My Teaching Manifesto
As I sit at my desk in the middle of week two with students for the 2018-2019 school year -- the start of my 19th year in this career -- I reflect on who and what I am as a teacher. Some of these things may seem simple and basic to the teaching profession. Teachers with a passion for their content and their profession project that onto their students who will, invariably, have more passion for their own work; teachers who set expectations and consistently enforce them will have students who rise to meet -- and often exceed -- those expectations; and teachers who show their students they care by being accessible to them when assignments (or life) gets tough form lasting relationships that will not only translate well in the classroom but will often build student confidence in their abilities to continue their march toward higher learning and adulthood. Unfortunately, I often hear stories from students who have had experiences with teachers who do not celebrate their successes, big ...