They may not remember what their teachers taught them, but they will always remember if their teachers enjoyed teaching them.
When it comes to names I trust in education, Danny Steele and Todd Whitaker are near the top of that list.
They love people. They’re passionate about learning. They’re bold and don’t hesitate to tell it like it is.
Essential Truths for Teachers isn’t a book about instructional practice. It’s not about classroom management techniques, the best uses of technology, or assessment.
This book is more of a manifesto. It’s about the fundamental beliefs and values that teachers need to own in order to be successful.
It’s a quick and easy read. I have no affiliation and gain nothing from sales of this book, but I highly recommend it.
What follows is just a sample of the essential truths that every teacher in the world needs to hear (in bold), with my reflections in plain text below each quote.
17 Quotes from Essential Truths for Teachers
1. The positive energy of the teacher is the single most important factor in determining the climate of the classroom. When teachers realize their own attitude affects the motivation of their students, it can be a game changer.
At some point in my own teacher journey, I realized the intense power of this idea.
On most days, positive energy is a choice. It boils down to deciding to be positive.
Try pretending three things — and I do say pretend, because one, two, or three of these may not be true for every single day of your teaching practice: 1) you are thrilled to be in that particular classroom, 2) you absolutely love the students you’re working with, and 3) you find the content incredibly fascinating and enjoyable.
Once students believe that one, two, or three of those things are true, you’ve got them. And if you weren’t having fun before, you’ll start to then.
2. They may not remember what their teachers taught them, but they will always remember if their teachers enjoyed teaching them. They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
It’s so true. Name one of my teachers, and I can probably give you at least a vague impression of whether or not they enjoyed being in the classroom each day. I can also give you a sense of what they thought of me as a student.
Think about that. Our students crave our approval, our smiles, our engagement. This stuff matters.
3. Some students need us to be their cheerleader more than they need us to be their instructor. Students are not motivated by lessons; they are motivated by teachers.
I have a teaching friend who finds it hard to get passionate about curricular standards, instructional practices, or progressive assessment. He’ll never voluntarily read a book about pedagogical theory.
What he is passionate about is kids, and wow — do they love him for it. His following is cult-like. And at some point in the journey I realized that some kids — many kids — need exactly that kind of teacher.
They may not get the absolute best instruction in English, Math, or Science. But how much does that really matter in the end?
Those kids will know that they are deeply loved. They’ll have fun. They’ll laugh. They’ll feel safe. They’ll enjoy the feeling of someone believing in them and trusting them enough to allow them to take risks.
When you zoom out for a moment and think about school as a vehicle of formation for life, you realize this teacher may be the very best outcome possible for a child.
4. The best learning happens when students are pursuing answers to their own questions. Schools can compel the attendance of students, but teachers must understand that the learning is always voluntary.
I appreciated this nod to inquiry-based learning. Make it student-centered and you’ll activate new powers in students.
However it happens, we need to give students opportunities to answer their own questions.
For some, that’s the point of ignition.
5. Do not have rules you are not going to continually and consistently enforce. Do not threaten to call parents. Call parents.
The idea that we can coerce students into good behavior through threats is an enticing one for new teachers. As the misbehavior increases, the threats get bigger.
Bad idea. Teachers end up making threats that they don’t actually want to deliver on — they’re just hoping the threat is scary enough to produce the desired behavior.
So what happens when the student commits said misbehavior? Now it’s all eyes on the teacher to see whether they will follow through on the threat or let their credibility take a blow. Unfortunately, the threat in question was often poorly thought through and damages the teacher-student relationship without properly addressing the root issue.
I’ll be blunt: I don’t make threats anymore. Not at all. Never. Nada.
Instead, I keep things vague. Any predictions or warnings I make are couched in “I may” or “I might.”
Best of all, I don’t promise anything specific. I borrow from the Love & Logic philosophy to make vague pronouncements like “If someone is bothering someone else, I may need to do something.”
Don’t make threats, and you’ll keep the cards you want to have when trouble shows up.
6. Do not leave compliments left unsaid. When we are proud of our students, we should tell them. When they are making progress, we should encourage them. They will remember our kind words longer than they will remember our lesson. We are not just offering our students an education; we are offering them hope.
Carol Dweck taught us to compliment behavior and effort, not ability and intelligence. Build a growth mindset — not a fixed mindset that becomes so intoxicated by “you’re smart” that it’s unable to risk that identity by stepping into discomfort or uncertainty.
Fine. But I think it’s fair to compliment representations of learning, as well. One way that I try to do this is by whipping out my phone and adding student work to my Instagram stories, ooohing and aaahing all the while. I make it a big deal.
We see amazing work every day. Let’s not hesitate to let our learners know when we’re blown away.
7. When a student is misbehaving, the teacher needs to make sure the student is the only one misbehaving.
I’ll never forget my high school science teacher. Nice guy. The only trouble for him was that he had a very short fuse.
Get under his skin, and things would start to unravel. He would raise his voice. His skin would start changing colors. He would throw chalk at students. He would smash his speaking podium on the floor.
All of this was highly entertaining for his 16-year-old learners. For one of my classmates in particular, it became a bit of a daily ritual to try to get this teacher to lose his mind.
What’s the takeaway? Just that angry teacher behavior never, ever yields positive results.
We’re the professionals, colleagues. Modeling self-control and respect no matter the circumstances is what we do. It may be the most important trait of an effective teacher.
8. Technology has replaced a lot of things in the classroom. It will never replace a smiling teacher greeting kids as they walk into class. A genuine greeting at the door can set the tone for the class, it can put the student in a positive frame of mind, and can even change the trajectory of a student’s bad day.
Listen, teachers. I get it. We’re busy. We’re behind. We just came back from the restroom, or we came from the other side of campus. We’ve got to rush around to set up a few things to prepare before the bell.
We can’t always greet students at the door as they come into our class, and I would never lay that burden on teachers.
But let’s do it when we can. It’s such a difference-maker.
9. Kind, caring, intelligent, interested in you, challenging, energetic. All of these things are powerful and important. But one thing seems to regularly arise: That is that the best teacher they ever had was fun.
We can be highly competent. We can nail the curricular standards. We can follow the best instructional practices, use the best technology, and adhere to the strongest assessment methods. But if our kids are never having fun, we’re missing the mark.
This hasn’t always come easily for me. I mean, I love to have fun and laugh with kids. I think I’m pretty good at both.
But at times, I’ve had to give myself permission to set the script aside for the class or the afternoon or the day. I’ve had to risk some chaos in the classroom in order to allow the laughs, interest, and emotional capital that I knew we would need to succeed in this unit of study.
The authors are right. When kids are asked for their favorite teachers, time and again they point to the ones who were fun. Think about that.
10. Having a sense of humor is helpful in life, but it is essential in the classroom.
Sometimes this means laughing at my own jokes. Sometimes it means laughing at my own mistakes. Often, it means laughing at student humor, despite our better principles.
Let laughter be heard in your classroom. Laughter = life.
11. We begin to encourage innovation when we teach students to recognize that failure presents new opportunities to learn. We encourage it when we validate the effort, not just the result — when we value the process, not just the product.
Did a student take a risk and try something daring? Shout that out, and let everyone know why you’re making a big deal.
Walking around and pointing out evident successes is fine. Students need examples to aim for and be inspired by.
But let’s praise the process, too.
“Oh cool, I see what you’re trying to do there!”
That’s an innovation-builder.
12. When a great teacher is in a bad mood, only one person knows. When a bad teacher is in a bad mood, the entire school knows.
I’ve taught middle schoolers while working through a divorce process. I’ve taught them after surviving a house fire and finding myself temporarily homeless. And of course I’ve taught while feeling stressed, underslept, or ill — just as you have.
Whoever said teachers just need to be 100% authentic with their students didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. We are professional actors. Pretending to be balanced and measured and happy and excited and friendly is an important part of the job.
Sure, we’re going to have our days when it’s just too hard to fake it. Our students notice we’re off and it may be appropriate to give them some insight on where we’re at.
But learning to function well even when we’re stretched, stressed, or hurt is a sign of emotional maturity. It’s a tough demand on any human being, but for teachers, it’s a skill that must be mastered.
13. The best teachers have three things in common: They are all about the students; they always bring positive energy into the classroom; and they are relentless about getting better. These are qualities that endure.
What a great list.
Relentless about getting better. I especially like that phrase.
It doesn’t mean we’re always getting better. Growth is not linear. We all have our ups and downs.
But we remain curious. And hungry. And committed.
That’s a teacher on fire.
14. Good teachers are relentless in encouraging their students. They give out compliments on a regular basis. They avoid sarcasm. They control their own negative emotions.
Our tongues have great power — power to build up, and power to tear down. Our words have incredible impact.
Our students are always listening and watching, which means they’re taking mental notes on the ways we talk about others. Most of us know better than to speak ill of administrators, staff members, or students in the building — those are no-brainers.
But even the ways that we ridicule celebrities, professional athletes, or politicians can make an impression on a child. It’s funny to speak of others this way can be the unintended takeaway.
Next thing we know, we’re pouring fuel on the savage trolling culture that has become common online and in public discourse.
Let’s make it our mission to always always always speak life, and when we must criticize public figures to do so in respectful, dignified ways.
15. Innovation thrives in schools where teachers are free to fail.
Do you have the freedom to try unfamiliar things as a teacher? Do you feel safe enough with your administrators to take risks in the classroom or attempt new initiatives? Do you have the room to establish new traditions?
I hope you do.
Feeling safe, respected, and trusted as a professional is so important to teachers that it can keep them in their schools even when compensation and other environmental advantages aren’t what they should be.
Our students need the freedom and autonomy to try new things, too. If we want innovation to thrive in our learning communities, we need to create the freedom to fail.
16. Optimism is contagious. So is pessimism. Which one do we want to permeate the school?
What if the climate of your school building is the net total of all the optimism and pessimism of its staff members put together?
I think we need to operate on that assumption.
17. You are leaving a legacy that transcends grades and test scores. Your impact on kids will be felt in the little moments — the handshakes, the high-fives, the hugs, and the quiet conversations. Do not forfeit any of those moments; your kids will remember them.
Whenever I have escapist moments in education — and let’s face it, we all have moments when we dream of quiet, predictable, 9 to 5 jobs — I remind myself of this fact.
I get to say hi and smile at children every freaking day. I get to engage with them. I get to ask them questions. I get to encourage them, congratulate them, surprise them, and make them feel special.
I won’t be a teacher forever. But as long as I am, I’m going to treasure these moments.
Note: In a couple of cases above, I have rolled two quotes together even though they appeared in different places in the book.
Teachers on Fire 