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Insert idea/activity/strategy/story here

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I taught a girls fitness course. My first week crashed and burned (weight training was the focus). When I took a step back to ask the girls about their goals and how I could best prepare them, I shifted our curriculum to “getting ready for summer” with yoga, Pilates, body-weight exercises, self-esteem, positive body image, nutrition, and stretching.

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I observed a teacher bring to light the beauty of Shakespearean prose by highlighting a specific couple of stanzas and articulating how it was different and beautiful—the imagery, play of language, and emotion evoked through vivid words. It inspired a new appreciation for Shakespeare in her students.

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I’m the movie Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating stands on a desk in reciting a poem.

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I’ve had a few “Dead Poet Society” moments over the years…powerful!!

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Games, silliness, goofy, joking in the classroom. Navigating the seriousness/importance of education with the joy of learning!

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Interweave "Utility" with "Enjoyment" and "Beauty" regularly; don't just say "we're doing it because we have to", "you'll thank me later", etc.

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Create a social media page and timeline to present the learning of a historical figure's biography

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Constantly update materials (news, studies, etc.) that reflects the present world. Ergo, teachers must use a LOT of time to update lessons each year for relevance.

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Relating what you are doing in class to the real world. Making a connection to something that is important to the students.

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Have students explore other ideas to help inspire their own.

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Group “games” (contests) (with whiteboards, i.e.) prior to summative assessments provide most students the chance to review/re-learn material in a fun-filled sometimes fast-paced manner to bring joy into the classroom setting.

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Coming up with funny names for activities they might not enjoy as much. For example, for sight singing exercises, when students say solfège in time, they sound like zombies. So instead of saying, “let’s say the solfège in time,” I call it “zombie version” so they acknowledge and enjoy the weirdness of what we’re doing and that it does benefit their skills.

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Adapting the content/lesson to make it accessible to all students.

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Encourage learners to slow down and look at the world and the people in it. See the beauty and take that inspiration into something that others can enjoy

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Half way through the semester retaking the scores for the workouts and showing them the improvements/gains of the hard work they have been putting in

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Find a way to work with other departments during same time period. For example, simultaneously teach topics (same grade level) in same time period: Harlem Renaissance (English/modernism) and Progressive era (social studies).

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Throughout the year, I continually stress how the study of literature, communication, analysis, persuasion, and creative thinking could and will translate to life after high schoo. For example, the ability to communicate confidently could lead to landing key job opportunities later in life.

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When I hear, "When am I ever going to use <fill in the blank>?" I try to redirect away from the specific content (slope, solving equations, etc..) and say that it is much more about training our minds to use information we know to solve problems in life, about anything.

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Seeing the students working together and not always being with the same people.

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Hands-on projects and simulations that are applicable to life. Mock-interviews, resume building, doing taxes. Always have a clear objective throughout the work as well. Give real-world examples.

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I try to give students multiple pathways in a lesson. "Here is an article to read, you can watch this video that explains, we can discuss in a small group, etc." Similarly, students could take a written test or complete a project. I've seen choice create buy in.

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Encouraging students to not compare themselves to others. But how?

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Allowing a choice: what is the next unit

How do you want to show your understanding (test/project)

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Give student choice when creating work or give options.

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Showing the current year's average reading quiz scores as compared to previous years, especially the previous years who scored really well on the AP exam.

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Math will allow them to be in control of their finances by understanding the best way to save money, invest their money, and spend their money

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It helps you grow intellectually and socially. It helps you establish better sleep habits. It helps you understand others.

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I leverage students' desire to not appear silly and/or ignorant in front of their peers in high-stakes verbal situations, such as Socratic circles. This results in elevated results.

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Assign exercises and then simply post an answer key, trusting students to attempt the activity and then check their own answers, without grading them on the assignment.

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Change up class assignments, projects, and tests. Keep things fresh and exciting. Although, routine is important so there is an art to knowing when to change things up

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Would you even like to be in your own class if you were a teenager?

What did your school-aged friends like about admired teachers when you were attending school?

If you were a high achiever, think about a friend who was an average student. What did they like about their teachers?

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I have always approached these subject matters by stressing to my students that there is “art” and “science” involved… creativity is a word all of my students hear every class every week… helping them to see the value in “there is no such thing as a bad idea.”

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My content is simple in terms of depth, but I try to take those simpler concepts and let students speak about their own lives as students enjoy that. We might talk about hobbies with a 4 corners, do a live Guess Who describing themselves, giving opinions about teachers and class, sharing which foods they like or dislike, etc." If I can get them talking about themselves, I usually see buy in.

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Be prepared to do something completely unexpected. Move class outside/relocate for a class period, make yourself vulnerable by talking about things in your life they can relate to external to the specific content area (e.g. an English teacher discussing their experience at the auto shop for 5 minutes as a segue into or setup for the lesson).

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A teacher's attitude greatly impacts the student's. Students will pick up on your vibe and reflect the same.

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Small groups working together and ultimately presenting findings to the class. Presenting this as "flipping the class" and "you're teaching the class" your concept, increases quality, sense of responsibility, and engagement.

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Students made a playlist of Songs that represented the Age of Revolutions & Absolutism in World History.

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Sharing a lot of real-life stories as applicable examples of various concepts or theories taught in class.

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When weather allows, I conduct Socratic circles outside, as well as creative journal writing, and poetry scavenger hunts. Any chance to get students moving and in the outdoors improves attitude and engagement.

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Make modern day connections/analogies for things (e.g. Boston Tea Party -> Tariffs, French Revolution-> Luigi Mangione, Harlem Renaissance poetry-> evolution of Hip Hop, Euclidean Geometry-> big new skyscrapers) so that the full richness of the concept is appreciated, not just the terminology, names, dates, "school stuff", etc.

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Project Based Learning for things that don't usually get the PBL treatment (ex. grammar instruction, caste system, etc.)