Below is our newsletter for this week. Remember, we are not the end-all, be-all! We are just teachers
sharing our thoughts and ideas with you. Feel free to modify strategies you receive from us to fit you
and your classroom!
=================================== The Truth About Teaching
===================================
One of the top three finalists in the Benjamin Franklin Book of the Year Award!
In her own unique and witty style Coleen Armstrong exposes the harsher realities of teaching often left
unsaid and ignored, and weaves them with words of comfort, encouragement, and advice. The Truth About
Teaching expresses the heartwarming, sometimes tragic, and often humorous thoughts and stories of this
31-year veteran teacher. It is a testimony to the fact that reassurance comes from the knowledge that you
are not alone.
Clicking on the above links will take you to an information page about this newest award-winning title
available from Inspiring Teachers. View sample pages and read what others have to say about The Truth
About Teaching
============= Weekly Tip
=============
The Best Defense
by Coleen Armstrong
No doubt about it, the word defensive has gained a bad rap. But sometimes a teacher needs to be defensive,
or at least on guard, especially when whatever goes awry is likely to be perceived as her own mishandling.
A few simple precautions will drastically reduce the chances of your being blamed for incidents over which
you have little control.
• Don’t take hostile attitudes personally. Children and adolescents are especially quick to anger, and
flarings in your direction may have nothing to do with you. Try to rise above them by responding as an
impartial, unemotional observer––or better yet, by not responding at all.
• Act “as if.” Even when a child’s personality rubs your nerves raw, you absolutely must treat him/her
with polite respect. Try to seek out something endearing about this little person; the mere act of doing
so may cause you to find it. Otherwise, at least when he accuses you in front of his parents of not
“liking” him, the words will ring hollow in his throat.
• Never lose your temper. Do whatever you must to guard against any screaming hissy fits. Not only will
they make you appear unbalanced; they’ll also provide handy fuel with which to burn you later during a
parent conference. And never hold a grudge. You are a dignified, disciplined adult, not someone who
punishes children by giving them the silent treatment. Setting a proper example may seem like a
frustrating, fruitless endeavor––but 20 years later, your nobility may be recalled with great respect.
• Store all papers. You’ll need to keep up-to-date files to prevent any student’s claiming that you lost
all of his completed assignments, and he’s therefore entitled to an A. Blank lines in your grade book and
an empty manila folder will provide excellent backup. You needn’t devote six precious hours each week to
filing; hire a trustworthy kid from another grade level (and therefore with no interest in making things
disappear). Reward him/her with fast food certificates.
• Document every altercation. All disciplinary incidents must be logged with dates, times, descriptions,
and dialogues. Do not allow yourself to be blind sided months later by someone who suddenly claims you’ve
always had it in for him/her. Open your spiral notebook and begin reading aloud. Your credibility with
both parents and administrators will soar.
Coleen Armstrong is the author of The Truth About Teaching: What I Wish
The Veterans Had Told Me, available through www.inspiringteachers.com. Coleen taught secondary English,
German, and Spanish in the Hamilton (Ohio) City School District for 31 years. During that time she won
both state and national recognition, awards which included Ashland Oil's Teacher Achievement Award in
1992, WKRC-TV's Outstanding Teacher Award in 1993, and being named one of five finalists for the National
Teachers Hall of Fame in 1996. Her first book, co-authored with Warren County superintendent John Lazares,
Please Don't Call My Mother: How Schools and Parents Can Work Together To Get Kids Back on Track was
published by Parenting Press in Seattle in 2001.
Want to respond and share your thoughts about how you understand and deal with student misbehaviors?
Respond to this email and we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
====================== Inspirational Thought
======================
Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their
lives.
William James (1842 - 1910)
=========== Feedback
===========
Want to respond and share your thoughts about how you understand and deal with student misbehaviors?
Respond to this email and we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
------------------------------------
These thoughts and ideas are brought to you by Emma McDonald co-author of Survival Kit for New
teachers AND the AWARD WINNING Classrooms that SPARK. Find us at
The entire contents of this e-zine are Copyrighted by Inspiring Teachers and Emma McDonald. If you would
like
to reprint all or parts of this e-zine, please contact Inspiring Teachers at 972-496-7633 or toll-free at
1-877-496-7633 or via email to info@inspiringteachers.com