Throughout summer, we have been trekking from school to school to school teaching our popular Breakthrough Strategies to Teach and Counsel Troubled Youth Workshop at each school as each team's start-of-the-year inservice. We have been doing this every summer for the past 19 years so we know what to expect from school staff who are returning for another year. But, this year is a bit different. Instead of finding tanned, relaxed, ebullient staff, excited to begin another school year, this year, at many schools, we also are seeing more apprehension and cynicism than is customary for those normally halcyon days prior to students returning.

If teachers face greater challenges than ever before, at a time when they are equipped with less resources than ever before, then it becomes crucial to fully use and mine every second of instruction time. However, the typical teacher loses about 22 minutes of every 50 minutes of instruction time to on-demand behavior management. That is time no contemporary teacher can afford to lose. Here are five of our innovative, one-of-a-kind methods to help you create your most productive school year ever-- even though you may face bigger hurdles than ever before.

1. START WITH A BANG TO BUILD A LASTING BOND

TRY THIS HANDOUT FREE!
Especially if you work with students who are utterly sour and negative about teachers, you must establish a positive, powerful presence from the first second of class. Here's a sampling of a wonderful device that you can make-- or order it from us for $15. It's a humorous manual that shows students how to get their teacher to "work right." The full manual is in our book/ebook called A Student's Guide to the Care and Heeding of Teachers. The full manual is in our Last Chance School Success Guide book or instant ebook (click to view), but you can see and print part of the manual here for free (click). If you want the entire manual, order it here (click) or call toll-free to 1-800-545-5736. We suggest that you attach the little manual to a string and dangle it off your sleeve until one of your students asks about it. You can then tell the class that the item is a manual-- like those that come with a new computer or jacket-- and this one shows you how to make your teacher work properly. Our version is extremely funny, noting, for example, that "this teacher does not include optional mind-reading capabilities and cannot magically determine when you need help." The full manual has a reputation for engaging even the most negative youngster, but you don't have to get ours. You can construct your own version and make it say anything you want.

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Got Problem Students? Schedule Your '08-'09 Inservice Now While Open Days Remain We have the bad behavior-busters, motivation-makers, and attitude adjusters that your staff need Working with difficult kids doesn't have to be so difficult-- if you call us today Call 1-800-545-5736, reply to this email, or click here

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2. ORIENTATION ISN'T ENOUGH-- TEACH SKILLS INSTEAD

Organizations function best when each player has been trained and oriented to understand and meet standards. Note that stating the expectations is seldom sufficient to gain compliance. For example, students who have not been taught adult interaction skills by their parents, may lack the skills to interact properly with their teacher, principal, bus driver, etc. Stating the expectations may do little to teach what words to use, what words to not use, what voice tone, what voice level, how often to be non-compliant, and so on. You can expect whatever you want from students, but if you fail to teach it, it may be an unfair expectation, a lot like expecting students to have reading or math skills without having first taught those skills.

Students will not only lack adult interaction skills, but will need nuts-and-bolts skill training to develop and use appropriate skills for peer interaction, compliance, verbiage, punctuality, attendance, attitude, focusing, and so on. Unless you teach ALL the skills you expect, it's likely that you will continue to lose 22 minutes of each 50 minute period of instruction. By teaching these skills, you can get back all or most of that otherwise lost instruction time.

3. SURVEY YOUR CONSUMERS

People-- both young and old-- absolutely love to have a say in how things are run. Don't you? Want to grab your students' attention from the very start? Want them to view you and the class positively? Want them to feel hopeful and optimistic about what your class will cover this school year? Here is a quick, almost no-fail method: Survey your "consumers" and give them a voice. Include fill-in-the-blank questions like "The one thing I don't like about math is..." and "The one thing I wish teachers would do differently is...." Have young students or non-readers? Read the questions to your students, then have them simply circle happy and sad face icons in place of words to communicate their answers.

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Get Everything You Need to Know to Manage Unmanageable Kids FREE WITH ANY PURCHASE OVER $50 Book regularly $15. Must note "Subscriber Book Free with $50 Purchase" when first order, not later. eBooks are excluded. Can't combine with other offers. Must spend $50 before tax, shipping. Not valid at workshop. No exceptions. Expires 8-30-08.

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4. ATTEND TO THIS FIRST

The time to teach attendance and punctuality is Day 1, Week 1. The minute they arrive is the time to ensure that students keep on arriving. Don't rely on families to teach this. As discussed above, it is not sufficient to orient students by reminding them of the times that they are to arrive. You must teach them EVERYTHING they need to know to meet the expectation. Be sure to include how to wake up, wash up, eat up, dress up, and leave for school. If you expect specific attendance skills, you need to teach those skills first, then expect the skills second.

5. MOTIVATE THE MOTIONLESS

When you were in college, did they offer you course after course on motivating students? Probably not. Could you have used courses like that? Absolutely. Luckily, we have maximum- strength motivation-makers that shock students into realizing that they can't even make it through the morning without education. We cover it all, and so should you! Be sure to cover all the excuses that you hear including, "I'll never need school because...I'll marry a wealthy man...go on welfare... be a rock star...be a sports star...win the lottery...my family will take care of me...the tribe will take care of me..." The fastest way to see our newest, knock-your-socks-off, over-the-top motivators is to look at our posters (click). You don't have to buy anything to use the interventions pictured. For example, you can immediately use the words on Poster 128 (shown above), or quickly make a version for yourself. Click here to view one of our best motivators, Poster 128.

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prevent dropping out      motivation      dropout prevention      apathy      methods to motivate students      build interest and enthusiasm for school      motivational interventions      strategies to build motivation for school      back to school     students coming back to school successfully     classroom management steps to better discipline     no yelling classroom management

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