Learning Starts with Safety: How Classroom Culture Sets the Stage for Growth
Before any real learning can happen, students must feel emotionally safe. They need to know they are seen, valued, and part of something bigger than themselves. That is why the foundation of classroom culture is not content, curriculum, or pacing guides. It is...
The Power of Student Voice: Motivation Strategies That Actually Work
Motivating struggling learners isn’t about bribing them—it’s about knowing them. When students feel seen and understood, they engage differently. They ask questions, take more risks, and begin to believe in their ability to succeed. That’s the power of student...
Why Your Mindset About Student Potential Might Be Holding Them Back
Shift the Mindset, Shift the Outcomes: Why What We Believe About Students Matters Most When we believe students are capable, they start to believe it too. But when they are told, directly or indirectly, that they are “not honors-level material,” something inside them...
Draw It So You’ll Know It – A Teaching Strategy for Visual Learners
Teachers often present information verbally and linguistically. However, many of our students are visual learners. A substantial amount of our brain power is devoted to visual processing. When we add a visual component, a drawing component, to what we are teaching,...