Many educators think so.

It is with overwhelming gratitude that I would like to thank God. Without Him I would not have one thought inside or outside the classroom. When inspiration strikes, I know He has granted me that inspiration. I thank Him for my every success and for giving me opportunities throughout the years to work with the most wonderful principals, staff, and students.

Back in the late 1970s, Heinz wanted to show off the thickness of its ketchup in comparison to other national leading brands. But, still using glass bottles in those days, Heinz knew consumers might see thicker ketchup as having the drawback of taking longer to pour from the bottle. To eliminate this notion, Heinz brilliantly played at the end of its commercials, the chorus “Anticipation is...

The world invests much time in the pursuit of happiness, but scholars never put much stock in it. Instead, pursuing the wonders of the world has been their hobby for centuries. Socrates believed, “Wisdom begins with wonder.” Aristotle said, “It was through the feeling of wonder that men now and at first began to philosophize.” Great philosophers like these and many...

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, defines muse (v.) as “to consider or say thoughtfully.” However, this definition doesn’t encompass the true flavor of the word. True, musing involves serious brainwork, but it also contains more spirit. When we muse, we often consider with humor. We experience a vicarious thrill. The word...

Do these lines from The Four Quartets resonate with you? Did you ever feel the lure to explore a hobby or area of study and receive clarity about something you took for granted? Did you discover something new about the world you live in? How many students get this experience in school? Open the world to your students by sending them on discovery missions. Discovery missions are special...

In a classroom, we have a room full of young people who by nature want to discuss, analyze, share, and probe. All we educators have to do is get them started. In Plutarch’s words: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited.” Once participation gets going, the intellectual pursuit begins, and students astonish themselves with how much they can offer and...

If anything, history has taught us that putting heads together is a productive business. Working closely with her husband Pierre, Marie Curie discovered two new elements, polonium and radium. Together with his brother Orville Wright, Wilbur invented the first successful powered airplane. Two unrelated men, Francis Crick and James Watson, discovered “the blueprint of life,” the...

We’re always problem solving. That’s how we give our gray cells some serious exercise, learn to make the right choices, and figure out what’s best. Like Agatha Christie’s Detective Poirot, we should never cease to probe for explanations. And that’s what we should teach our students. The answers are there waiting for us to dig—just a little deeper. This section...

Human behavior intrigues us all. Discovering what makes people tick, what drives them to do what they do has been the quest of many geniuses such as Erik Erikson, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Abraham Maslow. Human behavior experiments test for the quality of motivations, perceptions, and reactions. Conducting behavior experiments with your class helps them discover behaviors that help and hinder people....

Having tapped into the hearts and minds of at least five thousand students, Elisheva Zeffren knows what makes kids tick. Miss Zeffren has revolutionized schooling by showing educators what works in the contemporary classroom. Enjoying a personal connection with eighteen principals over her career and having tested her teaching strategies in their schools with unbridled success, the author...