So what makes a great teacher?

1) Passion for teaching. This can manifest itself so many ways. I’m the “jump around the room” kind of teacher, and sure, that comes from a lot of passion, but some of the best teachers I’ve known have had a passion that students had to be quiet to catch onto.

2) Love of kids. You laugh, but it’s true! I’ve seen people come in and talk about teaching and talk about how much they love their subject and know about their subject, but they never mention the kids. Worse, we had an interview once where the teacher clearly knew his stuff, but he basically admitted that his classroom management style was fear and intimidation. Not who I want teaching kids I care about.

3) Love of their subject. Again... pretty important. I spent four years dropping by Mike Thayer’s classroom because to watch him explain physics or calculus was, for me, to understand how you could have a passion for something that was always a mystery for me. Great teachers not only love their subject, but they love to share that joy with students.

4) Understanding of the role of a school in a child’s life. High school is more than the sum of the classes the kids take. It’s a time to grow, explore, try on identities, find joys that might just last a lifetime. Sometimes the best teaching we do happens on basketball courts, in the halls after a class, at a local coffee shop or in a drama studio. The best teachers know that they are teachers for much more than the time they are in the physical classroom.

5) A willingness to change. This one gets overlooked sometimes, I think. I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating. We talk about how schools should be transformative for kids, but I think they can be just as transformative for teachers. If you expect kids to be changed by their interaction with you, it’s got to be a two-way street.

6) A work ethic that doesn’t quit. It’s a hard, draining job that will demand all that you can give sometimes. You’ve got to be able to have some balance in your life, but there are very few teachers who can be effective by cramming everything they need to do into the hours allocated by the average teacher’s contract. (And for the record, the overwhelming majority of the teachers I’ve met put in hours well above and beyond the contract.)

7) A willingness to reflect. You’ve got to be able to ask why things went the way they did... both on the good and the bad days. And you have to be able to admit when the reasons it went bad were because of what you did, not what the students did. (Equally important is the understanding that often things go right because of what the kids brought to the table, not because your lesson plan should be bronzed.) Teaching requires a willingness to cast a critical eye on your practice, your pedagogy and your self. And it can be brutal.

8) Organization. My personal Achilles heel, and one of the things I’m always working to improve. My Palm Pilot helped, really. But I hate paperwork and official looking documents, and it kills me. I am amazed at the people like Dale Lally who seem to get his papers handed back before the kids hand them in or seems to be able to put his hands on every unit he’s ever taught within a moment’s notice. Kids know what to expect, they know he’s going to be organized and have a structure to his class... and he’s still creative and spontaneous and interesting. I can only imagine how much better of a teacher I’d be if the structure of everything I did was just a little more organized.

9) Understanding that being a “great teacher” is a constant struggle to always improve. I think I’ve had some moments of great teaching in my career, but I also still see all the holes in my teaching -- sadly, often times mirroring holes in my self -- and I still want to get better... because I think I’ve got a long way to go to be a great teacher every day. And even if I get better at everything I see as weaknesses now, I can only imagine what new challenges will face me on that day.

10) Enough ego to survive the hard days. The tough days will leave you curled up under a desk, convinced that you can’t teach or the world is too hard for these kids or the work is too much or whatever the problem was that day... you have to have enough sense of self to survive those days.

11) Enough humility to remember it’s not about you. It’s about the kids. If your ego rules your classroom, if the class turns into “me vs. them” or if you can’t understand that a sixteen year old might be able to tell you something you don’t know, then don’t teach. Or at least, don’t teach high school.

12) A willingness to work collaboratively. Sure, there are some great teachers who close the door to their classroom and do what they want, but I think you send a strange message to the kids that way sometimes. Teachers are part of a school community, and even where that community can be flawed (and lots of schools are), a great teacher should be willing to work to make the community a better place.

10 Things You Need To Stop Doing If You Want To Be Successful

1. Making Excuses

Stop blaming other people for why you don’t get what you want. Stop refusing to accept responsibility for your mistakes. You make your own choices and you make your own mistakes.In general, stop justifying your poor choices and stop attributing your lack of success to things outside of your control. Successful people don’t do this.

You are going to err. You are going to fail. When this inevitably occurs look within, in a non-judgmental manner, and figure out what you can do better next time. Don’t waste time looking externally by creating excuses for why you didn’t achieve success.

2. Focusing on the Negatives

Yes, there are negative circumstances in life that you have no control over. There are also plenty of positive experiences in your life. I am willing to bet you have more positives in your life than negatives. You are capable of living with a positive perspective. If you want to cultivate success in your life than you need to concentrate on all the good. You shouldn’t disregard the negative, but you don’t have to give it so much of your attention. Otherwise you are never going to be satisfied because you are so focused on the unfavorable conditions of your life. Even if you reach a level of ostensible success, your continued focus on the negatives will prevent you from relishing your accomplishments.

3. Fearing Failure

As I previously stated, YOU ARE GOING TO FAIL! There is no reason to fear it. Rather, you should embrace it. Learn from it, and ultimately improve from it.

When you are successful you know you are always trying your best. When you fail it is not a reflection of you as a person; you are not a flawed individual. View failure as an opportunity to grow, not as something to be feared.

4. Looking for the Easy Way

I want to preface by stating that attaining success isn’t supposed to be an improbable venture where you have to overcome a certain amount of adversity and hardship. I am opining that successful people don’t look for the easy way through life.

Merely strolling through life on cruise control is not the blueprint for success. You need to challenge yourself at times. Push yourself and stretch your limits. Aim to reach your maximum potential, and then go beyond that. That is a success in itself.

5. Beating Yourself Up

You wouldn’t ever beat yourself up physically so why would you do it emotionally and mentally? Learning how to skillfully deal with your thoughts and emotions when you are facing adverse situations is crucial to being successful.

Get upset over things. Express your emotions in an appropriate manner. Be unhappy from time to time. It is going to happen. But don’t ruminate over unpleasant memories and beat yourself up over things that already occurred. Too much time and energy spent on this diverts your attention away from more important endeavors like progressing toward your goals.

6. Being Ungrateful

The best way to establish more contentment in your life is to be more grateful. If you want to push away happiness, joy, and bliss than be ungrateful. Gratitude breeds happiness but it also breeds success. If you are grateful for your life and everything that comprises it you are going to have a less complicated time attaining wealth and accomplishing your goals.

I don’t just mean financial wealth because wealth includes all kinds of valuables. I am not proposing that all financially wealthy people are grateful, and therefore, successful, or that all financially poor people are ungrateful, and therefore unsuccessful.

Being ungrateful is not congruent with getting ahead in life. If you crave success than observe everything you are grateful for. Your gratitude will serve as a compass for your life. It will guide your decision-making, and lead you to success.

7. Concentrating Solely on Your Needs

Hopefully this goes without saying but focusing only on yourself is not going to help you attain success. You could be the wealthiest person on the planet, and it is apparent that you are extremely successful. If you accrued your wealth by taking advantage of people, or by being selfish and egotistical, you are not successful in my book. You probably wouldn’t be very happy either. The best way to succeed in life is by helping someone else!

8. Getting Distracted

You were going to start your book but…You were going to launch your dream business idea but…You were going to travel through Asia but…
I get it. Things come up. Life takes you on a different course. It happens sometimes. But don’t allow yourself to become distracted from realizing your dreams. When distractions obstruct you from your passions than you are moving further and further away from claiming your ultimate successes.

This starts with your daily life. It is fun and often necessary to log onto Facebook and check emails, but don’t allow the modern technological age to prevent you from the work that needs to be finished today. Success is based on working toward your goals while not letting disruptions hinder that.

9. Living Aimlessly

It is your responsibility to ascertain your life goals and objectives. Being successful means you are fulfilling your life’s purpose every day.
Whether your purpose is super ambitious such as solving world hunger or more feasible like being happy, doesn’t matter. The point is that you are aiming to be the best you can be. Steadily wandering through life without any ambitions or without contributing anything to society is not what successful people do.

10. Giving Up

When you face an improbable obstacle in life how do you respond? Do you give up, or do you keep pressing on? Successful people don’t give up. They commit themselves to reaching their final destination. They may not ever get there, but they don’t allow impediments to prevent them from trying. This means continuing on despite failures and disappointments.

Success encompasses a lot of different arenas. What works for financial success may not translate into relationship success. Being successful as an athlete doesn’t necessarily make you successful as a student as well. There are varying degrees of success depending on what situation you are in.

Regardless, the fundamental backbone of success is trying your best. If you put forth your best effort, without harming others in the process, than you are a successful person. This can apply to work, family, friends, relationships, hobbies, etc. As the late great John Wooden said, “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” I think that sums it up beautifully.

EXPLAINING SOME EDUCATIONAL THEORIES:

Preparing the student based on popular educational theories 

When I started to observe classrooms for my observation project. I notice that a lot of things happen in the classroom and that teachers must do a lot to ensure that the learner is well prepared. The three teachers I observed for this project use a lot of different strategies and activities to teacher the learner that are developmentally appropriate, that encompass physical, cognitive and affective development. Each style of teaching follows a theory associated with learning style. And each style is set up to not only teach the student the syllabus and other lessons, but the different styles of teaching prepares the students in other parts of human development such as brain development, social development to make the student a better person all around.

The first classroom teacher I observed.  One of the theories I observed was Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which has different stages but with an actual goal and final stage as Self- Actualization.  The classroom teacher was in no doubt aware of all the different needs of his students that are part of Maslow’s Theory. To support the student’s physiological needs, Mr. Peter whom I was observing ensured that students had access to frequent restroom or water breaks. His restroom pass was always available for students to take the break and at times they did not have to ask him they just got up and grabbed the pass. These breaks helped students regain their energy levels to sustain them during the entire class period. Mr. Peter supported the student’s safety needs through his classroom rules. One rule that stood out was the “no bullying” rule. This ensured that students were safe. The teacher also monitored the students very close and made sure that all safety rules in the classroom were being followed. He frequently referred the students to the classroom rules when issues arose in the classroom.  Mr. Peter supported the student’s love and belonging needs by making sure that all the students were treated equal and treated fairly. I could tell that he cared for their wellbeing of his students  when he called on students by names and when he supported them to find the right answer if they got a question wrong. This also supported the student’s esteem needs in the learning environment because the teacher’s feedbacks were positive, affirmative, concrete and transparent and gave the student a chance to know their specific strengths and can articulate when they’ve used them to succeed in the classroom.

A weeks later I went to observe another classroom teacher. This was a Health Science class at Madison High School. The day I came to observe Coach Johnson. The classroom was working on a group project. During group work the students were provided an opportunity for peers to share specific positive feedback. This teaching, the teacher expected students to perform at their best, even if they need support. I saw first hand how Vygotsky’s Theory of Social Development played part in the learning environment by how they were relying on each other for the answers instead of waiting for the teacher to reach their group and answer the questions they need to know. They were working together to find the answers to the solutions and the students were working on getting along.

 Although the students were working on completing their work. The way they did work helped in assuring esteem needs were met especially when the teacher praised the students on how good of a job they were doing. Also, when they were talking among themselves; at times they would give compliments to each other. That that the student worked on a project where they were going around the room to research elements of extreme weather and the effect it has on our wellbeing. They had to work in a group; one person had to read the information. One had to record it. One had to read it. Their social needs were being met through this exercise and indeed Vygotsky’s Theory of Social Development was met.

The students had more than one class period to work on the project. One time when I returned to observe the class for a second time. I saw that students started to strategize more with each as the due date came near. Zone proximal development was evident when the students depended on one another to collect the needed information and input about the project.  As the due date got closer.  Erikson’s Theory of Psychological Development was also evident when different groups began to compete against the other groups about who was getting the project better than the other and who was getting the best information.  This competitiveness in found in stage four of the theory: Industry versus Inferiority. Students were able to feel self-confident in their success and the teacher was able to keep a easy going and positive learning environment which is found in Jensen’s Brain Based learning. The teacher kept the project fair by setting the rubric and the rules and by encouraging the groups that were falling behind to catch up before the deadline.

Because I mainly observed high school classes. The students I was observing were in the formal stage of Piaget’s Theory of cognitive development. The students were thinking in an abstract manner and they reasoned fairly about hypothetical problems that were happening in the classroom. There were many times that students demonstrated theoretical and abstract reasoning while accomplishing their work. I could see this in Ms. McLain’s style of giving instruction. she always challenged the students through her methods of checking for understanding. By doing so she gave the students a chance to demonstrate higher thinking and therefore better transition occurred during transition time because the students were aware of what was happening next.  Each day students were tasked with doing different tasks of the lesson plan. Ms. McLain used various learning style. This is when I saw other elements of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. I saw the linguistic part of the theory based on the word wall Ms. McLain had up and how she encouraged her students to use it. When the students were working in a group. The teacher played music and allowed the students to move around. Through this I saw the musical, spatial, bodily and intrapersonal needs of the students being accommodated. The teacher showed videos during the lesson. At times she asked students to use the textbook. There were many opportunities for students to discuss the lesson with their peers by allowing the students to do group work.

In conclusion I witnessed these three teachers utilizing all different kind of teaching styles and in so doing applying different educational and psychological theories to the learning environment. As I have mentioned above I witnessed Jensen’s Brain Based learning theory by keeping the learning environment safe and positive. I saw Erikson’s Theory when the teacher encouraged students to use different graph, climate cartons to explain certain points of views all which had real life implications. Gardener’s Theory was express all the time especially when the teachers called on different students at different time to explain and express different aspects of the lesson. Altogether, the three teachers I observed incorporated all the above theories and learning styles into their lessons as a motivational strategy. In the end, each teacher’s goal was to have their students master the lesson and that they were successful in all aspects of development while in class.   

Jeremy Jjemba 

September 2018

four simple structures of a functional democracy needed in Uganda

Structure one; Democracy needs citizens:

Structure one is the most important in all democracies. Democracies needs citizens. Citizens do not need democracies. Citizens are the most important people; they are the costumers paying all the dues of who they elect to lead them. They would want the best for their shillings. Citizens accept that their loyalty is to the processes their share must override the loyalty to their own political side. (Kenya) Kenyans leadership understands the idea of “loyal opposition.”  Kenyans have grown to accept the legitimacy of a government run by their opponents, assured that they will have their turn when the time comes.

Citizens should not use political space to destroy the ability of their opponents to operate in peaceful electoral systems. They must accept the lawfulness of dissension, even enthusiastic protests. They must rule out the use of force at all cost for political gains. A country without common citizens is poised on the edge of break up or civil war.

Structure two: democracy needs guardians;

Guardians hold positions of political appointments, (like Judges) Bureaucratic   (ministries,MPs,RDCs, chairpersons, etc) law and order (internal affairs, police) and military power.  What makes them guardians is that they must always be the one to check and keep in check all the aspects of Checks and Balances, and guard the moral law in accordance with objective rules or in favor of the commonweal. Queen Elizbeth is a great example of this. The motive of the guardians should not be to seek power. Although powerful is the appointments. Power follows wealth and Power and wealth are conjoined. Guardians should vet those seeking power to avoid those who just intend on shooting and looting the political systems. Those that come in power by looting and shooting will always loot and shoot; this is no basis for democratic legitimacy and will never be. It is only similar to vote rigging.

Structure three: democracy needs an economy

Okay,

So in Uganda I have noticed that they is a lot of mere talking about turning the country into middle class. Well, if by middle class we mean the abuse of power of the country to turn public into private wealth, as it has happened in so many corners of our countries; so much of this generation builds its wealth on theft are just as illegitimate as the Lords who allow them. A chairman collects a fee for a letter of reference, large percentage on phony land deals etc, and RDC is even worse! ANYWAYS!

          A proper function market, supported by a long plan back boned well function state provides an easier space to do business.  Kenyans are building a market for their citizenship. They wakeup and work. They are not just talking about becoming middle classing! They working to become middle class, they act middle class! They provide service like they are middle class not some luck bush/village boy who got appointment to a big government job and all the powers of tribalism that maybe be. Stable state supported markets are created when prosperity and power meet. This makes it possible for citizens to regard the outcomes of elections as important, but not as matter of life and death. When prosperity and power meet it lowers the temperature of politics from the burning to the bearable.

All democracies need accepted laws,

Laws shape the rules of every society for the systems of democracy to be effective. The law must be enacted and implemented in accordance with accepted procedures. This makes up the political, social and economic face of a nation. The country the lacks the rule of law is on a verge of chaos, tyranny- the unhappy fate of Uganda’s history. Democracy then is about much more than voting and voting rigging. “it is a complex web of rights, obligations, powers, and constraints” Those that win election should never just do as the wish. They should do what’s best for all of the people of the country for those who voted for and against them. Anything short of that is not democracy and it might just be elected dictatorship!

In Uganda, there will be no easy path to complete democracy

In Uganda, there will be no easy path to complete democracy....and democracy as we have come to know it the 21 century is dead.

The answer to the question of if Uganda will ever become a stable liberal democracy is yes. Will this happen under the currently (NRM) regime. The answer to that question. We do not know! We do know that other countries have overcome “elected dictatorships” and reached a destination of complete democracy. We also know as much, that universal suffrage democracy is a faint plant, in its early years like ours here in Uganda. We have many examples to look at, democracies like that of Egypt, Thailand, Ukraine, Kenya, Tanzania or even Russia to underline that truth, because democracy in crucial respects is an unnatural game.

In history of grown-ups, the governed must be provided with their alienable    rights to hold accountable their democratically elected governments. This is what is happening in Uganda, Liberia, Zimbambwe and South Africa. This is the only suitable form of ligament government because all other forms of government treat its citizens like little children. In the past, during colonial times, and the reason why the colonists had such success in ruling Africa was that they turned people against themselves, and created a space where traditional understandings where seen as illiterate. Such paternalism could have been okay, but it can longer be true.

As Ugandans have become more informed and a government that treats them in a “colonial military” way is eventually seen as less acceptable. I expect (or pray) that this seen among those voted to lead the country.

          They are a few underpinnings of a stable and successful democracy. A democracy that requires a double set of limits; among the people (The ruling parties) and between the people (the opposition) and the country (the three branches of government).  These limits can be summed up in four simple structures, which are all important.

Government offices are not sanctified places and those that hold them should know

Happy New Year…

I must begin the new year by acknowledging the fact, in some respects, I am becoming increasingly fond of the wild opposition movements going on in different African countries, their red colour campaigns, their new phases like the “Togikwatako” in Uganda and their raucous plead for ending life-presidencies and strong rulers like ours. 
In a very straightforward and uncomplicated manner, I feel that these opposition leaders are probably the only truly religious people in our country. Whether consciously or unconsciously, they are protesting blasphemy and among them a Messiah will come ..

This may come to some as a surprise; to those who are close to me, those who know me as a very devout man. As devout as an altar boy.  Uganda has too many fake Prophets , too many wolves in sheep clothing. Mere men wanting to be called prophets. Leaders unquestioned ....self proclaimed.. .only next to God.

Personally I accept literally the concept of the virgin birth, the trinity and the resurrection. To me, these things happened and at a communion service I am literally drinking the blood and eating the body of Jesus Christ. 

I am merely bored with the earnest, emancipated, pedestrian minds who explain to me with such a fervor that these concepts are superstitious hangovers from spring fertility rites, Babylonian mythology, and Greek philosophy, which spoke truths that have not been so well stated in over 2,000 years and more so in these last few decades

          
All of this is totally irrelevant somehow to human life.

The basic point of my unquestioning faith begins and ends at the communion rail. THEREORE, on all other matters of society, I reserve the right of skeptical judgement. And I believe that the only real blasphemy…the deadliest of sins…is the deification of mortals and sanctification of human institutions.

All of us human being especially those trusted with public discourse are guilty of this and retribution is certain.

How many of us have stood by without protest through meetings where glorified nonentities expound profound platitudes in the awkward, ungainly language of modern liturgy the “ creative” nonthought and the innovative no proposal?

These obscenities have become the condition of life in the modern Africa/Uganda… in business, in labor, in liberal and conservative organizations, in publishing, in education, and even in our religious groupings.

But when these obscenities reach our governments where decision made are life and death for hundreds of millions of people, they reach the ULTIMATE of intolerable. Under such circumstances the Four Horseman ride not as a dreaded force but as a welcome relief.

Today, looking around with what’s going on politically in Uganda/ Africa. Some of us especially those in areas of influence should stand their ground and scream some four letter words to a few men that are trying to bring the rest of our countries/continent down to hell with them. 

Really, nothing else today is more adequate as a protest to the large constitutional injustices of the reversing of the rule of law and of abusing the powers granted to one by a constitution.

We are restrained not out of fear but out of our carefully cultivated reverence for institutions which were holy only in the sense that all men and women are children of GOD, which is for sure quite a different thing from deification.

Today’s leaders in government, of course are tragically wrong because they would destroy not only obscenity but the tradition of civility, which is probably the closest to excellence of any product of human civilization. But their rage and invective are wholly understandable. It fits far too much in the world which they live in verses the world we live in.

I am a trained professional teacher, and I do not like four letter words and normally have reserved them for moments of great stress when they are essential to preserve sanity. But they describe the current situation of entitled leaders in Africa/Uganda. From the president to the lowest of elected members of government.

Things that are truly holy cannot be splattered no matter what is thrown at them. And that which can be befouled deserves its fate.

Somehow, in order for there to be perfect harmony in Uganda/Africa. Things have to be made human again. Somehow, we must learn to govern ourselves from an office that is secular and not from a court that is sanctified. Government offices are not sanctified places and those that hold them should know. There is no holiness to the position and power vested in them. We must govern all government business from a secular place. Not from a court that is sanctified. If our destruction comes, it will be because we placed our faith, our unquestioning faith in institutions that are only brick and wood and in men or women who are flesh only and blood and this seems to be the condition of the first half of this century here in Uganda.  

Boyhood Journal

I'm here; recalling my boyhood. Back when the years of phallic obessions began.
Perhaps i was unlucky or not bold enough but it had more to do with the place and the time, the Slums of Kasubi in Kampala Uganda is where i grew up.
...

Here girls had unwritten code that a good Ugandan girl did not give her self to boys and that she had a reputation to keep ....
Back then we learned everything about sex from what other little boys told you to do.. Things like, "you just put it in jere." in what?
The line was drawn by the girls; if one of the girls agreed to play with her ...there was no touching beneath the clothes, there was no kissing with the tougues touching. ...all these things were just told to you as you engaged in adolescent games with the opposite sex... You didnt know what you wanted. ..or how to ask for it...
Notably; the least dengerous form of this type of play was petting, that was when a girl let you place your boy hand on her breast, while she's was fully dressed and with her bra lock in covered by two or three layers of clothing, a blouse, a bra, a sweater and woe to the boy that could breakthrough all that and get to the hidden treasure. .....
I must have been 16 years or even 17 the first time I saw a girl's breasts that wasn't related to me...on that fateful day; i recall asking myself if i was blind and now i see... And if heaven was on earth and on Tiffany's chest!
Part 1 the End. ..