Tag Archives: morale
School Productivity: Happiness Matters
If I were to ask where happy cows come from, would you answer “California” like my teenaged son and my husband both did? When I inquired about how they know that, their reply was, “from the commercial.” If you watch television at all, you’ve probably seen that advertisement. It’s rather engaging, actually, because the cows are conversing and truly seem content. Since I was raised on a dairy farm in America’s Dairyland, I wonder if Calif. has data to back up that claim. I think that our Wis. cows are happy, too. My brother, who still lives on the family farm, actually hired a cow psychologist some years back to advise him on ways to make the cows more comfortable. Happier cows, they figured, would produce more milk. I laughed, really, to think that such a job even existed and again, I have to ask for data. How can someone really support the claim that cows prefer to lie down on a slightly-elevated incline anyway? Continue reading
A Love Letter to Teacher Spouses and Life Partners
Dear Teacher Spouse or Teacher Life Partner,
Remember all the August nights and weekends where we sat in on the floor of our living room, watched rented movies, and cut letters and shapes for my bulletin boards? I don’t remember what was worse: the permanent marker fumes or the blisters you had from cutting construction paper for hours. When we finished, I dragged you up to my classroom so you could staple butcher paper to my walls. You are so much better at it than I am and I’m not just saying that so you’ll do it again next year. Continue reading
How to Respond to Tardy Students
Hannah is a nice girl: quiet, studious, and shy. She doesn’t volunteer much in class and if you’re not careful, she’ll spend the entire period staring out the window or creating an elaborate doodle on her folder. She does well on tests, but isn’t likely to hand in homework on time. Organization is one of her challenges. So is time management.
Hannah shows up to her first period class tardy more often than on time. She always has some excuse: the nurse, the library, her mom. Nonetheless, it disrupts class. (Post includes a poll.) Continue reading
Appreciation Sets a Positive Classroom Tone
One summer teacher inservice, our trainer asked us to give people in our small groups an appreciation. An appreciation, she explained, was a specific thank-you to a group member for his contribution to the group. It could be, “Thank you for bringing up the point about special needs students, Stan. We needed to make sure we were addressing their needs,” or, “I really like the way you kept us on track, Laurie.”
I think that those appreciations helped me to get to know my fellow teachers better and they went a long way to creating good will among us throughout the school year. I liked the idea so much that I implemented it with my own students. Continue reading
Use Student Music to Build Rapport, Increase Engagement
One of the things I love about National Public Radio is listening to the bumper music between segments. After the program, I often visit their online site to find out just what the music was and whether or not I can find a copy of it.
Music is universal. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like music or who doesn’t have a preference for a particular sound. For a teen, his music is synonymous with his group of friends and his clothing. It’s a part of his identity.
Continue reading
Top Ten Things I Learned about Teaching This Year
The school year’s almost over, or maybe it is over for some of you lucky people. You’re checking in books, correcting exams, and closing up the grade book. You know that some of your lessons really met the objectives and the kids learned a lot. They caught the spark and you could see how the new understanding captured their interest.
But what did you learn? Did you catch that spark? Did you have an ah-ha moment? I’m out of the classroom and able to talk education experts. Here are my ah-ha moments: Continue reading
The Road to Burnout is Paved with Good Intentions
Burnout. It’s out there. Somewhere. And like a bad flu, it’s coming to get you.
Or is it?
Actually, no. It’s not coming at you. You might be moving toward it, but burnout isn’t something that lurks in shadows waiting to grab you. It’s really rather passive. It sits in front of you like a potted plant. In fact, it’s not scary at all. It might cast a large shadow over the conversations we have about teaching and educators, but it is quite frankly a rather benign little thing in some ways. Let me explain. Continue reading
Teacher Working Conditions Affect Student Performance
My first year of teaching fifteen years ago was in a poor school in a poor school district. The only supplies in my closet were paper clips and ditto masters. My supply budget was $20. The student lockers were dented, some window panes were broken or missing, and my classroom ceiling leaked when it rained.
I don’t have to tell you that teachers didn’t stay long in that building. Everyone was looking for a school that had plenty of books for the students and a pleasant working environment with outlets that functioned and a photocopier with toner. Continue reading
