Today’s post is the latest installment in a multiyear series in which educators offer advice—in six words or less—about teaching to other educators. Some have more than one set of those pearls of wisdom:
For 16 years, Diana Laufenberg taught 7-12 grades social studies in Wisconsin, Kansas, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. She currently serves as the executive director and lead teacher for Inquiry Schools:
Do not take yourself too seriously.
Create awesomeness and share it prolifically.
Melanie Battles, Ph.D., is a founding consultant of Scholars for the Soul: An Educational Solutions Firm, and has over a decade of experience working in education as a K-12 literacy educator, college adjunct faculty member, instructional coach, and educational consultant:
Without courage, all else will fail.
Authentic connections require the authentic you.
Emily Machado, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of early-childhood education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison:
Know children are powerful and capable.
Pronounce each child’s preferred name correctly.
Emilie McKiernan-Mullins is in her 17th year teaching in Louisville, Ky., and is a mother to two kids:
Perfect is nice; good is enough.
Your students deserve ‘I’m sorry’ sometimes.
Stephanie Smith Budhai, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the School of Education at the University of Delaware:
Complacency has no place in education.
Ed tech must be utilized with intentionally.
Sheniqua Johnson has been an educator for 16 years and is currently the elementary language-acquisition coordinator in a North Texas school district:
Reach ALL students by differentiating instruction.
Facilitate learning instead of delivering instruction.
Kit Golan (@MrKitMath) is the secondary mathematics consultant for the Center for Mathematics Achievement at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass.:
Put your oxygen mask on first.
Identify and build on student assets.
Keisha Rembert is the author of The Antiracist English Language Arts Classroom, a doctoral student, and an assistant professor/DEI coordinator for teacher preparation at National Louis University:
Field trips aren’t fluff. Schedule them.
Cultivate Black boys’ intellect and spirit.
Andrea Terrero Gabbadon is an author, scholar, and teacher educator:
Interrogate personal assumptions about student motivation.
Piquing curiosity renders the impossible, possible.
Chandra Shaw has more than 25 years of experience in education, as a teacher, reading specialist, instructional coach, and now a literacy consultant at one of her state’s regional service centers:
They’re kids. Never take ‘it’ personally.
Giving students grace doesn’t equal weakness.
Thanks to everybody for contributing their thoughts!
They answered this question:
Six-word stories are very popular. In six words, please share teacher-related advice you would offer other educators.
Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.
You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo.
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