Try This!

No matter what grade or subject I teach, on our first day, my first lesson will always be “Empty Your Cup!” I want my students to know that if they’re not open to learning, I can’t teach them. I swear, Socrates, Confucius, Siddhartha (Buddha), Jesus, or Muhammad couldn’t teach a bunch of reluctant, rebellious adolescents.

To drive the point home, before explaining any of this, I’ll take the whole class outside (so I don’t make a mess), and then, with no explanation, pour water into an already full cup.

After letting it overflow for a few seconds, I’d simply ask, “Everybody gets it, right?”

Of course, no one would. So we’d go back into class and I’d explain what “Empty Your Cup” is all about.

That’s the essence of Classroom Magic—to teach kids one of the best depression busters is learning—and that’s what schools are for!

If you’d like support creating lessons where students truly learn, therefore, feel a little less sad—I’d be honored to help.

Send me an email and I’ll get back to you with my best advice on how to make even a seemingly “lame, pointless, dry, basic, or mid” lesson the opposite of those.

The Two Things Teachers Can’t Be

1. Boring

2. Irrelevant

In that order.

Because if you’re boring, it won’t matter how relevant your lessons are—your students won’t be listening!

I can help!

Not that I’m continuously compelling, or that every lesson I’ve ever taught was brilliantly relevant. But that’s always been the goal. Each class and every lesson should be designed with the expectation that it can improve students’ lives.