Paging Dr. Scott

As a consultant and academic coach, Dr. Scott has heard it all. In this episode, she reflects on a teacher complaint that he “Can’t do 20 things at once.” Many classrooms have taken on the appearance of a living room where students let themselves in and make themselves at home. In such an environment, students decide the agenda, seating arrangements, meals and level of socialization.

Dr. Scott distinguishes between a “home” environment and a classroom environment conducive to learning. A lackadaisical classroom environment opens the door to bullying, distractions, learning gaps, sub-par instruction, roaming, revolving-door entry and exit (bathroom, snacks, daily visits to the clinic, water fountain, etc.).

Sadly, conscientious, well-behaved students often pay the price for the students who are late, off task, on vacation in the back of the classroom or on a date in the corner. Dr. Scott advises there should be systems in place for every movement, stemming from a consistent routine established on Day One. Without it, we are inadvertently honing a student's ability to distract the leader in the room. Bottom line: “If you’re not doing many of the right things at once, you are not teaching.”

Have you ever felt bombarded with a litany of tasks handed down from your administration or, worse, your district leadership? Leaving you wondering how you will complete it all and still teach? What about the realization that your kiddos aren’t prepared with the foundational knowledge they need to be successful in your classroom? It makes the concept of Gradual Release of Responsibility a lofty goal, doesn’t it? When all you have is 45 minutes to teach 25 kids, is there enough time to reteach as well as teach? Dr. Scott says, "Yes!" It will take strategy and intention, but it can be done.

As educators and leaders in secondary public schools, we all share a common goal: helping our students achieve academic success. However, the path to success is not always smooth. Many students face barriers that can prevent them from reaching their full potential. On this Teaching Tuesday, Dr. Scott explores seven key obstacles that stand in the way of academic achievement and discusses how they impact our learners. Listen in to better understand these challenges and consider steps we can take to support our students

Have you ever had a change of heart about a person? Not based on your personal experience, but the experience and judgement of someone else? Was it warranted? How do you know?

In this episode of Teacher Tuesday, we tackle the elephant in the room: procrastination.

Believe it or not, procrastination is arguably the #1 cause of teacher disorganization and classroom chaos. It's difficult to trace it back to procrastination, but it really is the evil twin to a classroom conducive to learning. Dr. Scott walks us through ways to combat this to make life, instruction and learning a lot easier. Let's start at the very beginning, shall we?

Parental Discretion is Advised

The realization that women are still misinformed about feminine hygiene came as shock to Dr. Scott. Myth: It is impossible to clean the entire body and rid it of "certain" odors. Fact: With proper diet, cleansing practices and basic knowledge of female anatomy, body odor can (and should) be a thing of the past. Let's find out how!

Note: Pressure washing, as used in this episode, means "to give the body and its parts a thorough yet gentle cleansing to ensure optimal health."

We all know the #1 rule to establishing rules: Keep it to a minimum, ideally 3-5 rules for a classroom. Dr. Scott and her students broke that rule one year and it was the most productive and successful year her students experienced. In business, strategic planning (SP) is the norm. It is systematic, intentional, collaborative and time sensitive. Dr. Scott adopted SP strategies to create classroom rules everyone could live with. Listen in!

If you thought students of the past were the experts at classroom disruption and teacher manipulation, this new generation of kiddos has mastered the art. From trips to the bathroom to lying on the floor during instruction, students all over the country are winning the battle for control of classroom time and space. Dr. Scott is putting her foot down. No more Mrs. Nice Guy!

Wellness Wednesday: When it comes to mental health, there is still the stigma and shame people can't help feeling when life starts life-ing. Listen as Dr. Scott reminds us that no one is immune from the challenges of the unexpected. You are not alone. 

In this episode, Dr. Scott laments the role she played in rewriting chapters of her life that should have been sealed and classified. She weaves three stories into one, dropping a bit of science to help men understand how their minds work when it comes to women, desires, sex and the inability of many men to know where to draw the line. This episode will help you understand why men can find themselves blurring the lines between friendship and uninvited courtship. Why women find themselves mastering the art of rejection. And signs to look for to cut this cat-and-mouse game short, especially at his big age.