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John Waddey is a public speaker. He is an editor and the author of 50 books. He has traveled and spoken in 23 foreign nations. He is the father of four children.
The school year is underway. A new class of students sits before you. You are a stranger to them as they are to you. Effective teaching demands more than two nameless, faceless bodies opposite each other. Your students need to know enough about you to conclude that you are a person in whom they...
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A few years ago Rick Warren wrote a book called The Purpose Driven Life. It quickly became a best seller. His thesis was that success and happiness come when a person’s life has purpose and planning. Being a minister Warren’s proposals were of a religious nature. But there is wisdom in his proposition whether...
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At the end of a workday, my granddad use to say, “Another day, another dollar.” Back then, folks worked for a dollar a day. Those of you who teach are completing another year of work…educating young minds, preparing them for the next step in their education or their lives. When students finish a year...
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In most classrooms a teacher will be confronted by a variety of students who, if allowed, will demand virtually all of his or her time and attention. There are the undisciplined rowdies who create problems in class. These range from students who are noisy and interfere with your instruction to the troublemaker who is...
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March is gone. That leaves two more months to wrap up another year of school. This is where a thoroughbred really invests his or her energy reserves in hopes of winning the race. At this point teachers are just hoping to make it through the school year with their sanity intact. They hope with...
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An election year not only provides headlines for the daily news, it provides teachers with numerous opportunities to teach their students about the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. Granted, for most young people, politics is not a high priority. But with a little planning and creativity, it is possible to raise their interest to...
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It used to go without saying that teachers are role models. Historically, school boards expected anyone who applied for a teaching position to accept that being a role model is a vital part of the profession. However, somewhere along the road (perhaps during the 1960s), many teaching professionals decided that being a role model...
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No doubt about it, successful people are hardworking people. This is true of the landscaper, the banker, or the teacher. It is also true that successful, hardworking people need some hobby or pastime to rest and recreate their mind. Repetition, sameness, and boredom have a way of numbing our mental faculties. Without a break...
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Yes, you struggled to get your education. You endured those boring professors and eagerly learned from the good ones. You got your degree and the bill for your student loans. Now you are a teacher. But teaching is one of those professions where one cannot stop growing and learning. Your charter school board expects...
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