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1. Zen and the Act of Teaching A reflective journal By David Deubelbeiss

4. Reflect upon your own strengths. Describe what makes you a great teacher. “ Good teachers are costly, but bad teachers cost more.” – Bob Talbert

6. “ Good teaching is ¼ preparation and ¾ theatre.” Gail Godwin How will you “spark” your class? What are some good activities and ways to engage and connect with students? Share at least one.

8. “ The one who asks questions doesn’t lose his way” – African folk saying What questions would you ask a fellow teacher about their lessons or teaching? List as many as you can.

10. “ Imagination is more important than knowledge” Albert Einstein What do you think are the “fundamentals of teaching”? What makes a good teacher or “good teaching”?

12. “ A teacher effects eternity. One can never tell where his influence stops ” – Henry Adams Think about a teacher you were inspired by. What was special about him or her?

14. “ Don’t let your schooling get in the way of your education”- Mark Twain What to you is, “the purpose of education”. Why did you become a teacher?

16. “ The future of teaching is learning” What are some ways a teacher can improve. Reflect upon how you might become a better teacher.

18. “ They must often change, who would be constant in happiness and wisdom – Confucius What changes to education and in particular, to your job – would make things better?

20. “ The seed in not afraid of the winter.” Teaching can be a scary proposition. Write about one of your own “fears” regarding teaching. How might you overcome them?

22. “ The coldest part of the night is just before the dawn” Anxiety is a barrier for learning. Reflect on what you might do to help your students feel comfortable in class.

24. “ From small beginnings come great things” The start of a lesson or “engagement” is very important. How do you think it can best be done? What has worked for you?

26. “ No man can wade in the same river twice.” - Heraclitus Think of your teaching “style”. How might you change? What little things could you improve on? [voice, stance, movement, posture, eye contact etc…. ]

28. “ Learning is what happens when the teacher is making other plans” You have to teach a full semester. Describe how you would begin planning the curriculum for your course.

30. “ A teacher’s job is to help those students who can’t help themselves.” You have several students in your classroom who have trouble learning. What can you do to help them?

32. “ The best teacher teaches from the heart, not the book.” What do you think students value in a teacher? What is important to them and makes them excited about “that” teacher’s class?

34. “ Teaching is the art of the possible” How do you negotiate with students? Is this important to you? How will you find out about your student’s needs?

36. “ What we want is often different from what we need” Reflect on the questions your students might ask at the beginning of the year. What do they want to know and find out? Make a list.

38. “ Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up” – Pablo Picasso Why do you think the author called the boy a “genius”? What does this say about how we should think about our students?

40. “ Students are no longer obligated to follow teachers – teachers must lead.” Classroom management is difficult. What do you think is important to do so that a teacher successfully manage the class?

42. “ Teaching is not the filling of a pail but, the lighting of a fire, ”- William Butler Yeats You are teaching about careers/jobs. What will you do to “connect” the students with the topic and make it come “alive”?

44. “ Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand” How do you explain to students what you will do in a class? How do you model activities for your students.

46. “ A good teacher is like a candle, it consumes itself to light the way for others.” Think of this poem. What does it say to you as a teacher. Reflect and let your pen move!

48. “ The illiterate of the 21 st century won’t be those who can’t read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. ” – Alvin Toffler Technology is becoming an important part of teaching. How do you feel about that? Should you use more technology in your teaching?

50. “ What counts is not what is poured in but what is planted.” What is your favorite lesson or teaching recipe. Describe it and in your opinion, why it is effective.

52. “ The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery” – Mark van Doren What makes you feel proud of being a teacher? What empowers you and makes you happy to be doing the job you do?

54. “ You can pass a test but fail in life” What is your opinion about “marks”? Do you compare students, use standards? What is the role of assessment in teaching?

56. “ Teachers don’t teach a subject, they teach students” Think of a student that was very important to you. Why? What did that student mean to you?

58. “ A single moment of understanding can flood a whole life with meaning” What “life lessons” do you think we can teach through the regular curriculum? Reflect on what is important for students to learn beyond the regular curriculum.

60. “ To someone with a hammer, everything looks like a nail” – Mark Twain What are the challenges you face working with administration? What battles do you have to fight – outside of your interactions with students?

62. “ Be the guide at the side, not the sage on the stage” What are some ways that a teacher can “disappear” and be less of the focus in the classroom?

64. “ If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” – Ignacio Estrada Cooperative learning is an important part of learning. How can teachers get students “teaching each other” more?

67. “ Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”- Winston Churchill What was the principal’s wisdom? Reflect on its meaning and what it means to you and your teaching.

69. “ Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi What do you plan on doing in the future to keep learning and develop professionally? What is your “SMART” goal this year?

71. “ Learning is something students do, not something done to students.” – Alfie Kohn Have you ever felt like the author of the poem? What implications does this have for classroom practice?

73. “ Teaching is the greatest act of optimism” – Colleen Wilcox Reflect on your life outside of teaching. What renews you? What do you do to recharge your teaching batteries?