The Classroom

I know I keep referring to my first principal, Bill Drake, in a lot of my writings. The man had a profound effect on me. His motto of “Teach as you would like to have been taught” is the foundation for most of my educational beliefs. It’s a concept I had already subscribed too long before I met Bill, but to hear him say it and reinforce that belief was what I needed at the time.

So how did I like to be taught? How did you like to be taught? How do we know? The answer is simple. Think of your favourite teacher – and what made them so. It’s what I did. I’ve based my entire teaching practices upon what I can remember of my grade 5 teacher, Mr. Glance. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m one of those bloggers who loves to check his stats. I look at them all the time. I like to see where people who view my site are from, what pages they look at, and what brings them to my blog in the first place. It never ceases to amaze me however, that people from all over the world are drawn to my site on a routine basis due to the same keyword search: “What makes a good teacher?”

Now I actually find that funny, as I only ever did one post on the subject, and with the exception of the four initial comments, no one has ever decided to add their voice to the discussion. But I get many hits each week with people looking for the answer. Sorry folks, there is no right answer. Everybody learns differently, and so a good teacher is different for each student. That’s not to say that there aren’t some commonalities that can be found in most good teachers, but we have to remember that “it takes different strokes to move the world”.

Knowing that it takes many different types of teachers to reach the many different types of students, I have to ask – what exactly is it that teachers do? Why are we here? Read the rest of this entry »

Almost 10 years ago a spoken song from a Baz Lurman Album, Something For Everybody, was all the rage. “Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen)” told us of the value of taking time for ourselves and staying positive in life. Good advice comes at us from many places and at many points in our lives. I remember being a first year teacher – fresh out of an internship in a Behaviour Assistance program and rewriting the lyrics of “Everybody’s Free” for some student teachers who I had befriended, and who were having a hard time. I don’t know if that helped any of them, I mean really, what did I know – I was barely out of my teaching diapers myself – but I still give that reworked song to each student teacher I get. Read the rest of this entry »

I love stand up comedians. I think that’s why I let class clowns get away with so much. As long as they know when to stop (I know, that rarely happens…) I let the jokes fly. I was once told by a very concerned Librarian that my class couldn’t be learning anything. They were laughing too much. I took that as a complement.

I often considered trying my own hand at stand up – but I know I don’t have the gift for it. But if I did – this would be one of my first bits – it’s funny because it’s true. Read the rest of this entry »

Ok – I’ve been trying to avoid the technology stuff on this site as much as possible, because that’s not what I’m all about. It’s what I’m best known for – but it’s only the tip of the iceberg of what I use in my classroom. A very large tip perhaps, but just the tip.

Like most teachers I teach my students, not the curriculum. I teach people, not technology. I mean technology is just a tool. A pencil is a piece of technology. One we use all the time, but you don’t hear a kindergarten teacher say I teach the pencil, and when they’re ready I’m going to teach the eraser! It’s just a tool to help students master the world around them. To interact with those near and far and to make their mark on the world.

I tell my students I teach because I want to live to be 300. I figure that’s a great age. To reach my goal I need people who will make huge advancements in medical science, who will make sure the food I eat is safe, those who can build a home that won’t fall on my head, and make sure the economy runs smoothly so I can afford to buy a new car every once and a while, and people to make sure the world is a peaceful place for my family and I. That’s not much to ask is it? Read the rest of this entry »