https://teachbetter.com/blog/under-the-leaves/ A Thinking Runner I am a runner. I love running. Friends and family will always ask me, especially during marathon training season, “What do you think about on a 20-mile run?” My answer is always, “I think about everything. I come up with solutions to problems I don’t even have yet. I escape and come back a better person.” And that is the truth. Running for me is an escape from everything pulling me down in life, but also my solution to life’s problems. If I don’t engage in some form of physical movement, whether running or lifting, for at least ..read more

Guest Blog by Alex T. Valencic I’ve been listening to the Punk Rock Classrooms podcast for a long time now. I am not even certain when I started listening, but I have listened to every single episode that Josh and Mike have dropped over the years. I have a confession to make: punk rock music isn’t really my thing. I’ve tried. Really! I’ve listened to their Spotify playlists, I’ve let my YouTube music account randomly play through punk music and, while there have been a few songs or groups that have piqued my interest, for the most part, I am more of a mainstream alternative rock/pop guy. I wil ..read more

Last week I went to a show at a pretty rad venue in Mesa, The Nile, and witnessed the power of a teacher who believes in his students and the power of a community to learn and help each other succeed. That teacher was the lead singer from the post-hardcore band Drug Church, Patrick Kindlon. He may not be an actual classroom teacher but that night he was exactly what I like to see in a classroom. A facilitator who knows how to encourage and support his students. In this instance, the classroom was the pit, the students where the crowd, and Patrick was the educator leading it all. Have you ever ..read more

Growing up my crew always joked around and said I was “Emo Mike.” Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think I’m that “emo” at all. Just ask my wife. She’ll tell you that I’m very stoic, rarely displaying any emotions. It’s a fault of mine, one she wishes would change. Who knows, maybe back in my youth I was in fact way more emotional then than I am now. Maybe it’s from talking to a psychologist when I was a teen, talking through my angers and frustrations that I’m still not comfortable putting into print, yet speak openly about when I speak and present at conferences. Maybe it’s that I found w ..read more

Growing up, I spent summers and even weekends working for my dad as a painting contractor. We did it all: large exterior and interior of homes, condos in NYC, stores, schools, and restaurants. As a young kid, this left a lasting impression on me as I learned a skill and discovered the value of hard work. At age 19, I started a punk band with a few friends and by age 21 we began touring and playing shows all over the country. Like painting, playing in a rock band is hard work, especially when your band is just starting out and you are paying your dues. In the summer of 2000, my band spent seven ..read more

Last week I had an email conversation going with someone regarding an SEL program we will be implementing in the 22/23 school year. Towards the end of our threaded convo, this individual wrote,  “On a personal note, thank you for continuing in education as a principal.  I truly believe the retention of highly qualified leaders is the key to retaining highly qualified teachers because we all know teachers are the key to student success.  So, thank you for your service as a school principal.” Reading these kind, thankful, positive words…hurt. Why did they hurt? That wasn’t their ..read more

There are a lot of egos in education. It doesn’t matter what kind of educator you are, paraprofessional, teacher, or administrator, there are many educators that have egos. From conversations I’ve had with many amazing educators across the globe, it seems that sometimes the higher one may climb the “status ladder,” the more of an ego they can develop.  Typically, the symptoms to look for when diagnosing an educator with “Ego” are:  They believe they are never wrong.  They already know the answer to the questions they’re asking.  They don’t truly listen to others’ opinions ..read more

I recently wrote a blog on why the age-old saying “Bad habits are hard to break” is true. You can read more about it here, but to sum it up, basically, it’s because the only way to replace bad habits is with good habits and good habits require discipline on our end. For those of us that just can’t seem to remain disciplined to create a good habit to replace the bad, let’s take a look at it from another lens.  As we were growing up, adults would talk to and teach us about the difference between “Needs” and “Wants.” This became an extremely beneficial lesson when, as teenagers, we would be ..read more

I’ve been reflecting on my life lately and one phrase keeps flooding my mind, “Bad habits are hard to break.” Why does this timeless phrase keep flowing through my mind? Well, due to my self-reflection, I’ve realized that many of the “good habits” I have had, running and working out consistently, getting up at 5:00 am, reading and writing daily, sticking to my calories, visiting every classroom every day, just to name a few, have all seemed to drain from my life as of late. I’ve been trying to get back to many of them because honestly, I have not felt like myself without them recently. But it ..read more

https://www.teachbetter.com/blog/write-a-book-we-all-have-stories-to-share/ Ever since I was a young little punk, skating around town, sporting a mohawk, and donning oversized shorts, ripped-up Vans skate shoes, and a Rancid t-shirt, I’ve always wanted to write a book. Even my mom, one of the individuals who has always supported me throughout my life would always say after I experienced some event, whether traumatic or celebratory, “You know Mike, you should write a book.” I always replied with, “Yeah, I know, I will one day…”  To be honest, I always thought my first book, and all books ..read more