Dr. Wottawa's Educational Blog

     As teachers, we often feel that we should speak and our students should listen intently to our well-planned lecture.  Reality check, children need to be engaged in a lesson; meaning, that we cannot be boring!  We have to put on a "show" for our students, we have to act excited about the lessons we teach, and we have to act as if we just discovered something new (even though we've done this concept a thousand times) for the first time.      We have to be great actors ( ju st as Rita Pierson had said ) when we are in front of our classroom because our enthusiasm fuels our students' engagement.  I recently have read some of Suzy Pepper Rollins books and she discusses the attention span of children from kindergarten to adulthood; essentially, we all have about a six to twelve minute attention span.  What does that mean for us...  DO NOT BE BORING!  Sounds easy enough; however, in most cases it is not that easy.  When I started teaching I began with a "do now,&

     As a new teacher I recall hearing advice from veteran teachers; "Don't smile until December," "You have to show them who is in charge right from the beginning," or "If you don't show them who's boss on the first day, you'll be in for a very long year."  What an intimidating approach to begin the school year; and this can send the wrong message to our students who come to us with a plethora of backgrounds and situations.  A teacher friend of mine, who just passed at 91 years young, provided me (I think) the best advice when I started teaching (The Three F's), "Be Friendly, Firm, and Fair."      If I became a teacher because I like children, then I should greet them with a smile in the morning each and every day (or each and every period) to let them know that they can speak with me, make mistakes with me, and grow with me.  As Rita Pierson says, "kids don't learn from people they don't like."   Being a f