All Blog Posts Tagged 'motivation' (24)

250 words on being appreciated as a teacher.

Gift cards, coffee cups, and cookies wrapped in tin

I have been given all of those over and over again

Thank you cards, handmade art, an placards for the wall

As an appreciated teacher I have received them all.

But standing in line at the football game I hear my name called…

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Added by Brian Cleary on April 24, 2015 at 11:28am — No Comments

Authentic Professional Development

The job of the educator can often seem daunting and thankless. We live in the "caves" or our classrooms and spin on our hamster wheels, trying to stay on top of lesson plans, student relationships, our learning environment, grading, and administrative requirements. A huge challenge is finding the necessary and critical time to look out of our caves and both improve our professional skills and take a breath of fresh air. To me, this is the real power of Web 2.0 for the educator. The web…

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Added by Renae Gregg on October 29, 2011 at 2:00pm — 3 Comments

What are you really worth...?

There are lots of things that people love: new car smell, walks on the beach, winning the lottery and most importantly, opening a gas station soda only to find out you won a free soda!

In addition to these most cherished things in our lives, I also really love to be inspired and motivated. Over the last couple weeks there have been two pieces in particular that have so eloquently come together in perfect harmony...…

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Added by Justin Tarte on January 20, 2011 at 1:28am — No Comments

Educators making a difference...

I recently asked principals and administrators across North America one simple question: What do you love about your job? Here are the responses I got...and I must say, they are pretty awesome. Enjoy!

…

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Added by Justin Tarte on December 30, 2010 at 11:54am — No Comments

A small sign of success...celebrate the little victories

I entered the 2010/2011 school year with two goals:

Goal 1 - Try as many new and innovative ideas in my German classes as possible...

Goal 2 - As a Professional Development Representative at my high school, I want to share as many resources and ideas with other…

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Added by Justin Tarte on October 19, 2010 at 6:50pm — No Comments

REBEL - Education Reform Blog - revisit...The factory model does not work for schools...

Tom Whitby has encouraged all education bloggers to write a positive blog on how we should reform the

educational setting. I have decided to revisit a previous post of

mine...

If you have ever walked into a factory that produces a finished good from raw materials, it is frankly an amazing process. Dating back to

the early 1900's, Henry Ford revolutionized…

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Added by Justin Tarte on October 17, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Sometimes we all just need a little time...

This past week at school has been particularly busy, and unfortunately this means not getting to spend a lot of time with my two favorite

girls. Coming home from meetings, training sessions, and classes late

at night are all the perfect ingredients for an exhausted and mentally

drained educator. We all have experienced work weeks like this...work

weeks that never seem to end and never seem to give you a moments… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on October 17, 2010 at 1:58pm — No Comments

Criticism hurts...but how you deal with it is all that matters!

The path to growth and development can be ugly at times. Educators are part of a world that is continually changing and evolving, and as such

we are forced to take a leap, and at times take a leap when we are not

ready. Going through all my undergraduate classes at Mizzou we were

always told how rewarding and fantastic the field of education is, and

from where I sit right now I could not agree more. So...the big

question… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on October 10, 2010 at 8:05pm — No Comments

5 things we can learn from our four-legged friends...

My wife and I have been married for a little under three years, and about a year ago we decided that we wanted

to grow our family. As we discussed the most typical way of growing a

family (a baby), we came to the conclusion that we should start small

before taking the big leap. Last summer we purchased an 8 pound, runt

of the litter, slightly discolored, adorable, and loving yellow lab

puppy.…

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Added by Justin Tarte on October 4, 2010 at 3:18pm — No Comments

Job Satisfaction - The Key to Motivating our Children?

One of the things that most of us strike as parents - or teachers - at some stage or another, is finding a way to motivate our children in one particular area or another.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been spending a lot of time meeting and speaking to homeschool families as we have been promoting the benefits of our online subtitled… Continue

Added by Nicholas Tee on September 27, 2010 at 8:48pm — No Comments

Finding...and taking the road less traveled

I was inspired to write this post after

speaking with a friend and colleague. Over the course of a lifetime and

career we all experience the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows.

So much of what we do in our lives comes back to our goals,

expectations, hopes and dreams. The biggest difference between those

who accomplish their goals and those who do not...are the paths they

choose while developing their vision.…

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Added by Justin Tarte on August 22, 2010 at 10:01am — No Comments

What's my job?

Do you ever wake up in the morning before work and think to yourself, "I

need to find a new job." If you are human the most likely answer is

"yes." Should you feel guilty about this feeling? Should you focus on

the negative parts of your job, and totally ignore any of the positive

parts? I would answer "no" to both of these questions.

As educators we have the luxury

of facing a litany of setbacks and struggles. Yes, I… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:37am — No Comments

Would anybody like some change?

As I often do, I speak with my wife about issues and theories related to

education. Though my wife is not a full time teacher, she does teach

as an adjunct professor at a local community college. Thus, I feel she

is knowledgeable and a worthy audience when discussing educationally

related topics.

Our most recent discussion revolved around how education needs to be

more effective and applicable to the ever changing needs of the student

population. There… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:34am — No Comments

What motivates you, me and students?

As a human being I am inclined to believe that we are self-motivating and self-driven. We yearn to explore and discover as much as possible

about the magnificent world around us. We derive our energy and power

from our self-motivation and drive, and without this ability to discover

and explore on our own, we will most certainly become zombies.

Now, to some people, becoming a zombie… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:27am — No Comments

Teachers...it is time for you to step up...

Educators in America and around the world face a daunting task. Educators are asked to teach every student regardless of their ability,

their desire to learn, and their family or socioeconomic situation. As I

am sure you are aware, education can also be one of the most rewarding

careers in the world. However, in order to be a great educator you must

accept the responsibility of affecting the lives of children. Last

year I read… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:15am — No Comments

7 proven strategies that WILL engage your students...

Over the last 5 years as an educator, I have learned so much about student motivation and student engagement. Recently, I started reflecting on my current practices and strategies I have used to engage

my students over the years. The program I am with has doubled in size

from roughly 140 students to over 280, so I feel confident these

strategies can, and will work.

1. Don't just care...really…

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Added by Justin Tarte on August 8, 2010 at 5:39am — 1 Comment

Is merit pay for teachers best for students?

If you walk into a teacher's lounge, and your goal is to get the teachers really fired up...then ask them how

they feel about merit pay! Teachers across the nation are torn in their

beliefs when it comes to merit pay. For every teacher that supports

merit pay, there is a teacher who firmly disagrees with merit pay.

Educational reform would not be complete without some kind of overhaul

in the way…

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Added by Justin Tarte on August 4, 2010 at 12:06pm — No Comments

Why leading from the middle is the future, and why being compared to a pez dispenser is okay...

As education continues to evolve and change, it is necessary for our educational leaders to adapt and change

as well. All too often we see schools and districts that lead with a

top down approach. Even though this type of leadership has proven to be

successful in certain circumstances, the level of effectiveness drops

off over time and any future potential positive impact dissolves.…

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Added by Justin Tarte on August 4, 2010 at 11:46am — No Comments

Thoughts on Student Motivation

Dan Pink delivered an interesting talk on motivation and the problems associated with extrinsic motivation. According to Pink, research has shown that certain sorts of extrinsic incentives or what Pink refers to as “contingent motivators” actually dull thinking and stifle creativity.MORE...

Added by Shawn Roner on March 15, 2010 at 8:30am — No Comments

A Smile in My Pocket

"What is in your pocket?" I asked Natalie. She had recently discovered the joy of storing small trinkets in her pockets. (I discovered her new habit after a tube of melted Chapstick wrecked havoc on a load of laundry.)

"I only have a smile in my pocket," she replied with a smile and I couldn't help but smile myself.

Sometimes little people have the biggest and best ideas. I'm mean, why shouldn't I keep a smile,…

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Added by Karren Colbert on February 21, 2010 at 11:00pm — No Comments