Talk less and involve with students more. The more you make your class interactive and the more that you utilize technology, the more your students will enjoy what they are learning.

How do you keep your class interesting?

If you’re a teacher, then these phrases will definitely sound familiar. Let’s discuss some of the most common questions, statements, and excuses that teachers hear on a daily basis.

For those considering a career in teaching, there are a number of potential motivators. Teaching can be a challenging profession, but there are numerous benefits to this career. Some feel a calling to impact the lives of students, while others are drawn to teaching for the ability to make a difference in the education system at large. So why teach?

Most people believe that students do better in well-funded schools and that public education should provide a level playing field for all children. Nearly half of the funding for public schools in the United States, however, is provided through local taxes, generating large differences in funding between wealthy and impoverished communities (National Center for Education Statistics, 2000a). Efforts to reduce these disparities have provoked controversy and resistance.

Educator’s need to have fun. On this week’s episode we focus on teachers having fun outside of work.

Due to the recognition that standardized tests can play a unique role in understanding student learning outcomes, schools have introduced more such tests in recent years. Although the goal of these additional assessments is to help students, it has sometimes had the unintended outcome of creating student fatigue, practice effects, and false positives in test results. Although some tests will always be needed in schools, too many tests can create problems. 

Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy?

If you are tired of dealing with negative student behaviors day in and day out, you are not alone—in fact, you are firmly in the center of the average educator’s experience. Still, managing difficult student behaviors eventually sucks the energy from most educators, no matter how talented or experienced. Which leads us to the story which inspired this Podcast Episode.

A teacher and student at a southeast Los Angeles, California, high school came to blows Friday afternoon, and it was all caught on video. The footage shows Maywood Academy High School music teacher Marston Riley, 64, standing face to face with a 14-year-old boy at the front of a classroom when Riley punches him. It's at this point the two begin exchanging punches. The boy wound up on the ground wrapping his arms around Riley's leg. Riley, at this point, repeatedly punches him. The boy, who has not been identified, was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for moderate injuries and later released, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Riley was arrested on charges of child abuse, the release said.

Suffice to say that you’re lucky if you score a date with a single educator. There are so many good qualities that an educator has that will shine through if you make it far enough to start actually dating. Congratulations, because in many ways, you’ve hit the relationship jackpot.

Coordinated research and practice efforts that effectively address and prevent violence among youths and in school spaces are urgently needed. Keeping schools safe must be a national educational and public health priority.