Repeat After Me...I believe in myself!

I believe in myself!
I am smart!
I am ready to learn.
My work is not too hard!
I can learn ANYTHING!

I believe in you!
You are smart!
You are ready to learn!
Your work is not too hard!
You can learn Anything!
Now get to work!!!

Your students want to know that you have their best interest at heart. They want to know that you are in their corner. Almost everyday my students chant the list above. First to themselves and then to a friend. Ultimately when someone says, "I can't" everyone else reminds them that they can. They remind them that their work is not too hard and they can learn anything.

It is very heartwarming to see the encouragement come from everyone in the room, even when the work is hard and beyond their level of learning. It gives me that opportunity to remind them that their are people in their corner who believe that they are smart and that with a little effort they can accomplish the goal (or least get closer to it).

My students love this activity and will NOT let me forget to do it. In the past, I had a student that was nonverbal and could not say all of the words but would scream "I Be" continuously until we started the chant. All faces light up whenever we do this, including mine.

The students repeat the words so much that they start to believe what they are saying. As a result, their productivity and effort increases. Not only that, they start to see the good in their classmates.

As a teacher, you want to create an environment where mistakes and hurdles are just a part of the learning process. In a world where so many can be so cruel, you can give a child hope, strength, and help to build their self esteem by the words that you say. Don't miss the opportunity to change a child's negative perspective about themselves.

Reach Your Students by Differentiation

As a teacher you want to give students information in a way that enlightens the broadest audience. Many teacher are now using that buzz word "differentiate" to explain this method. You want to give information in a way that your auditory, kinetic, and visual learners can all gain from the experience. To differentiate instruction, the educator will use a variety of strategies and methods to teach students on varying levels of readiness, while actively engaging them in the process.

We all do not learn the same and neither do your students. A short clip, along with reading a paragraph or two that explains the topics, and then doing an activity giving students hands on experience is one of the most effective ways of teaching. You can also incorporate technology to help reach these different types of learners.

This method is often used with students that have special needs because they may not be able to hear or see. It gives them access to the information in a nontraditional way. But that is not the only time it is used. In a general education classroom, you will have varied learning styles where the same methods can be incorporated. Even if you are home schooling more than one child, you want to differentiate.

There is not always time in the day to incorporate all of the methods at once. In those cases, you can follow up the lesson with a learning style not previously used. Students need to learn and retain more information than ever. We must do all that we can to effective present the information and then allow them to experience what they have heard.

Are Your Students Listening?

Have you ever been talking to your child and are completely convinced that they are not listening to you? Only to discover that they can repeat what you said verbatim. My birth children do this to me all the time and it amazes me that while they seemed so disconnected from the world around them, they are in-tune to what is going on.

My students over the years have displayed many of the same qualities and it makes me think that in more ways than one, we do not give them enough credit! They are complex beings with the ability to multitask. We as adults think that they have to be seated just right with their eyes on the speaker, to be engaged and listening to what is to what is going on. This is not always true.

I have taught students that were autistic and all over the place. Just as my birth children could repeat my instruction or tell me about what the pastor said at a church service, my students could explain and identify the topic and/or strategy that I was trying to convey.

I am learning to not require my students to be in their seat hour upon hour everyday. They have a little flexibility to stand if they need to and don't have to keep their eyes continuously on me. There are rules that all must adhere to, but there is room for small adjustments. This again comes back to knowing your students, everyone may not be able to handle the extra liberties. For those that can, meet them where they are, remembering fairness stresses what is best for the individual child. My students and I are learning together what is acceptable and expedient for all parties.

Attitude Makes a Difference

We all have students or people in general that challenge us. It is our attitudes that can make a difference on how we respond to these challenges. As educators we must look beyond our students bad attitudes, moods, rude behaviors, and get to the root or source of the issue in order to effectively teach.

More importantly, we must leave our own issues, bad attitudes, and mood swings on the shelf.  Easier said than done? Maybe, but we must put forth every effort to show our students that they are our most important issue and give them our best. As we give our best, most students will comply and give their best.