I think about my ‘Innovative Arts ‘class all day. My students, however, do not. I’m more of a side character to many of them… to some I think I’m similar to the trombone trilling teacher from Charlie Brown.

This raises the bar for me – how do I make an environment and experience that can cut through the noise? I have memories of teachers, some of them my only memories of certain teachers, that are just mundane moments that had a certain feel to them. Moments that wouldn’t stick out to those teachers (especially 20+ years later) but moments all the same. Good and bad impacts on me, strongly felt.

So how do I make sure I am creating positive impacts on my own students? Maybe I can get great at noticing their strengths. I could also listen more carefully to their concerns. Giving quality feedback is a weakness of mine – its time to make it a strength. Finally, I should make sure that they know that I care about their success and am willing to help when needed.

I’m sure I’ve had many mundane moments stand out in my students’ minds… It’s time to make them all positive.

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