Marjan Glavac's Blog
October 27, 2019
Ghosts of Guatemala Sneak Peek
And now for something completely different! My son Collin and I have been collaborating on a spy thriller for the past year. I am thrilled to show my colleagues here the front and back covers.
To watch the book trailer, newsletter signup, and more information, please go to www.collinglavac.com
August 13, 2019
Become An Effective Teacher
Brett Philip Youd
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent advice for all teachers
August 7, 2019
This text is jam packed with excellent ideas for all teachers but in particular middle grade teachers.
Solid pedagogical advice. Although it is written from a constructivist stance on it is not too far down that track. The classroom management section is in particular very helpful for beginning teachers.
It is very easy to read and understand. It is the sort of text you will return to time and again.
And a great big thank you to May Chiha for this shout out on Linked In and for my latest book:
‘Become an Effective Teacher in Minutes’ I highly recommend reading it. It provides new teachers with methods and strategies to implement in their classrooms and motivates them to manage time and to be flexible in the teaching learning process nevertheless it is beneficial to the old teachers as they can recall what they might have forgotten in their teaching career.
The book is rich and valuable. It took me back to my first years of teaching. Thank you Adam and Marjan.
For more information, click here for Amazon:
http://bit.ly/HowtoSucceedasanElementaryTeacher
For more information, click here for your favorite digital bookstore:
June 27, 2019
Sneak Peek
SNEAK PEEK
Here’s a sneak peek of the front and back cover of my latest book. Soon on Amazon.
Thank you for all the support.
Marjan
P.S. Spaces are still available for book reviewers.
It’s pretty cool, actually. You sign up to be added to my Book Launch Facebook group. You agree to provide an honest Amazon (or other book site) review of the book.
That’s it. It’s a tried and true reading process in the publishing world. It’s very simple, and pretty neat.
You get a free book (and downloadable resources). I get honest feedback.
If you are interested in writing an honest review for my books, sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1028627560668519/
Or send an email for more information: marjan@glavac.com
May 21, 2019
Teaching Is…Moments that inspire and Motivate Teachers to Make a Difference
Teaching Is…: Moments that inspire and Motivate Teachers to Make a Difference is a book that gives new meaning to the concept of the “teachable moment”.
This collection of personal and inspirational affirmations are guaranteed to connect with anyone who has dedicated their lives to students in a classroom.
For every educator who has felt frustrated, unappreciated, and overwhelmed, Teaching Is… reinforces the power of teachers to inspire, motivate, and make a difference.
Teaching Is… is filled with inspirational moments that will help to motivate young teachers, while re-energizing veteran teachers who make a positive impact year after year. This book maintains and boosts morale, and gives a simple, way of showing how much you appreciate the work that teachers do each and every day. This book is an easy way to bring a little inspiration into the classroom, when teachers need it most.
For administrators, teachers and parents, Teaching Is… is a simple, yet meaningful way to connect with and motivate teachers. It also makes a touching gift for retiring teachers.
This book is for every educator at any stage of their career. For parents and students who wish to acknowledge and thank the dedicated teachers who have made an impact with their caring guidance, Teaching Is… is the perfect and lasting gift. Read. Enjoy. And share it with those who have made a difference in your life.
It’s the perfect year end gift for teachers.
Available on Amazon. Click here for more information: https://amzn.to/2Xpyluj
May 5, 2019
Teaching Is…Moments that inspire and Motivate Teachers to Make a Difference
New Reviews for Teaching Is…: Moments that inspire and Motivate Teachers to Make a Difference are now in:
Available on Amazon. Click here for more information: https://amzn.to/2Xpyluj
Cal
5.0 out of 5 stars This will make you smile!
I have been a teacher for over 20 years. I love my job – yet there are still times it can seem like hard work. This is the book for those moments. A book to make you smile on that tough day. A book to give you an ah – that’s why I do this job moment. A book to buy and keep to hand.
Karen
5.0 out of 5 stars You really need to get this book and keep it handy!
June 8, 2019
Format: Paperback
He has done it again! Marjan Glavac has written an, “Oh my! I NEEDED that today!” book.
Do you need something to touch your soul, make you laugh, remind you of all the whys that got you in to teaching? Do you have a colleague who could use a bit of compassion? With unique pictures and messages, each page of Teaching Is… can stand on its own. Don’t be surprised if you earmark your favorite pages. I plan to use the various pages of the book before and after our professional learning sessions as a way to monitor how teachers are doing and to help plan future learning opportunities.
senorads
5.0 out of 5 stars Motivational and Wonderful!
June 4, 2019
Format: Paperback
What a wonderful book to read whether you are a Master Teacher or a New Teacher! The teachable moments in this book are worth learning from! They will touch your heart and remind you of so many students you have met along the way. It also can inspire you to look forward to the adventures we endure during our teaching careers! Glavac touched my heart with this book and brought back such sweet and funny memories for me! I highly recommend this book for all educators!
rekomo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great teacher gift
June 6, 2019
Format: Paperback
This is a book that will be enjoyed by any educator. The sentiments expressed really touch the many aspects of teaching we all experience. It would also make a great gift for a new teacher…humerous enough to take the edge off of the toughest aspects of teaching, but presenting a realistic view of the world of a teacher.
***
Teaching Is…: Moments that inspire and Motivate Teachers to Make a Difference is a book that gives new meaning to the concept of the “teachable moment”.
This collection of personal and inspirational affirmations are guaranteed to connect with anyone who has dedicated their lives to students in a classroom.
For every educator who has felt frustrated, unappreciated, and overwhelmed, Teaching Is… reinforces the power of teachers to inspire, motivate, and make a difference.
This small book with a big message goes beyond the curriculum, celebrating what true education is all about. Teaching Is… Moments That Inspire and Motivate Teachers to Make a Difference, was a five-year labor of love for me. I capture and offer up the indelible magic moments that teachers experience day in and day out. It seeks to break through the walls of mis-understanding, misguided criticisms, concerns of high pay, teacher performance, accountability, and untold working hours.
Here is a book that lays bare the heart and souls of teachers in their own words, as they describe those defining moments that capture the essence of the reason why they choose and stay in this honored profession.
Teaching Is… is filled with short parables from my own experience. With words and pictures the book highlights the power of teachers to inspire, motivate, and make a difference. Here are some samples:
After telling the class that you grew up without a microwave, a student asks “How did you reheat your food?”(You’re tempted to say, “Over the fire!”)
Getting a hug from the toughest student in your class on the last dy of school…when no one else is looking.
Telling an elementary student that one day she will become an Olympic athlete…and she does as a member of 2 Olympic teams.
Seeing students leaning forward in their seats, listening to your every word, following your each and every instruction, staring at you intently, mouths and eyes wide open…the AHA moment…something every teacher strives for.
Here is a very special, singularly unique, and beautiful way to learn, appreciate and understand the dedication of teachers and why they devote their lives to making a difference to the lives of the children they touch.
New teachers will be reassured by the personal wisdom of an experienced educator who has walked the path before them; veteran teachers will feel refreshed and invigorated by the unbounded optimism and truthful insight.
This book is for every educator at any stage of their career. For parents and students who wish to acknowledge and thank the dedicated teachers who have made an impact with their caring guidance, Teaching Is… is the perfect and lasting gift. Read. Enjoy. And share it with those who have made a difference in your life.
Perfect for the end of the school year, or just because you want to thank a teacher.
Available on Amazon. Click here for more information: https://amzn.to/2Xpyluj
April 10, 2019
Classroom Management End All Excuses With This Simple Tip
Classroom Management End All Excuses With This Simple Tip
How do you end all excuses? It’s very simple – don’t accept any of them!
Let me explain. There is method to my madness.
In my early years of teaching, when a student forgot to bring in their planner, permission form, or didn’t do their homework, I listened to their excuses. Some of their excuses were accompanied by a parent note. And some excuses were more elaborate than others.
Over the years, I realized that I was training my students to become great excuse makers. They weren’t learning how to take responsibility for their actions.
I changed all that by not accepting their excuses.
This is what I did:
I met my students at the classroom door.
If a student didn’t have his or her planner, I simply and calmly asked them “How do you plan to make sure it’s here tomorrow?”
This question catches students off guard. They’ve been working on using their excuse with you because they think they’re going to get into trouble with you. (Instead, here’s an opportunity to teach and develop problem solving with the students. If I see a pattern in the number of students not having their planners complete, we discuss as a class some solutions to the problem. Doing so may simply be a matter of putting the planner on the kitchen table every night before going to bed. Or asking a parent to sign it first thing in the morning. Your class will come up with many other innovative solutions).
I used this strategy for other situations. One student forgot his lunch. I asked him what he planned to do about it. He said that he was going to call his mother to bring his lunch for him.
Instead, I asked if there was another solution. He looked at me and said no. He always called his mother to bail him out. That was his one tried and true solution to most of his problems.
I asked the class to help and brainstorm ideas.
One student said they had an apple they could give him. Another student had half a sandwich to share. Another one had a cookie.
The exercise helped to make the student more responsible for his actions. It was also a class building exercise. The student felt safe and secure asking help from fellow students. And the class felt great for helping out a student in need.
It’s just a little step in showing students how to be responsible and caring future citizens.
An extension of this strategy can be used to encourage reluctant students to participate in class. You want students to experience success, and then build on those successes. When I had students who didn’t want to give an answer in class or write an answer on the board, I told them that they could bring a friend up to the front with them, or “call” a friend for help in the class. Sometimes, I would whisper the answer to them before class started to encourage them to participate. It went like this:
“Rob, when I ask you a question this morning in class, the answer is 186. OK?”
And that’s how you get a student from “I ain’t doing that…” to “Mr. Glavac, Mr. Glavac, look what I did…!”
It’s baby steps, trust, matching task to ability, praise and reinforcement.
Until next time,
Talk to each other, support each other, take care of each other.
Marjan
*** How To Make A Difference: Inspiring Students To Do Their Best is a 222 page resource with ideas and strategies on how to overcome obstacles, how to motivate your class and how to get yourself motivated when nothing seems to help.
It also comes with a bonus workbook of 100 pages of activities, strategies and incentives to keep you and your class engaged all year long AND a 2.5 hour on-demand video.
April 1, 2019
Classroom Management A Life Lesson I Learned to Avoid Put-Downs in My Class
Classroom Management A Life Lesson I Learned to Avoid Put-Downs in My Class
In this video, I’m going to tell you the single event in my life that helped me avoid put downs in my class.
I’m not talking about student put downs. That’s a whole different subject for another video. I’m talking about teacher put downs.
Yep, you heard that right. Teachers who for whatever reason insult, humiliate or criticize their class too harshly.
It shouldn’t happen. It’s unprofessional. It’s not what we do.
But it does happen. We’re all human and we do make mistakes.
The silver lining to mistakes, is that you can learn a lot from them. And I learned a lot from a mistake made by one of my teachers.
I’m going to date myself, but in 1966 when I was in the sixth grade, we had a French teacher who taught French to the entire school. It was only our second year taking French. And, it wasn’t a popular subject, especially to guys in the class. But, all in all it wasn’t a bad class. We were learning French, all be it slowly, but we were learning, until one day when all learning stopped.
A younger sister of one of our classmates told us what our French teacher said to their class one day.
She compared our class with theirs and told the class how slow we were learning French.
It did not go down well in our class.
We all agreed not to answer any questions she asked.
The next day when she entered our class and asked basic questions, only one hand went up to answer. That hand quickly came down when the entire class stared at the student and shook our heads.
This went on until the teacher knew she couldn’t teach the lesson.
I give the teacher a lot of credit for taking the time to listen to us and apologize. This was after all, a time when teachers strapping students was not uncommon for far less offensives in the classroom.
So you can imagine what kids can do today with social media, smart phones and a public that isn’t as supportive of teachers as they were in the 1950s and 60s.
16 years later, I became a French teacher. And I did have many classes that were better than others. But I still remembered what a class of students did in 1966 to an unsuspecting teacher. And that single event in my life helped me avoid put downs in my class.
Until next time,
Talk to each other, support each other, take care of each other.
Marjan
***
How To Make A Difference: Inspiring Students To Do Their Best is a 222 page resource with ideas and strategies on how to overcome obstacles, how to motivate your class and how to get yourself motivated when nothing seems to help.
It also comes with a bonus workbook of 100 pages of activities, strategies and incentives to keep you and your class engaged all year long AND a 2.5 hour on-demand video.
December 6, 2018
Classroom Management – A Heartfelt Talk To My Class When They Didn’t Meet My Expectations
Classroom Management – A Heartfelt Talk To My Class When They Didn’t Meet My Expectations
In my 25th year of teaching, I was a teacher of a split 5th/6th year class. It was a challenging school and a challenging class.
Three months into the new school year, I gave my students an end of the term math test.
There were 28 students in the class of mixed abilities.
I spent a number of lessons reviewing what concepts to teach.
I also showed students what concepts and questions to study.
I knew they were ready for the test.
The next day, I handed out the test and took it home for marking.
None of them passed the math test.
I was sure one of my students was going to get perfect.
It came as a shock that not a single student passed.
The class did not meet my expectations at all.
Here’s what I told my students the next day.
“First of all, let me say that I like all of you very much. I believe in you, I know you can handle it, I accept all of you. I want you in this classroom.
On the very first day of school, I made a promise to each and every one of you – that this would be your best year ever.
In order to keep that promise, I need something from you – I need you to do your best, to follow the rules of the classroom, to respect yourself and each other, to be responsible for your actions, to co-operate, to be a team.
I have always believed that students should know where they are, where they’re going and how to get there.
I’m not going to hold anything back – you all failed your math test.
It’s feedback you may not want to hear, but one of the main reasons you all failed is because your behavior is impacting on your academic work.
And that’s where I come in. It’s my job to help you be your best.
One of the first things I’m going to do is to phone all your parents. They need to know.
We’re also going to re-do the test. I will show you how to answer the questions.
You all need to start taking your math home every night and reading out loud the questions, reviewing what we did in class and giving me feedback the next day on anything you don’t understand.
You need to start talking to each other by phone, by text, through social media to help each other, to support each other.
It was through education that I got out of poverty, my brother got out of poverty, my sister got out of poverty.
That’s one of my most important values—the importance of getting an education.
And that’s why education is free for everyone from pre Kindergarten to the 12th grade.
We had a bad day, but tomorrow is a new day.
I want you to do your best.
Your parents want you to do your best.
All of your teachers want you to do your best.
Now, we need you to do your best.
Until next time,
Talk to each other, support each other, take care of each other.
Marjan
***
How To Make A Difference: Inspiring Students To Do Their Best is a 222 page resource with ideas and strategies on how to overcome obstacles, how to motivate your class and how to get yourself motivated when nothing seems to help.
It also comes with a bonus workbook of 100 pages of activities, strategies and incentives to keep you and your class engaged all year long AND a 2.5 hour on-demand video (Total Value Over $150).
November 3, 2018
Classroom Management Why I Let A Student Sleep During My Class
I was a young pup—still very new to teaching. In my 4th year, I was teaching French in a middle school to 200 seventh graders.
That’s when I met Billy. Billy was a student in my first period class.
Billy would fall asleep during my class. It wasn’t often, but often enough for students to notice, snicker and make comments to me about Billy.
I really didn’t know what to do so I sought out the advice of the most senior teacher on staff.
Mrs. M, was a strict no-nonsense teacher. Highly feared by students, highly respected by fellow staff members. She was tough. Not only with students, but with staff members, especially new ones, like me. When she retired, she had worked 33 out of 35 years in the same room.
I summoned up the courage to ask her what to do with my sleeping student-Billy.
She said, “Don’t do anything. Just let him sleep.”
I couldn’t believe I was hearing this advice. She reasoned that if you wake him up, he’s going to disrupt your class even more than his sleeping. She also advised I talk to him and ask him why he was so tired.
It was good advice.
I found out from Billy that the reason why he was sleeping in my class was because he had a worm picking business. (The village I taught in was located in a lake and cottage district with many tourists visiting to fish.)
I couldn’t believe that this seventh grader, only 11 years old, had his own business.
But Billy was well versed in the worm business. He told me that he couldn’t sell worms to me because he was a wholesaler, not a retailer. He also knew that he had to obtain permission from landowners, especially golf course owners to pick worms. More surprisingly, he hired a number of immigrants to pick worms for him and had a payment schedule for them.
I was very impressed.
Needless to say, the few times that Billy slept in my class, I let him sleep.
Until next time,
Talk to each other, support each other, take care of each other.
Marjan
***
How To Make A Difference: Inspiring Students To Do Their Best is a 222 page resource with ideas and strategies on how to overcome obstacles, how to motivate your class and how to get yourself motivated when nothing seems to help.
It also comes with a bonus workbook of 100 pages of activities, strategies and incentives to keep you and your class engaged all year long AND a 2.5 hour on-demand video.
October 30, 2018
Halloween It’s More Than Just Candy And Costumes
Halloween was my favorite time of year when I was growing up.
I really enjoyed it when I was teaching but for a number of other reasons.
Halloween gave me the chance to teach students about the incredible history and North American roots of Halloween.
More important, Halloween gave me a chance to teach democracy and mathematics authentically.
Every year, our school would have a Jack o Lantern carving contest. Each class needed to submit their Jack o Lantern for judging.
Since I taught Civics, this gave me a great opportunity to teach the voting process.
All my students got together in their groups and collaborated on a Jack o Lantern design.
I collected all these designs and posted them on the board.
Students were then allowed to mingle in the classroom to lobby and persuade other students to vote on their design.
The voting then took place by secret ballot.
The winning design needed 50 per cent plus one vote to win. If no one won on the first ballot, I eliminated the last placed design.
I let students lobby other students again to vote on their design, and then had them vote again.
I did this until a design that got 50 per cent plus one votes won.
Students learned a lot about the voting process. Some of them found it hard to vote against a friend’s design, even if it wasn’t the best. Some of them were hurt and disappointed that their designs didn’t win. They practiced how to argue persuasively (a skill which they were taught earlier) and how democracy can be very emotional.
I really enjoyed teaching this lesson.
I always gave homework to students on Halloween night. Many of them groaned, until I explained the assignment.
I told them that since they were going to check out their candy after they collect it, I wanted them to practice their data management skills by counting and sorting all of it. Then, I wanted them to graph it using one of the graphs that we studied in math class i.e. bar, pie chart.
The next day, we would discuss the different categories that students used, the amount of candy they received, the most and least they received in each category, most favorite and least favorite candy. We then combined all the results into one graph. I also pulled out past class graphs and we compared and analyzed results.
It’s an authentic math lesson at its best.
Halloween is a great time to tie in your curriculum with students’ interests and have some fun yourself.
Until next time,
Talk to each other, support each other, take care of each other.
Marjan
***
How To Make A Difference: Inspiring Students To Do Their Best is a 222 page resource with ideas and strategies on how to overcome obstacles, how to motivate your class and how to get yourself motivated when nothing seems to help.
It also comes with a bonus workbook of 100 pages of activities, strategies and incentives to keep you and your class engaged all year long AND a 2.5 hour on-demand video.
