How To Be An Inspirational Leader

"People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." --Simon Sinek

This is a great TED Talks that breaks down the importance of explaining WHY you do what you do first. This should happen even before explaining how, finally followed by the what. WHAT you're teaching in the classroom loses its significance if students don't know WHY they're learning it. By emphasizing the long-term importance of mastering concepts, students themselves can begin to think in long-term goals. All of you students are going to college. Talk to them and teach them like they are. If you raise your expectations, students will understand they can push themselves to meet the new, raised bar.

If you're looking to be an inspirational leader in the classroom, here is a fantastic video to watch.

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

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Comments

"Find Something Good"

Camika Royal speaks on the challenges and role of teachers in today's education system. This is a powerful, uplifting and, above all, REAL assessment of the current situation. It is also a call to arms, a call for action, that gives me tingles every time I watch it. Her rhythmic syntax and precise diction makes for a wild ride. Her raw observation is a must-see not only for all educators, but all adults who care about the future of America. Watch it. Watch it again. And then watch it a week later when your students frustrate you. Camika Royal: Reflection Click to open in a new tab. To find out more, visit her website here: http://camikaroyal.com

Dig into the School System

This website has test scores, rankings, school and district boundaries, student/teacher ratios, demographics and other useful information for schools in the United States. When drafting your vision for your class this school year, it is important to factor in the external factors of the school's environment. Things like Free and Reduced Lunch rates can help you to determine what's at stake for your students. These factors are not limitations, but they do provide crucial background context so we can better understand our students. SchoolDigger.com Click to open in a new window.

Steps to a Quality Vision

Follow these steps to developing a quality lesson plan. These steps are geared toward literacy competency. No matter your content area, you ARE a literacy teacher. There is a palpable connection between literacy and a career path. I will talk to my students like they are all going to college and therefore all will have to write a college essay. Vocabulary development is key for every subject. In math, literacy helps with word problems, with reading and understanding directions, and for any question that asks students to ‘explain more.’ Literacy is vital for the social sciences for the copious amount of reading it entails, for the required essays and synthesizing skills that are key to understanding the importance of events. Literacy is crucial for science because it is full of new vocabulary terms. Students need to develop the necessary skills to learn and master scientific terminology and can do so through learning an...

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