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The Power of a Teacher
Motivation+Engagement+Rigor=Student Success
May/June, 2014
Greetings!

Today, I'm writing about one of my favorite subjects, the power of teachers.  I've said it before, but I can never say it enough--teachers and leaders make a difference everyday, even when it doesn't feel like it.  In fact, I think on those days we don't feel like we are accomplishing anything that we probably make the most difference.  


Also, as you plan professional development  for next year, please feel free to contact me at (609) 474-4677 or [email protected].  Or, if you know someone in another school or district, please share with them. If you've already been to one of my workshops, my new book, Rigor in Your Classroom: A Rigor Toolkit is a great book study for next year to use as a follow-up!  You can use code RYC20 for a 20% off discount through May 31.


What Teachers Make

by Taylor Mali

I was at a dinner party and another person says the problem with teachers is What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life
was to become a teacher? He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach. I decide to bite my tongue instead of his and resist the temptation to remind the dinner guests that it's also true what they say about lawyers. Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite conversation. I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor. Be honest. What do you make? 
 
You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A-�- feel like a slap in the face. How dare you waste my time

with anything less than your very best. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups. No, you may not ask a question. Why won't I let you go to the bathroom?
Because you're bored. And you don't really have to go to the bathroom, do you? I make parents tremble in fear when I call home: Hi. This is Mr. Mali. I hope I haven't called at a bad time, I just wanted to talk to you about something your son said today. To the biggest bully in the grade, he said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you? It's no big deal." And that was noblest act of courage I have ever seen. I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be. You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder,

I make them question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them read, read, read. I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful

over and over and over again until they will never misspell either one of those words again. I make them show all their work in math and hide it on their final drafts in English. I make them understand that if you've got this, then you follow this, and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you give them this. 

Principal's Perspective

 
How important is motivating teachers to succeed?  It's critical.  As one principal told me, "One of my top jobs is to help my teachers feel like they are making a difference with their students and removing their barriers to success."
 
How can we do this?  By noticing what teachers are doing and telling them how they are making a difference.  You can do this privately with a comment, or publicly by sharing it in front of the faculty.  Also, I've found a handwritten notes makes a world of difference for a teacher.  
 
For more ideas, I recommend a book by a friend of mine, Todd Whitaker:  Motivating and Inspiring Teachers: The Educational Leader's Guide for Building Staff Morale.
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Inspirational Quotes

  

 

"There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fills you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies." 

-- Robert Frost

 

The greatest sign of success for a teacher ... is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I did not exist.'" 

-- Maria Montessori

 

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.

--Albert Einstein

 

I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.

--John Steinbeck

Recommended Resources     





 
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