Teaching Thoughts Week 16

It’s almost Christmas vacation. I know this week is never easy. Many students are ready to check out with vacation looming so close; other students are dreading not having the consistency of school in their lives for 8 days.  I strive to slow down during this time and just be there for my students. It sounds simple, I know, but it isn’t. I’ve already had students text me about loved ones entering hospice care or having to pick up extra shifts at work to help out with the added costs of the holiday. I always refer back to something I picked up from Dave Ramsey: one day you will want grace. The best way to get it? Give others grace.

I think that’s excellent advice for the next few weeks.

Inside the teaching thoughts for week 16 you’ll find –

Book review – One of the best books you’ll read: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. This explores not just how we build habits, but it also looks at how advertising and products strive to manipulate us. A few years ago, one of my students was reading this for her Sticky-Note book report. She put a note at the end that read, “After reading this I feel like I’m part of a special group that only gets to know this.” How cool!

Teaching Thoughts – one of my favorites is tip #70: do the extra. If you go out of your way to make someone feel special or important, whether that’s a colleague, peer, student, or employee, how can you go wrong?

Where are they Now? This week I feature one of my favorite former students, Brittany Kasprick. I have so many good memories of Brittany that I could write ten pages on them all. She was the only student ever to jump three straight times while watching the Ben Gardner boat scene in Jaws. And that included once without the sound! She always brought such energy and passion to class. She had the patience of a saint when she was my son’s t-ball coach. And now she is living the dream as an elementary school teacher. I am so proud to hear what she has to say about the profession.

Podcast of the Week – A fireside chat on personal growth.  I know. ‘personal growth’ has some negative connotations with the whole ‘self help’ movement. I get it. It’s easy to be snide and cynical. But this is what I always come back to: who is going to make me better? No one. That all falls on me. If I’m not getting better, then I slip toward average. And I can’t think of anything worse than that.

Thoughts from Twitter – Check this section out as it has a lot of great thoughts. My favorite one is that last Tweet.

Bonus content – speaking of professional development, this is a list compiled by Entreleadership of the very best books on professional development and leadership. Just in time for Christmas too!

If you have ready any of them, let me know! I’m always on the lookout for new books.