1. Master the art of eye contact. Make ’em feel seen. Look long enough to see eye color, then you can look away.

2. Make it obvious and apparent how much you care. It cab be a grand act or a series of small gestures. But they have to know.

3. You can be the first to arrive and the last to leave, but it’s the time in between that matters most. Be efficient, but don’t rush.

4. Think in systems of efficiency. Otherwise, this career will drain your lifeblood.

5. A well-placed compliment to a student or a colleague goes a long way.

6. Make your expectations clear, your directions short, and your language simple. Over-explaining is the Petri dish where confusion breeds.

7. The same is true of feedback — clear, short, simple.

8. Think about how you want students to feel in your classroom as much as what you want them to learn.

9. Show a smile when passing in the hallway. No one feels invisible when a smile is sent their way.

10. You’re not just up there on the pulpit, you’re in the pews when they participate. Give ‘em their amens.

11. If you say you’re going to do it, then do it. Some kids are already carrying a lifetime of let downs.

12. Be professional in your appearance, your command, and your content knowledge.

13. When administrators know they can trust you to be a professional, they are more inclined to leave you—and your classroom—alone.

14. Tackle weaknesses with a 1-3-1 mentality. What is 1 problem I am facing? What are 3 viable options? Who is the 1 person I can talk to for sound advice?

15. Nothing changes if nothing changes.

16. Stand at the door. A gracious host welcomes people into their home.

17. A mini sermon at the end of a period turns a classroom activity into a life lesson.

18. Skills –> Knowledge —> Wisdom. Use this formula for mini sermons. If students practice these skills, what knowledge will they possess, and how will this wisdom enhance their lives?

19. Carry a book.

20. 100% engagement is possible, especially when you get students out of their desks.

21. Don’t complain about the things beyond your control — class size, technology that fails, or an awful contract. Be solution-oriented with the things within your control.

22. What is your objective: To punish their misbehavior and shortcomings or to reach a deeper understanding of who they are at this stage in their lives?

23. I heard someone say, “when you walk through a museum, you’re not just looking at art. You’re moving through centuries of people trying to explain love, grief, power, beauty, and belonging.” It is also a great way to move through your school day — in a museum in which these things are on display.

24. Guide students to the answer rather than giving them the answer. Point the direction. Show the path. But let them arrive at the destination.

25. See who students can become, not who they are. Use your content area to get them there.

26. Every subject area is a pinnacle of human achievement. Honor it by taking it out of the textbook and placing it into students’ lives.