Since the advent of the smart phone, interest in acquiring academic skill and knowledge has dwindled. This is undeniably true. Kids spend hour upon hour scrolling hits of dopamine and it’s crushed their desire to learn. Even worse, once their phones are put away … Read more
The importance of having high expectations for students is thrown about so often that it’s lost any real meaning. It rolls off the tongue like a royal decree. “Thou maketh high expectations!” On cue, everyone nods along—Oh yes, yes, so important—while afraid to ask … Read more
The culture of teaching demands that you correct every wrong answer for every student for every assignment AND ensure they understand what they did wrong. It’s on you. This is, of course, time-consuming. It’s also stressful and frustrating given that most students don’t seem … Read more
When a student misbehaves, giving them a reminder or otherwise letting them off the hook can feel like the right thing to do. Because we’re compassionate. Students have a history. Some have been through a lot. Mistakes happen and we want to believe they’ll … Read more
There is one thing you can do right now that will . . . improve behavior lower your stress build better rapport save time In other words, make teaching more fun and effective. Here at SCM we’ve been shouting this strategy from the rooftops … Read more
This time of year it isn’t uncommon for students to become particularly uninspired. It’s the same-old/same-old syndrome. Every day feels like the one before and motivation ratchets downward. Some simple things you can do to help reverse the trend include: changing up your seating … Read more
Many years ago I read The Adventures of Robin Hood aloud to my 5th grade class. One day in the middle of teaching an unrelated lesson a student yelled out “Hey, when are we gonna read Peter Pan?” It was funny. The entire class … Read more
At first glance, the answer just might be yes. It makes sense, right? A student misbehaves and you give them a hand signal letting them know which rule was broken and the consequence. The benefits are: It’s quiet. It’s quick. It’s discreet. It’s respectful. … Read more