Motivational Teacher Quotes
Check out these quotes for other occupations:
Check out these quotes for other occupations:
Next year I’ll be going into my sophomore year of high school. Throughout my eleven years of school I’ve had teachers who let us sit with our friends, teachers who assign seating, teachers who have couches for us to sit on, teachers who let us sit on the floor and even teachers who make us sit on the floor (this happened twice; in kindergarten and 8th grade). I’ve had classrooms that were so quiet it was borderline awkward, and then I’ve been in those classes that are so loud other teachers have to come in and tell us to be quiet. You could say I’ve seen it all.
Personally, I’ve always liked free-seating. In my experience, sitting next to my friends, especially at the beginning of the year when I don’t know everyone in my class, puts me at ease and helps me participate more in class. Also, I’ve noticed that the kids who usually are the loudest in the class will talk to anyone sitting near them, friend or not.
The way I see it, if I have to have someone talk my ear off for an hour, I’d rather it were my friend saying something interesting than just another loud classmate. Additionally, I’ve found that friends will find a way to communicate with each other in class even if they are sitting far apart. Once again this is just my opinion, but someone whispering quietly to the person next to them is pretty much always less distracting than someone yelling, waving their arms, and making weird faces to get someone’s attention from across the room.
Despite being against assigned seating, I do admit there are some good arguments for seating charts and teachers choosing the seating. As I said before, I’ve been in many a class that is out of control and often a seating chart can help calm if not completely get rid of distractions. However, these are extreme cases and I feel like the best approach might be what many of my teachers tend to use, which is to reward quieter, on-task classes with free seating and force distracted classes to sit separately from their friends.
Whether or not to have assigned seating should depend on the behavior of the class, giving the students a reason to stay on task. Ultimately, however, it is the teacher’s choice on whether or not a class should have assigned seats. But if you happen to be on the fence about it, my advice would be to let the students choose where they sit.
Donn Harrison doesn’t think of himself as exceptional. He’s a kindergarten teacher at Parkview Elementary School in Cameron, Missouri, where he also volunteers as a firefighter and ambulance driver/ EMT. He says he is just a regular guy who loves his family and his community.
But, millions of Americans think he is much more than that. They voted in droves, helping him win Live! with Kelly and Michael’s Top Teacher of 2015 contest. Donn won new laptop computers for his school, a new car, $20,000 and a Caribbean vacation.
What makes Donn such an amazing teacher and member of his community? California Casualty recently had the privilege of talking with Donn to learn more.
First, Donn said he is humbled by the attention and the prize. “My wife nominated me thinking I might get a mention and a thank you note,” he said. “Then, I got word I was one of 12 finalists. What an honor; it blew my mind to think that I was thought of as one of the 12 best teachers in America!”
Donn was astonished as people left remarks on his Facebook page that they had voted for him and passed the information on to their family members, fellow firefighters, EMTs and others to vote for him too. In fact, he now has more than 10,000 followers.
Donn is a little embarrassed about the notoriety, but he’s thrilled that he can highlight Cameron, Missouri, a small rural town where he said people still help each other and make sure to say hello. He often gets stopped at the store or bank by former students who want to share the latest news about their family, introduce him to their newest baby or thank him for the skills that landed them a new job.
As for teaching, Donn came from humble roots. He and his brother were raised by a single parent mother, who was a teacher. Getting through school wasn’t easy for Donn. “I struggled and had to work hard.” He said he attended summer school so he could continue to the next grade. Somehow the guidance from his mother stuck with him and he decided he wanted to be a teacher himself.
Remembering his educational hardship is what makes him such a great instructor. Donn said he is there for every student, especially the ones that have to work harder to succeed. “I’ve been there, I understand,” he said. “I work hard to make the classroom accommodating for those students so everybody wins. If you care and show interest, kids will do anything for you.”
Donn said if he could offer advice to other teachers and schools it would be this: “Put kids first. Make class work for all kids, especially those with issues,” he said.
Donn’s goal is to remove the stigma associated with being a “special needs” student. Realizing that all children learn differently, he said anyone can reach kids and get more out of them if you work with them. In fact, by integrating a special education co-teacher into the classroom, Donn finds almost every kindergartner that starts the year with an individual education plan is off them by the end of the year.
Oh, a couple last things; Donn is enjoying his new car, and after paying taxes for that and the vacation he and his family will take, he will donate any excess money back to his community. He also wants educators to know that he has been insured with California Casualty for a number of years now, and enjoys the Auto and Home Insurance benefit provided by the NEA. Donn said while the price was one of the initial things that attracted him, the customer service, the human contact and the fact that California Casualty gives back to teachers with programs like the $7,500 School Lounge Makeovers and the $2,500 Academic Award keep him spreading the word to others about the value of the NEA® Auto & Home Insurance Program.
California Casualty is proud to partner with exceptional teachers like Donn. It’s why we work so hard to protect educators who make our communities better by preparing the minds of future generations to come.
We are also thrilled that Donn will be writing about his experiences as an educator and sharing them on our blog. Be looking for more articles soon.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.com.
Technology will always be a double-edged sword, regardless of what it does or where it’s used. This is perhaps no more evident than in the classroom.
While new technologies give students access to more information than any previous generation has ever had, the advance also entails negative effects. As a teacher, it’s important for you to understand the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom and how to maximize the former while diminishing the latter.
Pros of Technology in the Classroom
The benefits of technology in the classroom are numerous. Take a look at some of the top advantages:
Drawbacks of technology in the classroom
Despite plenty of positives of technology in the classroom, there are also a handful of potential negatives. Here’s a look at a few of those:
How to handle technology in the classroom
As a teacher or school administrator, it’s up to you to determine how technology will be handled in the classroom. Although you can’t control everything, there are certain aspects you can influence to achieve a more positive and effective learning environment. By maximizing the advantages and limiting the disadvantages, you can ensure your students are better poised for success.
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Classroom management is one of the central facets of teaching … and often the most difficult. This is especially true for high school teachers, because teenage students tend to be more rebellious and uncooperative.
By understanding the challenges you face and learning to strengthen your classroom management skills, you can promote a healthier learning environment that enables your students to thrive.
Understand your problem
Do you know what the issue is? Why does your classroom get out of hand, and is there something students are taking advantage of?
These are questions you have to ask at the outset. Before you can tackle classroom management, you must take a critical look at yourself and determine the root of the problem.
For example, some teachers struggle with insecurity and aren’t confident enough to command a classroom. This is a major issue and must be dealt with as soon as possible.
Other instructors are people pleasers who don’t ever wish to offend or upset their students. In still other cases, teachers are too confrontational for their own good.
It’s up to you to identify what the issue is. While your students may be part of the problem, it almost always comes back to you in some way or other. If youaddress your issues first, you’ll be readyto implement strategic initiatives to combat poor classroom behavior.
Tips for better classroom management
If you’ve come to terms with your strengths and weaknesses, you’re ready to home in on specific tips and techniques for offsetting challenges and using your assets to manage classroom behavior more effectively.
Here are a few to get you started:
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Whether at the elementary or post-graduate level, teachers everywhere often struggle with facilitating classroom discussion. You may have one or two students who are completely engaged, but too often you catch yourself wishing everyone would share their thoughts for a better overall learning environment.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to encourage meaningful discussion.
Understand the issue
Classroom discussion can be a touchy issue. Some teachers claim they can’t get their classrooms to stop talking and have to work hard to curb side conversations and redirect attention to the subject matter at hand.
Other instructors can’t get their students to talk at all, which becomes frustrating over time and can adversely affect the overall learning environment.
For teachers who have difficulty facilitating conversation in the classroom, it’s vital to get to the root of the problem. In most cases, the source is fear, lack of interest, or an insufficient base of knowledge.
When fear is the issue, students are afraid they’ll be laughed at for their opinion, or embarrassed for stating something incorrectly. This may have more to do with the shyness of the particular student, but you can rectify this by leading a frank conversation about how to respect others’ opinions.
Lack of interest can be combated by making the content more engaging, incorporating more visuals, and avoiding mindless repetition. This is usually the easiest obstacle to overcome, but it can be frustrating for teachers who don’t want to go to the trouble of changing their approach or curriculum.
Finally, a lack of knowledge can lead to a quiet classroom. In other words, the students simply don’t know enough about the topic to offer any valuable insight. This is either a sign that they aren’t doing homework, but it might also suggest the content is too challenging.
Five tips for fostering classroom discussion
Depending on the dynamic of your classroom and the underlying issues, any or all of the following strategies can help you foster better classroom discussion:
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