Skip to content

Hooks of Escalation

Highly effective teachers operate through influence rather than through power. They focus on building positive relationships with students and reduce the need to exercise power to control students. The nonverbals are completely different. What do the nonverbals look like when operating from influence? You approach the student from the side. You have your eyes on the student work. You are further from the student. You are more non-verbal. Your breathing is low. What do the nonverbals look like when operating from power? You come directly up from the front. You make sure that you have your eyes on the student. You are physically close. You are more verbal, especially a strident, loud voice. Your breathing is really high. Some students…

Do You Have Piles?

May 19, 2022

Are you one of these people with piles?  No not the medical condition! What I mean is piles of paper on your desk, the windowsill, the floor etc?   Maybe you even have them on the bench at home or in your home office? You know the piles I am talking about. They are the, “I’ll do that later” piles. These piles drain your energy. Just looking at them exhausts you. Even when you are focused on other things, these piles pollute your sub-conscious. They distract your attention and make you feel guilty about the things that you haven’t done or still need to get to. Our work can seem never ending. Have you ever turned up to work, looked at…

The R Word – Report Writing Stress

May 5, 2022

It’s that time of year for all teachers where the blood pressure and workload are rising, assessments are being marked, the students are tiring by the minute and I really need to make a start on my….(gasp) REPORTS! Here are some things you might like to try as you write your reports this year so that you do not need the first week of holidays to recover: 1) Create (and stick to) a simple timetable for completion so that the workload is spread out over a few weeks and you are not leaving them ALL until the last minute and have to pull an all-nighter (not mentioning any names here but you know who you are). I write mine down…

Back To Top