golden teacher I sat mesmerized, listening to her story. I had never known anyone else to be as, depressed let alone, more, depressed than I was. "Most people don't really want to end their lives," Elizabeth continued, "they just want relief from the hurt and pain. Some see no other way out than drinking, gluttony, sleeping 14 hours a day, been there done that one, or becoming a sex, gambling, or shop-a-holic, been there done a couple of those too. I have certainly paid my respects to the porcelain goddess. I'd counsel clients all day. Lots of therapists have major issues and problems on the home front. Hell, I became a therapist, so I could acquire some tools to help myself.

Being outstanding at teaching disaffected learners is actually fairly straightforward - but so few teachers do it. You just need to continually test and adapt new teaching strategies on a small scale. It may be a new lesson starter, using a new resource, instigating collaborative working techniques, student-led projects, negotiation techniques. You test small, then you measure the results. How did it go? What response did it generate? Did all the class engage and work? If it was not successful, you've learnt an important lesson and move on. If it was successful, you roll it out and make it an integral part of your teaching armoury.

I followed him around for the rest of the holiday. I maintained just enough distance so that he never knew I existed but I still cried silently in the backseat of the Opel Cadett all the way home. I was fifteen, he was my secret love and I didn't know how I would learn to live without him.

My English teacher was tall and desperately skinny with a long bony nose upon which rested a considerable pair of thick glasses. I was thirteen and didn't see any of that. What I saw was a frustrated poet who was teaching us the language by playing us haunting songs. In one lesson he introduced our young minds to the trio, Peter, Paul and Mary and their plaintive "Leaving on a Jet Plane". It was hard not to cry for all the world's farewells, right there, in class.

Read these to give a background on each child. There may be issues of family problems, health or learning problems as well as academic results. You might also learn of some talent the student has to help engage him/her successfully in class work. Knowing these things about your students will help tailor the ways in which you react to a student's behaviour. (I had an horrific evening after I had admonished strongly a male student sent to me for disciplining. He disappeared from the school. I then found out from the teacher he was suicidal. Fortunately for me, all was well).

golden teacher I will give you an example. The Northridge earthquake in 1994 destroyed my home. I was forced to move into an apartment that didn't allow dogs. I had a beautiful blonde golden teacher retriever I was forced to give away.

Of course, before you test new teaching approaches, you need to be testing and measuring what you are already doing. For example, the number of teachers who stand up and teach every day and have never accurately measured the response and therefore don't know if they are getting through - is scary.

growkit golden teacher "Mahana-you-ugly! Get out of that tree!" I was at a leadership development retreat when I heard this line from a campy, dated flick produced by the Mormon Church. The video was titled Johnny Lingo and it was based on a short story of the same name. Despite its unintentional political incorrectness, it was hard to dismiss the invaluable lessons it demonstrated.

growkit golden teacher You, my dear Diva, are a Golden Goose. Each day you lay multiple golden eggs throughout your life. They are often disguised as meals for loved ones, staying a little later at work to help your boss or co-workers, volunteering at the church or PTA, working on your cross-stitch or scrapbooking or on a passion of your heart. Everything that you do, each and every day, that brings a blessing to another is a golden egg. Like the goose in the story, you know how to lay the eggs. How well do you care for the goose?

One thing I learned in my years working in schools as a teacher and administrator is that if you want your students to learn something, the best way to make it happen is to teach it to them. This sounds pretty simplistic. If I wanted students to learn to solve a mathematics problem, I taught them the steps to solving that kind of problem. Then we would practice it. This was all a part of the curriculum.

golden teacher growkit There are different ways a teacher can be very good at managing classroom behavior. First, teachers and students should always follow the golden rule; "Treat others as you wish to be treated". Maintaining a positive attitude and with respect towards students usually gives very good results.

Boxcar Children, Gertrude Warner: This book was written decades ago, but they story has stood the test of time. It's amazing how many, now adults, tell how this book made them into avid readers. And they have passed the series on to their own children. The tale is of four children who travel in an empty boxcar without parental supervision, a captivating storyline for children constantly reined in and directed by adults. Somehow the children find ways to survive through happenstance or ingenuity.