Teach Different

What is the best way to overcome our fears?

Fear is a force that can be debilitating for kids and adults alike. Fear obstructs clear thinking and fuels anxiety in a way that makes it hard to work and be successful at anything. Uncertainty is often behind our fears. When we don’t know what to do, we become afraid of what the future has in store for us. Yet, sometimes knowing what to do actually inspires our fear. Successful management of our fears is a life-long challenge.

Join Dan and Steve Fouts with Shaun Moriarty for a memorable conversation about fear.

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: Wikimedia

Can we really make a difference in the world.

When students are told they can change the world, many don't believe it. They think making the world a better place is for the people who are in power, not the average person, but doing small things can make a big difference.  What a person does in the classroom at his/her school, or in the community, can provide the soil for real change. It's hard work and it requires patience, hope, and faith in the future - virtues that can be difficult to cultivate.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts with Karina Isley and Danielle Durbin for a memorable discussion about Anne Frank and civic engagement.

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 | Greger Ravik

Should we strive for perfection?

So many of our students feel pressure to be the perfect athlete, student, or friend. This feeling is accompanied by a pervasive fear of failure and the possibility that they might let others down. When we fall short of perfection, students have important decisions to make about whether to keep pursuing it or be okay with something less. The decisions they make shape their sense of self-worth and draw the contours of their relationships.

Join Dan and Steve Fouts for a conversation about achievement using the Teach Different 3-Step 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: Wikimedia Commons

Do you have to go through bad experiences to be a strong person?

Everybody experiences struggle. Sometimes the struggle ends up making the person more self-confident, stronger and better able to move forward to the next challenge. But other times adversity breeds fear and inaction. Every struggle is an opportunity for students to make an ethical choice on how to respond in a way that helps them cope with the challenges they will face.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts for a conversation about education 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: Pixabay

How do we know when to trust other people?

Trust requires that you must set aside your feelings of suspicion and agree to work with people in good faith. Sometimes trust is difficult to attain, yet to live and solve problems with other people, we need to trust them. Trusting others will sometimes lead us into grim disappointment, but it can also restore our faith in people. Trust is a skill and must be practiced over time to see and reap its benefits.

Join Dan and Steve Fouts for a conversation on trust using the Teach Different 3-Step 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: Wikimedia | Ritva Bäckman | Creative Commons

Do you have influence over the world?

Students are in the midst of figuring out who they are and how they can influence the world. Some feel helpless because it seems that they were born into a difficult situation or have experienced an unfair share of pain and heartache. Others feel almost superhuman and think they have the power to change anything they want. The truth of self-determination is really a lifelong mystery to solve.

Join Dan and Steve Fouts for a conversation on self-determination using the Teach Different 3-Step 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: Wikimedia | Angela Radulescu

Is sacrificing yourself for others always the right thing to do?

Sacrifice requires that we do things today that don’t have immediate benefits for ourselves; but help others instead. Students have generous hearts but, for the most part, are focused on their own successes and sometimes resist the moral obligation to sacrifice for others.

Join Steve and Dan Fouts for a conversation about sacrifice 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: Pixabay

What is the best way to raise your self esteem?

All students know at some level what it feels like to be humiliated. When this happens, the person who is hurt has a decision to make, he/she can either buy into the criticism and be made to feel small and insignificant or he/she can resist feelings of inferiority and defeat the criticism through positive thinking. It takes energy to build and maintain a strong self-esteem in the midst of criticism and humiliation, but it's energy well spent and leads to the development of a strong character.

Join teachers Dan and Steve Fouts for a conversation on self-esteem using the Teach Different 3-Step 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: Wikimedia | Creative Commons

What's the best way to deal with negative people?

Negative people are everywhere, in the classroom, at home, or at the workplace. We often feel trapped and forced to be patient with people who bring us down. Sometimes we have the option of fleeing these situations, especially when negativity turns to hate. Escape from negative people can preserve our integrity and save our energies for people who bring out the best in us. Making smart choices about the people with whom we associate is really important for our chances for happiness.

This podcast explores the nature of loyalty and the struggle that everyone has in knowing when and if they should let go of the people who are bringing them down.

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: Wikimedia | Ron Kroon

Does a confident mindset guarantee success?

There's no denying that confidence plays a role in success. What's harder to determine is just what kind of role. Some say that a confident mindset going into a task is the most important ingredient for success. Others say the only way to be confident is to actually achieve something first. Students must determine for themselves how to gain confidence in a way that supports their happiness and positive sense of self-worth.

Join us for a conversation with Marcus Garvey around the quote "With confidence, you have won before you have started." We will break down the claim, counterclaim and essential question for the quote using Teach Different's 3-Step Conversation Method and you'll have a model to work with to introduce the conversation to your students.

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 free images