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~ J Clay Norton, Ed.D.

The Book Chamber

Category Archives: Reflection

Blessings Counted

18 Friday Nov 2022

Posted by The Book Chamber in Family, God, Gratitude, Heart, Kindness, Leader, Leadership, Love, Memories, Reflection, Relationships, Rest, Thankful, Thanksgiving, Time

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Hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving…

If you would like to print and have a paper copy of this, click here: Blessings Counted

Screen Shot 2022-11-17 at 10.16.52 AM

To view previous year’s Thanksgiving thoughts, download here:

2018 – Thanksgiving Grace

2019 – Home

2020 – Pause and Reflect

2021 – Nature’s Touch of Time

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

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What Advice Would You Give a Student Teacher?

04 Friday Mar 2022

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Attitude, Choice, Classroom Leadership, Connections, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Embrace, Encouragement, Engagement, Expectations, Experience, Heart, Leader, Leadership, Patience, Reflection, Relationships, Teachers, Value

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This past week my wife, Heather, was sent an email from an education major, getting ready to do her practice teaching stint. The three questions were…
1. What advice do you have for new teachers?
2. How can I succeed in this profession?
3. What did you not know that you wish you knew when you got here?

Screen Shot 2022-03-03 at 9.32.12 PM

As Heather typed her response, she asked me some of my thoughts… Well, for those of you who know me, that can result in positive corruption on many different levels. As you read, here are our combined thoughts…

1. Form a relationship with a seasoned teacher who can mentor you and support you during your first years. Be prepared for tough days, but great teachers are strong people who do not give up. Keep striving and apply what you have learned from your teaching experience and your college academic program. Be proud of being a teacher. Teaching is a God-given gift. Our society depends on dedicated and devoted teachers. You need to have a strong desire for student success and make a positive difference in your school building. You cannot be friends with your students. Earning your student’s respect is necessary. Finding ways to relate to your students creates an inviting environment in your classroom. Being consistent in everything you do is important, especially when you have discipline. Remember, you are the adult in the classroom.

2. Always plan ahead and use your time wisely to prepare your lessons. Understand that true teacher success is growing students academically, socially, and emotionally. Teaching students responsibility, treating others, self-discipline, and accomplishing positive goals are life skills needed for their future. You must take care of yourself. Avoid becoming content. Stay an idealist teacher. Good teachers are lifelong learners. Even though teachers have holidays and a summer break, the teaching profession is hard work (preparing and teaching lessons, managing your classroom, grading work, dealing with difficult students, communicating with parents, teacher “duties,” which have lots of descriptions, are just a few of a teacher’s daily responsibilities). You must take care of yourself and find time for other activities besides school. Try to leave school at school. At some point, you will be a spouse and a parent; never apologize for putting family first. To continue in this profession, you must take care of your mental, spiritual, and physical health. Also, you do not want to be an island. You need to talk to other teacher friends to learn from each other and support each other. Your relationship with your principal is also necessary for future success. Hopefully, you will work in a school where your principal supports you. You definitely need their support when challenges come concerning students and parents.

3. When standing in the hallway between class changes, talk to students and find ways to communicate with them, even those who are not your students. Develop hallway cred. Stay organized and always be prepared for the day. Stay positive and look for ways to get your students involved in your lessons. Allow them to have some ownership in your class. If you can, add some humor to your teaching style. Find ways to brag on your students and encourage them in front of their peers. Know your students’ names and greet them when they arrive at your class. Remember to work smarter, not harder. This will help to prevent getting burned out. Learn patience. 

As Heather read the above response, I started thinking… shouldn’t veteran teachers want and do the same thing? How many times, as educators, do we make school “hard” when we know what needs to be done? As I read the above answers, I created a mental checklist in my head to make sure that I was doing these things. How about you? Go be the teacher you want to be…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

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Nature’s Touch of Time

19 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Memories, Reflection, Rest, Thankful, Thanksgiving, Time

≈ 2 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving

images-8

If you would like to download a printer friendly version of this with a washout watermark background, click here: Nature’s Touch of Time

 
Nature’s Touch of Time

The sky, more vibrant...
Hues, only Fall can bring.

A new scent in the air,
A smell earth and wood...

Trees different colors,
Showing time, once again.

Wind pushing warm breezes,
Held over from summer.

Leaves - blowing, falling...
Creating whisper sounds.

Blanketing the ground,
Nature's mosaic of color.

A harvest of memories to rake,
Piled high for enjoyment.

Reflections kindling the heart,
Small fires to warm the soul.

Fall, a season of change,
Restful...

Thankful for time.
The time of Thanksgiving.


©2021 J Clay Norton

To view previous year’s Thanksgiving thoughts, download here:

2018 – Thanksgiving Grace

2019 – Home

2020 – Pause and Reflect

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

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“A Great Teacher” is what I want to be…

14 Friday May 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Authentic, Character, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Encouragement, Engagement, Heart, Inspiration, Leader, Leadership, Legacy, Memories, Passion, Purpose, Reality, Reflection, Servant, Sincerity, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers, Value

≈ 5 Comments

Do you ever wonder if you make a connection with your students? What will they remember about you? With teaching being as much about classroom psychology as it is knowing your subject matter, how students remember us lasts forever in their minds. In a previous blog Memories so thick…, I mentioned the idea of how educators/leaders can create an atmosphere where students make memories, but today, I wanted to take a different look at the same idea.

One of many joys I have as an educator is being able to adjunct teach at the college level. One of my running statements is that I try to “positively corrupt” future educators on how the educational world actually is. It’s harder than you think, by the way. And then there are those current teachers who are working on an advanced degree in education… more than anything else, I try to convey to them the much-needed characteristic of being a servant-leader.

With saying all of that, I have to be minded of the educator I am as well. In my own mind, I think I know what type of educator I am. However, the students throughout my career are the ones who can testify as to what type of educator I actually was.

I love how movie snippets that can say exactly what you are wanting to say, and I have one for us. I highly encourage you to watch the Emperor’s Club with Kevin Kline, if you have never seen it. I believe it should be required of all educators. There is one scene near the end of the movie that sends a message for the type of educator I hope I am and the type of educator I want to be. The message sent is what I wish all teachers/leaders in education would strive to become and be. Not only for themselves but for their students as well. I believe this one clip to be so powerful; I show it at the end of each semester to the class of future educators in hopes they will understand the passion I have for teaching and educational leadership.

Please take 2 minutes and 4 seconds to watch what I am talking about… Maybe get a tissue ready?

Emperors Club – “A Great Teacher” Clip

Here it is in print…

“A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams, and they will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives.” 

This is about as good as it gets for me. This is the type of teacher I hope I am. This is the type of teacher I want to be. I have been very fortunate to have some teachers and mentors like this and they have had an ever lasting influence in one way or another on my life. This is the type of teacher education needs, now more than ever. As we begin to wrap of this school year, make an effort to be this type of teacher. 

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

Share this:

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