TEACHLIKEAPIRATE

TeachLikeaPIRATE©2012byDaveBurgess

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PublishedbyDaveBurgessConsulting,Inc.SanDiego,CA

http://daveburgess.com

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LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2012914927ISBN:978-0-9882176-0-7

FirstDaveBurgessConsulting,Inc.Printing:September2012

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction:APirate’sLifeforMeLayoftheLand

PARTI:TEACHLIKEAPIRATE!

PASSIONContentPassionProfessionalPassionPersonalPassion

IMMERSION

RAPPORTMyFirstThreeDays

ASKANDANALYZEThe6WordsTheREALLawofAttractionDesignaSystemtoCaptureIdeasMakeitEasyFailurevs.Feedback

TRANSFORMATIONTheWorld’sGreatestGPS…YourBrain0TwoQuestionsforRaisingtheBarPositioningandReframing

ENTHUSIASMTheCommitmenttoBeing“On”TwoWaystoLightYourFireSpreadtheVirus!

PARTII:CRAFTINGENGAGINGLESSONS

THETHIRDCIRCLEWelcometotheBBQEverythingisaChoiceTransitionsWillKillYou

ACRASHCOURSEINPRESENTATIONALHOOKS

“ILIKETOMOVEIT,MOVEIT”TheKinestheticHookThePeoplePropHookTheSafariHook

LONGLIVETHEARTSThePicassoHookTheMozartHookTheDanceandDramaHookTheCraftStoreHook

WHAT’SINITFORME?TheStudentHobbyHookTheReal-WorldApplicationHookTheLife-ChangingLessonHookTheStudent-DirectedHookTheOpportunisticHook

ALLTHEWORLDISASTAGETheInteriorDesignHookTheBoardMessageHookTheCostumeHookThePropsHookTheInvolvedAudienceHookTheMysteryBagHook

STANDANDDELIVERTheStorytellingHookTheSwimmingwiththeSharksHookTheTabooHookTheMimeHookTheTeaserHookTheBackwardsHook

ADVANCEDTACTICSTheMissionImpossibleHookTheRealityTVHookTheTechnoWhizHook

AROUNDTHEEDGESTheContestHookTheMagicandtheAmazingHookTheChefHookTheMnemonicHookTheExtra-CreditChallengeHook

PARTIII:BUILDINGABETTERPIRATE

THEAWKWARDQUESTIONMediocrityDoesn’tMotivateTheMightyPurpose

WHEREDOISTART?

WheninDoubt,TakeAction

FINDINGACREWCollaborationvs.Killaboration

FINDINGTREASUREAbouttheAuthor

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Iwouldliketoexpressmygratitudetothefollowingpeoplewhowereinstrumentalonmyjourneytocreatethisbook:

Mywife, Shelley, for serving as a constant reminder that administrators and teachers are on the sameteam.Youcanreadheramazingthoughtsoneducationalleadershipathttp://shelleyburgess.com.

Mychildren,HaydenandAshlyn,fordealingwithadistractedfatherwhilethiswasbeingwrittenandforofferingtheopportunitytoseeschoolfromaparent’sperspective.I’dloveforyoutovisitmydaughter’sblogathttp://ashlynburgess.com.

Myparents,AnnandBill,fornotonlybeinggreateducators,butalsoforsupportingmealongthetwistsandturnsthatledtomycurrentpath.

Myinnercircleofeducationallinchpins:DanMcDowell,ReubenHoffman,andJohnBerray.

My officemate, Jarrod Carman, for dealing with the ruckus and for the hundreds of office-walkconversations.

Billie Fogle, a special education teacher extraordinaire and my first period team-teacher for sixteenconsecutiveyearsandcounting.

Bryan Ross,my colleague, friend, andDepartment Chair who encouraged an environment that honorsindividualexpressionintheclassroom.Ihavemadethreesignificantcareermovesinmylife;hehasbeeninstrumentalinallthree.

Ibuiltapublishing“dreamteam”tobringthisbooktofruition.Muchthanksandgratitudeto:

ErinCasey (http://erin-casey.com):My amazing editorwho so beautifully polishedmywordswhileabsolutelymaintainingmyvoice.

Kristen and Joe Eckstein (http://ultimatebookcoach.com): They took my vision for the cover andinteriordesignofthisbookandwonderfullybroughtittolife.

PennySansevieri(http://amarketingexpert.com):Hermarketingadviceandbooklaunchcampaignhashelpedmesignificantlyexpandthereachofmymessage.

I

INTRODUCTION

APIRATE’SLIFEFORME

’vespentthepastfewyearsofmylifetravelingfromconferencetoconferenceandschooltoschool,dressedasapirate.Igetsomeoddlooks.Butthat’sOK.I’mateacher.Gettingoddlooksispartofthejob.IamonacrusadetospreadthemessageofTeachLikeaPIRATE—asystemthatcan,likeatreasure

map,guideyoutotherewardoftotaltransformationofyourclassroomandyourlifeasaneducator.Inmybook,that’sworthafewoddlooks.

TeachLikeaPIRATE ispart inspirationalmanifestoandpartpracticalroadmap.Myhopeis that itwill leadyou tobecomemorepassionate,creative,andfulfilled inyourroleasa teacher.At thesametime,mygoal is tohelpyoucreatean inviting,engaging,andmost importantly,empoweringclassroomclimate.

Sowhyapirate?Afterall,wedon’twantteacherswhoattackandrobshipsatsea.Teachinglikeapirate has nothing to dowith the dictionarydefinition and everything to dowith the spirit. Pirates aredaring,adventurous,andwillingtosetforthintounchartedterritorieswithnoguaranteeofsuccess.Theyrejectthestatusquoandrefusetoconformtoanysocietythatstiflescreativityandindependence.Theyareentrepreneurswhotakerisksandarewillingtotraveltotheendsoftheearthforthatwhichtheyvalue.Althoughfiercelyindependent,theytravelwithandembraceadiversecrew.Ifyou’rewillingtolivebythecode,committothevoyage,andpullyourshareoftheload,thenyou’refreetosetsail.Piratesdon’tmuchcareaboutpublicperception;theyproudlyflytheirflagsindefiance.Andbesides,everybodylovesapirate.

Thatdescriptionof thepirate’s spirit soundsexactly like thekindofcharacterweneedmoreof ineducation.Inthesechallengingandchangingtimes,ourstudentsneedleaderswhoarewillingtoventureforwardwithoutaclearmaptoexplorenewfrontiers.Weneedmavericksandrenegadeswhoarewillingtouseunorthodoxtacticstosparkandkindletheflameofcreativityandimaginationinthemindsoftheyoung.Weneed entrepreneurial innovatorswho are capableof captaining the educational ship throughwatersthatareroughandconstantlychanging.Inshort,weneedpirates...weneedyou.

LAYOFTHELANDTeachLikeaPIRATEisdividedintothreeparts:

PARTI:TEACHLIKEAPIRATEThisistheheartofthePIRATEsystemandphilosophy.Itisdividedintosixchapters,onechapterfor

eachletteroftheword.

Passion—Youknowyou’resupposedtobepassionateaboutyourjobasateacher.Thischapterexplainshowtofeelpassionate,evenifthesubjectyou’reteachingisn’tallthatexcitingtoyou.

Immersion—It’seasytoshoutdirectionsfromthesafetyofthesidelines,butthesafeapproachisn’tthemosteffectiveone.Toreallyengageyourstudentsyoumustbeimmersedinthemoment.You’lllearninthischapterwhyyourclassneedsyourfullattention.

Rapport—Getting to knowyour students on a personal level, showing them they aremore than just agrade,andgiving themasafe, funenvironmentsets thestage for learning.Thischapteroffers ideasonhowtobuildrapportnaturallyandauthenticallysoyoucanconnectwithyourstudents.

Ask andAnalyze—Coming upwith creative ideas begins by asking the right questions.Making surethoseideasconnectwithyouraudiencerequiresconstantanalysisandopennesstofeedback.Thischapterwillhelpyouaskandanalyzebettersoyoucanbeamorecreativeandeffectiveteacher.

Transformation—Ifyoufeelasthoughyou’reconstantlyhittingroadblockswithyourstudents,maybeit’stime to transformyourexpectationsforwhat’spossible in theclassroom.Thischapterexplainshowtoreframeyoursubject—foryourselfandyourstudents—soyoucanbreakdownthosebarriers.

Enthusiasm—Aboveall, enthusiasm is themostpowerful tool in theclassroom.This chapter explainswhyyoumustuseitfreely.You’llalsolearnhowtorampupyourenthusiasmsoyourlastclassofthedayreceivesthesamehigh-impactlessonasyourfirstclass.

PARTII:CRAFTINGENGAGINGLESSONSAreyoutiredoftryingtotalkoverstudentswhoseembentonignoringyou?Thissectionwillhelp

you engage them and magnetically pull them into your lesson. In this crash course on designingpresentations you’ll find captivating hooks you can add to your content, as well as brainstormingquestionstohelpyougenerateunbelievablyengagingideasforyourlessonsandskyrocketyourcreativity.Thequestionswillspuryoutothinkoutsidethebox,andtheapplicationsgiveyousomeimmediateandpracticalexperienceforimplementingthecreativeprocess.

PARTIII:BUILDINGABETTERPIRATEBefore you set sail, you’ll want to read these final instructions. In this section you’ll find the

reassuranceandguidanceneeded toensure thatyou reachyour finaldestinationand receivea treasureworthyofthevoyage.

Welcomeaboard!

PARTI

TEACHLIKEAPIRATE!

A

PASSION

hugesecretliesdeepintheheartofteachersallovertheworld.Iknow,becauseIamateacher.Youdon’twanttotalkaboutitoradmititbecauseyou’refearfulofthejudgmentofyourpeers.Yousee,

you believe you are the only one who holds this seemingly terrible, ugly secret. It’s like when BettyFriedan,inTheFeminineMystique,wrotethatwomenalloverthenationwerelyinginbed,staringattheceilingandaskingthemselves,“Isthisall?”Theydidn’twanttodiscusstheirfeelingsofemptinessanddissatisfactionwith theirpeersbecause they thought theywerealoneandwould facescornandshame.Well,I’mhopingtobetheBettyFriedanforyouandI’mhopingthisbookwillforeverfreeyouofthisdeep,darksecretthatburdensyoursoul.

Hereisthesecret:Wearenotpassionateabouteverythingweteach.It’sOK!Letthefreedomwashoveryou.Nowthatthesecret’soutintheopen,let’stalkaboutit.

We knowwe are supposed to be passionate about teaching. That’s why we feel guilty when thatpassionsimplyisn’tthere.Wegotoseminarsandconferenceswherespeakersexplainwhy,asteachers,wemustbringpassionintoourwork.Fromthestage,wehear:“Ifyoucan’tbringpassionintoyourworkthen,byGod,findnewwork!”Itsoundsgreat!Werememberwhywebecameteachersinthefirstplace.Wereallywant tohelpourstudentsgrowandsucceed.Foramoment, theenthusiasticmessagesgetusexcitedandpumpedup.But then the speakers leave the stageandweare left coldbecause theyneverexplainhowtofindandmaintainpassionforteaching.

Youknowtherearedayswhenyoulookatthecontentstandardandrealizeit’sgoingtobetoughtogetyourselffiredup.Whatdoyoudoonthosedays?Howcanyouconsistentlybringpassionintoyourworkasaneducatorevenonthedaysyou’reteachingmaterialyoufindboringoruninteresting?

Ishould,perhaps,mentiontherearerareexceptions…teacherswhofindeverythingaboutthesubjectthey teach exciting. I call them freaks. I have one of them inmy history department. He eats, sleeps,breathes, and“dresses”historyonadailybasis.Hishouse is like amuseum.He is a reenactor inhissparetimeandhasbeenanextrainnumeroushistoricaldocumentariesandmovies.He,andpeoplelikehim,don’tneed this sectionof thebook.Goodfor them.The restofusmust intentionally findways tobringpassiontoourworkeveryday.

Tosolve thisproblem, Ibreakpassion into threedistinct categories:ContentPassion,ProfessionalPassion,andPersonalPassion.Byconsciouslyfocusingonidentifying,developing,andusingallthreeofthese categories, it is absolutely possible to become a powerfully passionate teacher every day of theschool year. Take some time to answer the questions listed for each of these categories. To mosteffectivelyuse this section, I recommendactuallywritingyouranswersdownsoyoucan refer to themlater.Attheveryleastpleasetakethetimetomentallycompletetheexercisebeforemovingon.

CONTENTPASSIONWithinyoursubjectmatter,whatareyoupassionateaboutteaching?Inotherwords,ofallofthe

topicsandstandardsyouteachaspartofyourcurriculum,whicharetheonesyoumostenjoy?IammostpassionateaboutteachingtheCivilRightsMovement.Iloveeverythingaboutit,andwithin

thatunitthereareevenareasIammorepassionateaboutthanothers.Forexample,Iespeciallylovetoteachtheedgiersideofthemovement.Idon’tneedanyextrahelpgettingfiredupwhenteachingaboutMalcolm X or the Black Panther Party. I don’t have to work very hard to energize the room whendiscussingtheideasofMalcolmX.Ienjoymeetingthat“energy”head-ontotrytoopenthemindsofmystudents. I also love to teach about the resistance to slavery.And the countercultureof the sixties…noproblem!MystudentslovehearingthemusicfromthattimeperiodthatIusetohelpdeliverthecontent.

Ontheotherhand,Iamnotpassionateaboutrailroads!Iunderstandtheirhistoricalsignificance,butIdon’tstayupatnightinanticipationofteachingaboutthem.I’malsonotrealexcitedabouttheIndustrialRevolution.Idon’tgettoofiredupaboutmilitaryhistory.SowhatcanyouandIdoonthedayswherethesubjectmatter doesn’t fall into our content passion? That is where professional passion and personalpassioncomein.

PROFESSIONALPASSIONWithinyourprofession,butnotspecifictoyoursubjectmatter,whatareyoupassionateabout?

Whatisitaboutbeinganeducatorthatdrivesyou?Whatignitesafireinsideyou?I’llgiveyouahintonthisone:Youranswerprobablyconsistsofthereasonsyoubecameateacher.

Toooften,aswemanagetheday-to-daystressesofthejob,wefailtoreconnectwiththereasonswefeltcalledtothissacredandinvaluableprofessioninthefirstplace.Thisistheall-important“life-changing”categoryandIinviteyoutakethetimetoconsiderandwritedownyourresponse.

My professional passion sounds like this: I’m passionate about creating lifelong learners. I’mpassionate about increasing the self-esteem and self-confidence of my students. I’m passionate abouthavingstudents leavemyclasswitha largervisionofwhat ispossible for their lives. I enjoyhelpingstudentswhoareapatheticaboutschoolgetexcitedaboutcomingtoschool,evenifitisjustbecauseofmyclass.Ilovedevelopingthecreativeandinnovativespiritofmystudents.Iampassionateaboutnotlettingthemfallvictimtothehorrificeducationaltrendsthatwouldhaveusturnchildrenintotest-takingautomatonswhoareabletospitoutfactsandtriviabutareunabletospeakaboutanythingofsignificanceor meaning. I want to model and inspire a spirit of entrepreneurship and drive for constant self-improvement in all areasof life. I amalsopassionate about developing engagingpresentations formymaterial.

Frankly,IcouldfillthisbookwithexamplesofmyprofessionalpassionbecauseitistherealreasonIbecameateacher.Fewpeoplegointoteachingbecauseoftheirloveforaparticularsubject.NotmanyEnglishteacherschosetheircareersbasedonanundyingpassiontoteachtheeffectiveandcorrectuseofthecomma.Mathteachersrarelyhaveanunnaturalloveofpi.Icertainlywasnotdrawntotheprofessioninordertoteachrailroads.Chancesareyou,likeme,areateacherbecauseofyourprofessionalpassion.

Here is the key: On all of those days when you don’t have passion for your content, you mustconsciouslymake the decision to focus on your professional passion.This intentionality doesn’t comenaturally,atleastnotatfirst.That’swhyitiscrucialtomakethecommitmenttochangeyourperspectiveandconsistentlyfocusonyourprofessionalpassion.IconstantlystrivetoincludemyprofessionalpassionineverylessonIteachwithwhatIcalllife-changinglessons(LCLs).LCLsprovidemetheopportunityto

attempttotransformthelivesofmystudentsregardlessofmyparticularcontentstandardfortheday.IncorporatinganLCL,mytruepassion ineducation,alsoallowsme toconsistently“bring it.”This

focusgivesme the juice to lightupaclassroomnomatterwhat topic Imightbe teaching thatday.Forexample,whenI’mteachingaboutMalcolmX,there’sacertainamountoffactual,historicalinformationImustdeliver tomystudents.But I alsohaveahiddenand larger agenda. IuseMalcolm’s life story toshowmy students theunbelievably incredible abilityhumanbeingshave to transform their lives.Herewasamanwhosefatherwaskilled,mostlikelymurdered,hismotherplacedinaninstitution,andhewasraisedinthefostercaresystem.Hedroppedoutofschoolafterhavinghisdreamsandambitionscrushedby, of all people, a teacher. He eventually got involved with the wrong crowd, was arrested andconvicted for breaking and entering, weapons charges, and burglary. While serving a ten-year jailsentence, he completely transformed his life through the power of self-education. He read book afterbook, tookcorrespondencecoursesandbecameahighlyeducatedman.He joined theNationof Islam,changedhisnameandeventuallybecameaMuslimministerandthenationalspokespersonfortheNation.Afterbecomingdisillusionedwith theNationof Islam’s leader, takinga trip toMeccaandmanyotherplacesoverseas,hebrokeawayfromtheorganizationandtransformedhislifeandmessageyetagain.Hedisavowedsomeofhisearlierrhetoricandbegandeliveringanewandpowerfulmessagethatwasmoreinclusive yetmaintainedhis hardline ideologyof self-determination andBlackNationalism. Just as hewas refining this message and preparing to lead his new organization, he was gunned down whiledeliveringaspeechattheAudubonBallroom.Hewasthirty-nineyearsold.

It’sdifficulttogettoamuchlowerspotinlifethanhavingyourfathermurdered,yourmominamentalinstitution,droppingoutofschool,andsittinginprisonasaconvictedfelon.YetMalcolmchosetoriseabovethosehuge,seeminglyinsurmountableobstaclesandbecameaninspirationalleadertothousands.IuseMalcolm’sstorytoshowmystudentsthatnomatterwheretheystartinlife,orhowlowtheyfall,theycanstill,throughthepowerofself-educationandtheirownefforts,risetogreatness.

AlessononAbrahamLincolnbecomesalessononpersistenceandovercomingadversity.ThestoryofRosaParks shows that a single, ordinarypersonwith strong convictions, and the courage to act onthose convictions, can transform history. A D-Day lesson is an opportunity to teach appreciation andgratitude for the sacrificesmade by previous generations to secure the liberties thatwe often take forgrantedtoday.EverylessoncanincludeanLCL.

Professionalpassioncanhelpfillthegapsyoumighthaveincontentpassioninotherways,aswell.For example, I mentioned that I am not passionate about railroads. Fortunately for my students, I ampassionateaboutdevelopingengagingpresentations formymaterial.So,althoughImightnotbe jazzedaboutthesubject,Icanabsolutelybeinspiredandfullyengagedinmyattempttopresentthetopicinanentertaining way. I can be passionate about providing an opportunity for my students to develop andexercisetheircreativetalentsandabilities.Icanbepassionateaboutcreatingtheatmosphereandsocialdynamicnecessarytobuildrapportandapsychologicallysafeenvironment.

Professionalpassionisanabsolutetreasurechestfilledwitheverythingweneedtosteadfastlyrefuseto enter the classroom with anything less than a burning hot passion for the awesome job andresponsibilitythatliesbeforeus.Tapintoitandfeelthepowersurgethroughyoursoul!

PERSONALPASSIONCompletelyoutsideofyourprofession,whatareyoupassionateabout?I’m passionate about magic. I’m passionate about sports, especially basketball and coaching. I’m

passionateaboutmyfamily.I’mpassionateaboutentrepreneurship,marketing,andself-improvement.

Tokeepyourpassionforteachingalive,findasmanywaysaspossibletoincorporateyourpersonalpassionsintoyourwork.WheneverIcanusemagictodemonstrateapoint,Iabsolutelydoit.Notonlydoesthathelpmecreateamoreengagingandthereforememorablelesson,italsohelpsincreasemysenseoffulfillmentandfunasaneducator.

Almost every personal passion can be incorporated into the classroom. For example, are youpassionateaboutartandcreativity?Developlessonsthatshowcaseyourpassionandallowyourstudentstonotonlyexperienceyouruniquestrengths,skills,andimagination,butalsobegintodeveloptheirown.Ifyouarepassionateaboutplayingtheguitar,bringitinandplay.Iknowteacherswhohaveanincredibleinterest in cutting-edge technology. They find ways to incorporate their tech skills into their lessons.Bringingyourpersonalpassiontotheclassroomempowersyoutocreateamorepowerfullessonbecauseyouareteachingfromanareaofstrength.Andbonus:italsoallowsyourstudentstoseehowtheiruniqueskillsetsandpassionscanbevital,invaluable,andapplicablefortheirfuture.

Ifyou’rehavingdifficultyfiguringouthowyourpersonalpassioncanbeusedintheclassroom,don’tstressout.Youmayjustneedalittlehelpintheartofcreativebrainstorming.Laterportionsofthisbookfocus specifically on skyrocketing your creativity and mastering the brainstorming process. It’s alsoimportanttorealizethatunlikeprofessionalpassion,personalpassionisn’tlikelytobesomethingthatcanorshouldbeincludedinyourlessonplansonadailybasis.Rather,itismorelikeabonuscategorythatoffersyouopportunitiestoreallyrampupyourloveofteachingwhenitworksout.

Bytappingintoallthreecategoriesofpassion—andespeciallyconsciouslydedicatingyourselftoanincreaseddailyfocusonprofessionalpassion—youwillbecomeanunstoppable“passionmonster”intheclassroom.Yourincreasedpassionwillsustainyouthroughthoselongstretchesoftheyearthatinevitablyarriveandattempt todragyoudown.Teachingisa jobfilledwithfrustrations, trials,andtestsofyourpatience.Useyourpassiontosoaroverobstaclesinsteadofcrashingintothemandburningout.

Your passionwill also help you become absolutely relentless in the pursuit of excellence.With afocus on professional passion, teaching is no longer about relaying the content standard…it’s abouttransforminglives.It’saboutkillingapathy.It’sabouthelpingthenextgenerationfulfilltheirpotentialandbecomesuccessfulhumanbeings.It’snolongeraboutmemorizingfacts;it’saboutinspiringgreatness.

Whenyou’repassion-filled,youalsobecomemorepersonally fulfilledasaneducator. It’s funandexciting to share what is uniquely “you.” Doing so makes your presentations and personal charismaalmostmagneticinnature.Beinginthepresenceofpeoplewhoareengagedinfulfillingtheirmajorlifepurposeisalmosthypnotic.Thereisacertain“juice,”anelectricity,thatemanatesfromthosewhotrulylovewhattheyaredoingordiscussing.Othersmayhavenoparticularinterestinthesubjectathand,buttheyaremagicallydrawntoapersonbecauseofthesheerpowerthatpermeatesthepresentation.Passionislikeanintoxicatingdrugbutwithoutthedangersandsideeffects.Useitasmuchasyouwant.Onceyougetatasteofit,you’llalwayswanttocomebackformore.

BIRDS,SNAKES,ANDTHEARTOFTEACHINGNotlongago,IwaswithmytwokidsandtwodogsatasmallpondinaTierrasantacanyonwhenwe

cameacrossamanwalkinghisdogsandwearingbinocularsaroundhisneck.Asweweresharingsmalltalk,hesuddenlystoppedandwhipped thebinocularsup tohis faceandexcitinglypointedoutahawkperchedon topof anearby tree.He toldus the typeofhawk itwas, itshuntingbehavior, andhow itsfeatherswerespeciallydesignedforthetypeofflightmaneuversitneeded.

Iwasfascinated.Nowpleaseunderstand,Icouldn’tcarelessabouthawks,andI’maboutasfarfromanoutdoorsman

asyouwilleverfind.Myideaofcampingisahotelroomoracruiseshipcabin.SowhywasIdrawninbythisman’sstory?Howdidheholdmyattentionforthirtyminutesashediscussedtheentireecosystemsurroundingthepondandgaveanimpassionedargumentfornotkillingrattlesnakes?

The answer is simple. Thismanwas one hundred percent passionate about his subject.When youinteract with someone who is fully engaged and filled with passion, it can be an overwhelming andunforgettableexperience.Thereisnofakingit…youcan’t“MegRyan”thattypeofpassion!Enthusiasm,yes…passion,no.Thereisatypeofvibrationthatseemstoemanatefrompeoplewhoarefulfillingtheirdefinitemajorpurpose in life,and it iscontagious. I stilldon’tparticularlycareabout the ten typesofbirdshe toldme towatch for,but Iwould listen tohim talkabout themanydayof theweek.Mykidstalkedaboutthemantheentirewayhome.

Peoplearedrawninandlovetobearoundthosewhoarepassionateabouttheirlives.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatsubjectyouteach.Youcanbecometotallyengagingtoyouraudienceiftheycan

feel your passion and love forwhat you are doing.Youwill draw students in as if by somemagneticforce.Passionisallaboutbeingonfireinfrontofyourclass.I’mfondofthequote,“Lightyourselfonfirewithenthusiasmandpeoplewillcomefrommilesaroundjusttowatchyouburn!”

This isyet another reasona “cookiecutter” approach to teachingwillneverbe themost effective.What getsme firedup andpassionate in the classroom, and thereforemore effective,might not be theanswerformycolleaguedownthehall.Resistanymovementthatattemptstocloneteachersandlessonsand instead rejoice in the fact that it isyour individuality anduniqueness thatwill always leadyou tobecomethemosteffectiveteacherthatyoucanbe.

Lightyourselfonfirewithpassion…anddon’tworryifit’snotacontrolledburn.

Y

IMMERSION

ou’reaboutlearnthe#1,topsecretwaytobecomeadramaticallybetterlover!Ihaveyourattentionnow,don’tI?

Right now, the people reading this can be split into two groups…men andwomen. Themen arethinking,“Idefinitelydon’tneedthissection.”Thewomenarethinking,“Isurehopethemenarepayingattentiontothissection!”(Ishouldmentionthatmywifeisprobablythinking,“Whattheheckishedoingthinkinghecanteachthissubject?”)

Inthefamousscience-fictionbook,StrangerinaStrangeLandbyRobertHeinlein,thereisafemalecharacterwhohashadan“encounter”withamanbythenameofMike.Itwasacompletelyoverwhelmingexperience; one she has a great deal of difficulty putting intowords.When asked about it by anotherperson,shefeelsfrustratedatherinabilitytoaccuratelydescribeherfeelings.Finally,shesays,“WhenMike’skissingyou,heisn’tdoinganythingelse.You’rehiswholeuniverse.”Inotherwords,thewholerestoftheworlddisappearedandeverysinglecell,fiber,muscle,andthoughtwasfullyimmersedinthemoment.

The secret to becoming a better lover—and a better teacher—is total immersion. Your ability tocompletely give yourself up to the moment and fully “be” with your students is an awesome andunmistakablypowerfultechnique.Iwouldloveforoneofmystudentstobetalkingwithapeeraboutwhatitisliketobeinmyclassonadailybasisandforthatstudenttosay,“Whenhe’steachingyou,heisn’tdoinganythingelse!”Studentscanfeelitwhenyouaretrulypresent.

Aseasyasitistosenseimmersion,studentscanalsoimmediatelysensewhenwearen’tallthere.Weallknowwhenwearedealingwithpeoplewhoaredistractedorareinsomewaydividingtheirattention.Whetheritisacashier,yourdoctor,afriend,oranyoneelse,alackoffullengagementcanbeannoying.It’s incredibly frustrating to interact with a person who is not immersed and fully invested in thatinteraction.Alackofimmersioninthepresentsendsaclear,althoughunspoken,messagethatthismomentissomehowlessimportantandnotsignificantenoughtobeworthundividedattention.

Here’sonewaytoillustrateimmersion.Ifyouareoutonthepooldeckandsomeoneasksyoutofocusontheswimmingpool,whatdoesthatmean?Wouldyougostandatthesideandstareatit?Wouldyouclimbintothelifeguardtowerandwatchfromabove?Focusis,afterall,supposedtobeapowerfulandeffective strategy. Now compare the concept of focus with the next scenario that defines immersion.You’reonthepooldeckandsomeonetellsyoutoimmerseyourselfintheswimmingpool.Whatwouldthis look like?What is implied when someone asks you to immerse yourself in a pool? You’re wet!You’re in the water! You’re either swimming or you’re drowning. It is a qualitatively differentexperience.

Icanwalkbytheopendoorofaclassroomandtellyouafteracoupleofminuteswhethertheteacher

isalifeguardoraswimmer.Alifeguardsitsabovetheactionandsupervisesthepooldeck.Althoughheor she is focused, there is a distinct sense of separateness both physically andmentally. In contrast, aswimmerisoutparticipatingandanintegralpartoftheaction.

Lastsummer,mysonHaydentookswimlessonsatthelocalYMCAtwodaysaweek.OnTuesdays,hehadamalecoachwhostoodatthesideofthepoolandgaveinstructionsashereturnedaftereachlap.OnThursdays,hehadafemaleinstructorwhowasinthepoolwithHayden.Shephysicallyliftedhisarmsandshowedhimtheproperstrokes.Shewouldtakehischinandmovehisheadtothesidetodemonstratehowfaroutofthewaterheshouldcometotakeabreath.HelearnedmoreononeortwoThursdaysthanhedidonalloftheTuesdaysputtogether.

It’s far more powerful to “swim” with your students. They need the benefit of your completeimmersion.Now, it is important to point out thatmy sonwas learning the strokes for the first time asopposedtopracticingandperfectingstrokesthathehadalreadylearned.Tobeclear,I’mnotsuggestingthat a competitive swim coach needs to be in the water with his athletes. I’m suggesting that whendeliveringfirstinstruction,especiallytostrugglinglearners,youneedtoleavethecomfortoftheloungechairorlifeguardtowerandjumpintothewaterwithyourstudents.

Immersionisfeltbystudentsinwayswedon’tevenrealize.Imissedacoupledaysofschoolrecentlyandhadmysubstituteteachershowavideo.Uponreturn,severalstudentscomplainedthatitjustwasn’tthe samewatchingwith the sub. I said, “Whatdoyoumean?Thewholeperiodwasgoing tobe spentwatching the videowhether Iwas here or not.” Towhich one ofmy students replied, “Yeah, but youalwayspausethevideototelluscoolthingsandbuildupanticipationforwhat’scoming.Youmakelittlecommentsthewholetime.Welikethatyouwatchandreacttothevideowithus.It’sjustdifferentwhenyou’rehere.”Thateye-openingconversationoffereddramaticproofofthesignificantdifferencepersonalpower,attitude,andfullpresenceoftheinstructorhasonthelearningenvironment.Aninstructorwhoisfully immersed in the moment has a special type of intensity that resonates with great power in theclassroom,regardlessoftheactivity.

The sun is a powerful source of heat, yet the Earth doesn’t burst into flames each day at noon.However, if you concentrate the sun’s rays through a magnifying glass and direct the narrow beamtowardssomethingflammableyoucanstartafire.Thatisthedifferencebetweendissipatedenergyandenergy that has been captured, concentrated and directed into a powerful laser-like focus. Immersionworksthesamewayintheclassroomandwillallowyoutomorphlukewarmlessonsintosupernovasthatsettheclassroomonfire.

DON’TMISSTHEMOMENTIhadamajorreminderofoneofmyseminarprinciplesoverThanksgivingweek.Iwashomewithmy

twochildreneverydayallweekwhilemywifewasworking.Normally,thiswouldbefine,butIalsohadseveral things I was working on…like sitting at the computer and brainstorming blog ideas. As mychildrencompetedformydividedattention,Ifeltthebeginningsoffrustrationcreepingin(OK,OK,morethanthebeginnings!).RightbeforeIsnapped,ithitme;sometimesIneedtotakemyowndamnseminar.Iteach this stuff! Iwas not following the principle of “immersion.”Divided attention is ineffective andcreatesamajorlossofpersonalpower.Isetmyworkasideandmadethefirmdecisiontojust“be”withmykids.Immersioninthatmomentmeantbeing fullypresent,goingwith theflow,andsurrenderingmyneedtobeincontrolallthetime.

How did it end up? We had an incredible day exploring the canyons of Tierrasanta and goingwherevertheywanted.Aswechattedalongtheway,Iwitnessedtheinnatecreativitychildrencanshow

whennotover-scheduledand“structured”todeath.Bytheway,bypersonallylettinggo,Ialsofreedmymind to comeupwith blog topics naturally. I gotmore ideas and clarity by taking awalk than I everwouldhavebystaringatacomputerscreen.Sometimesweneedtogiveourbrainthevisionandthenletourconsciousmindgetoutofthewayandlettheunconsciousdoitsthing.

ThepracticeofimmersionandlettingyourselffullyexperiencethemomentappliestotheclassroominmorewaysthanIcanpossiblymention.I’mafirmbelieverinhavingstructureanddefiniteplansforthedirectionoflessons,butsometimesthingshappenthatdemandachangeindirectionanda“lettinggo”oftheplan.Theteachablemomentiscalledthatbecauseifyouwait itwillbegone!It’sOKtosurrenderyourstructureinthepursuitofsomethingfarmorevaluableinthemoment.

“Butwait…thestatetest iscomingupsoon.Surelymystudentswillneverrecoverandgetbackonpace.”

Well, here’swhat I say:At some point in your career you have to decide if you caremore aboutteaching to tests or teaching kids.My decisionwasmade a long time ago. I teach kids.Don’t let thecurrentoveremphasison standardized test scores lead to the lossof the teachablemoment.Having theright structure and using your time in the classroom effectively allows you the flexibility to let “themoment”happenwithoutanysenseofguilt.Sometimesweneedtojust“be”withourstudentsandtakethefigurativewalkthroughthecanyonswiththem.

T

RAPPORT

hequoteabovefromSunTzu’sTheArtofWarisoneofthegreatestbehaviormanagementquotesinhistory.Ultimately,we don’twant to develop techniques towin behaviormanagement battles,we

wanttodeveloptechniquesthatallowustoavoidthebattlesaltogether.I know for a fact I havemany studentswho are a living nightmare for the other teachers on their

schedule,butpresentmewithverylittledifficulty.Howisthispossible?Itcertainlyisn’tthatIammoreknowledgeableinmysubjectmatter.Itrarelyhastodowithmehavingahigherlevelofcompassionorbeingmorecaringthanmycolleagues.NordoIbelievethosestudents’inconsistentbehaviorhasanythingtodowithmehavinggreaterskillinbehaviormanagement.

Sowhat compels these “troublemakers” to behave inmy class? First and foremost, I believe it’sbecause theyareengaged. It ismyopinionandexperience thatanengagedstudent is rarelyabehaviorproblem.Misbehaviorusuallyindicatesboredom,overwhelm,orlackofconnectiontothematerialbeingcovered.Theentiresecondhalfof thisbookoffersan in-depthstudyon transformingyour lessons intohighlyengagingpresentationsthatdrawinandholdyourstudents’interestlikeamagnet.Butengagementis only one piece of the behavior puzzle. Equally important to your success in avoiding battles withstudentsisyourabilitytodevelopdeeplevelsofrapport.

Youcan’teffectivelydevelopengagingpresentationsunlessyouspendthenecessarytimeandefforttofind outwhat they already find engaging.Many of the strategies Iwill describe later are universal innatureanddesignedtoworkforallaudiences.Theyplayoffofbasichumannatureandcanbesafelyandeffectivelyusedacrosstheboard.However,oneofthebigsecretsandshortcutstoengagementistospendless timetryingtogetstudents interestedinwhatyouarepresentingandmore timemakingconnectionsbetweenwhatyouarepresentingandwhattheyarealreadyinterestedin.

IstartbuildingrapportontheveryfirstdayofschoolwithmyPlay-Dohlesson.IcontinuetotrytolearnasmuchasIcanaboutmystudentsastheyeargoeson.Whataretheirhobbies?Whatsportsdotheyplay?Whattypesofmusicdotheylistento?Whatmoviesdotheylike?WhichTVshowsdotheylovetowatch?Ifyou’repayingattentiontowhatexcitesthem,youcanconnectwiththemalmostinstantly.SomeofmykillerhooksforlessonshavecomedirectlyfrompickinguponconversationsIoverhearbetweenstudents.

Youcanalsoaskstudentstotrytofindconnectionsbetweenyourcontentandpopculture.Manytimes,students bring tomy attention the relationship a currently popular song ormovie has to what we arestudying.Youshoulddoeverythingyoucantoencourageyourstudentstodrawthesetypesofconnections.

Similarly,tryreadingthepaperandwatchingthenewswithyourclassinmind.Developthehabitofcombingcurrenteventsfromtheperspectiveofsearchingforhooksandconnectionstoyourmaterial.Youwillbeastonishedatthegoldminethatsurroundsyou.Thishabitofferstheaddedbenefitofconsistently

keepingyourlessonsfreshandmoreinterestingforyou,aswell.Anadditionalkeytodevelopingrapportisspendinginformaltimewithyourstudents.Usetheminutes

betweenclasses,beforeandafterschool,andoccasionallyatlunchandbreaktoconnectwiththem.Forexample, several clubsusemy roomat lunchtime. I believebeing available tokids says a lot to themaboutwhetherornotyouare interested in thembeyondyourparticularclass.Try to interactwith themduringpassingperiodsandstopandchatorsay“hi”asyoupassoncampusduringtheday.Asoftenasyou can, attend extra-curricular activities your students are involved in. Building rapport is all aboutinteracting with your students as fellow human beings, not just as subordinates. Kids can tell thedifferencebetweenteacherswhoonlyseemtocareaboutthemwhentheyaresittingintheclassroom,andthosewhoseepastthe“student”totheuniquepersonwhoresidesinside.

Rapportisalsoincrediblyimportantbecauseithelpscreatebuy-in.WhenIdiscusssomeofthethingsmystudentsdo,Iknowmanyteachersthinktothemselves,“There’snowaymykidswoulddothat.”Theymightberight!Mykidsprobablywouldn’tdoitonthefirstdayofschool.Theydon’tknowortrustmeyet.Butbyworkingtocreateasafeandsupportiveenvironmentwherestudentsfeelvalued,Iearntheirtrust.Youcan,too.

I actively encourage teachers to develop a classroom climate where students feel like doing theoutrageous; where the out of the ordinary and sometimes silly are the norm. How do I foster thisenvironment?First,ImodelthebehaviorIwantfrommystudent.Iamperfectlycomfortableinmyownskinandamwillingto“letmyhairdown”intheclassroom.Anuptightandstiffteacherleadstoanuptightand stiff class. Get playful! Allow for friendly banter. Put a premium on making your class fun andentertainingrightfromthestart.

MYFIRSTTHREEDAYSI have spent quite a bit of time thinking about and designing my first three days of school. You

probablyhaveyourroutine,andthat’sfine.Mygoalindescribingmyfirstthreedaysisn’ttogetyoutoimplement them instead of what you already do. I’mmore concerned with demonstrating the thinkingbehindwhatIdosoyoucanevaluatewhichifanyoftheseideaswillworkforyou.Aswiththerestofthisbook,thisisnotanallornothingsituation;youmaywanttoincorporateonlyafewoftheseideasintowhat you already do. On the other hand, maybe you’ll decide you want to completely revamp youropeningdays.Eitherway,Ihopethesethoughtsarehelpful.

Nothingismoreimportanttomethancreatingtheproperatmosphererightfromthestart.NocontentstandardmatterstomeuntilIhaveestablishedthesafe,supportive,andpositiveclassroomenvironmentIneed to successfully teachmy students.Any time I spend on the front end of the year to establish thisenvironmentisnottimewasted.Infact,Iknowitwillpaydividendsahundredtimesoverbeforetheendoftheyear.

DAYONEThefirstthingstudentsseewhentheyapproachmydoorisasignlikeyoumightseeoutsideofatheme

parkride,ahauntedhouse,orsomeextremesportactivity.Onit ismynameandroomnumberand thewords:

“YOU’VEHEARDTHESTORIES…

AREYOUREADYFORTHEEXPERIENCE?!!”

Beforemynewstudentsevenentermyroom,theyarehitwitharatherunusualandintriguingmessage

that plays off the fact that many legendary, often exaggerated, stories circulate around the campuscommunityaboutwhathappens inmyroom.Even ifastudenthasneverheardoneof thesestories, thesign’smessagecreatesaninterestingsenseofanticipation.Theyimmediatelywonder,Whatintheworldisthisclassallabout?

As they enter the room, the first thing students notice is the positive, upbeat energy created by themusic playing. I always use music duringmy passing periods to create an immediate break from thehustle, bustle, and drama of the hallways. It is an audible reminder that they are entering a differentworld…myworld.

Next,theireyeswillfocusonthedesks.EverydeskhasapaperplatewithacanofPlay-Dohonit.Acrosstheboard,writteningiant letters,arethewords,“DoNOTOpenthePlay-Doh!”Already,Iamtrying tobreak theirpre-conceivednotions aboutwhat to expect in a typical classroom.Mygoal is tostandout,tobedifferentfromtheirotherclasses.HighschoolkidsarenotusedtoplayingwithPlay-Doh,and it iscertainlyapattern interrupt thatbreaks themonotonyof the typical firstdayspent reading theclass syllabus and reciting classroom rules and procedures. Inmyopinion, it is farmore important tocreateauniqueexperienceforthemonthefirstdaythanitistobesuretheyknowhowmanybathroompassestheywillhaveeachsemesterandwhenitisOKtousethepencilsharpener!

ItakecareofallnecessaryfirstdayadministrativetaskssuchastakingattendanceandcheckingtheirschedulestobesuretheyareintherightplacebeforeI“officially”greetthem.OnceIstart,Idon’twantthere tobeany transitions thatwill slowmedownand impede the flowof the lesson.EliminatingandsmoothingouttransitionsisakeyelementtomaintainingengagementandoneIwilldiscussfurtherinthesectiononhooks.

With the boring stuff out of the way, I proceed to give them what I refer to as “Good MorningTraining.” This is extremely tough to describe in writing and really must be experienced to fullyunderstand.Basically, Istandbehindmyrolling table in thefrontof theroomanddrawallattention tomyselfasIgothroughabizarreprocessofsquaringupthepapersinfrontofme,adjustingtheangleofthetable, andawkwardly straighteningmyselfup toaddress theclass. Ifdonecorrectly, there shouldbeacombination of a few giggles andmanywonderingwhat the heck is going on. I then look up and say,“GoodMorning”ina loud,firmvoice.Iwait insilenceuntilIhearasmatteringofgoodmorningsandthenstormthroughtheclassrantingthattheirresponseistotallyunacceptableandwillnotbetolerated.“Not one single time will I accept that from you!When I say ‘goodmorning’ to you, you say ‘goodmorning’tome.Notonlythat,buthoweverIsaygoodmorningtoyouishowyousaygoodmorningtome!If I say ‘GoodMorning!’ (saidwith strange accent)…you say ‘GoodMorning!’ (saidwith exact sameaccent).Let’strythisagain,thisisyourfirsttestoftheyearandyes…Iamgrading!”Ithenreturntothefront,facetheclass,andwhispermygreeting.TheyshouldrespondinkindandthenIsay,“Welcometoclass,thankyouforcoming.I’mDaveBurgessandI’llbeyourhostonthisLearningExtravaganza!!”

Atthispoint,Iamoffandrunning.Lookingoutatmyclass,Iseestudentslookingliketheyhavebeenhitbyahurricaneofenergyandaburstoffire.Undertheirbreathstudentssaythingslike:

“Thisisgoingtobeawesome.”“Myfriendsaidthatthisguyiscrazy.”“Thisguyistotallyondrugs.”Whatyoudon’thearisstudentssaying,“Thislookslikeitisgoingtobeaboringclass.”Iwantthem

toimmediatelyrealizetheyhaveenteredaspaceunlikeanyothertheyhaveeverexperienced.Next,Igivethemahandouttitled:

WELCOMETOTHEWORLDFAMOUSLEARNINGEXTRAVAGANZA!

HOSTEDBY:DAVEBURGESS

NOWPLAYINGINSS-9

Noticethepositioningthatisusedinthattitle.Itdoesn’tsay“U.S.History/Geo1C.”Itsays“WorldFamousLearningExtravaganza.”It is“hosted”byme,not taught.Andit is“playinginSS-9”asif theyhaveenteredashow.

ItisasclosetoasetofrulesandproceduresasIwillevergivethem.Iflythroughitinahumorousfashion, but really zero in on one item. I let them know this class will be completely different thananythingtheyhaveeverattended.Tosucceedtheymustsuspendtheirpre-conceivednotionsaboutwhatisallowed inaclassroomandget into thespiritofhelping tocreateanoutrageously funandentertainingexperience.IopenlytellthemIbelievethiswillbetheirfavoriteclassofalltimeandonethattheywillrememberforever…butthatitonlyworksifweagreetofollowonerule:

THISISANO-MEANNESSZONE!!

I let themknowIwill tolerateunbelievable levelsofbanter,playfulness,andseeminglyoutrageousbehaviorforaclassroom,butIwillnevertoleratemeanness.Allofthefunwillcomegrindingtoastopifsomebodyisbeingmeantoanotherstudentordoingsomethingthathurtsanother’sfeelings.Youjustcan’tteach withmy style of openness without emphasizing this rule. It is critical for creating the safe andsupportivekindofenvironmentinwhichcreativity,learning,andfuncancoexistandflourish.Aspartofthisrule,IalsotellthemtheyshouldfeelfreetoletmeknowifIammakingthemfeeluncomfortablebydrawingunwantedattentiontothemthroughmybanterandteasing.Iwantmystudentstofeelperfectlyateaseapproachingmeaboutanyissuethatisoccurringinclass.Creatingaplaceofsafetyisaprerequisiteforthesuccessfulimplementationofmyteachingstyle.

Onceeveryoneknowstherules, I tellstudents to take thenext tenminutes tocreatesomethingwiththeirdoughthatisinsomewayrepresentativeofthemselves.Theycanhavecompletecreativelicensetomakeanythingtheywantaslongasitisclassroomappropriate.IexplainthatIwillshowtheclasstheircreation,askaquestionortwoaboutit,andhavethemtellustheirname.Theywillnothavetocometothefrontoftheroomandthewholeprocesswilltakethirtysecondsorless.Thatsimpleexplanationofwhattoexpecthelpslowerthestresssomestudentsfeelaboutspeakinginthefrontoftheclass.

Whentheybegintoworkontheirartisticcreation,Igetachancetodosomethingimportantbutrareonthe first day of school. I get to walk around and informally interact with my students. I help thembrainstormideasforwhattocreateiftheyarestuck(againloweringstresslevels),andIgetachancetobegintolearnaboutmystudentsbyaskingthemquestionsabouttheircreations.Thisinformationcanlaterbeusedtohelptocreatehooksformymaterialthatarehighlyeffectivebecausetheyincorporatesubjectsinwhichtheyarealreadyinvolvedandengaged.

Whenthetimeisup,Imakemywayquicklyupanddowntherowstalkingtoeachstudentandhavingthemintroducethemselves.AsIaskquestionsaboutwhattheycreated,Ikeepitquick,lighthearted,andfilledwith humorous banter. I “rescue” any studentwho is struggling to find something to say so thateveryoneleavesclassfeelingliketheyhavebeensuccessful.

ThroughouttheclassperiodImakeamajorpointofgoingbackoverthenamesmultipletimes.Infact,Iofferaprizetoanystudentwhocantellmethenameofeverystudentinclassattheendoftheactivity.Iwillallowthemtodothisatanypointduringmyfirstweekofschool.Ibelieveitiscriticalforstudentstoatleastknoweachother’snamesifwearetryingtobuildanenvironmentwithahighlevelofrapport.

Attheendoftheclassperiod,Ithankthestudentsforcomingandthensaysomethingalongthelinesof,“Youdon’twanttomisstomorrow.Somethingwildandcrazyisgoingtohappenatthebeginningof

class.Youcaneitherbehereandseeit,orjusthavetohearstoriesaboutitwhenyoucomeback.”Youbetterbelievethatmakesthemcuriousenoughtowanttocometoclassthenextday.

Iwanttopauseandmakeacommenthereaboutbuildingrapport—withthestudents,andamongthestudents.Severalyearsago,Ilearnedthehardwaythatmanystudentsdonotevenknowwhoissittinginclasswiththem.Iaskedthreestudentstohelpmepassbackpapersduringthelastfewminutesofaclassperiod.Whenthebellrangtheyeachbroughtmebackastackofpapers.Iwashorrifiedtodiscovertheydidnotreturnthepapers,notbecausetheyranoutoftime,butbecausetheydidnotknowwhothepeoplewere.Nowunderstand,thiswasabouthalfwaythroughtheschoolyear.HereIwas,travelingaroundthecountryspeakingtoaudiencesaboutsubjectssuchasbuildingrapport,andIhadstudentswhodidn’tevenknowthenameofthekidsittingbehindthem.Sincethatmoment,IhaveitmadeitapointtoemphasizenamesaspartofwhatIdoduringthefirstthreedays.Makingitintoacontesthelpsgetsomebuy-in.

DAYTWODaytwobeginswithmyopeningritualthatwasapartoftheir“GoodMorningTraining”fromthefirst

day.Ithenturnoffthelights,returntothefrontoftheroom,andtransformmyselfintoanairplane.Iflyfull-speedaroundtheroomtwicewithmyarmsoutstretchedandjetmotorfullyaudible.AsIamreturningto the front to finish the second lap, I apparently trip, flingmyself onto the floor, and roll a coupleoftimes. As I straighten up tomy knees, I act as if I am taking in breaths and dog-paddling inwater. Ialternate between puttingmy head down under thewaterwith gurgling noises and then catching somebreaths at the surface. Imotionwildly and shout that I see a life raft…and then I “swim”on the floortowardsit.Ipullthecord,makethenoiseofitinflating,andthenclimbin.Istartpullingimaginarypeopleintotheraft,strugglingwitheachofthemuntilIcountandhavetensurvivors.

Ithen(carefulwiththisone!)passoutforanawkwardlylongperiodoftime.Trustmeonthis,ontheseconddayofschoolwithateacherpassedoutontheflooraftercrashinginaplaneandswimmingonthecarpet, an awkwardly longperiodof time is very short! I come to, pretend to see land, and thenhandpaddletoit.Ipulltheraftupontothebeachanddiscoveradesertedisland.

After some by-play, I make helicopter sounds, wave it down, and then simulate the wind of itslanding.IbecomethecopterpilotsteppingoutandtellthesurvivorsthatIhaveneverseenthisislandonanymap,IwasblownoffcourseandamunsurethatIwillbeabletolocateitagain.Mycoptercanonlyaccommodate five passengers, so fivewill come back to safety and fivewill have to survive on theisland.It isuptotheclasstodecidewhowillbesavedandwhowillbeleftbehind.Theyaretoformcollaborativegroupsofthreeorfourstudentseachandcometoaconsensus.

Iprovidethemwithalistofthetencharacterswhohavesurvivedthecrash.Eachofthesecharactersisdesignedtocauseadebateastowhethertheyshouldstayorgo.Forexample,oneisabotanistwhoisalsothesinglemomoftwoyoungchildren.Somewillwanttokeepherontheislandforherknowledgeofplantsandotherswillwanttoreturnhertoherchildren.Anotherexampleisaconvictedmurdererwhoisonparole.Somestudentswon’twanttogivehimoneofthefiveseatshome.Otherstudentsmaynotwantto leave four people on the islandwith him. Thewhole idea is to create characters thatwill spark adebateanddifferencesinopinion.

Thisexerciseaccomplishestwomaingoals.First,theyareonceagainsockedinthestomachwithanoutrageous and outside-the-box intro to the period that is not only bizarre, but highly entertaining.Secondly,Igetthechancetodiscussgroupdynamics,thecollaborativeprocess,andtheproceduresweusetogetintogroups,allinthecontextofafun,engagingactivitythatdoesnothaveanyparticularrightorwronganswers.Theanswer towho is rescuedandwhostayson the islanddoesn’tmatter; it is theprocessthatisimportant.Iemphasizethattheymustnotonlycometoaconsensus,buttheymustbeableto

justifytheiranswers.As thegroupscollaborate, Icirculate through the roomandmonitor theprocess. I reinforceproper

dynamics,theno-meannessrule,andencouragefullparticipation.Oncefinished,eachgroupreportstheiranswersand responds toanyquestions Imighthaveabout theirchoices. It isalways interesting to seehowdifferenttheanswerscanbeandhowthejustificationsvaryfromgrouptogroupandfromperiodtoperiod.Itracktheresponsesonachartontheboard.

Aftertwodays,everystudenthasintroducedthemselvestothewholeclassandhasparticipatedinacollaborativegroup.Inaddition,theyhaveyettoseeanythingresemblinganordinaryclassexperience.They leavewonderingwhat in theworld isgoing tohappennext. I’ll tellyouwhat isgoing tohappennext,justthesinglemostimportantdayoftheschoolyear…DayThree!

DAYTHREEIf Iwere torankallofmyonehundredeightyclassdays inorderof importance,Iwouldprobably

rankdaythreeasthesinglemostcriticaloftheyear.ThisisthedayIexplainthemethodtomymadnessandbreakdownallpossibilitiesofstudentsfallingintoaself-fulfillingprophecyoffailure.Iteachmanystudentswhohavestruggledinschoolandfailedmanytimesbeforetheyarriveatmydoor.Iknowmanyofthemareaskinganunspokenquestionthatisabsolutelycriticalformetobeabletoanswer.Ivisualizethemsittinginfrontofmeandaskingthissilentquestion:“WhywillIbesuccessfulinyourclassifI’venever been successful before?” Until, and unless, I can answer that question, I don’t believe I caneffectivelystartmyyear.

Day threeconsistsofamassive,high-energy, frenetic salespitchdesigned toconvincemystudentsthat my class is completely different from anything they have ever experienced in school. Mostimportantly,Iworktosellthemonthefactthattheycan,andabsolutelywill,besuccessful.Fartoomanyofour studentshavebeenbeatenupbyschool.Theyhavebeen told theydon’tmeasureup.Theyhavebeenmadetobelievetheiruniquegiftsandtalentsarenotvaluedbytheeducationalsystembecausetheyarenotreflectedintestscores.Theydon’tbelievethatschoolrespectsandhonorstheirindividualitybutinsteadusesitagainstthemasatooltoforceconformity.

Everystudentinyourclassinthosefirstfewdaysofthesemesterisevaluatingwhetherornotyourroomisanemotionallyandpsychologicallysafeenvironment.They’rewonderingifitisworththeirtimeandefforttogiveschoolarealshot.Afterall,it’seasiertonotgiveyourbestandthenblamefailureonalackofeffort,thantobeforcedtorealizeyoureallydon’thavewhatittakes.Atleastyoucansavefacewithyourpeerswhenyoufailifyoudon’ttryinthefirstplace.

Noneofthisiseververballyexpressed.However,ifyouteachthesameclienteleIdo,youknowthisis what some of them are thinking. It is our job as teachers to address the unspoken thoughts rattlingaroundinthemindsofourstudents.Theearlierwedoit,thebetter.

Mygoal is tocompletelysmashany ideamystudentsmighthaveaboutmyclassbeingmoreof thesameforthem.Iwillpulloutallthestopstoconvincethemitdoesn’tmatteriftheyhavefailedbeforebecausemyclassisabsolutelyandcompletelydifferent.Myclasshasbeenspeciallydesignedforthemtobesuccessful.Itisbasedonthelatestbrainresearchandincorporatesincrediblemnemonicsdesignedtohelp themeasily learnandretainmorecontent in less time. Iexplain to themhowthebrainworksandhowapositivelearningenvironmentiscriticalforhigher-orderthinkingtotakeplace.

Italktothemaboutlearningstyles.IspendagreatdealoftimediscussingHowardGardner’stheoryof multiple intelligences. I give them compelling examples of how school systems have consistentlyneglectedandundervaluedmanyofthesetypesofintelligencesbecausetheyarenoton“thetest.”Ishowhowspecialgiftsandtalents,likeartisticandmusicalcreativity,shouldbeequallyvaluedinschool.Italk

to the athletes and dancers about kinesthetic intelligence. I give examples of how people withinterpersonalintelligencemightfindthemselvesintroubleinschoolbuthaveincredibleopportunitiesforsuccessinthe“realworld.”

Idonothaveacasual,nonchalantattitudeaboutthisday.Makenomistakeaboutit…Iamselling! Ibelieve great teaching incorporates many of the same skills and techniques used in successfulsalesmanship and marketing—and I use them all. By offering a powerfully compelling and engagingargument,Iamattemptingtofullypersuademystudentsthattheywillbesuccessful.I’mspinningthestorytothebestofmyability.ButthedifferencebetweenmeandthePRmasterswhospinstoriesforthemediaisthatIamconvincedthatwhatI’msellingisabsolutelyworthyoftheeffort.Marketersspendbillionsofdollarsanduntoldhourstryingtosellpeopleproductsthatdon’tevencomecloseinsignificancetowhatI’mselling.I’msellingeducation…alife-alteringproductthatcantransformthehumanspiritandliterallychangetheworldonestudentatatime.Surely,suchaproductisworthyofanyandallefforts,techniques,andmethodsrequiredtosuccessfullypersuade.

Attheveryleast,Iwantthemostdifficultandstubbornstudentinmyclasstoleavewithanopenmindand say to themselves, “OK, maybe this guy is on to something. I’ll give this a shot and see whathappens.”BOOM!Igothim.ThatopeningisallIneed.Nextcomesthefunpart:livinguptomypitchandprovidingacoursethatknockstheirsocksoffandrockstheirworld.

Howdoyoudothat?Justkeepreading!

O

ASKANDANALYZE

ne of the most frequent questions I am asked is, “How can I become more creative when I’mdesigning my lessons?” More often, actually, it sounds something like this, “I love all of your

examples,buthowcanIaddthosetypesofpresentationstomylessonswhenI’mnotascreativeasyouare?”QuestionslikethattellmeIamspeakingtoyetanotherpersonwhohasfallenvictimtowhatIcallthemythoftheblindingflashoflight.Manypeoplebelieveonlytwokindsofpeopleexistinthisworld—thosewhoarecreativeand thosewhoarenot.Thepeoplewhobelieve this,ofcourse,haveusuallyalreadyclassifiedthemselvesintothelattercategory.Theybelievecreativepeoplesimplywalkaroundand are suddenly struck by creative ideasmuch like a bright flash of light. They are frustrated by theabsenceof that flash of light in their own lives. “If only I could get those same flashes of insight andcreativity,”theylament.“It’snotfair!”

Maybecertain typesof“genius” individuals, likeEinstein,receivethoseflashes,but that’snothowcreativity happens for most people. For most of us, creative genius is developed through hard work,directedattention,andrelentlessengagementinthecreativeprocess.

What is this creative process? To a large extent, it is the process of consistently asking the rightquestions. I learned one of mymost life-transforming concepts frommotivational speaker and author,AnthonyRobbins.Theconceptistheunbelievableimportanceandsignificanceofquestions.Thetypesofquestions we ask ourselves determine the types of answers that we receive. If you consistently askquestionsthatleadtocreativeandoutside-the-boxthinking,yourmindwillprovideyouwithcreativeandoutside-the-boxanswers.Askingtherightquestionsisliketuningtheradiotothecorrectfrequency.Mostpeoplegothroughlifelisteningto“creativestatic”becausetheyhavefailedtoproperlytunetheirmindtotherightstation.Infact,mostpeopledon’tevenrealizetheyhavetheabilitytobecreative,sotheydon’tevenbothertoturnontheradio.

The quality of your questions determines the quality of your answers, and the type of questiondetermines the type of ideas your brain will receive and conceive. A teacher approached me afterattendingoneofmyworkshopsand toldme thathereally likedmyexamplesofhowI takemyclassesoutsideoftheroomformultiplelessons.Hewentontosaythathecouldn’tthinkofanysimilarideasforhis classes. The question I asked him next revealed the reason hewas stuck. I asked, “When you aredesigningyourlessons,doyouaskyourself,‘IsthereawayIcangetmyclassoutsideoftheroomforthislesson?’Orhaveyouasked,‘Whereisthebestplaceoncampustodeliverthislesson?’”Hisanswer,ofcourse,wasno.Howcouldheexpecttofindacreativewaytogethisclassoutsideifheneverasksthequestion?Hewaswaitingfortheblindingflashoflight.Areyou?

Ifyouaskyourself,“Whereisthebestplaceoncampustodeliverthislesson?”Youmightfindthatthe

answerisnotyourroom.You’llneverknowifyoudon’task.Wecantweakandrefinethequestionstomakethemevenbetter.Forexample,“HowcanIgetmyclassoutsideforthislesson?”isbetterthan“Isthereaway…”becausethelatterallowsforthemindtotaketheeasywayoutandjustsay“No.”Evenbettermightbetoask,“HowmanydifferentwayscanIfindtogetmyclassoutsideforthislesson?”Nowthequestionnaturallyleadstowardsreceivingmultiplesolutionsratherthanbeingsatisfiedwithone.Theability tomanipulate questions tomake them evenmore effective is crucial to success in the creativeprocess.

Anotherteacherapproachedmeafteraworkshop,frustratedwithhisinabilitytothinkofanycreative“boardmessage” ideas. I put the samequestion tohim, “Haveyouever askedyourself, ‘What could Iwriteonmyboardforthislessonthatwouldsparkaconversationorcreateabuzzevenbeforethebellrings?’”Youcanguesshisanswer.Creativeideasdon’tcomeoutoftheblue;theycomefromengaginginthe creative process. That critical process starts when you ask the right types of questions and thenactivelyseektheanswers.

Whatweexperienceinourlifeisadirectresultofourfocus.Here’sareal-lifeexperiencethatdriveshomethistruth.Seeifyoucanrelate.Severalyearsago,myfamilyenteredtheminivanstage.Withtwoyoungchildren,weneededamorespaciousformoftransportation;mywifesaidweneededtothinkaboutgettingaminivan.Iknewabsolutelynothingaboutminivans.Ihadneverdrivenone,anddidn’tevenknowanyofthebrandnames.Tomyrecollection,Ihadneverevenriddeninone.Uptothatpoint,theamountoftimeIhadspentthinkingaboutminivanswasexactlyzero.Afteralittleonlineresearch,wevisitedtheHondadealershiptotestdriveanOdyssey.IcanhonestlysayIhadnoideawhatanOdysseywasuntilthatday.Afterwards,wecrossedthestreettotestdriveaSiennaattheToyotadealership.IpreferredtheOdyssey,sowewentbacktotheHondadealershipandboughtabrandnew,silverOdyssey.

On that day, at thatmoment, something absolutely amazing happened. Thousands and thousands ofpeoplegotOdysseysat theexactsametimeasme.Isawthemeverywhere!OnthewayhomeIpassedOdysseyafterOdyssey.AHondaOdysseymergedintotrafficinfrontofme.Ipulleduptoastoplightrightbehind an Odyssey. I looked in the rearview mirror and there was one behind me, as well. At thesupermarket, I parked between twoHondaOdysseys. Three times sincemy purchase, I have actuallyopened thedoor to someoneelse’sHondaOdyssey.Haveyouever experienced that awkwardmomentwhenyourealizeit’ssomeoneelse’sstuffinthecaryoujustopenedthedoorto?Ihave,andtheonlythingyoucandoisquicklyclosethedoor,walkaway,andhopenoonesawyoutryingtogetintoastranger’scar.

Iknowyouknow theanswer to thisquestionbut I’mgoing to ask it anyway:Dideverybodyget aHondaOdysseythesamedayIdid?No?AreyoutryingtotellmethatallthoseOdysseysweretherethewholetime?Yes?Thenwhydidn’tIseethem?

Theanswerrevealssomethingincredibleaboutthehumanmind.Wearehitwithsomuchinformationandstimulithatourbraincannothopetoprocessitall.Wesimplycan’tmakesenseoftheworldwithoutamentalfilter.Thebrainlearnstoattendtostimuli that itbelievesareimportant toyouandtodelete,orfilterout,everythingelse.Untilweneededaminivan,Odysseysweren’timportanttome.Ineverfocusedonthem,orevengavethemasecondthought,sotheyjustregisteredtomybrainas“car”inthegeneric.OnceIhadanOdysseyanditwaspartofmylife,mybrainautomaticallyattendedtothemandregisteredthemassomethingspecialanddifferentfromjustanycar.

I’msureyouhavehadasimilarexperience.Nosoonerdoyouget involvedor interested inanewsubjectthan,outofnowhere,youseeanarticleaboutit,anewsreportonit,andoverhearotherpeoplediscussingitinconversation.YourReticularActivatingSystem(RAS),thesameneurologicalsystemthatfiltersoutunnecessary stimuli,begins to search forandpointout thoughts, images,words,people,and

places you never noticed before. Suddenly, your mental radio— your RAS—picks up an all newfrequency,andit’stunedintoyoursubjectofinterest.

Thesameprincipleholdstrueforcreativeideas.JustliketheOdysseys,creativeideasareallaroundusallofthetime.Creativeinspirationisconstantlyatourdisposal,butwewillneverseeitunlessweactively and consistently attempt to create.Byasking the right questions, you tuneyourRAS intoyourneedforcreativeinspirationandsolutions.Suddenly,clarityandcreativityseeminescapable.

On a recent trip toMobile, Alabama, I witnessed the power of this neurological phenomenon inaction. Iwas presenting three days ofworkshops for the social studies teachers in theMobileCountySchoolSystem.MyfriendNateSmith,theSocialStudiesCoordinator,bookedtheeventatthebeautifulMuseumofMobile.Afterattendingtheday-longworkshop,teachersweretotourthemuseum.Wewantedthemtoseethisexcellent,butunder-utilized,localresourcethatwasperfectforfieldtrips.

Myworkshoproomwasonthefirstfloor,justdownthehallfromthemuseum’sgiftshop.Onourfirstbreak,manyteachersbrowsedtheshop,butveryfewmadeapurchase.Laterintheday,wediscussedthepowerofaddinghookstopresentationsandbegantoactivelyengageinthecreativeprocess.Duringthenext break, the teachers went back into the shop. On this visit, they viewed almost every item as apotentialpropforalessonoracreativewaytoengagetheclass.Multipleteacherscameuptomeoverthe three days to showmewhat they had purchased and explain how they planned to use it. Teacherswalkedoutof themuseumeacheveningcarryinggift shopbags filledwithall sortsof strange items. Ishouldhavereceivedacommission!

Whatchangedbetweentheirfirstvisittothegiftshopwhennothingseemedinteresting,andthenextvisitwheneverythingheldpotentialasaproporclassroomtool?Theinventorydidn’tchange.Infact,theexactitemswereintheshopthefirsttimetheteacherswalkedthrough;thoseitemsjustdidn’tregisterassignificantorrelatedtothem.Afterengaginginthecreativeprocess, thesameteachersexperiencedtheworld in a completely different way. By changing their focus and activating the creative genius thatresidesinsideeachofus,theyweretransportedintoaworldofabundance;onewhereincredibleideaswereallaroundthemforthetaking.

Thesamethingcanhappenforyou.Creativityisrarelyaboutnaturalbrillianceorinnategenius.Muchmoreoftencreativityresultsfromproperlydirectedattention,laser-likefocus,relentlesseffort,andhardwork. Outsiders see the glorious results but know very little about the blood and sweat that happensbehindcloseddoors.Creativegeniusissomethingpeopletendtoromanticize,buttherealityisnotveryromanticatall.Likeanyskillittakespracticeandeffort.Nooneassumesthatanaccomplisheddoctor,rocket scientist, or engineer “lucked” their way into greatness. We have a certain understanding andappreciationfortheyearsofstudy,sacrifice,andhardworkittakesfortheseexpertstoreachthehighestlevelsoftheirprofession.Yetwhenweseeaccomplishedartistsandexceptionallycreativepeople,wejumptotheconclusionthattheirtalentisGod-givenornatural.Mostpeoplewouldbesurprisedtopullbackthecurtainandseetheyearsofexcruciatinglabor,relentlesspursuitofexcellence,andmonstrousobstaclesthose“naturals”haveovercome.

THE6WORDSAnytimeIspeaktoagroupofeducators,whetherit isaworkshop,keynoteaddress,orconference

session, I tell the following story. You almost have to hear it live for it to have its full impact andintensity. I am a very passionate and enthusiastic speaker, but when I tell this story, my energy andintensityrampsuptoastronomicallevels.Afterwards,ifpeopletalktomeaboutastoryfromthedayitisinevitablythisone.Mybookwouldn’tbecompletewithoutanattempttosharethisstory.IhopeIcando

itjustice.Severalyearsago,aformercolleagueaskedmeforsomeadvice.Wewereteachingmanyofthesame

studentsandshewashavingaverydifficulttimewithbehaviormanagement—andjustabouteverythingelse.WhenIsayshewasstruggling,Imeanshewasclosetohavingabreakdownandflatoutleavingtheprofession.Sheknewfromtheconstantbuzzaboutmyclass that Iwashavingsuccesswith thesesamestudents,sosheaskedifwecoulddiscusssomeofmytechniquesandstrategies.

Well,I lovetodiscusstheseideaswithfellowteacherssomyanswerwasanautomatic“Yes.”Wemetthenextday,andwithinthefirstfiveminutesofourconversationshesaidthesixwordsthatgotmeunbelievably fired up. Using only six words she said two very sinister things that carry very seriousimplications.Now,whenshesaidthesixwords,Isaid“Thankyou,”becauseshewasgivingmecreditforaverydesirablecharactertrait.Itwasn’tuntillaterthatIrealizedwhyIhadsuchanuncomfortableresponse to her six words.Walking away from thatmeeting, the disturbing nature of those six wordssuddenlyhitmeandIimmediatelyrealizedwhyIhadsuchavisceralreactiontothem.Apparently,youcansayalotinsixwords.

(Rightaboutnow,someofyouarereadytoscream,“Justtellmethesixwords!”Ifyouwerelisteningtothestorylive,you’dbereadytoshakethewordsoutofme.Itisworthpointingoutthisreactionisnotunintentional.Thebuildingupofthestoryincorporateselementsofclassicstorytellingtechnique.First,apreview to the story explains its importance and impact in a way that hopefully helps to buildanticipation.Then,themostessentialelementofthestory,thesixwords,isstrategicallykeptfromyou.Thestorycouldbeginwith thesixwordsbut Ihavemadeapresentationaldecision tonot reveal themuntillaterinthestoryinanefforttobuilddramatictension.Alloftheseelementsareexamplesofwhatcanbedonewhenpresentingcontentintheclassroom.Whatagreatplacetobeinwhereyouraudienceisreadytostrangleyouifyoudon’ttellthemtheverycontentthatyouaretryingsodesperatelytodeliver.Itchanges thepositioningof the situationandcreatesanentirelydifferentdynamic.Now,back to the sixwords!)

Thesixwordswere…now,whenItellyouthesixwords,someofyouwillthinktheyaren’tsuchabigdeal,but someofyouwillget it right away.Hopefully,by theendof this story, itwill sink in foreveryone.

Shesaid,“It’seasyforyou.You’recreative.”Wow!Letmerepeatthat.“It’seasyforyou.You’recreative.”Thefirstsinisterimplicationcanbefoundinthefirstfourwords,“It’seasyforyou.”It’seasyforme.Really?Sowithfourwordsshedismissedsixteenyearsofhardwork!Sixteenyears

of brainstorming. Sixteen years’ worth of notebook after notebook filled with ideas, most of whichsucked!Sixteenyearsoffailuresandlessonsthatblewupinmyface.Sixteenyearsoffine-tuningideasandmakingadjustmentsbecausewhatIthoughtweregreatideaswentcompletelywrong.Sixteenyearsofhavingtoabandonlessonspartwaythroughthedayinordertosalvagesomethinguseful.

I’veworkedmybuttofftobuildaclassthatisoutrageouslyengaging,fun,educationallysound,anddearlylovedbystudents.Itwasn’teasywhenIstarted,itwasn’teasylastweek,anditwon’tbeeasynextweek either. It’s not supposed to be easy—it’s supposed to be worth it. You can build somethingincredible ifyouput theeffort inon the frontend,and thenkeepputting theeffort inuntilyou turn thelightsoffandcloseyourdoorforthelasttime.Butitwon’tbe“easy.”

Theriskfacedbyanyonewhohasachievedahighlevelofskillandpolishinanyparticularfieldisthatsincetheymakeitlooksoeasy,somewillassumeitwas.I’mconvincedtheconceptof“thenatural”is entirely erroneous. It’s only through relentless practice that these professionals can fool you intobelievingittobeso.

Thesecondsinisterimplicationcanbefoundinwordsfiveandsix.“You’recreative.”Whatissheimplyingbythat?Sheisimplyingtwothings.First,sheisimplyingIhavesomesortofinborncharactertraitknownas

creativity. Secondly, andmore importantly, she is implying she is not creative. She wasn’t given thisparticulartrait,sosheisexcusedfromdoingthesamehardworkIputin!Herlackof“natural”creativeabilitythereforeexcusesherforthefactthatherclasssucks!Itexcusesherfromthefactthatkidsaren’tlearningsuccessfullyandreachingtheirpotentialinherclass.And,shegetsapassonthefactthatstudentsleaveherclasswithlessofaloveoflearningthanwhentheystarted.

Oh,noshedoesn’t.It’snotOKtothrowupyourhandsindefeatbecauseyou’renotnaturallycreative.Few,ifany, teachersareinnatelycreative.IknowI’mbeingharsh,butI’mtryingtomakeanimportantpoint.Educationcanbeused touplift and inspireor it canbeusedasahammer tobludgeonandbeatdown.Wemustcollectivelyagreeeducatingthenextgenerationisworththetimeandeffortandthatourstudents deserve to be uplifted and inspired.Creativity is not the possession of some special class ofartistic individuals, but is rather something that canbenurtured anddeveloped in all of us—includingyourstudents!

Asadisclaimer,theteacherIamreferringtoisaverynicewomanwhocaresdeeplyaboutkidsandwashonestlytryingtogetbetteratherprofession.Shewouldbehorrifiedtothinkthatshewasimplyingthesethingsand,I’mpositive,meantnooffense.That’swhyIthankedherandwecontinuedtomakesomerealstridesforward.I’monehundredpercentbehindanyonewhowantstoimprove,andIapplaudherforcaringenoughtoseekguidanceandtakingtheriskofaskingmeforassistance.

BUT…IknowIhavetokeeptellingthisstory.Why?Becausetoomanyteachersusethosesixwordsasanexcuse.Caseinpoint:IvisitedwithseveralteachersfollowingaconferencesessioninMonterey,California,whenoneofthem(Thankyou,Mary!)gavemesomeinterestinginsight.Shehadbeeninthewomen’s bathroom immediately after the session and overheard several ladies discussingmy session.Oneoftheladiesmentionedthe“sixwords”storyandsaidthatitfeltlikeapunchtoherstomach.Uptothatpointinthesession,shehadbeensittingtherethinkingtoherselftheexactsamething,“Easyforhim,he’s the creativemagicianguy. I couldnever pull this stuff off.”Hearing the story, she realized Iwastalkingabouther.Itchallengedhertoreconsiderherbeliefthatcreativityissomethingyoueitherhaveordon’thave.Becauseshecouldrelatetothesixwordsandrealizedtheirfallacy,shewaswillingtostepoutsidehercomfortzoneandgivesomeofmymethodsashot.

That’s all I’m asking for, an openmind and the willingness to suspend disbelief in your creativeability.Have faith thatwhat I’m tellingyou is true.Weallhaveunbelievablecreativepotential. It liesdormant justwaiting—no begging—to be tapped. I haven’t presented aworkshop or keynote addresssincethatdaywithoutincludingthe“sixwords.”Ican’ttellyouhowmanypeoplehavecomeuptomeandsaidtheyappreciatedthestorybecausetheyhaveheardsimilarsentimentsexpressedtothem.Don’tdoubtforaminutethatyouareacreativewellspringthatwillsoonbereleasingafloodofawesomeideasintotheworld.

THEREALLAWOFATTRACTIONI have to come clean. I lied to youwhen I told you that the “blinding flash of light” theory about

creativityisamyth.Itreallyisn’tamyth.Youabsolutelywillreceivecreativeinspirationsoutofnowhereandattheoddesttimes,butyouwillonlygetthemifyouputintheworkonthefrontend.Thoseflashesofinspirationwillonlycomewhenyouhave“tuned”yourmindtothecorrectfrequencybyengaginginthe

creativeprocessandaskingtherightquestions.Don’tbefrustratedbyalackofresultsinabrainstormingsessionorwhiletryingtoaddcreativepresentationalhookstoyourlessons.Participatingintheprocessand creating a vision of the outrageously high engagement level you desire from your students is thenecessaryfirststep.Then,andonlythen,youwillbestunnedbythefactthatyourbrainwillcontinuetoworkovertime,consciouslyandsubconsciously,tofulfillyourgoalsandvision.Whenyouasktherightquestions,yourbrainwon’tbesatisfieduntilithasprovidedtheanswers.

Remember,thequalityofyourquestionsiscritical.Don’task,“HowcanImakethislessonbearableformystudentstodayandkeepthemawake?”unlessyouwantananswerthatrequiresthebareminimum.Insteadask, “Howcan Imake this lessonoutrageouslyentertaining, engaging, andpowerful so thatmystudents will never forget it and will be desperate to come back for more?” That is a qualitativelydifferentquestionandwillleadtoaqualitativelydifferentanswer.Yourbrainwon’tbesatisfieduntilithasreceivedaproperandfittingresponse.

MyproblemwithmanyinterpretationsoftheLawofAttractionisthatitmakesitsoundlikeyoujustwishforanewcarandsomeonedrivesoneintoyourdrivewayandgivesittoyou.Itdoesn’tworklikethat.Toput therealLawofAttractiontoworkforyou,youmustcreateavisionofwhatyouwantanddefinethegoalsyouwanttoachieve—andthenyoumuststartworkingforthem.Onceyouhaveavisionandfixedadestinationandstartedoutafterit,youwillbeshockedathowmuchassistanceyoureceivealongtheway.AsWilliamH.Murraypoignantlysaid,

“Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance ofwhichkillscountless ideasandsplendidplans: that themomentonedefinitelycommitsoneself,theprovidencemoves too.Awhole streamof events issues from thedecision, raising inone’sfavorallmannerofunforeseenincidents,meetingsandmaterialassistance,whichnomancouldhavedreamtwouldhavecomehisway.”

Commit. Startworking. Then, be open. Recognize this providential assistancewhen it comes, andleaptotakeadvantageofit.Don’tdismisstheideasthatyourbrainistryingtosendyou.Manypeopleareonthereceivingendof incredibleamountsofcreative ideasbuteitherdon’t recognize themassuchordon’thavetheconfidencetoact.Ideasaregreat,butimplementationisthekeytoresults.Inmyall-dayversionoftheOutrageousTeachingseminar,aswellasmyTeachingOutsidetheBoxworkshop,teachersspendtimeworkingcollaborativelytobrainstormideasfortheirownlessons.TheyuseacreativitytoolIdeveloped called “The Ultimate, Kick Butt, No-Holds-Barred, Super Turbo-Charged Lesson PlanBrainstormingPowerPackSystem!”(Sorry,sometimesmyinner-copywritergetsthebestofme!)Ihaveseen unbelievably creative lesson plan ideas come out of these sessions; ideas that are all for naughtunless those teachers follow throughon thenext stepsof thecreativeprocess.Tomakeadifference inyour classroom, your ideasmust be developed and then, ultimately, implemented in front of students.Basedonfeedbackfromteachersacrossthenation,Iknowmanyoftheseideasandstrategieshavefoundtheirwayoffthebrainstormingpageandintoclassroomswheretheybelong.Istillremembergettinganemail, complete with pictures, from Mary Bears-Sylvia, a teacher who attended a one-hour, super-abbreviatedOutrageous Teaching conference session. She received creative inspiration and had thecouragetorunwithit.Shecameupwithheridea,developedit,andbroughtittofruitioninherclassroomtwodaysaftertheconference.That’simplementation!

YouhaveprobablyheardthestoryaboutthemanwhostoodonhisroofduringafloodandwaitedforGodtosavehim.ArescueboatcametogethimandhesaidhewasfineandthatGodwouldhelphim.Another rescueboat cameandbeggedhim toget inbuthe rejected thehelp.Finally ahelicopter flew

overheadanddroppedaladdertohimbutherefusedtogo,proclaiminghisfaithintheLord.Thewaterstoppedhisroofandhedrowned.UponenteringheavenhewasindignantandconfrontedGod,“HowcouldyouletmedieupthereonthatroofafterallthefaithI’vehadinyou?”Godreplied,“Comeon,Isentyoutwoboatsandahelicopter!”Don’tbethatguy.Jumponcreativeideasandopportunitiesthatcomeyourway,andthenimplementthem!Beproactiveinyourpursuitofyourvisionforyourclassroomandlife.TheLawofAttractionisreal.Yourthoughtsaremagicalandhavethepowertomanifestyourdreamsbutnotwithoutyouractiveparticipationintheprocess.

DESIGNASYSTEMTOCAPTUREIDEASYoursubconsciousminddoesnotworkatthesamepaceasyourconsciousmind.Brilliantideaswill

cometoyouinthestrangestofcircumstances.Theywillcometoyouintheshower,atthegym,andwhiledrivinginyourcar.Theywillhityouinthegrocerystore,onawalk,andwhilegettingahaircut.Someofmy best ideas come while doing the dishes, cleaning the house, or during other activities when theconscious brain is on auto-pilot. Since these ideas often surface at odd times, you’ll want to beperpetuallypreparedtocapturethem.Don’tsay,“I’llwritethatdownwhenIgethome.”Youwon’t!Infact you likely won’t even remember you had an idea in the first place. Instead, create a system forimmediatelycapturingandorganizingyourideassotheyarenotlostforever.

I get sick tomy stomachwhen I think of all of the ideas I have lost because Iwas sure I wouldremember them.Sometimes I’ll see anex-student and they’llmention something they remember fromaclassyearsago.InevitablyIthink,“Whydon’tIdothatanymore?”Idon’tdoitbecauseIdidn’twriteitdownandforgothowpowerfulthatparticularelementwastothelesson.

Topreventideaevaporation,Idevelopedahabityearsagooftravelingwithanindexcardandapeninmy pocket at all times. I used these to jot down thoughts and ideas Iwanted to remember.When Iemptiedmypocketseachevening, Iput thenoteswhereIcouldfind themlater (a file,notebook,etc.).NowthatIhaveasmartphonewithmeatalltimes,Ihavetransitionedtousinganote-takingappforthesamepurpose.Thereareanynumberofamazingapps,suchasEvernote,thatcanassistincapturingandorganizingyourideas.Whateversystemyouchoose,justmakesureit’salwaysavailabletoyouandthatyouactuallyuseit.Don’tbuysomefancyorganizationalnotebookorbuysomecomplicatedappthatyouwillneveruse.Thesimpleryouridea-capturesystemis,thebetter.Choosepracticalityoverflash.

Yoursystemdoesn’thavetobehigh-tech.Itendtocreateamanilafilefolderorathree-ringnotebookfor any project I’m working on. I still have the notebook I used when I first developed the originalOutrageousTeachingseminarandthewholePIRATEmnemonic.Ithastabsforeachletterandisfilledwithrandomthoughts,ideas,andbrainstormingresults.Ifilledthepocketswithindexcardsandscrapsofpaperwithquotesandreminders.Yearslater,IcanlookbackandseeallofthepossibilitiesIconsideredwhengeneratingtheTeachLikeaPIRATEsystem.

MAKEITEASYThe point of your idea-capture system, aswell as the implementation of those ideas, is to keep it

simple and easily accessible. The more steps you are required to do before you can actually beproductive,thelesslikelyitisthatyouwillbeconsistentlysuccessful.Thisistrueoffitnessprogramsaswell,by theway.Onestudy found that thedistanceofyourworkout facilitydirectlycorrelates tohowfrequentlyyouuseit.Thegreaterthedistance,thelesslikelyyouaretogotothegymonadailybasis.Iknowforme,thesinglebiggestchangeIoriginallymadewhenIbegantolose40poundsofexcessweight

was towalk.The reasonwassimple:all Ihad todowasopenmydoorandgo.Whatever systemyoudeveloptorecordyourideas,organizeyourthoughts,anddevelopyourplansforimplementation,makesureitisquickandeasytouse.

Formetogetthisbookwritten,Idecidedtotakemyownadvice.IinvestedinaMacAirwhichgavemetheportabilitytoworkanywhere.WhenIwastiedtomydesktopandaparticularspace,Iwasfarlesssuccessful. Now I can write on planes, in any room in the house (important when you have youngchildren),literallyanywhereintheworld.IamwritingtheseverywordsonaSpringBreakvacationinPuertoVallarta,Mexico.Theeasieryoumakeittowork,themorelikelyyouwill.

Developingasystemtocaptureyourideashasanadditionalbenefit.Youaretellingyourselfthatyouare, indeed, going to get some creative insights.This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.Capturingyour thoughts validates their worth, an act that sends the subtle but powerful message to yoursubconsciousthattheeffortspentonideagenerationwon’tbesquandered.

FAILUREVS.FEEDBACKImentionedearlier that Ihavehad lessonsblowup inmy faceanda long seriesof failures in the

classroom.It’sabsolutelytrue!Ihavehadlegendaryfailures.IhavehadoutandoutdisastersoccurasIhavetriedtodevelopandimplementmyideas.I’mnotevencompletelysatisfiedwithallofmylessonsfromlastweekbecauseIknowtheycouldhavebeenbetter.

Itgoeswiththeterritory.If you haven’t failed in the classroom lately, you aren’t pushing the envelope far enough. “Safe”

lessonsarearecipeformediocrityatbest.Thekeytofailingwithoutquittingistoshiftyourparadigmtobelievethereisnosuchthingastrue

failure—onlyfeedback.Whenyouhaveavisionforhowyouwantyourclasstobe,youcanthenanalyzetheresults.Usethoseresults,a.k.a.feedback,forimprovement.Forexample,ifyounoticethatyourclassisnotengagedbyyourpresentation,itisn’thelpfulorempoweringtoblameyourstudents.Obviously,ifthey’re not engaged, they are providing you with some critical feedback: what you are doing is notengagingforthisaudience,onthisday.Trytoevaluateandlearnfromthatfeedback,withouttakingittoopersonally.Doingsowillallowyoutomakeadjustmentsandimproveyourfuturepresentations.Thetrulyskilledpractitioner has the sensory acuity to read the audience’s engagement level andmake real-timeadjustments on the fly. That’s the ultimate goal and, although difficult, it is attainable. Don’t get sowrappedupinwhatyouaredoingandwhatislistednextonyouragendathatyoufailtoseethefeedbackthatisbeingconstantlyprovidedbyyouraudience.

IstillrememberreadingPsycho-Cybernetics,byMaxwellMaltz,asayoungster.Hiscomparisonofthewayhumansattaintheirgoalstothewaymissilesandtorpedoeshittheirtargetshadaprofoundimpacton me. Dr. Maltz said, “The torpedo accomplishes its goal by going forward, making errors, andcontinually correcting them.By a series of zigzags it literally gropes itsway to the goal.” In fact, themissileislikelytobeofftargetafargreaterpercentageofthetimethanitisontarget.Nevertheless,itarrives andhits its target because of the constant adjustmentsmadebasedon continual analysis of thefeedbackprovided.Similarly,thepathtogreatteachinglookslikeinstructionsforwashingyourhair:Try,fail,adjust,try,fail,adjust…lather,rinse,repeat.

Afterarecentseminarpresentation,awomanapproachedmeandthankedmeforadmittingIstillfail.Shesaidshefounditintimidatingtolistentoprofessionaldevelopmentspeakerswhomakeitsoundasiftheirclassesareperfect.Thesespeakersdon’tletonthattheyexperiencethetrialsandtribulationsweallknowareapartofthis(heck,any!)profession.Perhapstheyareconcernedthatthey’lllosecredibilityby

showing vulnerability, but they are completelywrong.My goal is to provide a realistic look into theclassroomandthatsimplycan’tbedonewithouttalkingaboutfailure.

Inmy opinion, any endeavor that doesn’t hold the possibility of failure can’t accomplish anythingmeaningful.Theideaoftheperfectschoolyeardoesn’t(thankGod!)exist.Don’t let thatstopyoufromattemptingsomethingnew.Instead,beencouragedtopushtheedgeandreachnewheights.Justbringlotsofbandagesforthekneesyouaregoingtoscrapealongtheway.

CREATIVEALCHEMYBecomingwell-readandinvolvedinawidevarietyofinterestsprovidesuswiththerawresources

thatweneedforwhatIcallCreativeAlchemy.Toooften,peoplebelievecreativityissomeesotericskillthat involves comingupwith completely original ideas fromout of the blue.That is rarely theway itworks.Ilikenrealcreativitymoretothesedefinitionsofalchemy.

Alchemy:

1. Themagicalprocessoftransmutingacommonsubstance,usuallyoflittlevalue,intoasubstanceofgreatvalue.

2. Aprocessbywhichparadoxicalresultsareachievedbythecombinationofincompatibleelements.

Spend more time on your passions, hobbies, and outside areas of interest and then seek ways toincorporatethemintoyourclassroom.Cultivatenewhobbiesandwatchnewareasofyourbrainexplodeincreativeoutput.Watchyourlifelightupwithanewenergyasyourekindlethefeelingsyouhadforthepassionsofyouryoungerdays.Grow!Trynewthingsanddo thosebucket-list items.Notice theworldaroundyou and treat it like the bountiful supply of creative ideas that it is. It’s not just good for yourlife…it’s great for your teaching. Exploring the world and your passions allows you to bring a newperspective and energy into the classroom. It allows you to become a powerful role model for yourstudents.Wealwayssaywewant themtobe life-long learners,sowemustshowthemwhat that lookslike.

Creativestagnationisoftenaresultof:

1. Beingunwillingtoventureoutsideofourexpertise.2. Aninabilitytoseehowseeminglyunrelatedideascanbecombinedintosomethingnewand

powerful.

Ibelievethebestbookstoreadaboutteachingarerarelyintheeducationsection.Ialwayshavethreeorfourbooksonmynightstand,abookinmycar,oneinmyschoolbag,andseveralmoreonmyphone.Iconsider it one of themost important parts ofmy job to constantly exposemyself to the high qualitythinking of other people. It challengesme, it keepsme current, and it providesme the raw resourcesnecessaryforcreativealchemy.

Myoutsideinterestsarewide,varied,andgrowing.Herearesomeexamples:magic,origami,chess,coaching basketball, fitness, entrepreneurship, direct marketing, social media, rap music, successliterature, public speaking, civil rights, andmost recently, theRubik’sCube.When Ionly focusonmyteaching,IamnotnearlyascreativeaswhenIfindtimetohumormystrangeobsessions.

Examples of creative alchemy are everywhere. Jazzwasmade through creative alchemy. Rock n’

roll…creativealchemy.Rapmusic…creativealchemy.Forgivemefordatingmyself,butIstillrememberwhenRunDMCaddedarockguitartomanyoftheirrapsongsandcreatedanewsound.

Artists increase their creativity by experimenting with different mediums. Musicians experiencewatershedmomentsofcreativityafterbecominginfluencedbyotherbands,artists,andstyles.Marketersdesignbrilliantcampaignsafterexposing themselves tomethodsofother industriesand thenseeking toapplytheideastotheirown.

Hereisalchemyatwork:

1. ForyearsIhaveincorporatedorigami(oneofmyoutsideinterests)intomyhistoryclass,butIwasalwaysfrustratedthatIhadnouseforthenarrowstripofpaperleftoveraftercuttingtwohundred8½”x11½”piecesofpaperintoasquare.

2. Ihavealsobeenfrustratedforthepastfewyearswithmy1920sHenryFordassemblylinesimulation.Ididn’tlikethefinalproductoftheactivityandhad,infact,stoppeddoingitforacoupleofyears.

3. Acoupleofyearsago,Isawastudentcreatea“helicopter”outofanarrowpieceofpaper.IaskedhimtoteachittomeandIputitinmyfileofideastouseatsomepointinthefuture.

After two years…I repeat, two years…the creative alchemy finally worked its magic. (How longshouldyouwaitforagoodidea?Aslongasittakes!)Now,IusethestripsofpaperfortherawmaterialsthatIneedtoturneachclassintoseveralcompetingteamsofhelicopter-makingassemblylinesduringmyHenryFordlesson.Isolvedtheanswertomywastedstripsofpaperproblem,myassemblylineproblem,andtheproblemofhowtousethecoolprincipletaughttomebyastudent.Thissemesterwasmyfirstattempt,andIthinkitisgoingtobeakeeper.Alchemy!

Don’tfallintothetrapofthinkingtimespentdevelopingyourselfintoawell-roundedperson,aboveandbeyondyourroleasaneducator,iswastedorsomethingtofeelguiltyabout.Itisessentialandwillpaydividendsinnotonlyyourlife,butalsoinyourclassroom.

F

TRANSFORMATION

ormanystudents,schoolisfilledwithmonotony,drudgery,andsoul-killingsuckiness.WhenIthinkaboutastudent’stypicalschoolday,itmakesmecompletelyunderstandwhysomanyofthemdon’t

want tobe there.Toooften school is aplacewherecreativity is systematicallykilled, individuality isstampedout,andboredomreignssupreme.Therearereallyonlytwopossibilities;eitheryourclasscanbeareprievefromallofthatoritcanbeacontributingfactor.Iamthoroughlycommittedtohavingmyclassbeareprieve.

Iwantmyclasstostandoutintheseaofsamenessthatistheeducationallandscape.Iwantmyclassto be, as Seth Godin says, a Purple Cow. In his book by the same title, Seth writes, “Somethingremarkable is worth talking about. Worth noticing. Exceptional. New. Interesting. It’s a Purple Cow.Boring stuff is invisible. It’s abrowncow.”Althoughhisbookwaswritten formarketers, it validatesmuchofwhatIbelieveistrueinteaching.

Studentsarehitwithsomuchinformationandstimulieverydaythattostandoutintheirminds,youmustberemarkable.Remarkablemeans thatyouaresoexceptionalanddifferent thatpeople talkaboutyou—inagoodway.Beingmerelygooddoesn’tcutit;youhavetobeextraordinary.Iamalwaysshootingtohavethemosttalkedaboutclassoncampusandtheconferencesessionwiththemostbuzz.Thatgoalisn’taboutego,it’sabouteffectiveness.

Standingoutfromthecrowdistheonlywaytoguaranteeyourmessageisreceivedinaculturethatisincreasinglydistractedandwhereattentionspansareplummeting.Ifyoufeelyourmessageisimportant,andIdo,itisworththeefforttogotoanylengthstomakesureitissuccessfullydelivered.

Toomanyschoolsarefilledwithbrowncowclassesthatblendintothebackground.Iamrelentlesslyfocusedandimmersedintheorchestratedefforttobetheantithesisofthebrowncow.Iwantenteringmyroomtofeellikeenteringanotherworld.Manyyearsago,IwroteouthowIwantmyclasstobeviewedbymystudents.Writtenthroughtheeyesofafictionalstudent, it isreflectiveof lettersandcommentsIhavereceivedfromactualstudents.

“As I walked in to SS-9 as a new student in Mr. Burgess’ class, I was filled with anoverwhelmingsenseofanticipation.I’dheardabouthisreputation,I’dheardmypeerstellallofthestrangestories,andImostcertainlyhadseenhisover-the-topcostumesasheparadedaroundcampus.Therewasnopossiblewaythathecouldliveuptoallofthehype,andyet,afterafewweeks,IrealizedthatMr.Burgesswasevenbetterthanadvertised.

I havenever seen such a consistent level of enthusiasm froma teacher, or anyone else for thatmatter.Thismanhasapassionforteaching.Heisalarger-than-lifesuperhumanmixofeducator,psychologist,historian,magician,stand-upcomic,andcertifiedlunatic!SomedaysIfeelIshould

havetopayadmissiontoseehislesson,andeverydayIamamazedthatIhavelearnedsomuch!Ionlyhopetofindsomethingtodowithmylifethatbringsmethatmuchjoyandfulfillment.

Onethingiscertain,learninghistoryhasneverbeenthismuchfunorthiseasy.Idon’tmeaneasyasinwedon’thavetolearnalot,ImeaneasyasinInoticethatI’mretainingallofthecontentwithoutmy usual struggles. Itmust be that brain-based research and thosemnemonics thatMr.Burgesstoldusaboutatthebeginningoftheyear.Ihaveevennoticedthatsomeofmyfriendswhoalwaysseemtofailtheclasseswehavetogetherunderstandthematerial.It’sreallystrange,thesearethesamekidsthataregettingintroubleandhavingconfrontationswithteachers inmyotherclassesandyetheretheythrive.It’salmostliketheairiseasiertobreatheinSS-9.I’mgoingtobehonestwithyou…somedaysthisclassistheonlyreasonIcometoschool.”

THEWORLD’SGREATESTGPS…YOURBRAINI found this letter-writing exercise to be extremely valuable, and it’s something I recommend you

considertryingforyourself.ItallowedmetoconstructavisionofwhatIwantstudentstoexperienceinmyclass. It servesas the idealgoal that I’mshooting foras Iproceed throughmycareer.WhenI lackmotivationorinspiration,Ire-readthispassageandre-dedicatemyselftofulfillingthevision.

Whenembarkingonanyjourney,choosingthedestinationisacriticalfirststep.Withadestinationinmind,youcansetyourinternalGPSandbeassuredyouareheadinginthecorrectdirection.Itmakesnosenseatalltodrivethestreetsofyourcitygettingfurtherandfurtherlostandincreasinglyfrustrated,andthenhavethenervetoblameyourexpensiveGPSsystemwhen,actually,youneverenteredadestination.Youhave tohaveavisionofwhatyour idealclassroomexperience looks like ifyouwant tohaveanyhopeofcreatingit.

Inadditiontoaspecificdestination,youmustalsohaveanaccurateviewofthecurrentrealityofyourclass.AGPSdoesn’tworkunlessthesystemcandetermineyourprecisecurrentlocationanditsmapsareuptodate.Whenyouhavearealisticviewofyourcurrentclassroomandcanseewhereitfallsshortofyourultimatevision,youhavesomethingtoworkwith.

In hiswonderful book,Creating, Robert Fritz describes how this gap between current reality andvisioncreatesacertaintension.Ifyouaretrulycommittedtofulfillingyourvision,thistensionwilldriveyoutoconstantlyworktoclosethegap.Knowingthatyouaren’tlivinguptothestandardyou’vesetforyourself feels uncomfortable. Therefore, it is extremely motivating and rewarding to move towardsresolvingthisdissonance.

TWOQUESTIONSFORRAISINGTHEBARI often askmy seminar participants to consider their answers to the following two questions. For

many, acknowledging the truth is somewhat painful. I hope you’ll take a fewminutes to answer thesequestions for yourself.The purpose here is to get you to consider your expectations and standards forwhatispossibleinaclassroom.

Questionone:Ifyourstudentsdidn’thavetobethere,wouldyoubeteachinginanemptyroom?

In other words, if, like some college courses, there were no attendance requirements and noconsequencesformissingclass,andyourstudentswereonlyheldresponsibleforpassingthetests,wouldtheystillshowupeverydayforyourclass?Istheresomethingaboutyouandtheexperienceofbeingapartofyourclassthatwoulddrawstudentsin?Haveyoucreatedanenvironmentthatissouniqueandso

enjoyablethatstudentsarepulledintoyourroomasifbyamagnet?Isyourclasssoengagingthatstudentswould show up on a Saturday if you invited them to come in for a special lesson opportunity? Arestudents rescheduling doctor appointments and trips off campus to avoidmissing your class?Do theymake their parents bring them back after appointments in the hopes of still catching your period?Dostudentswaittogotothebathroomuntiltheirnextperiodbecausetheyareafraidtheywillmisssomethingunforgettableinyourroom?Doyouhavestudentstryingtoditchtheirotherperiodsbecausetheywanttobeapartofyourlessonmorethanonce?Dotheytrytobringtheirfriendsintoyourclasssothattheycanhavetheexperience?Willtheycreatehavocinthecounselingofficeiftheygettheirschedulechangedandmovedtoanotherteacher(eventhoughthatteachermightbeawesomeaswell)?Dotheytrytosneakbackoncampusaftergraduationinordertoparticipateincertainlessonsagain?Dotheytalkaboutthingsthathappenedinyourclassyearsafterward?Whenyouseethemthenextyeardotheysincerelyexpresshowmuchtheymissyourclass?

QuestionTwo:doyouhaveanylessonsyoucouldsellticketsfor?

Wow!Nowthatisreallyraisingthebar.I’llhonestlytellyouthatIdon’thavealotofthose,butIdohavesome!TheLunarLandingLessonforsure.Maybethe60sParty,theSpeakeasy,andthedaytheRedScaresupervillaincomestoschool.Probably,theSalemWitchcraftTrials,theTrailofTears,andthedaythe 10-Man teaches theBill ofRights. I sincerely believe there are days I could have a cash registeroutsideofthedoorandstudentswouldpayasmallsumofmoneytocomein.I’mtryingtocreateasmanyofthosedaysasIpossiblycanandsprinklethemthroughouttheschoolyear.

Idon’treallyexpectteacherstobeabletoansweryestobothquestions(especiallythesecond)foreveryoneoftheirlessons.ButIdowantthem—andyou—tousethesequestionstocreatea“barraising”paradigmshift.So,howisitpossibletotransformyourclasstothepointwhereyoucanansweryestothepreceding questions?Oneway I try to do it is by attempting to blur the lines between education andentertainment. I stopped using the term “edutainment” because it became a bit of a cliché, but I stillbelieve it is a fairly accurate term formyclassroom.Mygoal is to, at least sometimes, have studentsaskingthemselves,“IsthisalessonIwalkedintoorisitashow?”WhenI’mpresentingcontent,Iattemptto draw on tried and true principles of staging and showmanship in order to turn my lesson into anevent…anextravaganza.InSectionIIofthisbook,Iprovidegreatdetailonhowtoincorporatenaturallyengagingelementsintoyourclassonadailybasisandprovidesoundreasoningwhyentertainmentandfuncan, and should, go hand in hand with learning. The goal is to transform your class into somethingirresistibletoyourstudents.

POSITIONINGANDREFRAMINGProper positioning is one of the key techniques needed to effectively transform your class into a

powerful,must-beplace.PositioningisamarketingtermthatwasmadefamousbyAlRiesandJackTroutin their groundbreaking book,Positioning: The Battle for YourMind. It is the process bywhich youcreateacompellingpictureandunderstandinginthemindsofyouraudiencememberstodifferentiateyourbrand,product,orservice.

For example,Wal-Mart is positioned as the place to go for huge selection and lowprices.On theotherhand,Nordstromispositionedasaplaceforhigh-endshoppingandextraordinarycustomerservice.Zappos built a business by using legendary (remarkable) customer service to generateword-of-mouthreferrals and loyal customers. Prius is positioned as the “green” alternative for those who areenvironmentallyconscious.Youcansendapackagewithanynumberofservices,butwherewouldyougo

ifit“absolutely,positively,hadtobethereovernight?”FederalExpressbuiltabusinessbypositioningitselfthroughspeedofdelivery.I’veheardthedirectmarketinggeniusDanKennedyspeakabouttheUSP(Unique Selling Proposition) of Domino’s Pizza many times. The original positioning statement was“Fresh,HotPizzaDelivered in30minutesorLess…Guaranteed.”Bypositioning themselves thiswaytheyliterallycreatedacategorythatdidn’texistanddominateditforalongtime.Theydidn’tsaytheyhadthebestpizzabutifyouwereastarvingcollegestudentwhowantedapizzafastyouknewexactlywhotocall.

Ithinkyougettheidea.So,whatdoespositioninghavetodowithteaching?Well,again,Iturntoaquestion I learned from Dan Kennedy’s Magnetic Marketing program. It’s a question marketers mustanswerforpotentialclients:“WhyshouldIdobusinesswithyououtofallofthepossiblechoicesinyourcategory?”To succeed in business, youmust positionyourself in themarketplace soyou are the clearchoiceamongstallalternativesandagainstthealternativeofdoingnothingatall.Thisisexactlywhatwemustdoasteachers,aswell!Whyshouldourstudentsbothertolearnwhatweareteaching?Whyshouldtheybother togiveus theirattentionandactiveengagement in thefirstplace?Becausehere’s the truth:Notonlyarewefightingtostandoutfromalltheimages,sounds,products,people,andemotionsvyingfortheirattention,wearealsofightingtokeepthemfromtuningoutaltogether.

Itisn’teasy.There’salotofnoiseoutthereandlet’sfaceit,it’shardforoursubjectstocompetewiththeexcitementoftheirfavoriterealityshoworreal-lifedramainthehalls.It’seasytoseewhysomanyteachersusewhatIcall“themedicineapproach.”Theysay,“Iknowthisstuffishardbutyouhavetobearwithmeandhangintherebecauseit’sonthetest.”“Iknowthisisroughgoingandnotexactlyfunbutifyou don’t learn this stuff you can’t be successful at the next level.” Talk about piss-poormotivation!Suffer through thisgruelingordeal so thatyoucananswera fewmorequestions righton the state test.Theyarepositioningtheirlessonlikeitisbittermedicinethatmustbeswallowedinordertogetbetter.

Don’tpositionyourmaterialasifitisawful-tastingmedicine!Positionyourcontentasifit’samazing!Givemotivatingreasonswhythematerialisimportanttoknow.“Becauseit’sonthetest”doesn’tcutit.Ifyoucan’texplainwhysomeoneshouldpayattentiontowhatyou’resaying,maybeyoushouldn’tbesayingit.

Igooutofmywaytopositionmyclassasanamazingandextraordinarilyuniqueplacefilledwithoutrageously engaging content and activities. I position it as a place that provides opportunities forcreativeexpression.Ialsotrytopositioneachlessonsostudentscanpersonalizethematerialandapplyitto theirworld. I add in theLCLs (life-changing lessons) in an attempt tomakemyclass fulfilling andmeaningful.Then,whenappropriate,Iaddintheentertainmentandfunfactortotopitalloff.Idesignmylessonssothateventhetoughmaterialgoesdowneasy,muchlikethepetownerwhohidesthepillinsideofatastymorsel.AndIdon’tapologizeforutilizingallofthetricksofthetradetoaccomplishmygoals.

Sometimesweneedtochangeourstudents’perceptionsofthematerialwe’reteaching.Thewaytodothisiscalledreframing.Reframinginvolvesprovidinganewcontextforthematerialthathelpstobreakdownthenegativeassociationsmanystudentscomeintoclasswith.I’msureyou’veheardstudentssayingthingslike,“Ihatemath.”“Historyisboring.”“Ican’twrite.”“I’llneverneedtoknowthisinreallife.”Thesearesomeofthepreconceivednotionsourstudentsbringwiththemtoschool.Ourjobistocreateamentalparadigmshiftbyreframingthecontentanditsvalueandrelevancytotheirlives.

Thetruthis,studentsprobablydon’treallyhatemath,theyhatethewayithasbeentaughttotheminthepast.Theyhatethefactthattheyhavestruggledtolearnmathinthepast.Theythinkhistoryisboringbecauseateachersomewherealongthewaykilleditwithdrearybookwork,worksheets,andmonotonouslectures.Historyisn’tboring,theirhistoryclasswas.Whenstudentscan’tseeanyreal-worldconnectionorvaluetoaparticularsubject,theyquestionwhetheritisworththeinvestmentandeffort.Andrightlyso!

Asadults,wedon’tliketofeelthatourtimeandeffortsarebeingwasted;studentsarenodifferent.Thefollowingstoryismyfavoriteexampleofthepowerofreframing.Whenmysonwasaboutfiveor

sixyearsold,Itookhimtoapizzaplacewithtwootherfamilies.Itwasoneofthoseplaceswithasmallgameareaforchildren.Thisonealsohadaboutfiveofthosegumball-typevendingmachinesthatspitoutprizes (stickers, small toys, temporary tattoos, etc.) rather than gum.My son,Hayden, and two of hisbuddiesapproachedthemachinesexcitedlywithquartersinhand.Thefirstfriendputhismoneyinandgot a small, plastic,glow-in-the-darkT-Rex.He ranoffdisplaying it proudlyandmaking loud roaringnoises as he went. The second friend pulled the lever and got a temporary tattoo of a fire-breathingdragon.Hegrabbedhisfatheranddraggedhimintothebathroomtoimmediatelyapplyittohisarmwithwater from the sink.Finally,Hayden approached themachines and carefully chosewhere to place hisquarters.Hepushedandpulledandoutcameasmallplasticcapsulewithsomethinginside.Hehandedittome topry the topoffandoutcameasmallgoldbraceletwithheartcharms.Disaster!! IknewIhadaboutahalfsecondtoreframethisexperienceformysonortherecouldbealegendarymeltdown.Afterall,aheartbraceletisadevastatingprizeforayoungboywhencomparedtoaT-Rexandafire-breathingdragon tattoo. I’m not always so quick on my feet in such circumstances, but this time, without anyhesitation,Ihelditup,pointedtoit,andemphaticallyyelled,“Piratetreasure!!!”Hegrabbeditfrommeandranoffclutchingityelling,“Yeaaahh!!”atthetopofhislungs.

Thatisreframing.Sometimesthemostimportantthingwedoasteachersistotakesubjects,whichtoa lot of our students start as the equivalent of little heart bracelets, and by using passion, enthusiasm,powerfulpresentations,andcreativity,turnitintopiratetreasure.TheentireTeachLikeaPIRATEsystemistailor-madetohelpmakethattransformationpossible.

I

ENTHUSIASM

tisnoaccidentthatthecornerstonesoftheTeachLikeaPIRATEsystemarePassionandEnthusiasm.Ibelieveexcellenceasateacherstartswithhavingpassionforwhatyoudoinlife,andisdrivenhome

withyourenthusiasm.Enthusiasmisthecloserthatcomesintothegameintheninthinningandfinishesitoff. Ifyouapplynothingelsefromthisbook,butyouconsistentlyrampupyourenthusiasmlevel in theclassroom, you will be far ahead of the game and a dramatically better teacher. Enthusiasm is thatimportant.

Evenonthedayswhensomestudentsmaynotbeenthralledwiththesubjectmatter,theyareengagedby,ifnothingelse,thefactthatIamwoundupandgoingoff!Theabilitytoperceivetheebbandflowofengagementintheclassroom,andthencounterwithanadjustmentinenthusiasm,isaskillthatisalmostimpossible toquantifyand tough to teach. It’sa skill that separatesgood teachers fromgreatones. I’llalwayschooseateacherwithenthusiasmandweaktechniqueoveronewithbrilliantstrategiesbutwhoisjustpunchingtheclock.Why?Anenthusiasticteachercanlearntechnique,method,andstrategy,butitisalmostimpossibletolightafireinsidethecharredheartofaburned-outteacher.

THECOMMITMENTTOBEING“ON”Confession time! As an educator, there are a lot of things I’m not good at. I don’t always grade

promptlyorprovidequickandmeaningfulfeedbacktomystudents.Itendtoletpapersandprojectspileup,whichmeans I eventually tackle themwithout the sameattention todetail Iwouldhave if Igradedmore consistently. I’m not good at organizing and implementing long-term group projects. When mystudentswork collaboratively, I’m not great at parsing out credit in away that is fair to everybody. Ihaven’t figured out the perfect system to deal with those situations when one or two students do themajorityof theworkand someare freeloaders. I’mstillworkingouthow to teachmystudents to takemeaningfulnotes.Icouldgetalotbetterat incorporatingtechnologyinmyclassroom,especiallyinthehandsofstudents.Mylistofinadequaciesintheclassroomcouldgoontosuchembarrassinglengthsthatyou would begin to wonder why I could have possibly thought myself worthy of writing a book onteaching.SixteenyearsintothegameandI’mstillaworkinprogress.

Despiteallmyshortcomings,IknowIexcelinoneimportantarea:enthusiasm.IpridemyselfonflatoutbringingitwhetherI’mteachingaclassofstudentsorleadingaseminarforteachers.Iamabsolutelycommittedtobeing“on”everyperiodoftheday.Ifyouwalkintomyroomduringfirstperiodandthencomebackforsixthperiodattheendoftheday,youwillseethesameintensityinmypresentationboth

times.IpridemyselfonthatalmostmorethananythingelseIdo.Inpart,Ithinkmyabilitytobe“on”isabyproductofmyexperienceasamagician.Mostmagicians,

and I’m no exception, get their first paid gigs as children’s performers at birthday parties. I have theutmost respect formagicianswho effectivelywork thismarket; it is toughwork! Performerswho areweakorlackaudience-engagementskillsgeteatenalive.Soundsliketeachingdoesn’tit?Thegigissortoflikebeingapermanentsubstituteteacher—oneofthetoughestassignmentsintheeducationalworld.Totopitoff,almostalloftheshowsareonSaturdaysandSundays,andabusyperformermighthavefourorfive shows a day.By the fourth or fifth show, itwould be easy to just go through themotions as youperformthesametricksalloveragain.But,asaprofessional,youcan’t.Iffornootherreason,youknowsomeoneisstandingatthebackoftheroomwithhercheckbookinhand.Sheisthemother.Youarebeingpaidforthisperformance;shecouldcare less thatherchild’sparty isyour fifthof theday.This is theonly sixth birthday party her childwill ever have. It is the only timemany people in the crowdwillactuallyseeaprofessionalmagicianperformliverightinfrontofthem.Theywilljudgewhethermagicisan art formworthyofpaidperformance at othervenuesbased inpart onwhatyoudo in thatmoment.Professional performers feel a huge weight of responsibility to deliver something special for thisparticularaudienceonthisparticularday.Whatyou’vedonebeforeinyourday,oryourcareer,doesn’tmatterabit.Youhavetobringitnow!

Teachingisexactlylikethat.ImightbetheonlypersonwhoevertalkstomystudentsaboutMalcolmXintheirwholelife.Irefusetocheatastudentbydeliveringasubparperformancejustbecausehehasmelaterintheday,orearlyinthedaywhenI’mnotquiteawake.Althoughnomotherstandsinthebackofthe room with a checkbook, in a very real sense, I know forty mothers and a whole community arecountingonme.That’swhy,ifyouaremystudentoryoucometomyworkshopIpersonallyguaranteeIwon’tcheatyouintheenthusiasmdepartment.Evenifyouaretheonlypersonintheroom,I’mgoingtoflatoutbringit.

Itisn’teasyforanyonetobe“on”everytimethey’reinfrontofanaudience.LesBrownsharesastoryinhisThePowerofPurpose audioprogramaboutgettinga latenightcall fromayoungmanwhohadcometohearhimspeakandfeltLeshadn’tgivenhisbest.Lesofferedallkindsofexcuses—complaintsaboutthecircumstancessurroundingtheevent,unfulfilledpromisesofthepromoters,thesmallcrowdsize—butthekidwouldn’tlethimoffthehook.Finally,Lesrelentedwhenthekidthrewhisownlinebackinhisface.“Yousaid,‘Wemustdealwithcircumstancessuchaswefindthem!’”Ihaveneverforgottenthatstoryandhavevowedthat,althoughIwilldomybesttocreateidealcircumstances,Iwillnotallowthatwhichisoutsidemycontroltoaffectmyeffortandenthusiasm.

I have walked into some amazingly challenging scenarios as I have traveled around givingprofessional developmentworkshops and keynotes. I never knowwhat I’ll find. I once presented in aconverted hotel room with seventy-plus people packed in everywhere, including sitting on the floordirectlybehindme.MycolleagueReubenHoffmanwasinthehallpackingmoreandmorein.(Webrokealot of fire codes that day!)On the other hand, I have presented,with no amplification, to tiny groupsspreadoutoverhugegymnasiums.Neithersituationisideal,butIrepeatLes’lineinmyhead,“Youmustdealwithcircumstancessuchasyoufindthem.”Myjobistoputmyselfinapowerfulstateanddomybesttorockthehouse.

TWOWAYSTOLIGHTYOURFIREIt’snotgoodenoughformetojusttellyouwhyitissoimportanttobeenthusiasticandleaveoutthe

how.ThesinglemostimportantthingI’velearnedfromAnthonyRobbinsistheimportanceofquestions.

Manyofmymethods for improvingcreativityhavebeen inspiredbyhiswork in thisarea.Thesecondmost important thing I learned from Anthony Robbins is how to control and change your state. InUnlimitedPower,heprovidesgreatinsightintohowtoalmostinstantlychangeyourmentalandemotionalstate. I took his instruction and tweaked and adapted it into something that has helped my teachingimmensely.

Thefirststeptochangingyourstateusesthe“actasif”principle.Hereisabigsecrettoenthusiasmthatseemssoridiculousyoumightbetemptedtorejectit:Unlikepassion,enthusiasmcanbefaked!Ifyoudon’tbelieveme,justaskMegRyan!(That’saWhenHarryMetSallyreferenceforthoseofyououtoftheloop.)FakingenthusiasmissoeasyIcansumitupintwowords:actenthusiastic!Even ifyouareonlyactingatfirst,anamazingthinghappensalongtheway.Youactuallystarttoreallyfeelandbecomeenthusiasticbecauseofyourbreathpatternandthewayyouareholdingandmovingyourbody.

Doyouwanttofeelpowerful?Moveyourbodyandbreatheinapowerfulway.Doyouwanttobemoreconfidentwhenyouarespeakinginpublic?Thinkabouthowaconfidentpersonmoves,sounds,andacts.Dothat!AnthonyRobbinssaid,“Acting‘asif’ismosteffectivewhenyouputyourphysiologyinthestateyou’dbeinifyouwerealreadyeffective.”Thereissometruthtotheoften-disparagedexpression,“fake it until youmake it.”You can instantly change your state by changing your physiology.Robbinsexplainsthechangelikethis:“Ifyouadoptavital,dynamic,excitedphysiology,youautomaticallyadoptthesamekindofstate.Thebiggestleveragewehaveinanysituationisphysiology—becauseitworkssofast,anditworkswithoutfail.”

I have a ritual for starting class that putsme in the proper state to be effective (discussed in theRapport chapter). It includesmultiple elementsofmyphysiology includingposture, breathing, tonality,andmovement. It’smyway of ensuring I am inmymost powerful statewhen I present formy class.“Welcometoclass,thankyouforcoming!Myname’sDaveBurgessandI’llbeyourhostonthisLearningExtravaganza!”Thisexpression“anchors”metothestateIwanttobein.Sometimes,beforeseminarsforexample, I use internal dialogue to readymyself to present in a powerfulway. I alsousemusic as ananchor.When Ihear thepiratemusicplaying inmyseminar room itputsme in aplace tobe ready todominate. The combination of the music, my internal dialogue, and my changes in body posture andbreathingmakesmefeelabsolutelyunstoppable.

Thesecondwaytochangeyourstateistochangewhatyoufocuson.Youknowthefeelingofbeingcompletelyexhausted,whenit’sallyoucandotopryyoureyesopenandtrytokeepfromnoddingoffforincreasinglylongerperiodsoftime.Whathappenswhenyouremembersomethingcriticallyimportantthatyou forgot to do, or the phone rings and someone delivers exciting news? Doesn’t your state changewithinseconds?Suddenlyyoucan’tevenimaginegoingtosleep.Itwouldbecompletelyimpossibletosleepnowbecauseyourmindisfocusedonthisnewinformation.That’samazing!Youcangofromonepolarextremetotheotherwithnothingmorethanathought.

Asa teacher,yourdayscompriseenoughpositiveandnegativeexperiences toeithermakeyoufeelenergizedandamazingorbeatdownanddepressed.Whatyouchoose toattend tocreatesyour reality.Someteacherslookoutoveraninety-ninepercentengagedclassroomwithkidsonfireaboutlearningandfeel successful. Others choose to focus on the one percent and feel like failures. Make a consciousdecisiontofocusonwhatempowersyou.

IknowIsimplycan’tbemymostpowerfulandeffectiveselfifI’mnotintherightstate,soIcarefullymanagemythoughtstothebestofmyability.Youwouldn’tputtrashanddestructivechemicalsintoyourcar’sgastank,sodon’tchoosetofocusonnegativeanddestructivethoughtswithyourbrain.Managingyourstateiswaymoreimportantthanmanagingyourcar,andyetpeopleallowthemselvestobedraggeddownintothemuckofnegativity.Thisjobistoughenoughwithouthavingtofightthroughself-imposed

negativity.You’llfaceplentyofrealdragonsasaneducator;don’tcreatenewones.Whenyoufindyourselfinastatethatfeelslessthanresourceful,usethesetwohighlyeffectiveways

tocreateachange.Eitherchangeyourphysiologyandbeginmovinginamorepowerfulandresourcefulway,orchangethefocusofyourattention.IhighlyrecommendreviewingtheProfessionalPassionsectionofthePassionchaptertogetsomegreatideasforwhattofocusonsoyoucancreateamoreresourcefulandenthusiasticstate.

SPREADTHEVIRUS!Bylightingyourselfonfirewithenthusiasm,youcanbecomeabeaconofblissamidstabastionof

boredom and banality. Your attitude carries with it your single most powerful tool to influence yourclassroom.CarlosSantanasaid,“There isnothingmorecontagiouson thisplanet thanenthusiasm.Thesongs become incidental, what people receive is your joy.” As a teacher, I would tweak this to thelessonsbecomeincidental,whatpeoplereceiveisyourjoy.

Itdoesn’tparticularlymatterwhatthesubjectis;ourmissionistoteachinsuchawaythatwhoweareashumanbeingshasamorepowerfulandlastingeffectonstudents thanwhatwesay.Whenwemodelenthusiasmitrubsoffoneverybodyaroundus;itisabsolutelycontagious.Besuretospreaditliberallyeveryday,becauseIguaranteethatyourstudentshavemanypeopleintheir liveswhoaretryingtokilltheirenthusiasmanddampentheirspirits.Infectyourlessonsandeverythingyoudowithenthusiasmandthenwatchitspread.

PARTII

CRAFTINGENGAGINGLESSONS

T

THETHIRDCIRCLE

hepowerofa lessoncannotbemaximizedwithout incorporatingamasterfulpresentation. It’s likeriding a bike with flat tires. You may be doing everything right, but you’re working harder than

necessaryandgettingsub-par results.Whenyouhavecraftedanengaging lessonforyourmaterial it islikecoastingdownhillonaperfectlytunedbicyclewithtwofullyinflatedtires.Everythingseemseasierbecausethestudentsaredrawnintoyourmaterialasifbysomemagicalormagneticforce.

TheTeach Like a PIRATE system I presented in Section I lays the foundation for building thesemagicalandmagneticresults.Allsixofthosechaptersarecriticallyimportanttoeffectivelyreachingandteachingyourstudents.Thissectionfocusesonthehowofcreatingengaginglessons.Itisa“toolbox”ofstrategiesyoucandrawontoenergizeyourlessonsandengageyourstudents.Afterall,it’sonethingtoknow you should engage your students. Actually being engaging requires planning, preparation, andpresentation.

Take a look at the triple Venn diagram below. The overwhelming majority of professionaldevelopmentworkshopsfocusonthebottomtwocircles:contentandtechnique/method.Withoutquestion,theseareasarecritical.Ifyoudon’thavethecontentelementofyourlessoninplace,youareeitherjustentertainingorbabysitting.Myassumptionisthatyouareanexpertinyoursubject’scontent.Ifnot,putthisbookdownandgo learnyoursubject.Comebackwhenyou’reready topresenta lesson!I’malsomaking the assumption in this discussion that through your educational program and professionaldevelopmentyouhaveanarrayofinstructionaltechniquesandmethodsatyourdisposal.I’msureyou’vebeentothethink-pair-shareworkshopandthejigsawsession.You’veprobablylearnedaboutscaffoldingandSDAIEstrategies,attendedtheliteracytrainingtolearnhowtobuildacademicvocabulary,andyouprobablyalreadyknowthebenefitsofgraphicorganizers.Thoseareallgoodtoolsandtechniques.

Thethirdcircle—presentation—isthecriticalelementmostprofessionaldevelopmentseminarsandtrainingmaterialsmiss.Nobodyistalkingtoteachersaboutthethirdcircle,andI’mtryingtochangethatforever. I’m on a one-manmission traveling far andwide to spread theword about the existence andimportanceofpresentation.Ihaveanevangelicalzealforthismessage.

WELCOMETOTHEBBQIf you come tomy house for dinner and you seeme out at theBBQ, you have every reason to be

excited.Youcanexpecttogetawell-preparedanddeliciousmeal.ButimagineyoursurpriseifwesatdownatthetableandIpresentedyouwithaplatethatwasemptywiththeexceptionofacompletelyrawsteak.Thiswouldbewildlyinappropriate!

IfIwerereallygoingtoserveyoudinnerI’daskaheadoftimeifyouevenlikesteak.Ifyoudon’t,Iwouldprovidealternatives.Ifyoudolikesteak,Iwouldseasonandmarinatethemeataheadoftimetoallowtheflavorstosoakin.IwouldpreheattheBBQbyturningonthepropane(sorry,IknowIjustlostyoucoal-onlyfanatics)andthenbasteitandturnituntilcookedtoyourspecifications.Evenafterthat,Istillwouldn’tjustserveittoyouwithoutprovidingvarioussidesdishesandabeveragetohelpwashitdown.Afterfinishing,Iwouldletyouindulgeyoursweettoothbyprovidingascrumptiousdessert.That’sameal.

Obviously,youcan’tservepeoplerawsteakonaplate.However,that’sexactlywhatsomeeducatorsservetheirstudentseveryday.Teacherslikethiswalkintoclasswiththeirraw,unseasonedcontent,plopitdowninfrontoftheirkidsandsay,“Eatit!”Theydon’tbothertoprovideasidedish,anddessertiswaytoomuchtrouble.Nowondertheirstudentsactasiflearningisaformoftorturethatmustbeenduredastheychokedowntheirlessons.

Thepresentationalstrategiesdescribedinthisbookthataredesignedtohookyourstudentsanddrawthemintoyourlessonareliketheseasoningandmarinade.Youhavetopreparetheseelementsaheadoftime.Youcan’tjustwalkintoclasswitharaw,unseasonedsteak.

Afteryou’vecarefullyseasonedyourlessonandsoakeditinstudent-engagementsauce,youstillhavetocookit.Youhavetoturnuptheheat!Inotherwords,youhavetobringenergytoyourlessonthroughenthusiasmandshowmanship.Youhavetosellit!Youalsocan’tjustdoitatthebeginningofthelesson.Forbestresults,theheatandenergymustbemaintained.Justlikemeathastobeturnedandbasted,you

havetocontinuallyaddengagingtwists,turns,andchangesofpacethroughoutthelesson.Youmustlayeryourhookssothatengagementdoesn’twane.Fortyminutesintoyourclassyoucan’tsay,“Hey,don’tyourememberwhenIsaidthatfunnythingfortyminutesago?Youshouldstillbepayingattention.”Layerinasmanyengagingstrategiesandtechniquesascanreasonablyfit.Itakethatback.Layerinthosetechniquesandstrategiesuntilitisunreasonable,thenscalebacklaterifyouhaveto.

Asforthesidedishesanddessert,thosearethepartsofyourlessononlytheuptightandmisguidedviewasawasteoftime.Thereisnoawardgiventotheteacherwhofillseveryclassperiodwithbell-to-bell direct instruction. It doesn’t matter how much material you teach, it only matters how much isreceived.Byaddinginthetypeofpresentationalelementsfeaturedinthispartofthebook,youwillnotbe wasting precious instructional minutes. Rather, you will be creating a dynamic and well-roundedlessonthatishighlyengaging,easilymemorable,andpowerfullyimpactful.

Inaddition,nocontentstandardinanyclassatanylevelismoreimportantthannurturingandbuildingaloveoflearning.Designingaclassthatempowersstudentstobecomelife-longlearners,avidreaders,andvoraciousseekersofknowledge,willhaveanimpactthatreverberatesforalifetimeandbeyond.Thepointof thissectionis tohelpyoubuildpresentationsinsuchawaythatstudentswillactuallywant tocome to school.Whenyouuse theTeachLikeaPIRATEsystemandeffectivelypresentyourmaterial,studentswillrealizeeducationcanbefun,entertaining,amazing,andatthesametimelife-changing.

EVERYTHINGISACHOICEDesigninglessonsisataskfilledwithanoverwhelmingnumberofpresentationalchoices.Everything

youdoordon’tdoisachoice.InsomeofmyworkshopsIperformamentalmagiceffectwithafreelycallednumberfromtheaudience.Thewholeroutinetakesaboutfourminutesfromstarttofinishandisusuallymetwithspontaneousapplause.Infact,ifitisn’tmetwithapplausethenIdiditwrong.Here’stheclincher:Thewholetrickismath.That’sright,Iperformmathinfrontofthecrowdandreceiveapplause.Infact,whenIgethiredtodoamagicshowthispieceisalmostalwaysinmyset.Mathasaperformanceart;Igetpaidtodomath!

Howisthatpossible?Presentation.After the performance, I go back to the start and show my workshop participants all of the

presentationaldecisions that areapartof those fourminutes.Thereareabout tenmajorpresentationaldecisions—choices—thatcombinetomakeanentertainingandeffectiveroutine.

Iftherearetendecisionsinafour-minuteroutine,dothemathandfigureouthowmanypresentationalchoicesthereareinanhour-longlesson.Somechoicesaremajorandothersareminor,buteventheminordecisions,whenaddedup,createimpact.Arethelightsonwhenstudentsentertheroom?Istheremusicplayingandifso,what?Isthereanythingwrittenontheboardtodrawstudents’attention?Havethedesksbeenrearranged?DoIpassoutthehandoutrightawayorwait?WhatdoIweartoclasstopresentthislesson?And those are just the presentational decisions thatmake an impact on a class before the bellrings.

Some of youmay be thinking, “I don’tmake decisions about all of those things for each lesson.”Actually,youdo.Ifthereisnomusicplayingwhenstudentsenteryourclass,itisbecauseyoudidn’tputany on. If you gave no thought to the matter, then what’s really going on is that you have abdicatedresponsibilityforthatdecision.Bynotconsciouslycontrollingthevastarrayofpresentationalfactorsatyourdisposal,youhavediminishedyourprofessionalpoweranddampenedthepotentialimpactofyourlesson.

Iknoweachindividualdecision,byitself,doesn’tseemtomatter.Theproblem,though,isthatnoneoftheseindividualdecisionsstandsalone.Rather,theyarewoventogetherintowhatcanbemadeabeautifulquilt of engagementor anugly, threadbareblanketofboredom.Determine to intentionally controlyourenvironmentandallofthepresentationalelementsinplay.Everythingmatters.

TRANSITIONSWILLKILLYOUOneof theways to tell thedifferencebetweenaprofessionalmagicianandanamateur ishowthey

transitionfromonetricktoanother.Theamateurstringstogetheraseriesofunrelatedorlooselyrelatedtrickswithawkwardpausesand transitions.Hedoesone thing,puts itaway,and thensearches for thenextprop,ortriestothinkaboutwhathewilldonext.Theprohasathemethattieshisseriesofeffectsintoanact.Onetricknaturallyflowsintoanotherwithnoawkwardpausesorconfusionaboutwhereheisgoingnext.Aprofessionalmakes you feel comfortable as an audience because the long, hardworkofeliminatingawkwardmomentshascreatedaunifyingandcongruentexperience.

Teachingisexactlythesame.Afterreadingthisbookandpracticingtheprinciples,youwillhaveanincrediblearrayoftoolstoactivelyengageyourclass.Don’tgotoalloftheefforttodesignanamazingandengaginghook foryourcontentonly to squander themomentwithan ill-timed transition.Yourkeycontent—themost important informationyouare trying to teach—shouldbedeliveredat themomentofpeakengagement.

Far toomany times, teacherscapture theattentionandengagementof theirclassand then lose itbyaddingsomeunnecessarydelaybetweenthehookandthedeliveryofthecontent.Forexample,theytellapowerfulstorythathastheclass inthepalmoftheirhand.Then,uponfinishingthestory, theyhavethestudentsgetapieceofpaperoutoftheirnotebookbeforetyingitalltogetherwiththeirlesson.Theyknewthatthepieceofpaperwasgoingtobeneededsotheyshouldhavetoldthestudentstogetitoutbeforestartingthedamnstory!

Every timeyoualloworaddanunnecessarydelay inyourpresentationyoucreateyetanother timethatyouwillhavetoregaintheengagementandmomentumyoulost.Thosetwominutesspentputtinginandcueingupthevideoclipmatter.Somethingassimpleaswaitingfortheprojectortowarmupcanberesponsibleforlosingaportionofyouraudience.

It’snotthatI’moverlyconcernedaboutlostminutes.Engagementistherealloss.EverytimeIlosemystudents’focustoanunnecessarydelayisanothertimeImustgotothehardworkofhookingthemyetagain. It is a likea streetperformerwhoearnsa livingbyentertainingpassersby for tips.Thehardestthingtodoasastreetperformeristobuildanaudience.Therefore,oncetheaudiencehasbeenbuiltitisimperativetoavoidabreakintheperformancethatwouldcausepeopletoloseinterestandleave.

Tokeepyourstudentsfrommentallycheckingout,trytogetalladministrativeactivitiesoutofthewaybeforebeginningyourpresentation.Ifthestudentswillneedanymaterials(theirbooks,paper,pens,etc.),havethemgetthemoutbeforeyoustart.Whenyouareforcedtohaveatransition,trytomakeitasquickandseamlessaspossible.Theprojectorshouldbewarmingupwhileyouaregivingyourhigh-interestintroductiontothevideoclip.Whensomeonecomesintomyroomwithapassortotakesomeoneoutofclass,Iwilleither,basedonthesituation,continuetopresentmymaterial,orIwillbanterandinteractinanentertainingwaywiththepersonwhohasenteredtheroomsothatImaintainengagement.Mygoalistoavoidcomingtoadeadstopandlosingmyaudienceasaresult.That’swhy,unlikemanyteachers,Ineverreally get upset at interruptions but choose to position them as more of a game and a challenge.Eliminatingandsmoothingouttransitionsmayseemlikesuchasmallthingtoharpon,buttheresultscanbesignificant.

ThereisamagicalmomentIlovetocreateinmyclassroom.Sometimesitisverballyexpressed,othertimesIcanjustseeitinmystudents’bodylanguage.Itisthemomentfollowingahighlyengaginghook,onethatoftenfills theroomwithfunandlaughter,andallofasuddentheyrealize,“Hey,he’s teachingus!”It’sasiftheyarehavingsuchagreattimeandaresoengrossedinthemomentthattheyforgetwheretheyarewhenitdawnsonthemthat they’relearning.Ipicturethetoughestandhardestheadedstudentssaying,“Dangit!Iwasn’tgoingtolearntoday.Hetrickedme.Thatmanissneaky!”Iliveforthatmoment.

WhenImodelthesetechniquesinmyworkshops,Iasktheteacherstoseeiftheycanfindthepointatwhichthatmomentwouldhappenforastudent.OnceIteachtheconcept,mostparticipantscaneasilyandcorrectly identify it. More importantly, they learn how to design their presentation to include thosemagicalmoments.Iencourageyoutonotonlymastertheartofgainingstudentengagementbutalsotheartofnotlosingit.

T

ACRASHCOURSEINPRESENTATIONALHOOKS

his is where the rubber meets the road. In this chapter you’ll find one presentational hook afteranother. If you have ever seen the full-day version of my Outrageous Teaching: Teach Like a

PIRATEseminarthenyouknowthat it isroughlydividedintothreesections: theTeachLikeaPIRATEsystem, the modeling and explanations of multiple presentational hooks, and the collaborativebrainstormingsessionusingmyPowerPackcreativityquestions.Thischapterisapartialcombinationofthe hooks and the creativity questions. It is filled with an unbelievable variety of ideas for drawingstudents into your content and it also heavily relies on questions that will help you devise ways toincorporate these ideas into your own lessons. If you will take the time to actively consider thesequestions and intentionally seek ways that they might apply to your class, I think you will be richlyrewarded.

WhenIfirstdecidedtogetintotheprofessionaldevelopmentbusiness,mynumberoneconcernwaswhetherornotIcouldtranslatewhatIdointosomethingthatisbothteachableandtransferabletoothereducators.Sure,mymethodsaresuccessfulforme,butcanImakethemaccessibletoothers?OrdidtheyworkbecauseofwhoIamasaperson?TodayIamthoroughlyconvincedthatanyteacherwhoiswillingtoputinthetime,care,andeffortcantransformtheirclassroomandtheirlifeasaneducatorusingthesemethods.

Muchofyoursuccessasaneducatorhastodowithyourattitudetowardsteachingandtowardskids.Therestofyoursuccessisbasedonyourwillingnesstorelentlesslysearchforwhatengagesstudentsintheclassroomandthenhavingthegutstodoit.

Whenwritingthissectionofmymaterial,IevaluatedthepresentationalhooksIuseinmyclassesandaskedmyself,“HowdidIcomeupwiththat?”Overandoveragain,theanswerwasthatI’daskedmyselfaseriesofspecifictypesofquestions.Thischapterincludesthoseexacttypesofquestions.Ibelievetheycanleadyoutoyourowncreativeinsightsifyouwillactivelyandintentionallyusethem.BecauseIteachhistory, many of the examples are history related. Don’t be put off by that. The questions and thetechniquesherearetheimportantfactors—notthesubjectfocus.It’snotunliketeachingsomeonetoplayguitar.First,astudentmustlearnhowtoholdtheinstrument,wheretoputhisfingers,andhowtostrum.Next, he learns basic chord structures. Then, and only then, does the student choose an area focus—classical, jazz, rock‘n’ roll.Everyonemust learn thebasicchords first.Thissection is teachingchordstructure. Youwill go off and play English,math, science, primary, secondary, and so on. The chordstructureremainsthesame.

Iencourageyoutousethissectionofthebookasaresource.Returntoitanytimeyouneedacreative

boostforyourlessons.Idon’tknowifyouhaveeverseentheMTVshowPimpMyRide,butthisisthesection thatwillallowyou to take run-of-the-mill lessonsand“pimp” themforacertainWOWfactor.Youcanworkyourwaythroughthesequestionswithaparticularlessonorunitinmind,oryoucanjustconsideryourcurriculumasawholeandseewhatsparksacreativeidea.

I also recommend that youwork collaboratively through this sectionof thebook.Find a colleaguewithwhomyoucanbrainstormideas.And,ifyourfirstexperienceswiththisbrainstormingprocessareless than you desired, keep at it. Themore you engage in these activities, the better you’ll get.Withpractice,youwill trainyourbrain to thinkmorecreatively.Remember,asking therightquestionsgivesyoursubconsciousmind’ssearchengineagoal.Don’tbesurprisedtofindthatyourbestanswerscometoyouwellafteryou’veputthisbookawayandhaveengagedinacompletelyunrelatedactivity.Whenyouareengagedinintensecreativework,sometimesitisn’tuntilyouhaveletyourbrainrelaxandmoveonthatinsightsoccur.Irecommendthatyouhavesomethingtowriteyourideasonasyouproceedsothatyoudon’tlosethemforever.

Onefinalwordofinstructionforusingthissection:don’ttakeittooseriously.Bewillingtohavefunwiththeprocess.Thesequestionsareinnowaymeanttobeall-inclusive.Feelfreetogenerateyourownquestionsthatmaybetterreflectyourteachingstyle.Isimplyoffertheseasastartingpointandanexampleofhowtobecomeactivelyengagedinthecreativeprocessratherthanwaitingforthatinfamousflashofinspiration.

Let’sgetiton!

H

“ILIKETOMOVEIT,MOVEIT”

ookscontaininganelementofmovementcanbeextremelyeffective.Thebrainandbodyworkbestwhenreceiving theflowofoxygenandblood; thatdoesn’thappenwhenstudentsspend theirdays

sittingatadesk.Ifyourclassisstagnantandenergyhasreachedalowpoint,itmaybetimetoincorporatemorekinestheticactivities.

THEKINESTHETICHOOKHowcanIincorporatemovementintothislesson?

Canwethrowsomething,rollsomething,orcatchsomethinginsideoroutsideofclass?

Canwegetupandactsomethingout?

Canweincorporategesturesandmotionsthatstudentscoulddofromtheirdesks?Canweturntheroomintoagiantopinionmeterandhavestudentsmovetoonesideortheotherbasedonthestatement?Whatkindofsimulationcanwedothatwouldallowthemtoreenactapartofthislesson?

CanIchangethestructureofthislessonfromaseated>activitytoawalkaroundactivity?

CanIuseagamethatincorporatesmovementandactiontoenhancethislesson?

HowcanIguaranteethateverystudentisupandoutoftheirdeskatleastonceduringthislesson?

EXAMPLES:Mystudentshavecollectedmoonrocks(practicegolfballs)thatIspreadoutalloverafieldbehindmyclass.TheyhaveflownlikeCharlesLindberghacrosstheAtlantic,ropedcattle(orastoolinthiscase)onacattledrive,flownpaperairplanesduringtheBerlinAirliftlesson,boardedaMontgomerybus, played intense games ofTrenchWarfare on the floor behind desks, and fit into a box likeHenry“Box”Browndidtomailhimselftofreedom.Theyhaveworkedonassemblylinesandcompetedinbootcamp obstacle courses. They’ve even learned to juggle as part of a lesson on the three branches ofgovernment.

I promise, you will notice a significant increase in your room’s energy when you incorporatemovementintoyourlessons.

IT’SOKTOHAVEFUN

It’sneverabadideatoinjectsomekinestheticactivityintoyourclass,eveniftheprimarygoalistojusthavesomefun.Recently, Ipresenteda lectureabout the resistance toslaveryand theuniquewaysslaves sought freedom.After telling them the storyofHenry “Box”Brownbeingmailed to freedom, IchallengedmystudentstotrytofitintoaboxthatwassmallerineverywaythanHenry’s.WediscussedthedimensionsandthenIletthemhaveatit.Iusedalargeplasticstoragebinandtheyhadtogetinfarenoughformetobeabletoclosethelid.Asthedaywentonthingsgotwilderandwilder!Imentionedtomythirdperiodthatfourstudentsmadeitinsecondperiod,sotheyproceededtofitnineteenpeopleinthebox.Twentyifyoucountthecampussupervisorwhocametodeliverapassandagreedtogiveitatry.The kids loved it! Fifth period took the challenge and got twenty-two students into the box. The peerpressuretotrywasintense(butallgood-natured).Bythetimesixthperiodrolledin,manyofthestudentshadheardof thechallenge.Theystormedintoclasssaying,“Where’s thebox?”I told themtoholdon,theyhaveto learnwhythere’saboxin thefirstplacebeforegettingin it.Theyset theday’srecordbyfittingtwenty-fourdifferentstudentsintotheboxduringaclassperiod.

Thenextday,secondperioddemandedasecondchanceandfitthirty-onekidsinthebox.Whennewsofthathitsixthperiod,theyfittenmorestudentsinforarecordofthirty-four.

WhyamItellingyouthis?

It’ssimple.Manyteacherswouldaskthefollowingquestions:

What“standard”is“fittingintoabox?”Doesn’tthatwastealotoftime?Whatifnobodywantstotry?

Herearesomeanswers:

Sometimes it’s OK to do things in class because it increases the fun factor and fosters positivefeelingsaboutschool.Iwantstudentstoleavemyclasswithaloveofhistory,aloveoflearning,and—bytheway,alsoalotofhistoricalknowledge.Thiswasnotthewholeperiod,butashortactivitywithinthecontextofalecture.Wasteoftime?Hardly.

Here’swhatIsaw:

I saw students getting to ponder the experience of Henry and put themselves in his shoes. I sawstudentsexcitedaboutthechallenge.Ihadmultiplestudentsstopbymyroomlaterinthedaytocheckonhowtheotherclassesdid.Ievenhadstudentsbringintheirfriendsfromotherclassestotrytofitintothebox! I sawstudentscheeringandencouraging theirpeers. I sawstudentscoaching theirclassmatesandgivingthemtipsontechniquesothat theycouldalsobesuccessful.Isawinteractionsbetweenstudentswhohadneverspokentoeachotherbeforethisactivity.Therewerestudentswhocameuptotrywhohadnot come to the front of the room for the entire year. I saw a ton of great things come out of what,admittedly,isaprettysillyidea.

IalsosawclassesfullofstudentswhowillneverforgetthestoryofHenry“Box”Brown.Ifyouareconcernedyourstudentswouldn’tparticipate inanactivitylikethis,Ihavetwothoughts.

First,you’reprobablywrong!Second,ifyouarerightthenyouneedtodoabetterjobbuildingrapportandcreatinganenvironmentwherekidsfeelsafetotakearisk.

I loveBill Cosby’s line in the theme song to The FatAlbert Show.He says, “This isBillCosbycoming at youwithmusic and fun and, if you’re not careful, youmight learn something beforewe’redone.”You don’t have to apologize for ramping up the entertainment level of your class. In fact, you

shouldapologizetoyourstudentsifyoudon’t.It’snotnecessarilyaboutputtingstudentsinthebox;it’saboutthinkingoutsideoftheboxforcreative

ideas.

THEPEOPLEPROPHOOKHowcanImakemylesson“playbig”byusingstudentsasprops,inanimateobjects,orconcepts?

Canwecreateahumangraph,chart,map,orequation?Canstudentsbeassignedaspecificstepinaprocessoraneventandthenhavetoorderthemselvessequentially?Cansomestudentsbepropsandtherestofclass“propmovers?”

THESAFARIHOOKHowcanIgetmyclassoutsidemyfourwallsforthislesson?

Wherewouldbethebestplace(s)oncampustodeliverthiscontent?

Isthereanareaoftheschoolthatservesastheperfectbackdrop?

CanIplantkeyitemsoutsideforusto“discover”?

Canweleavecampustogototheultimatelocationtoteachthismaterial?

Here’s the bottom line:Taking your class beyond the classroomwalls is a shortcut to engagementbecauseitissonovel.Ofcourse,itcomeswithchallenges.ButIdidn’tsayanyofthiswouldbeeasy.

EXAMPLES:EachyearItakemystudentsontheTrailofTearswalk.Itisaforty-minutewalkalongatrailthatgoesaroundsomeoftheouterfieldsofthecampus.Iarrivewaybeforeschoolstartsandsetupthetrailwithallsortsofpropsandscenes.Duringtheclassperiod,wewalktogetherasagroup.Whenwecomeupononeoftheareassetupwithprops,thewholeclasspullsintightsotheycanhearthelecture.WhatbetterwaytoteachabouttheTrailofTearsthantoactuallywalkalongatrail?

I have also taken classes outside to reenact battles, march and train like soldiers, and roastmarshmallows.Youhavefreedomtodoallsortsofactivitiesoutsidetheconfinesofyourclassroom,sogetoutside!

M

LONGLIVETHEARTS

usicandartcanbeincrediblypowerfulwaystoengageourstudentsandenhanceourlessons.Wehaveunbelievably talentedkidssitting infrontofusandmanyarestarvingfor theopportunity to

display their creativity.We shoulddoeverythingwecan toprovide them theopportunity tohone theirartisticskillsandcreate.Evenourstudentswhoconsiderthemselvesinartisticcanandwillbenefitfromthechancetoexploreandcreate.

THEPICASSOHOOKHowcanIincorporateartintothislesson?

Whatcanmystudentsdrawormakethatwouldhelpthemunderstandandretainthisinformation?Cantheymakesomekindofnon-linguisticrepresentationofthematerial?(Aphotographyprojector3-Dart,forexample.)Cantheycreatevisualsofkeyinformationasawaytoreviewfortheupcomingtest?

Cantheydesignwordpicturesinwhichthewaythewordiswrittenrevealsitsdefinition?

CanIcreateanart-basedoptionthatstudentscouldchooseinsteadofanotherassignment?

EXAMPLES:Afterfinishingaunit,Ioftenprovideadayforstudentstogetintocollaborativegroupsandcreate non-linguistic representations of the material. For example, I may ask them to create a visualdepictinganeventorconcept.Itcanbealiteralinterpretationorasymbolicrepresentation;Iencouragemystudentstobeascreativeaspossible.Todecidehowthey’llcreatetheirdrawing,theymustreviewandprocessthecontenttogether.ThePicassoHookallowsstudentstoreviewandrecallmaterialfromthelectureinadifferentway.Thesimplefactthattheyareinteractingwiththeconceptsagainisbeneficial.Processingthematerialcollaboratively,visually,andartisticallyalsoaidsinretention.Notonlydotheyparticipateinadecision-makingprocessaboutwhattodraw,theyarelikelytorememberthepictureeveniftheyforgetthelecture.Finally,let’snotforgettheaddedbenefitofallowingstudentstoflexandtraintheircreativemuscles.

I like to provide project opportunities that allow students to use their artistic talents wheneverpossible.Forexample,Ihavehadstudentsdesignthesignsthatdecoratemyroomforthesixtiesparty.Ihavehadgeographystudentswritetheirvocabularywordinawaythattheshapeororganizationofthelettersserveasavisualdefinition.Thewordpeninsula, for instance,shouldbewrittenso that it lookslikeapeninsula.

Inmyopinion,itisidealtogivestudentstheoptionofreplacingastandardassignmentwithonethatallowsthemtousetheircreativespiritandskills.Youmightbetrulyamazedattheresults.Youdon’tevenhavetodesignanddefinetheproject;letthemdesignanddefineitandthengetapproval.Ibelieveyouwill find thatsomeofyourstudentswhoseemdisengagedwillblossomandcomealivewhen theyarefreetousetheircreativity.

THEMOZARTHOOKHowcanIusemusictoaidmypresentation?

Whatwouldbetheperfectsongortypeofmusictocreatetherightmoodandproperatmosphere?

Whatsongshavelyricsthatrelatetothislesson?

IfIdon’tknow,canIaskmystudentstofindexamplesfromtheirmusicthatrelatetothistopic?

HowcanImosteffectivelyusemusicastheyentertheroom?

HowcanIimprovethestartofmylessonwiththeperfectsongselection?

Whatshouldwelistentowhilestudentsareworkingindependentlyorcollaboratively?

CanIusemusictomakemytransitionssmootherandmoreengaging?HowcanIusemusictowrapupmylessonandsendthemoutintotheworldinapositiveandupbeatmood?CanIofferanalternativeprojectthatwouldallowmystudentswithmusicaltalentstobecreative?CanIallowstudentstocreatesongs/rapsthatdemonstratetheirunderstandingofthecontentasanalternativetoessaysandstandardreports?Canstudentschangethelyricstopopularsongstoreflectcoursecontent?(Think“Weird”AlYankovic.)

Music isanunbelievablestateandmoodchanger.Ithas theability to touchoursoul likefewothermediums. If you want to change the atmosphere in the classroom, sometimes all that is required is achange(oraddition)ofsong.Therightselectioncanbringaseriousandmeditativetonetotheclass,orcreatearowdyandrambunctiousenergyfest.

Musicinstantlytransportsusbacktothepast.IstillrememberthefeelingsthatshotthroughmewhenTrevor Hoffman walked to the mound at a Padres game in the ninth inning to try for a save. Thescoreboardwentdarkandthebellsstartedringing.Thesoundsentchillsthroughtheentirestadium.Itwaspowerful,andthesoundhelpedmakethescenememorable.

EXAMPLES:Justlikeradiostationsplaybumpermusiccominginandoutofbreaks;Iplaymusicduringpassingperiodsasstudentsare leavingandentering the room. Iusesongswith lyrics that relate tomytopicssuchasPublicEnemy’s,Can’tTrussItformylessonontheMiddlePassageandashortsectionofParis’EscapeFromBabylonwhendiscussingtheTen-PointProgramoftheBlackPanthers.Iuseeraandmood appropriate music for my Speakeasy simulation and discuss jazz in relationship to the HarlemRenaissance.Welearnallaboutthehistoryofrock‘n’rollwhenwestudythefifties,includinggenresofmusicthatinfluenceditsdevelopmentandearlypioneersofthestyle.Itis,ofcourse,easyandnecessarytoshowhowthemusicofthesixtiesreflected,andinsomewaysevenshaped,theattitudesandeventsofthat tumultuous decade. I use scary, mood alteringmusic to build a creepy atmosphere formy Salem

WitchcraftTrialexperience.MyLunarLandingLessonheavilyreliesonPinkFloyd’sDarkSideof theMoonalbumtocreatejusttherightatmosphere.Thelistcouldgoonandonbutsufficeittosaythatmusicistoopowerfulaforcetoignoreinyourclassroom.Whetheryouuseittocreateamoodortieitintoyourcurriculum,musicisanelementofpresentationalpowerthatcanhelpyoutransformyourclass.Becauseitissopowerful,Iamconstantlylookingforopportunitiesformystudentstousetheirmusicalprowessinmy class. This helps to reinforce the value I place on their unique talents and allows them additionalchancestoseeschoolasaplacethatencouragesratherthanstiflescreativity.

THEDANCEANDDRAMAHOOKCanIprovidetheopportunityformystudentstodoskitsorappearinvideosrelatedtowhatwearelearning?Cantheylearnandperformarelevantdance?

Cansomeofthestudentsteachadancetotheclass?

Cantheyimpersonatekeypeoplefromhistoryinapaneldiscussionorinterviewformat?

Cantheyreenacthistoricalevents?

Cantheywriteascriptandcreateavideotoplayfortheclass?

Thedramaanddancehookallowsyoutoincorporateakinestheticelementintoyourclass,aswellasprovideacreativeoutletforyourstudents.Youcanquicklydeterminewhichstudentsexcelatthistypeofactivity and, interestingly enough, it is often students who struggle with other classroom activities.Providing variety in the way students can access your curriculum and display their knowledge of itensuresthatyouarereachingeveryone.

EXAMPLES:Duringauniton the twenties, Ihavehad studentsmakeCharlestondancevideos.They’vealsomadevideosofthefaddanceswhenwestudythefifties.Skits,simulations,andreenactmentsaretoomanytonameandarescheduledthroughouttheyear.

THECRAFTSTOREHOOKHowcanIincorporateacraftintothislesson?

Whatcanmystudentsmakethatrelatestothismaterial?

IsthereanorigamifoldthatIcanteachtotheclassforthiscontent?CanIprovidesomebasicsuppliessuchascraftsticks,pipecleaners,andducttape,givethemanopen-endedcreativeproject,andturnthemloose?Couldtherebecraftskillsmystudentsalreadypossessthatcouldenhancemycurriculumandsimultaneouslyallowthemthechancetobeanexpertforaday?

EXAMPLES:IteachhowtofoldanorigamicraneinmylessonabouttheaftermathoftheatomicbombingsofHiroshimaandNagasaki.Seethe“Don’tLetCriticsStealYourSoul”storyonpage161formoreonthislesson’scontroversialfocus.

OnthedaywereenactLindbergh’sflight,studentsconstructtheirownflightgogglesusingducttape,craft sticks, andpipecleaners.Theyhavecomplete creative license tomake thegoggles anyway they

want, and theyconsistently comeupwith absolutely amazingdesigns. I knowmany studentswhohavekepttheirflightgogglesforyearsaftertheyhaveleftmyclass.

Toencouragestudentstousetheiringenuity,Iputoutrandomcraftsuppliesandhavethemdesignandmakeinventionsthatwouldbehelpfulforvarioushistoricalperiods.Forexample,theycandemonstratethat they understand the difficulties and challenges faced by the various groups during westwardexpansion (like cowboys, mountain men, Native Americans, Gold Rush miners, Lewis and Clark,homesteaders,outlaws)bymakingsomethingthatwouldhaveeasedtheirburden.Whenconductedasagroupproject,thediscussionthattakesplaceaboutwhatproblemtosolveandhowtosolveithelpsdrivehomethelesson.

I

WHAT’SINITFORME?

t’shumannaturetoask(oratleastthink),What’sinitforme?Weallwanttoknowhowcurrenteventsmighthaveanimpactonourlives.Advertisersandcopywritershavelongknownthatpersuasivecopy

must answer this essential question. People are rarely impressed by the features of a product; it’s thebenefitsthefeaturesprovidethatreallymatter.Thenextfewhookswillhelpyoudesignlessonswiththatcrucialquestioninmind.

THESTUDENTHOBBYHOOKHowcanIincorporatethehobbiesandoutsideinterestsofmystudentsintothismaterial?

DoIevenknowthehobbiesandoutsideinterestsofmystudentsand,ifnot,howcanIfindout?

HowcanIharnessthepowerofconnectingmycontenttowhatstudentsarealreadyinterestedin?

THEREAL-WORLDAPPLICATIONHOOKHowcanIshowmystudentswhylearningthiscontentisimportantintherealworld?

Howwilltheypossiblyapplythisintheirlife?Canweincreasemotivationandengagementbyofferingreasonstolearnthatgobeyond“becauseit’sonthetest?”Cantheycreatesomething“real”thatwillbemorethanaclassroomprojectbutactuallyallowthemtointeractwiththeworldinanauthenticway?

THELIFE-CHANGINGLESSONHOOKHowcanIusethislessontodeliveraninspirationalmessage?

Whattypeoflife-changinglessoncanbeincorporatedintothecontent?WhattypeofessentialquestionscanIaskthatallowstudentstheopportunityforpersonalreflectionandgrowth?

THESTUDENT-DIRECTEDHOOK

HowcanIprovideopportunitiesforautonomyandchoiceinthisunit/lesson?CanIallowstudentinteresttodictateourdirectionandlearningwhilestillcoveringwhatweneedtoaddress?HowcanIreleasesomeofmycontrolandprovidestudentsthechancetobetheexpertsanddirectorsofthissubject?

The“unconference”and“edcamp”movementsareexamplesofwhatcanhappenwhen teachersareallowed to direct their own professional development experience. Allowing students to experiencesimilarfreedommightbeliberatingandfulfillingforthemoreself-directedlearners.Andforthosewhorelyonstep-by-stepdirection,thatsortoffreedomisanopportunityforgrowth.Inhisincrediblebook,Drive:TheSurprisingTruthAboutWhatMotivatesUs,DanielPinkpositsthatoneofthreekeyelementsformotivatingpeopleistoprovideahighlevelofautonomy.Howareyouconsistentlyprovidingchoiceandautonomyinyourclassroom?

THEOPPORTUNISTICHOOKWhatcurrenteventsarerelatedtothislesson?

IsthereahottopicinthenewsoroncampusthatIcanusetocapturestudentinterest?

WhataspectofcurrentpopculturecanItieintothismaterial?InwhatwayscanIincorporatecurrentlypopulartrends,fads,TVshows,andmoviesinordertomakethisrelevantandengagingformyclass?CanIputintriguingimagesofcurrenteventsonthewallswithQRcodesunderneaththatlinktomoreinformation?

Associating your curriculum with current events not only increases engagement because it showsrelevance, italsohelpsstudentsbecomemoregloballyawareandconnected.Teachingstudentshowtoseeeventsfromdifferentperspectivesandanalyzebiasincoverageisalsofantasticforteachingmedialiteracyandcriticalthinking.

C

ALLTHEWORLDISASTAGE

ontrollingthephysicalspaceofmyroomisoneofmysecretweapons.Iamthedirector,producer,stagemanager,andleadactorfortheonehundredeightydifferentperformancesthatwilltakeplace

inandaroundmyroom.Itismystage,andIhonorandvalueitassuch.AnythingIcandotomanipulateandcontroltheenvironmentisfairgame.Thisisatoughbusiness;I’mmorethanwillingtotakeadvantageofandinfluenceeverythingaroundmetoincreasemystudents’chancesofsuccess.

THEINTERIORDESIGNHOOKHowcanItransformmyroomtocreatetheultimateatmosphereforthislesson?

CanIchangethelightingformood?

CanIblockoutalllightandjustuseaccentlightstoemphasizecertainthings?

CanIcoverordecoratethewalls,theceiling,orthefloor?

CanIchangetheentrancesonoonecanseeintoclass?

HowcanIrearrangethedesksforthislessontobemosteffective?

CanIcreatemorespacebyremovingdesks?

CanIaddpartitionstobreaktheroomintoareasortocreatemaze-likecorridors?

IfIwerethrowingathemepartyatmyhouseforthissubject,whatwouldIdo?

Ifathemeparkwereopeningupanewattractionbasedonmylesson,whatwoulditinclude?

Ioftenchange thewhole lookofmyclassroomforasingle lesson.Oneof thewaysIdo this isbyusingwhatIcalltheblankslatetheory.Insteadofconstantlychangingbulletinboardsandwallsforeachunit or season, I tend to have a basic look formy class. On special days I create a blank canvas bycompletelycoveringeverywallwithenormousrollsofblackplasticsheeting.Therollsaretenfeethighand twenty-five feet long, so it doesn’t takemany to get the job done.Then I can addwhat Iwant asdecorationson topof theblackbackground.Thesheetingalsocutsoutall light from thewindowsandallowsmetouseaccentlightstocreateanytypeofmoodIwant.Thedifferentlookandfeelofmyroomoftenshocksstudentswhentheywalkin,especiallywhenIsetthescenebyhangingsheetsattheentrywaytoobscuretheroomfromview.Theeffectoftheceiling-to-floordrapemakesstudentsfeelasifthey’reentering the room through a curtain. I have alsoused sheets to create hallways and separate chambers

insidethemainroom.Forlessonsthatrequireadditionalspace,Iremovedesksfromtheroomandputtheminmyofficeor

outsidethedoor.Deskscanalsobeusedaspropstosuitthelesson.Forexample,I’veconfigureddesksforuseinassemblylines,asabusfortheMontgomeryBusBoycotts,orinseparateconstructiongroupsforbuildingsuburbanhouses.

EXAMPLES: I create a verydark and creepy feel formy room for theSalemWitchcraftTrials. In fact,between the darkness of the transformed room, the scarymusic, andme dressed as a witch, it is notunusualforafewstudentstobealittlescaredandcreepedout.

FormyLunarLandingLessonI removeevery traceof light fromthe room. Iclearoutabouteightypercentofthedeskstoallowstudentstolieonthefloorwiththeirbackpacksundertheirhead.Theyenteraroomthatisdimlylitwithaccentlights.PinkFloydmusicplaysinthebackground.Theperiodconsistsofashortlecturefrommeaboutlandingonthemoonandexactlyhowunbelievablyincrediblesuchafeatwas for 1969. I also wrap in a couple life-changing lessons about the power of possibility and theparadigmshift thatcanoccurfromseeingEarthfromouterspace.Whenyourealizeweare livingonablueballhurdlingthroughanexpansiveuniverse,mostofourworries,stresses,andobsessionswithpettydifferencessuddenlyseemridiculous.NextwewatchaspacevideosyncedtoPinkFloyd’sDarkSideoftheMoon.Finally,Iturnofftheaccentlightsandputonamulticolorlasershowontheceilingcompletewithmusic. It is an amazingday that students talk about for years afterwards. It has content standardscovered,life-changinglessons,andanunbelievableexperienceallrolledintooneperiod.

Thosestudent-createdpostersImentionedinThePicassoHooksectionhelptransformmyclassforthesixtiespartywhichculminatesourstudyofthatdecade.FormyRedScarelesson,theentireroomiscoveredinredsheeting(Iuseredplastictablecoversfromapartysupplystore).MySpeakeasyLessonisanothercompleteroommakeoverwhichincludesdarkness,accentlights,music,abararea,andmultiplegamingtables.Oneofthebenefitsofusingtheblank-slatetheoryformyroomisthatwhenthelessonisdone,youjustremovethecoveringsandyournormalwalldecorationsandbulletinboardsarestillthere.

THEBOARDMESSAGEHOOKWhatcanIwriteonmyboardorhaveprojectedonmyscreenthatwillimmediatelysparkcuriosityandinterestasthestudentsentermyroom?Whattypeofmessagewillcreateabuzzandprovokestudentstopointitoutandbegintotalktoeachotheraboutitbeforethebellevenrings?WhatcanIwritethatwillbeintriguingandmysteriousandcompelstudentstoapproachmeandaskquestionsbeforewegetstarted?CanIjustputaQRcodeontheboardorscreenandseewhathappens?

CanIhaveanintriguingimageprojectedthatwilleventuallytieintomycontent?

Actively engaging studentsbefore the class period even startsmakes for an interesting period.Anintriguingboardmessageorimagecancreateascenariowherestudentsarecuriousaboutthecontentandprimedtolisten.Isn’tthatwhatyouwant?Mygoalistomakethemessagesomethingthathaskidstalkingandbuzzingevenbeforethebellrings.Iloveitwhenitcompelsthemtoapproachmewithaquestion.

Messages work on adult audiences, too.When I am conducting the full PIRATE presentation at ateachingseminar,Iplaceasignatthefrontoftheroombeforethesessionstartsthatreads,

THE#1TOPSECRETWAYTOBECOMEABETTERLOVER!!

Peoplecan’thelpbut tobecurious; itcreatesabuzzandlifts theenergylevel intheroombeforeIevenstarttalking.Ihaveseenwomentakepicturesofthesignandsendittotheirhusbandswitha“lookwhatI’mlearningtoday”text.Ihavebeenaskedmanytimestoposewithteachersinfrontofthesignafterthepresentation.Therightboardmessageworks!

THECOSTUMEHOOKWhatcanIwearasanoutfitorcostumeforthislesson?

IsthereanexistingcharacterthatIcanimpersonate?

CanIcreateacharacterthatisrelevanttothislesson?

CanIinventasuperheroorsupervillainforthissubject?

Whataccessory(somethingassmallasahatorglasses)canIweartoenhancemypresentation?

Inmyclass,whenI’mdressedincostumeIcallitaguest-speakerday.Mystudentsknownottomissdayswhena“guestspeaker”isontheschedule.IfI’mwell-knownonmycampusforonething,thisisit.Hereisapartiallistofmycharacters:

SalemWitchSupremeCourtJusticeSherlockHolmes(seekinghistoricalclues)MountainManCowboySuffragetteProhibition-eraGangsterPriestRosietheRiveter50sTeenageGirlinaPoodleSkirtTheRedScareSuperVillainThe10-Man(superherothatteachesthefirsttenamendments)HippieTrailGuide

Whew!I also rarely give a professional-development workshop or keynote speech without creating a

character. Obviously, I dress as a pirate, but I’ve also shown up as BTSAMan (Beginning TeacherSupport and Assessment), ESLR Man (Expected School-wide Learning Results), a doctor for myEducational E.R. workshop, and as a construction worker for my Building a Better Teacher keynote.Ramping up the entertainment value of presentations leads to greater engagement and costumes andcharactersaretechniquesIoftenemploy.

Ifyou’reconcernedaboutlookingfoolishinfrontofyourstudents,thebestadviceIcanofferisgetoverit.IknowIlookoutrageousandthatpeoplearegoingtogawkandlaughatme,andI’mOKwiththat.Ifyou’regoingtousetheCostumeHook,youhavetobecomfortableinyourownskin,andyoudefinitely

have to own whatever persona you are taking on that day. That said, you don’t have to not be self-conscious,youjusthaveto,asAnthonyRobbinssays,“actasif”youaren’tself-conscious.Iknowthatofallofthesetechniques,thisisoneImostoftenhavepeople,especiallymen,saytheywouldn’tbeabletopulloff,butyouwon’tknowunlessyoutryit.

THEPROPSHOOKWhatphysicalitemcanIbringintoaddtomypresentation?

WhatimagecanIshow?

Insteadofjusttalkingaboutabook,canIbringit?

Insteadofjustmentioningaperson,canIshowtheirpicture?

WhatcanIbringthatstudentscouldactuallyholdintheirhandsandpassupanddowntheaisles?

I’mabigbelieverinprops.Iuseaslewoftheminmyworkshops.Infact,theytakeupmostofmyluggagespaceandhaveled tosomeinterestingmomentsatairportsecurity.Propsareascritical tomyworkshopandseminarpresentationsastheyareintheclassroom.ItismuchmoreeffectivetotalkaboutthecoinmadetocommemorateSusanB.Anthonyandtopullitout,showit,andpassitaround.Whenwearetalkingaboutabook,Iliketohaveitoratleastanimageofit.It’swaybettertoactuallyhaveaMinieballthantosimplytalkaboutCivilWarbullets.

ForthoseofyouwholectureusingPowerPoint,Prezi,Keynote,orotheronscreenpresentations,youcan substitute images for props. Cut way down on your text and bullet points and incorporate moreimages.Bulletpoints and text-heavy slidesputyour students to sleep!You’llhavemore luckengagingthemusingplentifulhigh-interestpictures.

THEINVOLVEDAUDIENCEHOOKHowcanIconsistentlykeeptheaudiencefeelinginvolved?

CanIcuethemtomakecertainmotionsorsoundsatkeypoints?

CanIincorporatecallandresponseintothislesson?

CanI,unknowntotheirclassmates,cuecertainstudentstoplayapre-arrangedrole?

CanIbringstudentstothefrontoftheroomasvolunteers?

Anythingthatmakesstudentsfeelliketheyareactuallypartoftheshow,notjustspectators,isagoodthing.Forexample,IincorporatecallandresponsewhenteachingtheBillofRights.SometimesIuseatacticIcallChoreographedChaos,inwhichIpre-arrangeforastudentorgroupofstudentstoplayarolein my lesson. To the rest of the class it seems strange and chaotic but it has been completelychoreographed.Itislikeaflashmobbutonasmallerscaleandinaclassroom.Whatmakesaflashmobfunisthatnoteveryoneisinonit.Seeingthereactionsofotherpeopletothepre-arrangedeventsiswhatmakesChoreographedChaos fun. Iwilloftenusemyclass clownsas theactors inmyChoreographedChaossegments.Theywanttogetattentionandinterjectthemselvesintoyourlessonanyway,sowhynothaveitbeonyourtermsandinawaythatservesyourmessage?

THEMYSTERYBAGHOOKHowcanIgainengagementbyopenlyhidingsomethingfromtheclass?

CanIhaveaclosedboxorapackageonthefrontstand?

HowcanIbuildupthesuspenseoftheunveiling?

CanIcutaholeintoaboxsothatstudentsreachinsideandfeelthecontentsbutnotsee?

CanIgivehintsandopenthefloorforguesses?

WhatcanIputintothemysteryboxorbagthatwouldtietomylesson?Afterdisplayingtheitem,howcanIgetstudentstotrytofigureouttherelationshipbetweenitandthelesson?

AfamousmomentinmyworkshophastodowithwhatIpulloutofabagwhiledemonstratingthishook.Wehaveanaturalcuriosityaboutthatwhichwecannotsee.Itkillsustoknowsomethingisbeingkeptfromus.ThisistheprincipleonwhichChristmaspresentsandbirthdaypresentswork.Whatisthedistinguishingfeatureofapresentthatmakesitintriguingandengaging?It’swrapped!Youcan’tseeitandyouwant toknowwhat it is.Thefirst thingwedoispickitupandseehowheavyit is.Thenwemayshakeit.Ifallofourpresentswereunwrapped,receivingthemwouldn’tbesuchabigdeal.

Wecanusethisuniversallyengagingprincipleinourclass.Trustme,ifyourstudentsseeawrappedpackageatthefrontoftheroomwhentheycomein,youwillbefieldingatonofquestions.Ifyoucantiethemomentofpeakengagement,whichis theunveilingofthecontents, toyourcurriculum…youhaveagoldenmoment.

D

STANDANDDELIVER

o you consider yourself a public speaker?When asked this question,most teachers emphaticallyrespond,“No!”Someevenclaimthatthethoughtofspeakinginfrontofcrowdsterrifiesthem.Ifind

this fascinatingbecause in a very real senseall teachers are full-timeprofessional speakers. In fact, Iwouldventuretoguessmanyteachersdomorepublicspeakingintheirclassroomthanthevastmajorityofspeakersdoonthecircuit.Youareapublicspeaker,ownitandbeintentionalabouthoningyourskillsofengagement.Herearesixhooksthatcanleadtoabetterclassroomperformance.

THESTORYTELLINGHOOKWhatcaptivatingstorycanItellthatwoulddrawstudentsintothislesson?

CanIcreateahigh-intereststorytofitthelesson?Whattechniquesofthemasterstorytellers,suchasdramaticbuild,canIusetoenhancethispresentation?Howwouldspeakingincharacter,usingaccents,changingintonations,andvaryingvolumeforeffect(evenwhispering)haveanimpactontheclass?HowcanIusefacialexpressions,dramaticpauses,andgesturestoimprovethepowerofmylecture?

Ilovetowatchgreatstorytellersdotheirthing.ItrytolearnasmuchasIcanfromtheexpertswhosopowerfullyandeffectivelydelivertheirmessages.Butthegoalisn’tjusttolearn.Iconsciouslyworktoapplyandadapt their techniques tomyownwork.Wherecan I create interest?Howcan I capturemystudents’attention?WherecanIaddpunchtothestory?

Aneffectivelytoldstorymightbecomethemostpowerfulthingyoudoinfrontofanyaudience.It’snowonder themost persuasive and impactful people in human history have used stories as their primarymodeofinstruction.Whethertoleadgreatarmies,greatnations,orgreatreligions,they’veusedstoriesforonereason:theywork.

THESWIMMINGWITHTHESHARKSHOOKHowcanIentertheaudienceandbreakdownthebarrierbetweenteacherandclass?

CanIparticipateintheactivity?

CanIstormupanddowntherowsandusethewholeroomasmyplatform?

CanIenterthephysicalspaceofkeyareasintheroomwhereattentioniswaning?

Isthereadifferentplace,ormultipleplaces,thatIcanpresentfromforthesakeofnovelty?

Asilentagreementexistsbetweenmanyteachersandtheirclasses.Contentispresentedfromthefrontmiddle (up here) and received from the rows or tables (out there).Breaking down this invisiblewallbetween teacherandclasswhenyouarepresentingcan increaseengagement simplydue to itsnovelty.Theworst-casescenarioformewhenIpresentisafixedmicrophone.Infact,Itelltheplannersthatitisuntenable.Nextworseisalimitedcordedmicrophone.Ilovetobeabletomovebackandforthandintothe audience when presenting.When presenters are kinesthetically active the audience responds withincreasedenergy.Whenpresenters and teachers stand inone spot for anhour, their audiencememberstendtofallasleep.Don’tgetstuckpresentingeverylessonfromthesamespot.

THETABOOHOOKHowcanIusethefactthatstudentsarefascinatedbythatwhichistabooandforbidden?

HowcanIpositionmytopicsothatitseemslikealittle-knownsecret?HowcanItakeadvantageofthefactthatstudents(andadults!)areintriguedbythingstheyaren’tsupposedtohear?CanIpositionmytopicasifitisillicit,eventhoughitisn’t?

Whensomeonesitsatthenexttable,don’tyouwanttoknowwhatthey’retalkingabout?Sureyoudo!It’shumannature.Weallwant tobe“in theknow.”Knowing thatsomebodyhasasecretcaneatusupinside until we find out. Topics that are taboo, forbidden, or seemingly illicit,make us curious. (Thesuccessof50ShadesofGreycomestomind.)Ioftenpositionmycontentasifitislittleknown,asecret,orjustrecentlydiscovered.Ialsodon’tmindpositioningitaspossiblyinappropriate.WhatIactuallysaywillnotbe,butitispositionedassuch.The“BetterLover”signmentionedearlierisanexample.Nothingthat I tell teachers atmyworkshops is illicit, but that sign positions the content as if itmight be.Theintendedeffectistogenerateinterestandcreateabuzz—anditworks!Obviously,youneedtoadjustyourtaboohookfortheageandmaturityofyourstudents,butevenakindergartenerwillbedrawninbythepossibilityoflearningasecretorsomethingtheirfriendsorparentsdon’tknow.Advertisersroutinelyusethe“taboohook”tosellbillionsofdollarsofproducts.Iuseittoselleducation.

THEMIMEHOOKHowcanIusethemesmerizingpowerofsilencetosparkinterestandengage?

CanIusenothingbutwrittenmessagestodelivermylessonoropeninghook?

CanIusemimetechniquesandgesturestogetmypointacross?

CanIincorporatecharadesand/orPictionary-typeactivities?

Canstudentsbeaskedtogettheirmessagesacrosswithoutwords,aswell?

THETEASERHOOKHowcanIsparkinterestinthislessonbypromotingitaheadoftime?

WhatcanIdotocreateapositiveexpectancyinadvance?

WhataspectofthislessoncanIteasebeforehandtoprovokecuriosity?

IfIwerecreatingamovietrailerorpreviewforthislesson,whatwoulditinclude?

IfIwereplanningamarketingpromotionforthislessonwhatwouldIdoandwhenwouldIbegin?

Ifirmlybelieveyoushouldpromoteyourlessonsaheadoftime.Iwanttodoeverythinginmypowertobuildapositive senseofexpectancyaboutmyclass. “Don’tmiss tomorrow, there isgoing tobeanunbelievablystrangeopeningtoclass.”“Thereisaguestspeaker(meincostume)comingonFridayandI’ve got oneword—tights!”Students simply don’tmiss the days I promote and they have even forcedparentstoswitchappointmenttimesorbringthembacktoschoolafterwards.IstartpromotingandsellingtheLunarLandingLessonand the sixtiespartyduring the firstweekof school—and theydon’thappenuntildeepintosecondsemester.IalsouseaFacebookfanpagetopromotemylessonsandbuilduphighexpectationsandeageranticipation.Themovieindustrymakestrailersbecausetheywork;theymakeyouwant to see themovie. Iwant people towant to seemy lesson. Think about it.When performers andspeakers have great introductions, it instantly builds credibility and positive expectations even beforetheyhitthestage.Itbecomesaself-fulfillingprophecy,ifpeoplethinksomethingisgoingtobegreattheyaremore likely to experience it as such.The same approach canwork in your class for your lessons.Promote,market,andsellarethreebusinesspracticesthatbelongintheclassroom.

THEBACKWARDSHOOKHowcanIgainanadvantageorincreaseinterestbypresentingthismaterialoutofsequence?

CanItellthemtheendofthestoryandletthemfigureoutanddiscoverthebeginningandmiddle?

CanIshowthemanendproductthatwillmakethemwanttolearntheskillstogetthere?

PerhapsthebestwaytoexplaintheBackwardsHookisbyequatingittoaTVshowlikeCSI.Eachepisodestartswithadeadbodyandacrimescene.Therestoftheshowisspentfiguringouthowitgotthere.TheincredibleKenBurnsdocumentary,TheCivilWar,startsbyshowingpicturesoftheaftermathofthewar.Hepansacrossdestroyedcitiesandbattlefieldsstrewnwithdeadsoldierswhilethenarratorgivesunfathomablestatisticsofhowmanydied.You’releftwiththisoverwhelmingfeelingofhowcouldthishavehappenedinAmerica.Afterthosehigh-impactscenes,historianscomeonandexplainwhythiswarissoimportanttoAmericanhistory.Bystartingwiththeend,BurnssetsthestageandthengoesallthewaybacktothebeginningtotellthelongstoryofhowAmericagottothatdreadfulend.Thatisthebackwardshook.

T

ADVANCEDTACTICS

hefollowingthreehookscanreallyrampuptheengagementlevelofyourclass—ifproperlyapplied.

THEMISSIONIMPOSSIBLEHOOKHowcanIdesignmylessonsothatstudentsaretryingtounravelandsolveamystery?HowcanIincorporatecluesthatcanonlybedecodedbylearningorresearchingtherelevantsubject?(ThinkTheDaVinciCodeandNationalTreasure.)Cantheybeprovidedatreasuremaporsentonascavengerhuntthroughyourcontent?

WhattypeofentertainingplotcanIuseasanoverlayorbackdropforthisunit?

Whatfictitiouscharacterorrolecantheyplay?

Whatcrisismusttheyprevent?

CanIchangethisfromastandardassignmenttoadaringandimpossiblemission?

THEREALITYTVHOOKHowcanIdesignmylessontotakeadvantageofthepopularityofrealityTV?

CanIcreateaSurvivor-stylechallengeanddividetheclassintotribes?

CanthisbeconfiguredasanAmazingRacepartnerlesson?

HowcanIincorporateaFearFactortypeofchallenge?

AperfectexampleofincorporatingaFearFactor typechallengecomesfrommycolleagueReubenHoffman.Whendiscussingthedifferencesinculturalnormsaroundtheworld,hebringsinawildvarietyof food from different countries. Many of the kids are terrified to try some of the stranger (to them,anyway)typesoffood.Volunteerscomeupandspinawheelandtheyhavetoeatwhatitlandson.Theylearn about cultural norms, try some exotic foods, and have an absolute blast during this high-interestlesson.

THETECHNOWHIZHOOK

HowcanItapintothetechnologicalprowessofmystudents?

CanIgivemystudentstheoptiontocreateprojectsandturninassignmentsdigitally?

CanIcreateapaperlesslesson,unit,orclass?HowcanthislessonbenefitfromthefactthatmanystudentshavemorecomputingpowerintheirpocketsandbackpacksthanIhaveinmyclassorlab?HowcanItakeadvantageofthefactthatmostphonesnowhavecamera,video,andInternetcapability?HowcanIleveragethepowerofsocialmediatoempowermystudentstoengageintheireducationbeyondthestandardschoolday?Howcantechnologybeusedtobridgegapsbetweenschoolandtherealworld?Howcantechnologyhelptoconnectmystudentstopeoplefromallovertheworldandhelpthemgainaglobalperspective?HowcanIutilizethelatestappstocreatemorepowerfulandinteractivepresentations?(Iintentionallyrefrainedfromlistingspecificprograms,apps,orhardwarebecausetechnologychangessofast,myrecommendationswouldprobablybeoutdatedbythetimeyoureadthis.)

The technological revolution isnotgoing togoaway.Studentsareused to theability toconnect toeachotherandhaveaccesstoinformationatalltimes.Wecaneitherfightagainstthisirrepressibleforce,orwecanchoosetouseit.IfyouarecommittedtotheTeachLikeaPIRATEsystem,youshouldalwaysbewillingtoadapttothechangingatmosphericconditions.Ouraimistochartanewcoursethroughtheeducational seas and to maximize the resources at our disposal. Use technology as a teaching tool.Harness your students’ knowledge of and familiarity with this tool to help them succeed.When usedcorrectly, technology can enhance the effectiveness of your lesson, increase engagement, and evenstrengthentherelationshipsbetweenthehumansthatcompriseyourclass.

THEPOWEROFLIVE!IsawJuanTamariz,oneofthegreatestmagiciansintheworld,performcardmagicatthe2010Magic

Conconference. Ihadseenhimperformonvideomanytimesbut itpaled incomparison toseeinghimlive.Itwasanamazingandtransformativeexperience.Onthefirstnighthesimplysatinachairatasmalltableinthehotelhallwayandproceededtoholdcourtinfrontofahugegroupofmagicianswhocrowdedandsurroundedthetableatleasttenrowsdeep.Isawanentireaudienceofwell-posted,knowledgeablemagicianswiththeirjawsonthefloorandinacompletestateofastonishment.Hecompletelydevastatedthecrowd.Hetookusonanemotionalrollercoasterrideandweavedamasterfulperformancethatwasnotjustamazingandentertaining,butalsoinspiringanduplifting.Itwasaonceinalifetimemoment.Whywas it so powerful? ItwasLIVE!Hewas able to play off of the crowd, improvise, shift and changedirections,andbuildhiseffectsintoemotionalclimaxes.Hewasn’tjustmanipulatingplayingcards…hewas manipulating people. Furthermore, the presentation was powerful because it was a sharedexperience. The group dynamic helped create an electric vibe. That exact moment can never beduplicated.Iftherewasavideooftheperformanceyoumightaswellburnit.Likesomanythingsinlife,itwasoneofthose“youhadtobethere”moments.

Comparelisteningtomusicinyourcartoattendingaliveconcert.Itisundeniablyandqualitativelydifferent.What ifyouwere theonlypersonthere?Thatwouldalsobequalitativelydifferentbecausea

large part of the magic of a live concert is the shared experience and feeling of community. Ask aDeadheadiftheCDoftheshowisthesameasbeingthere.It’sdifferent.

Trythis:GotoYouTubeandwatchsomeonewalkingonthebeach.Thengotothebeachandfeelthewaveswashoveryourfeetandthesandbetweenyourtoes.Punch“GrandCanyon”intoGoogleimagesandtakealook.Thengostandontheedgeandgazedown.Let’sassumeyoucan’tswim.Godoamonth’sworthofonlineresearchandreadandwatcheverythingyoucanabouthowtoswim.Nowgojumpinthedeependofthepool.I’mguessingthirtyminuteswithaliveinstructor inthewaterwouldhaveservedyoubetterthanallthatonlineresearch.

Nothingismorepowerfulthanamasterteacherstandingbeforeaclassofstudentsorchestratingthelearning experience. The teacher can instantly shift directions after intuitively sensing a lack ofunderstandingorengagement.Heorshecanprovideinstantaneousfeedback,readbodylanguage,facialexpressions andvocal intonation.The teacher is able to leaddiscussions, bring enthusiasm, and injectemotionandintensityat just theright time.Amasterful teachercandeterminewhenit isappropriate totemporarilydropthelessonaltogetherinordertocapturethatelusiveteachablemomentthatmightbefarmoresignificantthanthecontentstandardontheboard.

Everyyear—andeveneveryperiod—willbea littledifferentbecauseof thedifferentstudents thatmakeupthecommunityoftheclassroom.Agroupofpeoplesharingacommonexperienceandinteractinginaface-to-faceenvironmentisnotoutdatedorobsolete.Itisthehandwrittenthankyounoteinaworldofemail,tweets,andtexts.Itstillworks.

Technology, as one of a multitude of tools in the hands of an expert educator, can be undeniablypowerful. However, technology as a replacement for live interaction between teachers and studentsconcernsme.Sure, Iknowsomestudentsareboredanddisengaged in their traditionalclassesbut thatsounds like an argument for better professional development and training for teachers, not for stickingkidsinfrontofacomputerscreenallday.I’mjustnotreadytojumpcompletelyontotheonlinelearningbandwagonquiteyet. Iknow thehorsemightbeoutof thebarn,but Ihaveconcerns that thependulummightbeswingingtoofartowardsaloveaffairwithtechnologyjustforthesakeoftechnology.Usingitinnewandcreativewaysisanatural,positiveprogressionthatshouldbeencouraged.ButIfearmanyhavebecomealmostcult-likeintheirallegiancetoit.

Ihavegreathopesfortheeducationaltechnologyrevolutionthatissweepingtheworldrightnowbutitsbestuseistoaugmentandincreasetheeffectivenessofteachers,notreplacethem.Istillbelieveinthe“POWEROFLIVE!”

T

AROUNDTHEEDGES

hefollowinghookscanbeusedtohelproundoutyourclassandputafinishingtouchonturningyourclassintoatrueexperience.

THECONTESTHOOKHowcanIincludeacontestinthislessontobuildexcitementandmotivation?

WhattypeofreviewgamecanIdesigntorampuptheentertainmentlevelofmyclass?

Whatkindofin-classchallengecanIcreatethatwouldtakeadvantageoftheircompetitiveinstinct?

CanIbeapartofthechallengeorcontest?

Studentsloveacontestorachallengetoomuchtoignorethisasatoolofengagement.Iespeciallyliketo design unusual and fun review games before we take tests because it’s hard for even the tougheststudenttoignorethechallenge.Forexample,weplayanincrediblegameoftrenchwarfarebeforetestingonWWI.Studentsgetdownonthefloorinopposingtrenchesandtryto“kill”eachotherwitha“bomb.”Theonlywayyoursidegetstothrowabomb,though,istoanswerareviewquestioncorrectly.Wehaveatotallyeffectivetestreviewandplayanunbelievablyfungameatthesametime.Ialsouseabattleshipreviewgamewheretheroomisdividedintotwoteamsand,aftergettingaquestionright;theymaytakeashot at the other team’s grid. If one team calls out “B-three” and the other team has a student’s namewritten in that spot, they’re dead.Here’s a tip:To havemultiplewinners andmore fun throughout thegame, offer additional ways to win other than just surviving. For example, those who give the bestdramaticdeathperformanceor deliver thebest dyingwords can alsoget bragging rights asBattleshipWinnersinmyclass.Again,wearereviewingcontentbuthavingablastdoingit.

THEMAGICANDTHEAMAZINGHOOKWhatamazingprinciplecanIdemonstrateaspartofthislesson?

Isthereamagicaleffectthatcouldhelptodeliverthismessage?

CanIteachmystudentsanamazingskillthattheywillgohomeandshowothers?

I’mconstantlyontheprowlformagicalandamazingprinciples.Iwritethemdowninanotebookandthen try to brainstormways to incorporate them inmy class. I love this hook somuch that I teach a

breakout sessionworkshop explaining how to use thesemagical and amazing ideas in the classroom.Someeffectsbreaktheice,andothersareintegraltothelessonsandarefullyroutinedtoteachmycontentstandards. In theworkshop,wediscuss how to use the creative process to generate ideas for specificcurriculum.

THECHEFHOOKHowcanIenhancethislessonbyaddingfoodordrinks?

CanIcooksomethingfortheclass?

Whattypeoffoodwouldbeaperfectmatchforthislesson?HowcanIusefoodordrinkstodemonstrateapoint,serveasanincentive,orjusthelpcreateapositiveatmosphereforaspeciallesson?

Ihaveafull-service,non-alcoholicbaronthedayofmyspeakeasy.TheJungle,byUptonSinclair,includesadisgustingsectionaboutthemeat-packingindustryandhowsausagewasmadeattheturnofthecentury.Afterreadingit,ItellthemIhavepreparedsausagetobehistoricallyaccurate,andthenproceedtobringitoutforthemtoeat.ThewholetimeI’maskingiftheytasteratorratdung.Thisisnotonlyfun,butservesasanexperiencetohelpthemrememberthelessonofthedayaboutprogressivereformsandmuckrakers.Whenwelearnaboutthemountainmenandtelltalltales,wecooks’mores.Whenlearningaboutfearoftheatomicbombinthefifties,IpassoutAtomicFireballcandy.

I’malwayslookingforwaystomakemyclassmemorableandenjoyable.Usingfoodanddrinksfromtimetotimeisoneofmytactics.

THEMNEMONICHOOKAretherekeybitsofinformationIwantmystudentstoknowcold?

Isthereapatterntopointout?

Canthepointofthelessonbetiedtopreviousknowledge?

Doesamnemonicexistforthematerial?

CanIdesignmyownmnemonictohelpthemrememberthismaterial?

Canthestudentscreatetheirownmnemonic?

HowcanIembedamnemonicthemethroughoutmypresentationtoaidretention?

Ihavelongbeenfascinatedwithmemory.IcanrememberbeingblownawaybyHarryLorayne’sTheMemory Book. Since reading it, I have incorporated memory demonstrations, such as memorizing anentire Time magazine, into many of my magic performances. I extensively used mnemonics to retaincontentwhileincollegeandnowtrytoincorporateasmanymnemonicsasIcantohelpmystudents.Anexamplewould be amnemonic I created to teach theBill ofRights.Using the six letters of thewordPIRATE as the organizational principle for my seminar and book is an example of designing apresentationwithanimbeddedmnemonicoverlaytoaidretention.Weoweittostudentstohelpthemnotonlybeengagedbyourcontent,buttoretainit,aswell.

THEEXTRA-CREDITCHALLENGEHOOKWhathigh-interestandmotivatingchallengescanIcreatethatrelatetothisunit?WhatintriguingmissioncanIsendstudentsontoallowthemtoextendtheirlearninginauniqueway?HowcanIprovidemystudentstheopportunityforanexperiencethatwillcreatelife-longmemories?(Thesewouldnotberequired,strictlyextra-credit.)

Someofthemostmemorablemomentsmystudentsexperiencedonothappeninmyclass,andtheyarenot required activities. For example, when studying theWest and the Gold Rush, we learn about anamazing entrepreneur named Sam Brannan. After hearing about the unbelievable way he became richwithouteverminingforgold,Iputforthachallenge.SamBrannanisburiedinSanDiego—bringmeapictureofyouwithhisgravestone.IhavehadliterallyhundredsofstudentsovertheyearssearchthroughtheMt.HopeCemeteryandreturnwithpictures.Iliketogivethemactivitiesthatseemlikemissions,andtheyenjoygettingtogetherwithfriendsandtacklingthechallenges.

Thegranddaddyofallmyextra-creditchallengesistheMarchtotheSea.Aspartofalessonontheimpact of the automobile and how it has transformed our sense of space and time, I ask students toestimatehowlongitwouldtaketogetfrommyroomtothebeach.Aftertheyguessanywherefromtwentytofortyminutes,IinformthemthatImeanbyfoot.TheyhavenoideasoIsaythatIchallengethemtotestitandfindout.Theyhavetotouchmydoorandthenputtheirhandintheocean.Ittakesthemaboutseventotenhours!They,allontheirownImightadd,formintoteamsandshowuponvariousSaturdaysandSundaysthroughoutthesecondsemesterandheadoffasearlyasfiveinthemorning.Theyoftencomeupwithnamesfortheirgroupsandevendesignt-shirtsorwearmatchingclothes.TheBullMooseParty,TheTribe, TheNeon Turtles, and Team Song are examples of their creativity at work. This is absolutelyamazingifyouthinkaboutit.Manystudents,includingsomewhodon’tevenwanttocometoschoolonaregular day, show up on a Saturday at five in themorning towalk for eight hours. Part of themagiccreatedbythe“safe-zone”ofmyclassisthesenseofcamaraderiethatformsamongstudents.Overtime,they get excited about conquering an insurmountable challenge with a team. The explorers collectsouvenirsalongthewayandbringthembacktomyclassthenextweek.Theysoundlikeoldwarbuddiesreminiscingabouttheiradventures.It’sanexperiencetheywillneverforget.

Students will do amazing things if you can design a class and environment that is positive andempowering. Rising up to and overcoming challenges, building lifetime relationships, and forgingpositiveconnections toschoolwon’tdirectlyresult inbetter testscores. Itwill result inbetterpeople.Isn’tthatwhatwe’rereallytryingtoaccomplish?

THISISN’TFANTASYFOOTBALLMostofmyfriendsplayfantasyfootball.I’vealwaysresistedtheirpeerpressureandrefusedtojoin

in.Nothingagainst it…justdon’twant tospend the time.Thisyear,however,oneof thedadsstartedakid’sleagueintheneighborhoodandmysonjoined.Iwatchedthefirstgamesoftheseasonwithmysonandhisfriendastheyfollowedtheirplayers;itdefinitelychangeshowyouseethegame.Myson’sfriend,Robby, is ahugeChargers fanand Iwatched indisbelief ashecheeredafter an incompletepass fromPhillipRiverstoVincentJackson.Wewerelosingthegameanditwouldhavebeenatouchdownforourteambut JacksonandRiverswereonhisopponent’s fantasy team.Hewasactually rootingagainsthisbelovedChargersbecausethestatsofindividualplayershadbecomemoreimportantthanthegame.

Infantasyfootball,aplayer’sworthissolelybasedontheirindividualstatistics.Muchofwhatmakesaplayergreat,andhelpsateamwin,doesn’tshowuponthestatsheet.Theblockthatsetupthewinningtouchdown?Forgetaboutit.Itwasn’tmyguywhoscored.Mindlesslyandobsessivelytrackingstatscanleadtoashallowviewofthegame.

As a basketball coach, I love towatch the playerwho rotates to provide defensive help, sets theproperangledscreentofreeupthethree-pointshooter,andblocksouttheotherteam’sleadingrebounder.Unfortunately,themajorityoffanswatchingthegame(andeverybodyreadingtheboxscoreinthepaper)missthesecrucialelementsinthewin.Statisticsjustcan’tproperlymeasuretheimpactaplayerhasonthegame.

Theexactsameprincipleholdstruewhenweturnschoolintoatwistedversionoffantasysportsandover-emphasizestandardized testing.An intensefocuson testscorescan lead toashallowandnarrowviewofwhatisimportant.Irefusetoboildowntheeducational,growth,anddevelopmentofmystudentsinto a statistic.Much ofwhat is truly significant in the long run just doesn’t show on the “stat sheet”providedbytestscores.Forexample,Iwouldmuchrathermykids leavemyclasswith thestrengthofcharacterandcouragetofightracismwhentheyfindit,thanhavememorizedsomefactsabouttheCivilRightsActof1964.I’mnotsayingyoucan’thaveboth,I’mjustpointingoutthatonlyoneofthosethingswillbemeasuredonthetest—anditisn’tthemostimportantone.

Why have somany schools reduced the time and emphasis they place on art,music, and physicaleducation? The answer is beyond simple: those areas aren’tmeasured on the all-important tests. Youknowwhere those areas aremeasured… in life!Art,music, and a healthy lifestyle help us develop aricher,deeper,andmorebalancedperspective.Neverbeforehaveweneededmoreofanemphasisonthedevelopmentofcreativity,butschoolshavegonetheexactoppositedirectioninanefforttomakethebesttest-takingautomatonspossible.Oureconomynolongerrewardspeopleforblindlyfollowingrulesandbecoming a cog in themachine.We need risk-takers, outside-the-box thinkers, and entrepreneurs; ourschool systems do the next generation of leaders a disservice by discouraging these very skills andattitudes.Insteadofhelpingandencouragingthemtofindanddeveloptheiruniquestrengths,they’retoldtoshutup,sitdown,putthecellphoneaway,memorizethesefactsandfillinthebubbles.

Thisisn’tfantasyfootball!Educationshouldn’tbeaboutraisingstatistics.Itshouldbeabout raisingandfulfillinghumanpotential.Focusingonthestatsleadstoalostperspectiveofwhatistrulyimportant—thegame.

Oh,andbytheway,inthegameI’mtalkingaboutweareallonthesameteam.

PARTIII

BUILDINGABETTERPIRATE

D

THEAWKWARDQUESTION

oyouwanttobegreat?WhenIaskthisquestioninmyworkshops,itismostoftenmetwithawkwardsilence,nervous

shiftingintheseats,andavoidanceofeyecontact.Whyisitsuchanuncomfortablequestionforteacherstoanswer?Weadmireathleteswhowanttobe

great. In fact,we get annoyed and disappointedwith athleteswho don’t have the drive to fulfill theirpotential.Yet,itissohardformostteacherstoadmitaloudthattheywanttobegreat.

Coulditbethatwantingtobegreatseemsegotisticalorselfish?Let’sdestroythat idearightaway.Firstofall,yourgreatnessintheclassroomdoesn’tnegativelyimpactorinhibitanyoneelse’sopportunitytobegreat.Thisisn’tazerosumgame.Thepieisinfinitelyhuge.Infact,yourgreatnessonlyenhancestheopportunitiesandpossibilitiesforothers.Bybeinggreat,youareraisingthebarandprovidingamodelforotherstoemulate.Beingyourbestpossibleselfcontributestotheschoolculturenecessarytocreatetheenvironmentforgreatnesstoflourish.Inaddition,yourgreatnesswithyourstudentstricklesdowntoallteacherswhowillhavecontactwiththesesamekidsinotherclassesandotheryears.Theywillleaveyourclassamorewell-rounded,self-confident,competent,andpositiveperson.Inourprofession,theoldsayingistrue:“Arisingtideliftsallships.”

Beingtrulygreatrequiresasignificantamountofextratimeandeffort.Itdemandsarelentlesspursuitofexcellence,self-improvement,andanever-endingcommitmenttogrowandstayonthecuttingedge.

After you put in all of that extra time and effort, howmuchmore will you see in your paycheckbecauseofit?

Zero!That’sright.Notonecentmore!So,whothenbenefitsfromyourgreatness?Yourstudents,your school, andyourcommunityallbenefit.Ultimately, theworldbecomes a better

placebecauseofyourgreatness.Therefore,inourprofession,strivingforgreatnessistheultimateactofunselfishness!Weareinaserviceprofession,andthereisnothingegotisticalorselfishaboutwantingtoprovideworld-classservicetoourclients.

I thinkanotherreasonpeoplefeeluncomfortablesayingtheywant tobegreat is thegroupdynamic.I’msureacertainportionofmyaudienceswanttosay“yes”tothegreatnessquestion.Unfortunately,thesnidecommentsandeyerollingoftheirpeerskeepsthemfromadmittingwhattheyreallywant.Peoplewho are comfortable and accustomed to traveling with the pack, always riding in the middle of thepeloton,oftenresentthosetryingtoescapeinsearchofsomethingmore.Afterall,ridinginthepelotonsavesuptofortypercentofyourenergyduetolesswindresistance.Breakingaway,ontheotherhand,requiresahugeburstofenergyandenoughstrengthtoavoidgettingdraggedbacktothepack.Believeme,plentyofpeoplewilltrytodragyouback.That’swhyyoumusthaveagoalworthfightingfor.

MEDIOCRITYDOESN’TMOTIVATEToascendtothelevelofgreatness,youhavetobeonfirewithpassionandenthusiasm.Mediocrityis

incapableofmotivating.Youjustcan’tbeonfireaboutmediocrity.There’snoenergy,nojuice,andnofuel to igniteaction.Howcouldanyonebe firedupaboutcreatinga lukewarmclassroomenvironmentwherekidspunch the clock,mostlybehave, and then fileout thedoor to thenext class?Teaching is atough job filledwithunbelievablehardships,hurdles,andheadaches.Ourprofessionhasanotoriouslyhighburnoutrate.Unlessyoufindsomethingbigtocareabout,youwon’tmakeit.

Seekinggreatness,ontheotherhand,isajourneythatcanignite,stoke,andcontinuouslyfuelaraginginferno.Thatjourneybeginstheinstantateacherchoosestoshifthisorhermindsetandsays,“Yes!Iwanttobegreat!”

While far from being egotistical or selfish, seeking greatness does indeed have personal benefitsbeyond thehumanitarianones.Thedecision topursueexcellence—asa teacherandasan individual—transformsteachingintoanamazinglyfulfillingandrewardingprofession.Suddenly,it’seasytogetoutofthebedinthemorningbecauseyouaremotivatedbyamightypurpose.Andattheendofalong,fullday,yougohomefeelingmoreenergizedthanwhenyoustarted.Iknowthistobetrue,becauseIseeteachers,notonlyatmyschool,butalloverthenationwholovetheirjobsbecausetheyarecommittedtobegreat.

Amongthegeneralpublic,thereisamisconceptionthateducationiscompletelybrokenandteachinghasbecomealostart.Theyharkenbacktosomenonexistentperfecttimewhen“thingsweredifferent.”Thosewhohold to thisopinionarewrong!Theydon’t see the same teachers I see—teacherswhoareunbelievablyinnovativeanddoingstunninglyfantasticthingsintheclassroom.Wedon’twanttogobacktotheoverlyinstitutionalizedindustrial-styleeducationofthepast.Thatoutdated,damaging,“don’tsmileuntilChristmas”mentalitycanandshouldvanishforever.We’reskyrocketingforwardintoaneducationallandscapethatischangingeveryday.Intheseexcitingtimes,wemustbereadytotakeonthechallengeofredefininggreatnessforawholenewgenerationofteachersandstudents.

THEMIGHTYPURPOSEThemediapropagandaagainsteducationandteachershasreachedafeverpitchofridiculousness.It

doesn’tfazemeonesinglebit.Itrollsoffmelikewateroffaduck’sback.Irarelyengageinadebateand,whenIdo,Inevergetconfrontationalorlosemytemper.

Why?It’ssimple.Mypurposeistoomightytobedraggeddownbynegativity.Ijustcan’taffordit.WhatI’mtryingtoaccomplishistoosignificantandgamechangingtoallowanythingtoslowmedown.

Whenyouhaveahighenoughcalling,itismucheasiertocommityourselftodoingwhateverittakestoaccomplishyourlife’spurpose.Youhavetodecideifwhatyou’redoingisworthyourcompleteeffortandfullattention.Ifitis,don’tletanythingstopyou.Theword“decide”hasaninterestingetymology.Itmeans, literally, to cut off.When you truly decide, truly commit, you are cutting off all other options.Makingadecisionaboutyourlife’spurposeisn’tsomethingtobedonelightly.

IlovewhatGeorgeBernardShawsaidinManandSuperman:

“Thisisthetruejoyinlife:thebeingusedforapurposerecognizedbyyourselfasamightyone;thebeingthoroughlywornoutbeforeyouarethrownonthescrapheap;thebeingaforceofnatureinsteadofafeverish,selfishlittleclodofailmentsandgrievancescomplainingthattheworldwillnotdevoteitselftomakingyouhappy.”

Note thathedidn’t say joy resultswhenyourpurpose is recognizedasmightybypoliticalpundits,

radio talk-show hosts, and outsiders. He said it had to be recognized by yourself. Stop looking forexternalvalidation.Sureitwouldbeniceforsocietyatlargetoputthepropervalueonwhatwedo,butnotoriety isn’tnecessaryforgreatnessorfulfillment.Weknowteachers todayaredoingmorewith lessthanatanyothertimeinrecenthistory.Ourprofessionisn’tbroken.InthecirclesIfrequent,thereismoreenergyforpropellingtheprofessionforwardthanIcaneverremember.

Icanthinkofnohigherpurposeorcallingthanteacher.Wehelpshapethemindsoffuturegenerations.We have the ability to literally change theworld.How then can anyone possibly hope tomeasure theextentofourgreatness?Withmorestatistics,right?

Not really, but that’s exactly what current teacher evaluation models rely on to quantify teachereffectiveness. Such methods are hopelessly flawed. You can’t measure a teacher’s impact throughstandardized test scoresorD/F rates.A teacher’s impactcanonlybemeasured throughgenerations! Ilikethecoachwho,duringanend-of-seasoninterviewwasaskedifhethoughthisseasonwassuccessful.He paused amoment and replied, “I won’t know for another twenty years.” That’s it!We aren’t justteachingfactstomemorizeorskillstolearn;we’reupliftinglivesandhelpingstudentsfulfilltheirhumanpotential. We’re shaping the mothers, fathers, world leaders, entrepreneurs, and artists of tomorrow.Anyonewiththemostrudimentaryunderstandingofgeometricprogressionrealizesthatourstudentswillinteractandinfluencemillions.It’samightypurpose,indeed.

That’swhyIagreewithShaw’scommentaboutwantingtobethoroughlywornoutbythetimethislifeis over. I don’t have time to be tired.Whenyou’re doinggreatwork, youhave amoral imperative tobecome the force of natureShaw refers to. I don’twant to play small—Iwant to be larger than life.Teachingisapokergamethatmustbeplayed“all in.”Don’tallowanythingtostopyou.Bewillingtohave,asMalcolmXwouldsay,a“byanymeansnecessary”attitude.Don’thangaroundnegativepeople;theywillsapyoursuperpowersassureaskryptonite.Ifpeoplecouldonlyseewhatwedo,theywouldrealizewearemoderndaysuperheroeswearingtheClarkKentdisguiseofteacher.

Doyouwanttobegreat?Absolutely!Ourpurposeistoomightyforanythingless.

PLAYYOURDRUMLittleDrummerBoyhasbeenmyfavoriteChristmasCarolforaslongasIcanremember.Ofallofthe

holidaysongs,Icanhonestlysayitistheonlyonethattrulymovesme.Theideaofayoungboy,toopoortoaffordafittinggiftforthe“newbornking,”attemptingtohonorhimwithwhathedoesisagreatlessonforallofus.Wespendtoomuchtimestressingoutandconcerningourselveswithwhatisabsentinourlives,andnotenoughtimefocusingonwhatreallymatters.

Thedrummerboymaynotbeabletoaffordexpensiveandfancygifts,buthehassomethingbetter;hecanofferthegiftofhisuniquestrengthsandtalents.Hehasnomaterialgifttooffer,butwhathecandoisplayhisdrumlikenooneelseiscapableofplayingit.Andsohedoes.Thefactthathisplayismetwithapprovalandacceptance fromMaryand theanimals iscertainlyofnosurprise.Afterall,whenone isengaged in pursuing one’s passion and offering the very personal gift of doingwhat he does best, thepowerisundeniableandcleartoall.

Isn’tthatwhatlifeisreallyallabout?Weallhavetofindourownpersonal“drum”andthenplayitthebestwecan.Forme,IneverfeelmoretrulyalivethanwhenI’mstandinginfrontofaclassofstudentsoraseminarroomfullofteachers.That’smydrumI’mplayingupthereandI’mgoingtoplaytheheckoutofit.Theline,“Iplayedmybestforhim,”isacalltoarmsandachallengetomeet.Forgetaboutallofthings you can’t control and play yourdrum to the best of your abilities. Play with all the passion,enthusiasm,andheartyoucanmuster.Nothingelse reallymatters.Youcanofferno finergiftorhigher

honortotheworldthantofindoutwhatyour“drum”isandthenplayitforallit’sworth.

H

WHEREDOISTART?

opefully,youhavefoundthisbookinspirational.Attheveryleast,Ihopeyou’vediscoveredsomeideasyouwanttoapplytoyourteaching.Whereandwhenshouldyoustartapplyingthem?Righthereandrightnow.“Starting”maywell be one of themost difficult and under-appreciated skills of all. Theworld is

filledwithexamplesofpeoplewhoneverachievedwhat theywantedbecause theyover-estimated thedifficulty of it andnever evenbothered to try.Youwill find that taking the first step is very often thehardestpartofthejourney.ThesinglemostdifficultpartofwritingmyblogpostsissittingdownatthecomputerandopeningupablankWorddocument.OnceI’vedonethat,halfthebattleisover.Thehardestpartofworkingoutonaregularbasisisgettingtothegymorleavingthehouseforawalk.Workingoutactuallymakesmefeelincredible,theonlyreallydifficultpartisstarting.

Sowhatholdsusback?Whatkeepsusfromstarting?Theanswerstothisquestionprobablynumberinthe thousands, ifnotmillions.Thatsaid, the fivebeloware themostcommonreasons—and they’reallconquerable.

1.THEFEAROFFAILUREQuitesimply,somepeopledon’tstartwhat theyknowis in theirbest interestandwhat theyreally,

deepdownwanttodo,becausetheythinktheireffortswillbewastedinfailure.

“WhypassupthatpieceofcakeandgoworkoutwhenIknowI’mjustgoingtoquitlikeeveryothertimebefore?”“Idon’thavetheabilitytolearnhowtouseallofthisnewtechnologyand,evenifIdolearnit,itwilljustchangeagain.”“Mykidswouldneverparticipateinthesecrazyclassroomactivities.”

Thisself-defeatingattitudeandlackofself-confidencedestroysallforwardprogress.Youcan’tgrow,advance, andmove forwardwithout repeatedly stumbling and falling on your face. If, as toddlers,wewentintotheprocessoflearningtowalkwithouradultmindset,wewouldstillbecrawling.Youhavetobeabletopushthroughthefearandbringyourworkintotheworld.

LIFEISN’T100%ORFAILThe“madness”of the2011NCAAbasketball tournamentendedwithButlerUniversityshooting the

ballworsethananyteamI’veeverseeninachampionship.Itwasalegendarilybadgame.Andlikeany

losing team, Butler received a fair amount of criticism. Honestly, all the Twitter comments about the“failure”ofButler’steammademesick.Areyoukiddingme?Asmallschoolcomesoutofnowheretomakethechampionshiptwoyearsinarow,andthenpeoplepiledonbecausetheteamlostbothtimes.Alow-seededunderdogmakingthefinalstwoyearsinarowisoneofthemostamazingaccomplishmentsincollegebasketball.Butbecauseourculturelivesbythephilosophythatyoueitherwinitalloryouareafailure,theteamwastrashed.Don’tbuyintothisB.S.!(ItremindsmeofwhentheBillslostfourSuperBowls in four years and were labeled by many as embarrassments and failures. Hello! To lose fourconsecutiveSuperBowls, you have togo to four consecutive SuperBowls,which is an unbelievableaccomplishment.)

AsaSanDiegan,IfollowtheSDSUAztecs.ThisteamhadneverbeeninthetoptwentyandneverwonanNCAAtournamentgame.They finished the2011seasonwith thirty-fourwinsand three losses.Theywererankedsixthinthenation,andwenttotheSweet16.Still,afterlosingtoUConn,someclaimeditwasallfornaught.Oneteamwinsandalltherestarelosers.Whatamisguidedanddysfunctionalwaytolookattheworld.

Doyouwantaguaranteedformulafordisappointmentinlife?Setuptherulesofyourlifesothatyouhavetowineverytimeorhaveonehundredpercentsuccessinordertofeelfulfilled.

Sohowdoesthisapplytoteaching?Duringarecentnewteachertraining,asecondyearteacheraskedme a fantastic question. After watching me demonstrate lots of student engagement strategies andtechniques, she asked, “When you use these strategies do you have full engagement from one hundredpercent of your students?” I said, “OK. I’mgoing to tell you the real deal.NO!!What I have ismoreengagement than I would have had if I didn’t use these techniques.” She then shared that she feelsunsuccessfulwhenshetriestoaddcreativeandengagingpresentationsbecausesomestudentsstilldon’tgetintoit.Ithinkmanyteacherssetthemselvesupforfailurethiswaybymakingitaonehundredpercentor nothing game. I always strive for total engagement, but believe me, I have behavior managementproblems inmyclass, too.Students sneak in texts in their lap, kids stareout thewindow.Striving forexcellenceandfullengagementisaboutgettingbetter.It’saboutadapting,adjusting,andtryingtotweakand improveeverythingyoudo. It’snotaboutbeatingyourselfup ifyoudon’tattain someunreachablelevelofnirvana-likeperfection.

Anall or nothingmentality exacerbates the fearof failure. If youbelieve everythingyoudohas toworkonehundredpercentofthetime,youarelesslikelytotakerisksandstepoutofyourcomfortzone.Ioftensay,“Ifyouhaven’tfailedintheclassroomlately,youprobablyaren’tpushingtheenvelopeenough.Youarebeingtoosafe.”

IhadthepleasureofworkingforJohnWoodenforthreesummersathisbasketballcamps.Oneofhiswise sayings was that “the team that makes the most mistakes usually wins.” That sounds counter-intuitive.Thetruthis, theteamthatmakesthemostmistakesistheteamthatisgoingforitandactuallydoing something.Playing cautiously is a recipe for failure in sports, business, teaching, love, and justabouteverythingelse.Toreachthehighest levelsofanypursuit,youhavetobewillingtofallonyourface.

Itseemseverybodyispilingonteachersrightnow.Wehavebecomefashionabletargets.Honestly,Idon’tletitbothermeandyoushouldn’teither.Successisn’tsomethingthatisbestoweduponyoubyanoutsidesourceoratestscore.Itdoesn’tcomefromwinningthechampionshiporgoingundefeated.Howthencanwedefinesuccess?IthinkJohnWoodensaiditbest:“Successispeaceofmind,whichisadirectresultofself-satisfactioninknowingyoumadetheefforttodoyourbesttobecomethebestthatyouarecapableofbecoming.”

Hewasawiseman.

2.BELIEVINGYOUHAVETOFIGUREITALLOUTBEFOREYOUBEGINNobodyhasitallfiguredout.IfIfeltIhadtohaveitallfiguredoutbeforeIstartedthisbookormy

originalseminar,Iwouldn’thavedoneeither.Towin in the classroom, youmust develop the ability to take leaps of faith.The cost of having a

lessonplanfailislow.Nobodyisgoingtodieifweexperimentintheclassroomanditdoesn’tworkout.Ifmysurgeondecidestoexperimentduringmyoperation,that’sdifferent.Ifalessonplanfails,youshowup the next day andmake it right.More importantly, the cost of failure is far lower than the cost ofstanding still and losingout on all hope for progress.Teaching is like beingon a steep, smooth-sidedmountain. If you stand still, not onlywill you fail to reach the summit, youwill actually lose ground.Unlessyouareconstantlyclimbingandstrivingtomoveforward,youareslidingbackwards.Andeventhoughyoucan’tsee the impactyouoryourclasswillhaveonyourstudents twentyyearsup theroad,that’sOK.Youdon’thavetobeabletoseethetopofthemountaintoknowthatyoucanonlygettherebymovingforward.

3.PERFECTIONISMPerfectionismcanparalyze.Somepeopledon’twanttoactuntil thetimeisperfectandall thebugs

havebeenworkedout.Demandingperfectionkeepsthesepeoplefromproducinganythingofsignificancebecause,obviously,perfectionisanimpossiblegoal.Itisfarmoreimportanttobeprolificthanitistobeperfect. I believe in adhering to the Wedding Photographer Principle. It would be outrageous for aweddingphotographertonottakeanypicturesalldaywhilewaitingfortheperfectshot.Whatdotheydo?Theytakehundredsofpicturesfromeverypossibleanglewitheverypossiblegroup.Sincethepicturesare digital, the cost of each additional one is negligible. Then, you get the freedom and flexibility tochooseyourpersonalfavorites.Youarefarmorelikelytofindgreatpictureswhentherearehundredstochoosefrom.Thesameistrueforyoureducationalcreations.

Kill the inner critic that blocks your creative flow. Surrender your search for the holy grail ofperfection.Createfreely,liberally,andingreatquantities;doingsorelievesanyoneideaoftheneedtobeperfect.

Howwillyouknowwhatthebest ideasareoutofsomany?Ifyoucan’tfigureitoutonyourown,trustme, the world will let you know. That brings up another point about relenting on your need forperfection and putting yourself out there. Unless you send your work, your art, out into the world, itdoesn’tcount.InhisbookLinchpin,SethGodinreferstothisconceptasshipping:“Shippingsomethingout thedoor,doing it regularly,withouthassle,emergency,or fear—this isa rareskill, something thatmakesyouindispensable.”Inmyinnercircleofcolleagues,weusethisword,ship, tokeepeachotheraccountable.Wecajoleeachothertocontinuetodothework.Youcaneithertalkaboutallof thegreatthingsyouaregoingtodooryoucanactuallydothem.Thereisnoinbetween.AsSteveJobssaid,“Realartistsship.”

Whathaveyoushippedlately?

4.LACKOFFOCUSTimeisourmostpreciouscommodity,anditisdefinitelyafiniteresource.Therefore,wejustcan’tdo

itall.Toooften,wefillourscheduleswithminutiaeandseemtoobusytoaccomplishourgoals.Weplaythis trick on ourselves; it’s what Steven Pressfield calls in The War of Art, “the resistance.”Subconsciously,weknowifwekeepourselvesbusyandover-scheduled,wewon’thavetofacethegreatworkweknowthatweshouldbedoing.WehavetodowhatStephenCoveydescribedasputtingthebigrocks(yourpriorities)inyourjaroflifefirst.Thelessimportantthingscanfilltheextratime,justdon’t

allow them to steal time fromyour priorities.Realize that any timeyou sayyes to something, you aresaying no to something else. Learn to say yes to the significant, and no to projects and activities thatdiminishthetimeandenergyyouneedtofulfillyourmajorpurpose.

5.FEAROFCRITICISMORRIDICULEYoucanfearitallyouwant…it’sstillcoming.I’mconstantlysurprisedhowdesperatelyweseemto

cravetheapprovalandpermissionofotheradultsandwillusethelackofittojustifyinaction.Criticismand ridicule come with the territory if you are going to try new ideas and be proactive rather thanreactive.You’llgetstuffwrong,makeafoolofyourself,andmanywillgiveyougriefforit.

You’llalsogrow,findideasthatdowork,andleavethearmchairquarterbacksinthedust.

DON’TLETCRITICSSTEALYOURSOULFirstsomebackground,thenarant,andfinallyapoint.AttheendofmyWWIIunit,IgiveafulllectureonthedecisiontousetheatomicbombonJapan.I

display supporting pictures, give arguments from both sides, and show documentary footage of theaftermathoftheexplosionandradiation.Thisincludesextensivesurvivorinterviewsandfootagethathadpreviouslybeensuppressed.Wediscussthemoralimplicationsofusingthebombaswellasthemilitaryarguments. We ponder questions such as, “Do the ends justify the means?” “Did dropping the bombactuallysavelivesbyimmediatelyendingthewar?”Finally,ItellthemaboutSadakoandthe“ThousandPaperCranes.”It’sastoryofayounggirlfromHiroshimawhoslowlydiesinthehospitalfromleukemiaasaresultofthebombblast.Shedesperatelytriestofoldathousandcranessoherwishtobecomewellwillbegranted.Thestoryisemotionalandisapowerfulmomentfortheclass.Attheend,ItellthemofthemonumenthonoringSadakothatisintheHiroshimaPeaceParkandtheinscriptionthatreads,“Thisour cry, this our prayer, peace in theworld.” I bring out a garlandmade entirely of a thousand smallcranesandthentelltheclassthat,tohonorSadakoandinnocentvictimsofwar,Iwillteachthemtofoldapapercrane.Thelastsectionof theSadakodayisspentwithmeleadingthemthroughthefolds.Everystudentleaveswithaself-madecrane.

OK,there’sthebackground…nowcomestherant!WejusthadaWASC(WesternAssociationofSchoolsandColleges)accreditationvisitatourschool.

Thevisitingteamwaswellledandleftwithapositiveimpressionofourschool.Allthingsconsidered,itwasameaningfulandproductiveprocess.But,andthisisabigbut,onethinghappenedthatgotmybloodboilingandithastakenalongtimetoletitgo.Oneofthevisitingcommitteememberscameintomyclassduring the last tenminutes of theSadako lesson as Iwas leading the class through the final folds.Heapproachedastudentsittingonthecounter(yes,wehavemorestudentsthanseats!)andaskedwhatclassitwas.Uponhearingthat itwasU.S.History,helookedaroundandsaidjudgmentallyunderhisbreath(butloudenoughformultiplestudentsintheareatohear),“WhatdoesthishavetodowithU.S.History?”Hethenwalkedtothebackwallandleftafteracoupleofminutes.

“WhatdoesthishavetodowithU.S.History?”Areyoukiddingme?Thisguycomesintomyclassforthreeminutesandseessomethingtotallyremovedfromanycontextandthendropsthatline?Let’sforgetabouthowunprofessionalitistosaysomethinglikethatinfrontofagroupofmystudents.Icangetoverthat because they all thought hewas a complete idiot.They knew exactlywhat it had to dowithU.S.History. Ifhe reallywanted toknow,hecouldhaveaskedme insteadofmakingamisguided,arrogantjudgmentandleavingjustasignorantasheentered.

LaterIlearnedthatinoneofthefinalleadershipmeetings,anEnglishteacherwascriticizedbecause

studentsweredrawingapictureofaGreekgodaspartofaprojectonmythology.Thecommentwas,“IsthatreallyanexampleofrigorinanEnglishclass?”

Yeah,Godforbid thatwe incorporateartisticelementsandcreativity intoaclassoutsideof theartdepartment.Nextthingyouknow,kidsmightstartenjoyingschoolandbecomewell-roundedindividuals.

IknowI’mgoingtogetintotroublewithsomeofyounow,butlet’sbecarefulwiththisword“rigor.”Here’showMerriam-WebsterOnlineDictionarydefinestheword:

“harshinflexibilityinopinion,temper,orjudgmentseveritythequalityofbeingunyieldingorinflexiblestrictness,severityoflife,austerityanactorinstanceofstrictness,severity,orcrueltyatremorcausedbyachillaconditionthatmakeslifedifficult,challenging,oruncomfortable”

Wow!Idon’twantanyof thesedefinitions todescribemyclass.Theonlygood thing in thewholedefinitionistheword“challenging.”Harshinflexibilityinopinion?Severity?Cruelty?Aconditionthatmakeslifeuncomfortable?Nothanks!

Iknow,Iknow…that’snotwhateducatorsmeanwhentheythrowthatwordaround.Nevertheless,Ithinkit’simportantthatweclearlyandcarefullydefinewhatwemeanby“rigor.”Ihopeitdoesn’tjustmeanabiggerworkloadforstudents.Ithadbetternotmeanmorehoursofhomeworkorclassesthatarejusthardertopass.If,instead,rigormeansimprovinghigher-orderthinkingskillsandofferingstudentstheopportunity for meaningful and challenging work then I’m all for it. More real-world applications?Soundsgood!

Alotofpeoplewhousethatwordhaveneverbotheredto lookitup.Ialsothinkthatsomepeoplehavenoideawhatmeaningfulandchallengingworkis.Afterall,creativityisoneofthehighestformsofthinking,butsomeeducational“reformers”don’twantstudentstohaveanopportunitytoexpressit.Theyseeitasa“soft”skill,not“rigorous”enough.Weclearlyhavesomeworktodo.

Nowlet’smoveontothepointofthisstory.Youwillbecriticized!Infact,themoreyoustepoutsidetheboxandrejectthecultureofconformity,themoreofatargetyouwillbecome.Whencriticismcomes,takeamomenttoevaluateit.Isthecriticismanopportunityforgrowth?Ifso,learnfromthatinstruction.Butrealize,too,thatyourcriticmayhavenoideawhattheyaretalkingabout!Inthatcase,ignoreit.

Youhavetohavetheintestinalfortitude,self-confidence,andpersonalpowertopressonanddowhatyou know is right for your students. Don’t allow misguided and ill-informed critics to steal yourenthusiasm for innovation. If you let them, they will sap you of the strength needed to persist in thisbrutally tough profession. You have to learn how to take a punch, bob and weave, and keepmovingforward.Whatyoudoasaneducatoristooimportanttoletsomebodystandingonthesidelinespreventyou from being the absolutelymost powerful teacher you can be. Some peoplewill just never get it!That’sOK,that’stheirproblem;youcan’tletitbecomeyours.

Idon’tthinkanyonehaseversaiditbetterthanTeddyRoosevelt:

“Itisnotthecriticwhocounts;notthemanwhopointsouthowthestrongmanstumbles,orwhere the doer of deeds could have done thembetter. The credit belongs to themanwho isactuallyinthearena,whosefaceismarredbydustandsweatandblood;whostrivesvaliantly;who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error andshortcoming;butwhodoesactuallystrivetodothedeeds;whoknowsgreatenthusiasms,the

greatdevotions;whospendshimself inaworthycause;whoat thebestknowsintheendthetriumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daringgreatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither knowvictorynordefeat.”

It’seasytostandagainstthebackwallandbeacritic.Meanwhile,therestofuswillkeepwipingthedust,sweat,andbloodoffourfacebecausewe’reinthearena.

WHENINDOUBT,TAKEACTION“Thinkingwillnotovercomefearbutactionwill.”

W.CLEMENTSTONE

Thebestwaytoovercomefearistotakeaction.Themoreactionyoutakeandthequickeryoutakeit,thebetter.

Thebestwaytosolidifyyourcommitmenttoachievingyourgoalsisalsototakeaction.Thebestwaytoovercometheobstaclesonyourpathtogreatnessisbuildupenoughmomentumthroughactionthatyoucanrollrightoverthem.

TheLawofInertiastates thatanobjectatrestwillstayatrestunlessaforceactsonitandthatanobject in motion will stay in motion unless a force acts on it. To overcome inertia and start movingforward,wemustexertgreatforce.Onceweareinmotionwearemorelikelytostayinmotion.Thisisespeciallytrueifwebuildupspeedandmomentum.Ifyouhavetostopacarfromrollingdownthestreet,wouldyouratheritberollingattwomilesperhourorsixtymilesperhour?Ifit’srollingsixtymilesperhour itwill roll right over the top of you and keep going.Wewant to be rolling sixtymiles per hourtowardsourgoalssothatobstaclesinourpathgetsteamrolledandaredistantmemoriesintherearviewmirror.Thereasonmanypeoplegetheldupbyproblemsandobstaclesisthattheyhaven’tbuiltupenoughmomentum.Takeyourfootoffofthebrakeandsteponthegas!

I have seen people take twentyminutes to get into a pool. First one foot, then the other, standingaroundcomplainingthatit’stoocold.Gradually,theymovealittledeeper.Ihavealsoseenpeoplewalkrightovertothepoolandjumpin.Fear,analysisparalysis,andlackofconfidencecanmakewhatshouldbesimpleandquickturnintoatorturousanddrawnoutprocess.Justripoffthebandage,suckitup,andmoveforwardwithconsistentandmassiveaction.

A

FINDINGACREW

llpiratestravelwithacrew;youcan’tsail,navigate,andfightbattlesallonyourown.Oneofthemostrewardingpartsofteachingisthepersonalandprofessionalrelationshipswedeveloponour

voyage.IamtheteacherIamtodaybecauseoftherelationshipsIhavedeveloped.Havingadiversecrewisinyourbest interest.Don’tbelimitedbyyoursubject,gradelevel,school,orevenprofession.Takecounselfromawidevarietyofpeopleandseekoutmultipleperspectives.

Lookforopportunitiestohoneyourcraftandfindeducatorswillingandopentoengageinmeaningfulconversationsabout“thework.”Readwidelyabouteducationandrelatedfieldsandattendconferenceswhenever possible. I always leave conferences feeling energizedbyboth thenew ideas I hear andbybeinginthesamephysicalspacewithotherswhoarededicatedtoimprovingthemselves.Youmightmakeaconnectionthatwilllastalifetime.

Thepowerof socialmediameansno teacherneed feel isolated.For example, I ampart of ahugegroup of educators who regularly connect on Twitter. I have daily access to incredible professionaldevelopmentresourcesbytappingintomyProfessionalLearningNetwork(PLN).IparticipateinmultipleeducationalchatsonTwitter,including#sschat,whichiscomprisedofafantasticgroupofsocialstudiesteachers fromliterallyallover theworld.Nomatterwhatyou teachoratwhat level,you’ll findgreatteachersandadministratorstalkingaboutitonTwitter.Feelfreetoconnectwithmeat@burgessdaveifyouneedhelpgettingstarted.

COLLABORATIONVS.KILLABORATIONIstronglybelieveinthepowerofcollaboration,butIdon’tbelievethefinalgoalofsuchworkshould

betocometoasingle“right”wayofteaching.Collaborationcanmakeallcontributorsbetterteachersastheyareexposedtoothers’ideasandhaveachancetodrawonthecollectiveintelligenceofthegroup.Collaborative environments can challenge your thinking and push you to places you might not havereached without the support of your peers. However, I have also seen collaboration used to forceconformityandstiflecreativity.It’safineline.

Iliketothinkofcollaborationasatypeofmastermindgroup,asdescribedbyNapoleonHillinhisclassicbookThinkandGrowRich.Hilldefinesamastermindgroupas,“Coordinationofknowledgeandeffort,inaspiritofharmony,betweentwoormorepeople,fortheattainmentofadefinitepurpose.”Hefurthersaysthat,“WhenagroupofindividualbrainsarecoordinatedandfunctioninaspiritofHarmony,the increased energy created through that alliance, becomes available to every individual brain in thegroup.”Hedoesn’tsaythateveryindividualwillstartthinkingalikeorcometoanyonesingleanswer,but rather that each individual will be able to function at a higher level through their harmonious

participation.Incontrast,ifthewaycollaborationissetup,driven,andmonitoredonyourcampusdoesnotcontributetoitbeingaccomplished“inaspiritofharmony,”itwillnotbeeffective.

Wonderfully creative, innovative, and practical results can come out of the collaborative process.Therefore,increasingcommunication,thoughtfulconversation,andopportunitiesforeducatorstointeractandcollaborateshouldbeamajorgoalonyourcampus.Let’sjustbesurethatthe“definitepurpose”ofcollaborationisimprovingeducation,notsimplystandardizingit.

Bewaryofpeoplesellingcompleteprogramsthatwillsupposedlysolvealleducationalproblems.Ibelievethat there isnosingleanswerforhowtofixourschoolsbut thatweshouldtakethebest ideasfromeverythingthatwecanfind.

CLASSROOMKUNGFUBruceLeeisprobablythemostfamousnameinmartialartshistory,butmostpeopleknowlittleabout

himotherthanwhattheyhavegarneredfromwatchinghismoviesorhearingabouthisuntimelydeath.Leewasatruevisionarywhotransformedthemartialartslandscapewithhisrevolutionarystyleofteaching;Ibelievewecanlearnalotfromthismaster.

Leewas trained in theclassicWingChunstyleofkungfu,but in1967,hebrokeawayfromitandcreatedhisownphilosophywhichhecalledJeetKuneDo.Hefelt thatmartialartistswereartificiallyrestricting their options by blind adherence to a particular style. Lee believed themost effective andpractical planwould incorporate the best elements frommultiple styles.He railed against the endlessrepetitionofbeautifulandfloweryformscompletelyoutsideofthecontextofhowthosemovesworkintherealworld.Hewasunconcernedwithhow“pretty”amovewas;heonlycaredthatitwaseffectiveintherealworld.Anactualcombatsituationismessyandunpredictable.Asweknow,classroomsarethesameway.Great teaching getsmessy sometimes andwe have to constantly be aware of the changinglandscapeinourroomsandmake“moves”basedonwhatworks,notonwhatisnecessarilytheoreticallyidealor,Godforbid,scripted.Greatteaching,likeafight,can’tbescripted.

Occasionally,Iwatchprofessionaldevelopmentsessionsandgettheimmediatesensethepresenterisgreatatdoingtheclassicalformsbutwouldgettheirasskickedinfrontofarealclass.Sorrytosayit,butyouknowI’mright.(Nottosaythattheyhavenothingofvaluetooffer,buttheirreal-worldmovescouldusesomework.)

Districtsandschoolsalwaysseemtobeinvestinginthelatest,greatestprogramtosolvealloftheirproblems.Itdoesn’tworkthatway.Nooneprogramcontainsallofthebestanswers,justlikenomartialartstylecontainsallthebestmoves.Thebestmartialartistmaytakeathrowfromjudo,akickfromtaekwondo,andastrikefromkarate.Likewise,teachersshouldnotallowthemselvestobepigeon-holedbysome particular doctrine or program. Instead, we should always be seeking to add more and moreeffective“moves”toourteachingstyle—regardlessofthesource.

Sometimes outside forces try to lock us into a particular style. Sometimes we do it to ourselves.Confession time!For years I gloried in being the “non-techguy” andquickly rejectedopportunities toincorporatemore technologysaying,“Hey, it’snotmystyle.”Thatattitude is just like themartialartistwho rejects apractical andeffectivemovebecause it isnot apartofWingChunorwhatever style towhichtheybelong.BruceLeewasright.Sometimeslabelinganddeclaringastyleplaceslimitsonyourgrowth.HewasfearfulthathisfollowerswoulddothistoJeetKuneDoandconstantlyadmonishedthemtonotbeconcernedwiththename.

Haveyoulimitedyourselfbyblindlyfollowingastyleorprogram?Areyoutrainingstudents todobeautifulandperfectrepetitionsofclassicalformscompletelyremovedfromrealworldapplications?In

arealfightyoudon’tjuststartdoingyourmovesintheprescribedorderyoulearnedthem.Likewise,wedon’twantstudentswhocanjustspitoutfacts,formulas,andequations.Wewantstudentswhocantakewhattheyhavelearnedandintelligentlyapplyittotherealworldaroundthem.

Stay fluid,keep learning,andkeepup the relentless search forwhat ismosteffective.Feel free toleavesomeofyourclassical trainingbehind.Teachersandstudentscouldbothbenefit fromadoptingaJeetKuneDophilosophyintheclassroom.

I

FINDINGTREASURE

feel completely blessed that you have chosen to take this journey with me. As I have traveled toconferences, keynotes, convocations, and campuses, I have been overwhelmed by the passion,

enthusiasm,andkindreceptionsIhavereceivedfromeducators.Oursisanabsolutelyamazingprofessionfilledwithtalentedpeoplewhomakemeproudtocallmyselfateacher.

Ifthisbookhasinspiredyou,encouragedyou,orhelpedyoufindsomeeducationaltreasure,Iwouldloveforyoutosharethatwithme.Hearingyourthoughtsandexperienceswithtryingtheseideasinyourclassroom helps to make this all worthwhile. You can contact me any time atoutrageousteaching@gmail.com and please feel free to sign up for my free email list athttp://daveburgess.com. Signing up also gives you access to the featured content link onmy site thatincludesextraresources,PDFsandvideos.

ThankyouforhelpingtospreadthewordabouttheTeachLikeaPIRATEbookandphilosophy.Ihopetocrosspathswithyouasweexploreunchartedterritoriesandbravenewadventures.

Thankyou,DaveBurgess

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

DAVEBURGESS is a highly sought after professional development speaker well known for hiscreative,entertaining,andoutrageouslyenergeticstyle.Hisworkshops,seminars,andkeynotes inspireteachersandhelpthemdeveloppracticalwaystobecomemorecreativeandengagingintheclassroom.Heisanaward-winningU.S.HistoryteacheratWestHillsHighSchoolinSanDiego,California,wherehehas taught for sixteenyears.He specializes in teachinghard-to-reach,hard-tomotivate studentswithtechniquesthatincorporateshowmanshipandcreativity.

Formore insights and advice on how tomake your classroomoutrageously engaging, visitDave’sblogatDaveBurgess.com.