While I was on vacation up north, I read Rafe Esquith's, "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire" and loved it. Even though he teaches 5th grade, I still jotted down notes on things I want to explore and think about later on for my high schoolers. Some things that resonated with me (that my tired brain can remember while my lazy body does not want to go upstairs to retrieve my 4 pages of notes):
* don't settle for mediocre
* incorporate art somehow into your curriculum
* teach manners and behavior (he lists 6 levels and has his kids strive for the highest) ***
* assign short term (1 week) and long term (1 month) projects consistently to teach time management (hmmm, this one I'd have to think how to manage and teach)
*** (the levels came from another book and were of the effect:
1. I behave because I don't want to get in trouble
2. I behave because I want a reward
3. I behave because I want to please someone
4. I behave because I follow rules
5. I behave because I have empathy for others
6. I behave because I have my own moral compass and want to do the right thing because it IS the right thing
There's much more, and it was an inspiring read.
I tore through it a few months ago, and took quite a bit away from it. Recently, I got a documentary entitled "The Hobart Shakespeareans" from Netflix and it is a great companion piece to the books. Many of the students and parents get to tell their stories in their own words. It is about an hour long and well worth it.
ReplyDeleteTony,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. I'll put it on my queue. He just sounds so inspiring, and his teaching/attitude is something to keep in my mind for those days when things aren't going so well.
Ms. Cookie