My philosophy about teaching is simple. I agree with Madeline Hunter when she said, “Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!” Many think she was being too “warm and fuzzy” but what she meant was you are not going to reach some kids academically until you first reach them on the “human to human” level. Sometimes the subject matter in our classrooms can’t compete with the “drama” in their lives. The main ingredient missing in a lot of our classrooms today is a “connection with kids.” I believe that the research is clear: when students know you value them as a human being, not just another student, they will work harder for you and challenge you less. I also believe that teachers don’t need any more theory and new, trendy programs with catchy names.

What every teacher needs are research based, proven, practical strategies, and applications that can be implemented immediately – without throwing anything out that is working in their classroom. Educators have the toughest job in America as they are asked every day to wear many different hats – mom, dad, nurse, counselor, teacher, advisor, judge, jury, lawyer – just to name a few.

I understand that students come into our classrooms and schools with different backgrounds and cultures; and their cognitive abilities, assets, and experiences are just as wide ranging.  Sometimes, the only thing students have in common is their age! The “one size fits all” approach to teaching does not work anymore.

One of the biggest unchallenged assumption made by many today (especially politicians) about education is that kids are coming to school willing and ready to learn. As educators, we know this is not the case. We have a generation of kids coming to our schools basically un-socialized. Many students are learning behavior from Beavis and Butthead, MTV, Bart Simpson, Jersey Shores, and a myriad of other influences.

Although there may not be not much we can do from 4:00 PM until 8:00 AM, but we do change lives between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. I am dedicated to helping educators be successful through motivation, inspiration, humor, and a common-sense approach to stress management. Most importantly, I leave educators with as many proven, practical strategies as I can. In my learning experiences, I found that the most effective teachers were those whose love for what they taught could easily be seen in their passion to help me see through their eye. These intentional heroes of the classroom were well-prepared, led the class with enthusiasm, and were, most importantly, loving.