On Facebook, X and Substack this week, I posted some thoughts that started a LOT of conversation.

“Maybe the most unhealthy thing we teach teachers, is that if the cheap dopamine addicted teens in their room are not brimming with excitement during your class, you are “failing to engage them,” as if students do not bear any responsibility for their own engagement.

This belief causes teachers to seek to gamify instruction, find gimmicks, cut corners, dumb down and reduce the load. But, more tragically, it causes young teachers with potential to be great teachers to give up and change professions.

The reality is that it is not a fair expectation for teachers to compete with “the entertainment value of a cell phone.” With quality instruction, often times, the dopamine hit may take days, or weeks to finally drop. This should be encouraged, supported and reinforced.”

This issue has come up on the channel before. First in my review of the “Anxious Generation” book, and from many concerned colleagues since. In this episode we dive into the colleague conversation, and discuss strategies possible solutions in YOUR classroom!

Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

October Bonus: Fly on the Wall at Literacy PD by Chris Munce

As always, behind the scenes bonuses and extras for paid subscribers!

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and Facebook

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