When Teaching Gets Tough

I'm posting my favorite quotes from the ASCD member book, When Teaching Gets Tough: Smart Ways to Reclaim Your Game by Allen N. Mendler.

The best way to learn responsibility is to practice making choices and decisions, and then experiencing the consequences of those decisions.

BEEP: belief, energy, emotion, passion

Changing behaviors is almost always very difficult.

How can I make this person's life better?

Get better than you were yesterday.
How did you get better than you were yesterday?

You can't control what the pitcher throws, but you can practice hitting different pitches.

Give class time for students to catch up on old assignments. If students are not behind, they can earn extra credit for helping students who are.

Readiness for change is usually promoted by asking for small things first. When seeking change, it is sometimes necessary to be satisfied with singles because home runs are a lot harder to hit.

If you make people look good, then they will make you look good.

Don't change your dream, change your strategy.

Your brain releases endorphins when you smile, whether you mean it or not.

Being mindful means paying attention to the experience you are having without trying to change it.

Because we might not always recognize a moment of importance to somebody else, make it a point to say or do something appreciative when someone does something thoughtful.

The key to moving on to step into the emotion rather than running away from it.