In 1999, an influential leadership and management book called First Break All the Rules was published—if you are a leader of an organization in any capacity, I would recommend it. I see all of my teachers as teacher leaders, so if you are a teacher, you should take a look. The follow-up book, Now Discover Your Strengths, is just as profound.

August: It’s BAAAAAAACKKKKK! I always marvel at how fast the summer goes. It doesn’t matter whether you have been teaching for 20 years or if this is your first time at the rodeo, the first few weeks of school are the most crucial. You are setting the tone for the entire year, and it is imperative to have a great start. Good classroom management is one of the most important qualities of being an effective teacher. So, as you soak up the last few days of summer, here are some tips to ensure a successful year.

“Positive relationships with students.” “Making strong connections.” “Being relatable to your students.” No matter how I ask about it in an interview, it all essentially means the same thing. Can the teacher connect with students? I ask it every time, and it is one of the most important questions of the interview.

Here's why this is critical: Connecting with students not only relates back to the student’s sense of belonging in school, it's also heavily tied to motivation. If a student isn’t motivated in the classroom, the teacher’s first “go-to” should be to try to connect with them. This should come before any incentive program or consequence for lack of trying.

We’ve shared ideas with you covering how to transfer to a new job and get your new classroom set up, so what’s the next step? Now that the bulletin boards are complete and the nametags are on the desks, it’s time to think about building positive connections. I have witnessed more than one potentially great teacher fall victim to a lack of positive relationships within a school building. There is nothing more critical than connecting with others in a positive way.

Navigating the EdTech industry can often be an overwhelming task. As an educator, you have the responsibility to bring the right technologies into your classroom to help improve your students’ learning experiences. With all the available options, it can be hard to decide what the best approach is for your students. Here at Boxlight, we want to make it simple for educators to implement EdTech in their schools.

That’s why we have assembled this comprehensive list of educator guides that will help you bring educational technology into your school:

We’re here to help you get ready for a new school year! If your students are still in summer break mode, here are some engaging lessons and activities to help draw them back into the learning process:

The interviewing is over, the offer has been made, and the contract is signed. Everything is wrapped up in the former place of employment (or at the university), and you are ready to dive in and get started at your new position.

While we often discuss education technology as well as new and innovative ways to create growth and optimize learning in this blog, making sure your students are ready for learning can be a key factor in a successful classroom. One of my favorite authors said, “Parents send us the best that they have. They don’t send us the tough kids and keep the really great ones at home. They give us the best they have.” It was said a little tongue-in-cheek, but there is meaning behind it that is important for all teachers to remember.

At times, making changes in our teaching methods can be very hard. The way we teach is a very personal matter, as teachers (should) bring their personality into the classroom to help connect with students. Because we want teachers to teach from their heart, to change our teaching  methods means we need to change our mindset, our beliefs, or even what we are comfortable doing and saying in our classroom. Even more so than instructional practices, classroom management is one of these areas where change can be especially hard.

Most of us would agree that the ISTE conference is the destination for educator-tested strategies and extraordinary resources for transforming learning and teaching. It’s also the place to get connected to and network with the brightest minds in the education technology arena beyond the conference workshops and exhibit hall. Last week, we discussed the biggest trends from ISTE 2017. This week, it’s my turn to give you an educator’s perspective from this year’s conference.