Be My Guest...

I try to get 3 guest speakers for every class each trimester. The kids love them as do I. What a great way to validate what you talk about when the speakers says the same things you do. In every speaker I have invited there is always seems to be a positive buzz in the hallway the day they will speak. If there is one thing I have learned over the years is that you will almost never be denied by a guest speaker because they do not want to speak to students. I have only been denied by one on the past 11 years because he claimed he knew who his market was and it was not my students. Him denying me was probably a good thing for now I have a great example to use.

At one of my coordinator meetings I was asking around to see if anyone else brings in guest speakers and no one does. What a great and easy way to add value to your class and separate yourself from the competition. So what do you have to lose? 3minutes to send an email or make a phone call? Who knows you might even learn something too.

FORE!!!!!!

I love to play golf and I often times relate what can happen on the golf course to the classroom. When playing golf it is very easy to get distracted on the things you can not control such focusing on the wind, the temperature, the placement of the pin. No matter how much negative energy you put into these distractions they are not going to go away and you still have one objective to get the ball in the hole in the fewest number of strokes.

There seems to be more and more distractions as a teacher. From over crowded classrooms, budget cuts to attrition the bottom line is and always will be that you have to still get it done in the classroom. If these distractions are things that you spend time complaining or whining about ask yourself why? Is this anything you can control? No. Then why are you giving it any of your valuable time?

If you constantly focus on the distractions you will never be able to provide the true value of your class to your students that they deserve. This in return will only result in lower enrollment in your classes. They are more attune than you realize and they know the teachers who are always positive and upbeat as well as the ones who are all across the board with mood swings

Students these days need positive energetic teachers that motivate and inspire them. If you focus on the negative items that you can not control you will never be the teacher you aspire to be because how can you be positive when you are always complaining about something. Further more I can not tell you how many business executives have told me they would rather hire a person with great attitude and less skill than a person with a great amount of skill and and average attitude. The best and only way to teach this is to portray this on a daily basis to your students.

In golf your most important shot is the one you are about to hit and in teaching your most important lesson is the one you are about to give. So go ahead, tee it up and focus on making a good swing your students are waiting.