season.  I hope that everyone has a restful winter break.