The ABC's High School Teachers Really Need to Know

Watching others teach is the number one way to grow as an education professional.  Unfortunately. too many teachers and administrators fail to make it a priority.  If you don't observe others, you miss out on valuable perspective, ideas, and growth.  You also inevitably underserve your students.  

Please stop judging teachers for working at night or whenever they are able to find time to be creative, innovative, productive, or anything else.  Stop expecting teachers to think the same, act the same, or lead their classrooms the same.  Collaborate without strings attached.  Teachers have to be at their best as often as they can.  If that means grading papers and fighting fires at 11pm for you, then great!  If that means responding to emails as you eat your eggs with the sunrise for you, then great!  Just don't expect me to have to do it too.  Don't preach individuality in the classroom and then put teachers in a box.  

For educators, a few things in this world are certain - death, taxes, and the undeniable teacher truths mentioned in this week's episode.  Remember, as an educator, you are never alone.  Connect and collaborate with the amazing people in our field.  In addition to making you better at your job, it will also help you find support.  

It's hard to believe, but this week we are celebrating 150 episodes!  Thank you for making this journey so special!  We have thousands of listeners from six continents, many of which have been with the podcast for years, all working to find support, collaboration, and better ways to serve our students.  You are superheroes!  This week, we continue with a discussion of the importance of "backwards" design.  The backwards design framework will help you improve your lessons and generate student mastery of content.  

School soap operas are a real thing, and effective teachers know how to minimize their involvement.  This episode will discuss some crucial strategies that will help you be happier AND more effective as an educator in today's world.  It's time to reduce the drama!

Students have changed, along with the rest of the world.  Effective teachers don't complain - they adjust.  We have to continue to work hard to reel students back into our lessons and process.  Even better, let's not lose them at all.  This episode will offer up some crucial strategies on how to do just that.  

Stop giving zeroes for assignments, awarding bonus points for non-content, increasing grades as part of class "curves," providing extra credit to "help" grades, and all other practices that distort or misreport a student's level of mastery.  Effective teachers know that grades should reflect mastery.  They also know that it's better to barter behavior with privileges, not points.  Grade inflation, reduced student effort, and academic misconduct have reached epidemic levels in our society.  Be a part of the solution and not the problem.

Students cycle through several academic and developmental transitions in their K-12 journey.  Effective teachers know that we have to prioritize supporting them through these transitions, particularly academically.  We have to build academic soft skills, be intentional about bridging gaps, give clear feedback based on mastery, and set clear expectations.  We can't  simply say "the best of luck" or set up false impressions of academic performance.  These things can cause significant damage to students in high school.  

Effective teachers realize that underperformance is easier than putting the effort in to find success - this is the magnet at the bottom.  This magnet affects your classroom in a big way.  Start developing a "+1 mentality" and help your students develop both motivation and academic stamina.  

Students and classrooms have changed in some key ways.  I'd encourage you not to waste too much energy reminiscing about the past.  Instead, use that energy to help the students of today.  The experience you have as an educator, student, and/or parent offers perspective and leadership.  Use that experience and influence to model successful strategies and shape powerful classroom experiences.  Effective teachers always adjust, adopt, and grow.