I am looking forward to the next year.  I am still wondering how the "vlog" will play out.  It's funny how I have chosen to fixate on how often I will publish.  will I be able to publish each day or should I wait and publish five entries at the end of each week?  I have no idea.  I could speed things up by using my phone or computer to record the daily entries, but quality will suffer.  I could use a combination of phone, computer and camera over a period of time. That would offer a varied view and feel from day to day depending on what I choose to use for the day. Check out the current videos. Things That Work Two weeks.  The start day for the "Vlog" is August 14.  That is the first day back for content in-service hours. From that point through June 4, 2018, I will be taping something every day. I am looking forward to seeing how this will all look as it grows. Chris

Hello again.   Be sure and  Check out the current videos. Things That Work I find it interesting how much our behavior as teachers can, at times, mimic that of the students we teach.  Unfortunately, this phenomenon tends to favor attributes that are less than endearing. For instance, here is an excerpt from a video script focusing on tips for the first day of school that I am working on. Dress as professionally as you can. Students will only take you as seriously as you take yourself.  I do not get to go with the tie and coat until day 2 because our campus is required to all wear the same red polo staff shirt and black slacks or skirt.  It looks good, and that is all students have to go on is how it looks.  Day 2 I am dressed to the 9s.  I stay in a tie for most of the first grading period. I have presented this to other teachers in private conversation and in group settings. Invariably I am met with rolled eyes from some and many excuses why this does not work and c

Take some time and  Check out the current videos. Things That Work today was "not" my first day back to work. It was, however, vertical alignment day for the whole district.  All team leaders and department chairs got together and worked on attaining a common vision and a collaborative set of goals etc. As a large group, we looked at the first two chapters of The Practice of Authentic PLCs  by Daniel R. Venables.  I really liked his approach to meeting agendas.  It was affirming to see that I was on the right path last year during my first year as a team leader.  MY idea of handling housekeeping and other nuts and bolt issues through email or face to face casual meetings leaving team meeting time open for model teaching and other more productive work. I look forward to implementing much of the structure that Venables presents when we return to work in a couple of weeks. I hope you all are enjoying your last few days of summer.   Chris

So in the last 24 hours, I have completed 5 short videos.  Admittedly one is a short push for this BLOG site, but it still required editing and making it look good, which takes time.  I am pushing my abilities because I want the transition into the school year and my making vlog entries to go as smoothly as possible.  Check out the current videos. Things That Work Of all the four videos I posted today, my hope is that the "Danger: October is Coming" video will help the most people. October is a scary month. My first year was almost my last because of events that unfolded in October, and I knew about the "October Blues" in advance.  I hope this helps some one some time.  If not, I will never have to say, "I wish I had told people what to expect in October while teaching." Enjoy your day I like learning with you.  I like teaching with you, and together we can take over the world. Chris

Welcome to the "Things That work: Classroom Connections" companion blog.  I am assuming that you have seen the information about this blog on my youtube channel.  SO here is some additional information about the bald guy with a beard that you have been watching on   Things That Work I started working with teenagers and their families when I was 19.  That's right, I was still a teenager myself.  I turned 50 this year.  You can do the math and see that I have had a little exposure to the craziness that comes with those developmental years we call adolescence.  On top of that my wife and I have two young men of our own who are forging lives on their "own".  I started my transition into teaching public school ten years ago.  I started as a substitute teacher (guest teacher).  As with many things in my life my timing was not the best.  The economy of my area was such that the district I was serving as a guest teacher was in the midst of a hiring freeze.  I was p