The first step in designing engaging units and lessons is knowing students

The first step in designing engaging units and lessons is knowing students. I get to know my students through casual conversation, interest surveys, Student of the Week activities, learning inventories, and feedback about my teaching. Through these means, I find out that one student loves to play soccer, that another student loves to play Dance Dance Revolution, and yet another student loves to read The Ranger's Apprentice series. Students bring a wide range of talents and interests into the classroom.

The second step in engaging students is motivating them to learn the material. I do this by differentiating my instruction and making the material relevant to students' lives. I may have students create circle graphs representing the distribution of colors within their M&M packages or connect writing story endings with Olympic gymnastic routines. I also give students as many choices as possible. Most often, these are choices about time management and subjects about which students want to write. Additionally, I ensure that the work I ask students to complete has a purpose. In my classroom, students do not write just to write or complete busywork. If they are writing, it is to produce a story for a writing contest, a published book, or a published class anthology. If they are completing a math sheet, it is to practice a concept or skill about which we recently learned.

In some cases, a student may need additional motivation in the form of a behavior or academic contract. I like to involve the student in writing the contract and deciding on the positive and negative consequences that will result if the contract is fulfilled or broken. While student teaching, I created colored cards (green, yellow, and red) for three students to use on the bus. The bus driver would award a card to each student depending on his behavior. Once a student collected a certain number of cards, he received his choice of twenty minutes of computer time or a book from the class book order. I also worked with a student to create a homework contract. If he turned in his homework on time for three consecutive weeks, he received the rewards listed on the contract. If he failed to bring his homework in, he had to follow through with the negative consequences also listed on the contract.

OK so if you arent a teacher, you may disagree with the title of this post. Youre welcome to. I write my thoughts, you dont have to agree with them. But, if youll indulge the idea for just a few minutes, perhaps I can outline a few key reasons why teaching today is the greatest profession in the world, and why people should join the ranks.

1. Teachers have never been more qualifiedIf youre all about the letters after the name, teachers today are required to go through more training and ongoing professional learning than ever before. We may not have to go through as much as other professions medical practitioners for example but then again we dont get paid at the same rate as our brothers and sister professionals in firms or practices. Despite this, most teachers today will be encouraged to gain additional postgraduate qualifications as soon as possible, once they are settled in the sector. This is both healthy for the individual and the profession as the whole, as new knowledge and new perspectives are constantly drawn into the ongoing conversation about how to cultivate the best environment for learning.

2. Teachers are, and have always been, extremely committedTeaching is more than just a job. Teachers make daily connections with their students. Truly great teachers, some of whom I am lucky to know through teachmeets, Twitter and within the schools I have worked, are the ones who stay up late thinking up new ways to present their lessons. They participate in activities outside the 9-3 school day, those hours which ofcourse anyone in the game knows is not reflective of our actual school days. Teaching is a vocation, a life choice, a personal commitment to contributing to society. Anyone can start an edcuational resource business or app or consulting firm (and there are many valuable, excellent ones out there) but to be anchored to a school and to have young minds and hearts in your hands is an extraordinary responsibility.

3. Teachers are creative, intelligent and passionateThree very different, but interconnected aspects to a teachers persona. Creativity allows us to develop new ideas for our classroom and beyond. It helps us fashion a story out of a curriculum document and challenging tasks from syllabus outcomes. Intelligence helps us set standards, pushes us to understand our subjects, our craft and the people in our schools more deeply. Passion is the generator which propels us ever forwards to new heights.

4. Teachers are more connected than ever beforeThis is possibly the one thing that technology has actually, measurably, helped teachers do more effectively: connect. We have our associations, our social groups, our personal connections. But, now, with social media in particular, teachers are able to branch out their Personal Learning Network breaking down national borders, system barriers and even those surrounding the profession itself. I enjoy interacting online with people outside the profession and having them peek in at what we do and how we do it, rather than them only seeing what the media present. Which, lets be honest, is not always a flattering or accurate portrayal of what teachers do.

5. Teachers have the power to change the worldThanks to @mcgrath_chris who suggested through Twitter that teachers have the power to change the world, one person at a time. I would go further than that, and say that teachers in fact have the power to change whole groups at the same time. Every person should, hopefully, have had a teacher at some point that truly inspired them. I was lucky to have a few. Some werent even my classroom teacher, but took an interest in my growth anyway. Teachers do indeed have the power to change the world.

6. Teachers arent in it for the moneyBy the time I finished my bachelor degree in history, literature and education at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, many of my classmates were working or about to launch into a glittering career. Some were qualified builders or had another trade, having left school earlier than me, and some were now applying to or snapped up by big firms offering big potential earnings. Teachers, generally, dont make that much money especially if you divide our salary into the actual number of hours we work. If you are in education for the cash, you wont last too long. The best financiers can make millions a year. Instead, the best teachers make a difference.

Many people are seeking to reform education in various countries around the world. Many of those people leading the charge are not educators. We must always be wary when non-educators seek a mandate for change without consulting their key stakeholders: educators and those in their care. All of society has a stake in education, but that doesnt mean all of society should lead change within its domain.

Teachers, your time has come. There are many avenues for us to individually and collectively support positive change and sustain excellence in our profession. The time for exporting or delegating that responsibility to higher authorities has gone. Teachers have a powerful, articulate and diverse voice that can positively affect the lives of those around us. Dont be afraid to show the world just how great we can be.

1. Student Potential

Unfortunately, not every student will succeed in your class. However, this fact should not keep you from believing that every student has the potential for success. This potential is so exciting - each new year presents new challenges and new potential successes.

2. Student Successes

Closely related to the previous pick, student success is what drives teachers to continue. Each student who didn't understand a concept and then learned it through your help can be exhilarating. And when you actually reach that student that others have written off as being unteachable, this can truly be worth all the headaches that do come with the job.

3. Teaching a Subject Helps You Learn a Subject

You will never learn a topic better than when you start teaching it. I remember my first year teaching AP Government. I had taken Political Science courses in college and thought I knew what I was doing. However, the student questions just made me dig deeper and learn more. There is an old adage that it takes three years of teaching to truly master a subject and in my experience this is the truth.

4. Daily Humor

If you have a positive attitude and a sense of humor, you will find things to laugh about each day. Sometimes it will be silly jokes you will make up as you teach that might get a laugh from your students. Sometimes it will be jokes that kids share with you. And sometimes students will come out with the funniest statements without realizing what they've said. Find the fun and enjoy it!

5. Affecting the Future

Yes it might be trite, but it is true. Teachers mold the future each day in class. In fact, it is a sad fact that you will see some of these students more consistently day-to-day than their parents will.

6. Staying Younger

Being around young people everyday will help you remain knowledgeable about current trends and ideas. It also helps break down barriers.

7. Autonomy in the Classroom

Once a teacher closes that door each day and begins teaching, they really are the ones who decide what's going to happen. Not many jobs provide an individual with so much room to be creative and autonomous each day.

8. Conducive to Family Life

If you have children, the school calendar will typically allow you to have the same days off as your kids. Further, while you might bring work home with you to grade, you will probably be getting home close to the same time as your children.

9. Job Security

In many communities, teachers are a scarce commodity. It is fairly certain that you will be able to find a job as a teacher, though you might have to wait until the start of a new school year and be willing to travel within your county/school district. While requirements might be different from state to state, once you have proven yourself a successful teacher, it is relatively easy to move around and find a new job.

10. Summers Off

Unless you work in a district that has a year round education system, you will have a couple of months off in the summer where you can choose to get another job, teach summer school, or just relax and vacation. Further, you typically get two weeks off during Christmas/Winter Holidays and one week for Spring Break which can really be a huge benefit and provide much needed rest time.