Teach Different

How do we know when self-discipline is in our best interest?

Self-discipline is hard for students. It requires that they shut out distractions, develop routines and exercise impulse control. Authority figures tell students that self-discipline is worth it, that at the end of the day their work will be rewarded. But it doesn’t feel that way sometimes because the pay off is way down the road.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts for a conversation about self-discipline using the Teach Different 3-Step conversation method. 

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image source: Library of Congress 

Is failure necessary for success?

Student success is often determined by achievements, like getting a job, acing a test, or winning a competition. Failure is seen as the opposite of success, and something to avoid at all costs. What if failure is necessary for success? Is it possible that without failure we can't achieve greatness? The relationship between success and failure is a complicated one that students must figure out on their own.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts with Amy Fast, High School principal and author, for a conversation about success and how failure can be an integral part to developing confidence and a sense of purpose.

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image source: Flikr | Yousuf Kars

Should you ever use anger to solve problems?

Students must learn how to solve all kinds of problems. Some problems are academic; others are emotional. Perhaps the hardest problems involve communication and the navigation of complex human relationships. What makes these types of problems even more difficult is that anger often intervenes. Anger is a wild variable that can either diminish or enhance the capacity to find creative solutions.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts for a conversation about anger using the Teach Different 3-Step conversation method. 

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image source: Flickr |  Christophet Michel

How do you know when you should change your values?

Of the many elements of a strong character, none is more important than a person having a strong system of values. A person who has strong values stands for something, has a stable guide for behavior, and prevents him/herself from being taken advantage of. But, if a person is too rigid in their values, then that person becomes resistant to new ideas and opportunities. Developing the appropriate values to meet life's challenges is an enduring pursuit.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts with Naim Sanders, elementary school principal and author, for a conversation about character and when it is important to stay true to our values and when we should reevaluate them in light of new realities.

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image Source: Picryl | Ed Ford | Creative Commons

How do you know when you should change your values?

Of the many components to a strong character, none is more important than a person having a strong system of values. A person who has strong values stands for something, has a stable guide for behavior and prevents him/herself from being taken advantage of. But if a person is too rigid with a value system, then a different problem surfaces--  that person becomes oblivious to new ideas and opportunities to grow. Developing the right character to meet challenges is a life-long challenge.

School leader and author Naim Sanders joins Steve and Dan Fouts for a conversation about character and how important it is to stand for something without losing the willingness to always be learning and re-shaping your values.

How do we know when to give up on change?

We're always telling children that it's important not to complain about things and that it's always better to be part of the solution, rather than the problem. If you don't like your situation, then change it. We also tell children that it's important to know when you can't change things and to accept the world the way it is. In those situations it is our attitude that needs fixing. Knowledge of when to work towards change and when to accept the status quo is a form of wisdom only gained through experience.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts for a conversation about determination using the Teach Different 3-Step conversation method. 

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image source: Flickr | York College ISLGP

What’s the best way to lead a happy life?

When kids talk about strategies for living a happy life, they often talk about goals, like getting a great job or becoming famous. If they reach that goal, then that's clear evidence of success and deep satisfaction for having pursued something to completion. But, what about the relationships we build? They also shape our happiness in a meaningful way. Sorting what makes a person truly happy is challenging work.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts with Emily Poole, third grade teacher, for a conversation about happiness and how depending on people and things may not be our best option for achieving it.

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image: Pixabay | Creative Commons

Can we decide to be free?

Freedom is an often used yet really complex concept. Many consider freedom something that is granted to them, something they don't have to work for. Others see freedom as something denied, and something that must be fought for. These different conceptions of freedom spring from different life experiences which are in turn shaped by a person's gender, race, and ethnicity.

Steve and Dan Fouts are joined by educator John Corcoran to discuss how freedom means different things to different people and how achieving it isn't as easy for some as it is for others.

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image Source: National Archief | Rob Croes | Creative Commons

What makes one person more powerful than another?

We constantly compare ourselves to others, often concluding that they have it much better than we do. We spend much of life idolizing people, and in the process, give them power over us. Yet, what's lost here is the stark truth that other people have just as many insecurities and problems as we do and we probably would do better to focus on ourselves and to recognize the power we have to make the world better.

Join Dan and Steve Fouts with Emir Davis, Director of Black Male Engagement at the Center for Black Educator Development, in a conversation about power in all its forms and why we are so quick to give it to others, or keep it for ourselves.

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image source: Flickr | Virginia DeBolt| Creative Commons 

What is the best way to overcome your enemies?

Enemies have a way of bringing out the worst in us. They make us act and think in mean ways. When we mimic the behaviors of our enemies we get revenge on them and feel a fleeting sense of accomplishment. But, maybe resisting anger is a better way to respond. That way we maintain self-control and draw attention to our enemies' negative behavior, and in the process, preserve our integrity.

Steve and Dan Fouts are joined by educator Anat Hector-Brown to decide what is the best way to get revenge, or whether it's even necessary in order to achieve happiness.

Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

Image source: Pixabay