Secrets of Success for Teachers: Why are we torturing our students?

Ok...we're not torturing them. But often we're much tougher on them than we need to be.

Why do we give pop quizzes? Why do we put kids on the spot? Why do we give assignments that are just busy work? I know that we need lots of grades for kids because parents demand that especially with the new online programs where parents can check grades constantly.

But my main feeling is that we're not creating positive environments that make kids want to learn. I taught math for 25+ years, a subject most kids hated. I would tell them that although they might not like math particularly, the were most likely going to be enjoy being in my class. They did enjoy it because I created a caring supportive environment for them.

Funny thing is when you do create that kind of classroom, kids thrive and begin to push themselves much farther than they intended to go. I remember one young man who was in my Algebra II class. He wasn't expecting to like math but he enjoyed the class so much that he signed up for Advanced Math the following year. It was the tougest year of his life math-wise but he perservered and passed. He is now a new husband, father, police officer and recent returnee from Iraq. Who can say whether how he pushed himself in Advanced Math helped to make him the wonderful man he is today?

For those teachers who are creating an adversarial type classroom, please think about how different life could be for your students...and for you...if you made their one year journey in your class a fun adventure.

And for those of you who are having fun while nurturing and challenging our kids to grow...my deepest thanks!

Secrets of Success: Why are we boring our students?

I'm back tutoring math again. As I looked at the notebook of one of the young men I'm working with, I saw the word "bored" written several times. Bored. Why are we boring our students? In fact, in a survey of 1000 students boredom was listed as the number one issue students had with school.

I taught math for 25 years and I know I had my boring days. In fact as I've probably written here before, I bored myself so much that I quit! Lucky for me I had spent the time away acting in a professional children's theatre company.

When I came back, I had a whole new way to teach. I began to blend the entertainment strategies I used to hold the attention of little children with the math instruction. Everything began to change. I didn't entertain them per se but I did realize that if I was boring myself, what was I doing to them?

Why are we boring our kids? Sometimes we forget we're not teaching little teachers. They're not interested in our subject as much as we are. We're got to find a way not to bore them. I know teachers are not trained to be entertainers but we do have to begin to find ways to capture our student's attention and interest. We've got to face facts. Kids are used to being entertained and if we're going to be effective, we've got to find the tools to make our classes into fun places to learn.

Need some help? I'd be happy to do so. I've been speaking on this topic for several years after seeing the dramatic changes in both my math classes and the Strategies of Success program I created. I'll be offering a teleconference this January where I will share many of the strategies I used to engage students.

More later...

Secrets of Success: Why don't they teach that in school?

I spent an interesting weekend at the Learning Annex seminar in Boston. I heard speakers from Donald Trump to Tony Robbins to Robert Kiyosaki (Of Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame). I even heard George Forman. They talked about what makes people successful primarily in the financial arena. And each of them said that our kids were not being taught financial literacy in school.

I have mixed feelings when I hear those comments. I know how hard I worked in the classroom to prepare my students for life. And I know that many other teachers do the same. But since I've also been in the business world for over ten years, I know that the way we teach needs some serious upgrading.

I made some massive changes in my teaching style in the last five years I taught after I began attending the mega business seminars. Nationally recognized speakers need to be highly effective to continuously hold the attention of their large audiences they attract or they're out of business. As teachers we really need to take notice. I know that when I began teaching using some of the technique of speakers...everything changed.

Oh...and by the way Robert Kiyosaki...I do teach financial literacy. I listened when you said we need to teach this in schools and it's been in my course for over 6 years now!

more on this next time....

Secrets of Success: What's good about this job?

What's good about teaching? If you're reading this after an exhausting day at school, you probably can't think of one positive thing.

But there is so much to this extra-ordinary job.

Who else but a teacher (or a parent) gets to experience the pride and happiness I felt a few minutes ago as a former special needs student sat down next to me at the coffee shop that I chose to write in today? He had been a student in my Strategies of Success program when he was a sophomore. He came to class each day with an aide. He was an eager participant as I remember although he had his challenges. And here he was today sitting at my table, telling me he was a freshman in college now!

(He just stopped by again to ask me if I was staying for awhile as he was going home for a bit). I'm so proud of him! I would like to believe that my leadership class which was laden with strategies for creating a life helped him in some small way.

How many other careers leave you with the feeling I have right now?

The man who replaced me in the classroom after I left to share my program worked in the business field for ten years when he realized that he wasn't contributing to changing the world in some way. He's changing it big time now. He's made a name for himself at the high school in hearts of the students that are in his Strategies classes. And I'm proud of him too not only for the extraordinary job he's done following me in the classroom (kids told me that I was irreplaceable...where else do you hear that???). I'm proud of all he's achieved on another level. You see he too was my student...as a little eighth grader many years ago.

I'm lucky now that almost everywhere I go lately, a former student is waiting on me. From Sandi at the Honda dealership to Eliza at the chiropractor to Lauren at Dunkin Donuts, I'm surrounded by people who's lives I helped shape.

I know it often takes years for students to thank you for what you meant to them. Hang in there...you're doing one of the toughest jobs there is....and most of all, let me thank you now for all you do.

One of the world's toughest jobs

I've had a lot of jobs in my life and several careers with a new one developing as I write. But the toughest one I ever had was that of the classroom teacher. I've known this for quite a while but I got a great reminder this week when I guest lectured Monday at my old high school.

I had forgotten how early teachers get up. I had forgotten how the teacher (or the presenter in my case) has to keep changing the pace of the lesson and the style of presenting every ten minutes or so to hold the attention of teeens - teens who are used to the fast pace of IM's, Ipods, the internet and TIVO. I had forgotten how there literally is no time to run to the lav so no drinking tea or water that morning, how hard it is on the voice to talk that long. I had forgotten all the non teaching duties - emails to answer, new grading software that must be updated constantly, student achievement reports from guidance, court, special education professionals, student recommendations - that take away from the reason teachers teach - to share their knowledge and connect with students.

To be honest, I haven't really forgotten (except for the getting up early part) because I only left teaching 2 years ago and part of what I do now is to help teachers connect and engage their students better. I'm glad I got to go back to the subject I created (Strategies of Success) because it's important to support those that use my program and it's important to keep current if I'm going to be sharing my teaching strategies with others.

No one truly understands what anyone else's job is like but many have an opinion about what it's like to be a teacher. I suppose it's because we all sat in front of teachers for years and they made it look easy.

But of all the jobs I've had, teaching is without a doubt the toughest...and the most rewarding.

Telling Students Why

How many times did I hear the question, "When am I ever going to use this?"

I taught math for 25 years before I developed and taught my Strategies of Success program and heard that question more times than I'd like to say. I'm not sure I always had the best answer to that question. Where indeed will some of them ever use the Quadratic Formula? I knew they needed a varied education. At their tender age, they were unaware of all the possible futures that lay ahead of them. But I didn't really understand their need to question until I began teaching my Strategies course.

Kids needs to know. The same two year old who was always asking, "Why is the sky blue? Why do the leaves fall off the trees?" is now the teen wondering why he or she must learn something in class. Other than the occasional wise guy, they truly want to know the meaning and purpose of the things we're asking them to do. And when we tell them as I did in Strategies class or at least told them that they were welcome to ask, it changed everything. They were more accepting of the lessons I presented and more open to the activities I challenged them with.

We adults aren't much different. IKEA, the Swedish furniture store knows that. You can find the answers to our potential questions posted all over the store. "Why are the boxes usually flat?" So they'll be easier to store for them and also for you as you take your items home in your car. "Why are there plants on the roof?" Because they want to help balance the environmental impact of their big box building.

Letting us know the 'why', helps us to understand their viewpoint and gives us a reason to continue the relationship. It helps IKEA build trust with their customers. Students who are privy to knowing why we do what we do are not much different. Open the door to why you teach the way you do and why the different lessons of your subject matter are important and teens will become a partner during the school year you share.

Long time!

It's been way too long since I got a chance to write. I lost my best friend in May and it's been a long hard summer getting back on track. But get on track I must because it's what we teachers do whether we're still in the classroom or not.

My best friend was an amazing teacher - one of the best. She was more than an English teacher. She challenged her students, made them work harder than they ever did before, all while nurturing them and teaching them how good citizens operate in this world. She was always there for them with a caring heart and a stash of candy in the desk drawer for those just before lunch classes with student stomachs growling.

We would always meet students out and about and I was amazed that she not only remembered their names but many more details about their time in her class, the colleges they were thinking of attending, who they were dating. Those former students just glowed knowing that she remembered all that about them.

So as another school year starts, I'd like to hope that many more teachers will take the time to connect with students as she did. Our kids need good adult role models who care about them as people. The world lost an outstanding teacher this summer but we all have the chance every year to start fresh and add some of the secrets of success that made her so great.

Happy school year!

Creating a safe environment that's also fun

I just flew with Southwest Airlines on a flight to Florida. I love this airline. They embody everything I believe about how to do things right in a classroom. They have a serious business - transporting a large group of strangers safely to their destination. We have a serious business - educating a group of children to prepare them for their unknown destinations.

What sets Southwest apart is the way they conduct their serious business. And no one can deny how serious the saftey of flying is in this post 9/11 world. Southwest uses humor and kindness to get their message across. They interact with the passengers as soon as they enter the plane which may help quell the fears of some of the more timid passengers. Same in the classroom. That first day...or even the first few days...are very scary for some kids. A personal kind word at the door...or even a kind look...goes a long way in removing that nervousness.

Throughout the flight, Southwest crew members use humor to convey their very important safety regulations. They are aware that many people don't pay attention to the various safety features of the aircraft. But by having surprises mixed into the content, people hang on the edge of their seats waiting for the antipated comment. "In case of a loss of oxygen, pull down those little margarine cups and place them over your nose..." They're the "LUV" airline! Talk about connection!

Do we have enough surprises mixed into our content? Do our students sit with that look of anticipation on their faces? Mine did when I incorporated these techniques into my teaching. Those eager looks surprised me at first because they didn't have it before I changed my teaching method. I used to own a business that I modeled after Southwest Airlines. Thinking back on my teaching career, I now realize that I modeled my teaching method after Southwest as well.

I'm looking forward to my flight home. Who knows what surprises await me as I take my journey. Let's make our kids feel that same anticipation.

National High Five Day

Anyone who was in my Strategies for Success classes knew that we started each class with a high five. It was fun, it cheered us up, it help us feel connected, it put our bodies into a positive physiology, and it general it just made us feel good. Not a bad way to start a class every day to be sure.

It actually is National High Five Day today. Take a moment today and high five someone to tell them how great they're doing. If high-fiving is a bit to energetic, just share with someone that they're doing a great job. Your words will mean a great deal. Especially a student.

This email is my high five to you...to wish you a great day, to thank you for being part of my life, to celebrate that although there will always be challenges in our lives, there are many successes that we deserve to pay attention to.

So consider yourself high-fived. And pass it on!

Board AB

I heard that people who teach elementary school especially the lower grades have to have a different lesson every 20 minutes. As a high school teacher for many years, I thought how difficult that must be.

In the last ten years though I began to put that idea into practice with teens. Both in my math classes and in the three years that I taught the course I created (Strategies of Success), I began to change things up every 20 minutes or so. I found the variety and change of pace to be really effective.

One strategy that was very effective especially in math (although it could apply to pretty much any discipline) was what I called Board AB. I would name the rows A or B alternately. I would have all the A's go to the board at once (I had boards both in the front and back of the room). I would give a problem and everyone would do it at the same time. B's would get to watch A's and learn from them if they weren't sure how to do the problem, no student felt alone at the board, and I got to find their mistakes and correct them long before a quiz or test. I would do a couple of problems with this set up, then the A's and B's would switch.

This strategy which I developed while teaching hyper 8th grade students worked equally well with honors juniors and seniors who are tired of sitting at the desk all day long.

More on this next time...

Short Attention Spans

Have you noticed that your attention span is not what it used to be? I know I have. I'm not sure why our attentions spans have shrunk so much but it's a widespread situation to be sure. It's obvious if you watch television. They no longer have 60 second commercials. Most are 10 to 15 seconds. Most commercials, entertainment news shows, reality and game shows keep changing the camera angles (why do we want to see things on a tilt??) and the music so that we won't be bored and switch channels. The TV stations are so afraid we're going to forget to watch one of the shows that reminders pop up constantly while we're watching something else not to mention the overwhelming number of promos extoling the virtue of the next television event (when did people guessing what suitcase has a million dollars in it become an event??)

This phenomenon certainly affects teaching. I was trained to talk to my students explaining my subject material while writing on the board. I don't think that works any more. How can we expect a teen with all the challenges they have in their lives and with all the media they're exposed to listen to an adult talk about a subject they're probably not interested in?

More next time.

We need to share ideas

Anyone who has taught for awhile has developed some strategies that work for them in the classroom. The first year of teaching is probably the toughest because although teachers have gone through student teaching, there is nothing like having your own classroom and your own students. That first year is unbelievable because you have no real experience and your training is mostly from the college classroom which is far removed from what's happening in front of you every day. I still can remember how difficult my first year was. I was lucky enough to take over the schedule of someone who had a little more seniority so I didn't get the schedule that newbies often get - the toughest classes. I survived that first year...but barely. I wished colleges had given me some practical advice in handling teens, not just the academic theories.

As we spend more and more time in the classroom, we find techniques that work for us. What we don't often have though is contact with other teachers so we can learn from them and share what we've learned. There are teachers in my school I never had a conversation with although I worked with them for years. What amazing changes we could make if we had the wise advice of fellow professionals! Instead we each reinvent the wheel in our classrooms year after year.

The web and especially blogging now offers a chance to discover and share teaching advice. My hope is that teachers will send me their favorite classroom tip (or several) and that we can learn from each other to make our teaching lives easier, more productive and better for our students.

I'm teaching myself this blog technology so that I can find a way to share what's on here with as many teachers as I can. Tomorrow I'll share one of my secrets in the classroom.

Welcome to the SOS for Teachers Blog

I've created this blog to share some of the ideas I have for improving education in high school in the United States. Teaching is one of the toughest and most important jobs there is. It is getting more and more challenging every day as new technologies make access to teachers more available. Laws are changing that require more and more paperwork and leave less and less time for creating meaningful lessons. Something needs to be done for our kids, our teachers and our schools. No one person has all the answers but I believe I've found a few. My new career is to continue to seek out solutions, secrets of success if you will, and share them with educators in this format and with teens and parents in the other blogs I plan to create.

I am a 28 year veteran of the teaching profession and I'm also a business owner. My experiences both in business and in the classroom have allowed me to discover new ways to teach and new ways to cope with the stresses of the job. Our goal as educators is to help kids and that's always been of primary importance to me. I want to help educators do their job more effectively so that our teens can grow and thrive both in school and out. I also want to support educators (and parents...we're all in this together) as they create the future of our country one classroom and one day at a time.