Julia G. Thompson

"This workshop 'remotivated' me to look at the bright side! All students can learn and be loved!" ~ Jane Lankford

"How nice and energizing to have a teacher still in the classroom share strategies that she is still discovering and using and doing it with excitement. Thank you!" ~ Frank Adams

"I love the videos--they soften the heart. They remind me of why I do what I do. Great job! I enjoyed your presentation." ~Catherine B. Lee

"The workshop oozed with great motivation and ideas to help motivate students! Thank you!" ~Alice Stevens

"We all need reminders from time to time of why we teach-thanks!" ~Lois West

"Excellent workshop--good for changing the attitude to positive near the end of the school year!" ~Amy Chapman

"Thank you for reminding teachers that school is about more than learning content." ~Diana Launer

"Fast-paced, interactive, and motivational workshop! Time well spent." ~Bob Godfrey

"I really like the '101 Ways to Energize Your Teaching'--great list!" ~R. Tarkington

"Every activity was beautifully modeled. Your presentation as very balanced between active and listening activities." ~Luann Scott

"Excellent presentations. Very positive information to have in a difficult time of the school year." ~B. Bailey

Help Your Students Meet Deadlines

"Prepare yourself! Terrible things can happen to homework assignments after students complete them. Here are some of the homework crises you can expect to hear about this year.

'I left it at home.'

'I left it in my locker.'

'Another teacher took it by mistake.'

'Our printer is out of ink.'

'My baby brother hid it.'

'The power was out.'

While students never seem to understand that their teachers are not gullible, it can be hard to know what to do when an earnest student offers a plausible excuse for missing work. It’s hard to draw the line between being inflexible and being a pushover.

You can avoid many of these problems if you help your students meet their deadlines. Here are some strategies to help your students become responsible about meeting deadlines:

• Use a planning calendar for long-term projects. This will help students be aware of what they have to do each day.

• Write assignments in a conspicuous spot and expect your students to record them, also.

• Create a policy for late work and make sure your students are aware of it. In fairness to the students who did their work on time, you should take off points for work that is late. The exception to this penalty would be the students who speak to you about problems well in advance of the due date or who bring in notes from home asking for your assistance.

• Break up large projects into smaller, manageable units of work so all students can stay on target. Make sure each smaller unit has a reasonable due date.

• Encourage older students to set due dates for themselves earlier than the ones you establish. This is also an excellent way to promote self-discipline.

• Post a countdown of days on the board. For example, if a project is due in ten days, students will be aware of the passage of time if you tell them when there are nine days before it is due, and then eight . . . down to one.

• Call home if you believe a student has a problem with meeting deadlines. It will alert parents or guardians to any grade penalties for missed work.

• Print small labels as reminders for students of their due dates. They can use these little reminders in their planning calendars.

• Make sure you clearly post the due dates for projects, tests, and other assignments on the board, near the clock, by the door, and in other obvious places."