Asking the Right Questions
“No significant learning takes place without a significant relationship.” (James Comer, 1995) As an educator, it’s critical to devote time during the first days of school to get to know your students and a questionnaire is a great start. Fortunately, there’s a seemingly endless cache of well-crafted “First Day of School” surveys and questionnaires to […]
3 Tips for Transforming Relationships with Parents from Day One
It’s July, and for some teachers, school has already started; for others, it is just weeks away. A new school year with new students and yes, new parents and families to get to know. For some, the scholars and parents are returning, but newness and healing in the relationships are very needed. Transformation in schools […]
10 Things Great Teachers Do Over the Summer
CT3 works with thousands of teachers across the country. In this follow up to “10 Things Great Coaches Do Over the Summer“, we reached out to Mary Snellgrove, a Real Time Teacher Coach in the New Miami Local School District in the greater Cincinnati area. An experienced teacher and coach, Mary gave us 10 things […]
5 Ways to Help Students Affected by Generational Poverty
By M. McClain. Originally posted in edutopia.org. I work with students who are affected by generational poverty on a daily basis. I see many things. I see students whose shoes are held together by electrical tape. I see students who have perfect attendance because the only meals they receive are through the public school’s […]
Saying What I Mean and Meaning What I Say
What do you do when your principal comes to you and says, “We’re in need of a full-time teacher for 2nd grade yesterday?” If you are Brian Duggan of Congress Heights, in Washington DC, your response is simple. I’ll do it! Brian began developing his skills as a No-Nonsense Nurturer® (NNN) in August 2015 when […]
A Teacher Who Defied the Odds is Helping his Scholars do the Same
Meet Donavan Jackson, a middle school teacher at Thomasboro Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I was once in their shoes and I’m breaking the cycle with my own family.” Donavan Jackson, a product of the Charlotte Mecklenburg School District, is now working hard as a teacher to help his scholars in the same district from […]
An Educator’s Survival Checklist: Students with Trauma
I am not a clinical or licensed mental health professional, but I have been in low-performing classrooms as a teacher, coach, school leader, and consultant long enough to recognize one critical thing. In the lives of many students in our high-needs schools, trauma exists and it impacts teaching and learning daily. I know I am […]
The Power of Restorative Conversations
Picture this… Student gets upset. Teacher kicks student out of the classroom. Student receives disciplinary action from the teacher. Student enters the classroom the next day and the cycle repeats itself all over again. This incident is typical in schools across America, and for students of color and males, in particular, the percentage of disciplinary incidents […]
Featured Educator: Meet 61-year old Bill Heaning, first-year teacher in Syracuse City Schools
“I love the hardest ones the most.” Those are the words of Bill Heaning, a teacher that happens to be 61-years young in the Syracuse City School District. Bill was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York in the 70’s. His mother passed away when he was 12-years old from Lou Gehrig’s disease, and his […]
Do No-Nonsense Nurturers say Please and Thank You? Absolutely!
All of the No-Nonsense Nurturers I know, and I know many, use please and thank you in their classrooms often. At CT3, we encourage and coach teachers to model the use of mainstream cultural norms—which include please and thank you amongst others. We also encourage teachers to use please and thank you when communicating to […]
