“We are all lacking community, despite our illusion of connectedness,” writes teacher Amber Chandler. In her new book, she explores key issues by writing letters to five stakeholder groups she believes can help reclaim connection. Read what she says about school attendance.
Motivation and Engagement / New Teacher Tips
by Curtis Chandler · Published 01/11/2026 · Last modified 01/29/2026
When we provide learners with both the spark to start and the tools to keep going, we help each student move one step closer to becoming self-directed learners who view challenges as opportunities to grow. Curtis Chandler shows how motivation and engagement work together.
Teacher Lauren Brown smiles when her history students eagerly make connections with content they’re studying in another class. Recalling a time when interdisciplinary teaching was common, she suggests ways teachers might revive a practice that emphasizes knowledge-based learning.
After 20+ years of teaching, Dina Strasser has found one thing almost never fails to connect with adolescents: the positive reaction you get when you genuinely compliment a kid on their appearance. Check out the strategy she’s developed to help reap smiles and build rapport.
What does it look like when your students are doing rigorous work and thinking deeply? Dr. Karin Hess discusses how content complexity, cognitive engagement, and the intended scope and depth of a learning activity can work together to scaffold and support deeper thinking.
Filled with great tips and references in a concise easy-to-access format, Bryan Harris’s book “17 Things Resilient Teachers Do (And 4 Things They Hardly Ever Do)” provides an authentic, must-have resource to build teacher resilience, writes teacher Laura Von Staden.
In a school year when frustration, fatigue and uncertainty make teaching and learning an unprecedented challenge, principal Rita Platt is leading her staff to focus on two top priorities: (1) limit instruction to essential standards, and (2) build personal connections with EVERY student.
Communications / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 09/05/2018 · Last modified 11/21/2019
Elizabeth Stein launches into the new school year with strategies to help co-teachers evaluate their current relationships and begin strengthening the one-on-one communication that is essential to provide learning opportunities for everyone in the classroom.
Relating to Students / The Flexible Classroom
by Amber Chandler · Published 04/23/2017 · Last modified 11/29/2019
Fresh from her middle school’s Falcon Pride Day, Amber Chandler celebrates the joy of a pre-Spring Break event that’s one part competition, one part team building, and one part controlled chaos, noting that kids’ SEL needs are at least as important as curriculum.
Book Reviews / Building Relationships
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/11/2016 · Last modified 11/19/2019
In Relationships That Work, authors Adam Sáenz and Jeremy Dew invite readers to write and reflect about the best ways to work with kids, parents and colleagues to help students learn. Math teacher Anthony Purcell found the counselors’ advice helpful.
