Category: Teacher Skills

  • Reusing the Toilet Paper: The Mess We Make When We Assume Prior Knowledge

    Several months ago, our family took a trip to St. Louis. We stayed in a magical historic home in a small town on the outskirts of the city. All of us were excited to explore the nooks and crannies of the old house, but our two foster boys (ages 8 and 10) were totally floored…

  • Children Only Have One Childhood, So Don’t Give Them The Grown-Up Jobs

    The day we bought our house in Missouri, I was the worst version of myself. Half of my family was still packing up our big, beautiful, wonderful house in Arkansas. The house where we had loved so many “bonus kids.” The house where we made a magical garden and built a beehive and hosted pizza…

  • Funny or Not Funny–A Lesson in Unconditional Positive Regard

    Today during my planning time at school, I found myself reflecting on the concept of unconditional positive regard. This is a prerequisite for forming relationships with students (and all people, really) who don’t strike you right away as super likable. It’s a mind over matter thing. We are teaching professionals. We’ll make ourselves like you,…

  • An Epiphany at the Widows’ Brunch

    This morning, Meg and I attended a brunch for widows hosted by our church’s deacons. “Youtube stars” that we are, we were invited to come as the entertainment. Our set list included several folk songs that I teach in the classroom along with a few songs my Nickelodeon Choir learned for our 1970s-themed show several…

  • Life With Puppets, Part 2: Lower the Affective Filter and Make Boring Jobs Fun!

    Most days in my classroom, effective teaching involves performance art. I’ve been doing a certain little schtick for years. The objective is to teach the children a simple song called “Hop, Old Squirrel,” a mi-re-do song, so that they can eventually sing it individually and maintain the tonality. (This can take years for some kids,…

  • Life with Puppets, Part 1

    As I look back on my career in education, the years can be divided into two distinct eras: B.P. (Before Puppets) and A. P. (After Puppets). In the Before Puppets era of my teacher life, I did all the jobs myself. That was hard work. I cajoled and scolded reluctant kids into participating in the…

  • Gus and His Amygdala

    If you navigate the education or foster parenting world long enough, you are bound to attend a training that incorporates the concept of “flipping your lid,” or a phrase with a similar meaning. This happens when some threat (real or perceived) triggers the amygdala, and intense feelings of fear or anger take over, resulting in…

  • Knowledge of Students: Why Context Matters

    When my family spent seven years living in Arkansas, there were two 4-year universities with thriving music education programs in our town. I frequently interacted with students from those degree programs. They were constant observers in my classroom, and I often paused during lessons to offer commentary on what they were observing. I trained many…