Creating Engagement in February: The Micro-Milestone Method
You look at the calendar. Spring break is 6 weeks away. That might as well be 6 years. There’s nothing to work toward. No holidays. No breaks. No "classroom community" energy.
You look at the calendar. Spring break is 6 weeks away. That might as well be 6 years. There’s nothing to work toward. No holidays. No breaks. No "classroom community" energy.
You’re standing there trying to decide—do you address this as a behavior problem or something else? And you’re exhausted, and February has already been hard, and you just need the class to function for the next 37 minutes.
Teacher burnout doesn’t need dramatic overhauls. It needs Kaizen: one 30-second classroom improvement, repeated. Here’s how small changes save careers.
You don’t need a teaching overhaul. Kaizen—the Japanese practice of continuous small improvement—can save your career one tiny change at a time.
I'm building something I wish had existed when I first started exploring AI as an educator: a course that helps teachers use AI thoughtfully, sustainably, and in ways that actually align with their values.
And here’s what most teacher wellness advice gets wrong: It treats energy like it’s unlimited. Like, if you just had better time management or a better morning routine or a more positive mindset, you’d have enough energy for everything.
When we remove every uncomfortable situation for anxious students, we might be making things worse. The difference between accommodation and avoidance matters.
Are we accommodating student anxiety or making it worse? Explore the tension between removing obstacles and building capacity to handle hard things.
Teaching in February feels like Groundhog Day. Same routines, same struggles. But here’s the truth: excellence comes from boring things done repeatedly.
Learn 3 Stoic philosophy practices to manage your classroom without yelling. Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus offer ancient wisdom for modern teachers. Research-backed strategies you can use this week.
What we're building.
There’s a better way to teach goal-setting. And it starts with rejecting resolutions entirely.