Here is an inspirational quote for teachers by Marilyn Appelbaum. Marilyn is a respected therapist, consultant for schools, and former director of educational centers and private schools. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and Master’s degrees in Psychology and Education. In addition, she has served as the Executive Director of the National Center for Child Care Professionals and the National Center for Montessori Education.
Marilyn has published several books aimed at helping teachers and parents work more effectively with kids. Among her books are How to Handle Hard to Handle Students, How to Handle Hard to Handle Parents, and How to Talk to Kids So They Listen.
You can learn more about Marilyn Appelbaum at her website, ATI Seminars.
Many successful classroom teachers go on to become excellent motivational speakers and/or superb trainers of neophyte teachers. Dr. Danny Brassell, a former elementary school teacher, does both!
Teacher and motivational speaker Dr. Danny Brassell
Danny was born into a middle-class family in upstate New York. While he was growing up, his family moved frequently, but his parents always emphasized the importance of education. Danny was ingrained with a strong work ethic, and even at a young age he was a hard worker. He took many jobs as a youngster, including newspaper delivery, babysitting, sandwich making, and busing tables. As a young man, he worked as an attendant at a health club, a paralegal, an assistant to a US Congressman, an archivist at a homeless shelter, and a freelance journalist. In addition to being well-traveled within the United States, Danny has also traveled to over 50 countries worldwide.
Danny graduated from Durango High School in Durango, La Plata County, Colorado. He earned Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Print Journalism from American University in 1994. In 1996, he completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Multicultural Education from California State University. In 2001, Danny earned his PH.D. in Education from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Danny inaugurated his career as a classroom teacher at an inner-city elementary students in Compton, California. In 1996, he began teaching at California State University. A tenured professor in the Teacher Education Department, he works with beginning teachers and administrators. He has taught courses in educational theory, reading, second language acquisition, and multiculturalism. Danny helped coordinate alternative teaching credential programs that served over 4,000 teachers in 150 schools throughout 14 school districts. In addition, Danny taught international students English as a Second Language at the American Language Institute at the University of Southern California. He is the founding director of a Master’d degree program offered by Loyola Marymount University’s, in partnership with Teach for America.
You can find out more about this amazing chalkboard champion at his website, dannybrassell.com. You can also view the short excerpt of one of his motivational speeches from March 6, 2017. Simply click below.
Arizona teachers go on #RedforEd strike to demand pay raises and increased funding for public schools. Photo by NPR
Perhaps you have seen news reports about the teachers #RedforEd strike that is currently taking place in the state of Arizona.The Arizona teachers join their colleagues in Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia who in recent months have conducted similar strikes to focus attention for their demands for increased support for public education. In Arizona’s case, 50,000 teachers and their supporters clad in blazing #RedforEd T-shirts marched on the state capital in Phoenix last Thursday in 98 degree heat to make their point. The action forced the closure of over 1,000 schools statewide.
The teachers and their supporters are demanding higher pay and more funding for Arizona’s public schools. According to National Public Radio (NPR), federal statistics show that Arizona teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. They say that average teacher salaries last year were actually $8,000-$9,000 below salaries in 1990, when adjusted for inflation. (See NPR article at Arizona Teachers Strike).
In other states, #RedforEd strikes like the Arizona job action have yielded positive results. Teachers in Kentucky scored a victory when their state legislature increased money allocated for schools and overturned unpopular changes to the teachers’ pension system. Striking Oklahoma educators won a pay increase of about $6,100 and additional funding for their schools. The West Virginia teachers ended their strike in March when that state’s legislature signed a 5% pay raise into law.
I fervently hope that a solution that is fair for teachers and students will be found soon in Arizona, and in other states where declining financial support for schools and teachers has become a boiling point. I agree with Ira singer, author of What’s the Real Point of a Nation at Risk? He once commented, “The public schools are America’s children and require the continuing encouragement, nurture, and support of America’s people.”
There are days when dedicated teachers just need a reminder of why we work so hard for our students. Here is a dose of inspiration to help you start your day, supplied by YouTube. It will only take one minute and six seconds, but hopefully it will give you the energy to complete your work today. Enjoy!
Here is an inspirational quote for teachers by Marilyn Appelbaum. Marilyn is a respected therapist, consultant for schools, and former director of educational centers and private schools. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and Master’s degrees in Psychology and Education. In addition, she has served as the Executive Director of the National Center for Child Care Professionals and the National Center for Montessori Education.
