Shortly before the beginning of a contest, I try assessing how my students are feeling. If I determine that any are feeling stressed, I try and use humor to get them to relax. In general, in the days preceding a contest, I try and prepare my students by letting them know what to ...
Students love using technology. They also love learning how to solve problems faster. That is why every teacher should learn how to use a calculator efficiently. They should also make sure that each of their students uses their calculators in the same way. Teachers can take a...
When teaching in the classroom or tutoring students to prepare for taking multiple choice tests or other kinds of tests, students need to learn that many times the problem can assist in acquiring the solution. To illustrate my point, look at the following problems. Example...
I am often asked if there is a shortcut for success and I rapidly answer yes. I explain that although it is counter intuitive, the secret for success is “patience”. When a large building is constructed, soil studies and other tests need to be done initially. Time is taken ...
During my lifetime, I have observed how enthusiasm positively impacts those around me. Since I began elementary school, until the present time, I have made a conscious effort to be enthusiastic about everything that I do. Following my commitment to doing things that I enjoy and...
Whether it was my time as a student, a teacher, a coach, a parent or an author, I have always worked at improving what I do. As a student, I focused on trying to learn as much as I could about the content that was being taught. When playing sports, I worked diligently in becoming...
Many times in our life, we encounter confrontational situations in which we have an obligation to defuse certain conflicts between people. As a teacher, these situations occur with students, parents, administrators or other teachers. Parents usually encounter this with their ch...
Many times teachers and academic coaches see the need to counsel parents to ensure that they are not placing undue stress on their children. Of course, many parents want their children to succeed in whatever they do. What success means to parents may differ, but many want their...
Since my retirement from 32 years of being a high school mathematics teacher, I have tutored numerous students from second to eighth grade. What I learned is that each of them was capable of mastering concepts that many teachers and parents would describe as not being age appropr...
The most important key to being successful in teaching any concept is to be able to subdivide that concept into subtopics. This applies to teachers, parents, employees, etc. Mastery of initial subtopics lays the groundwork for a solid foundation. This foundation will increase the...
