It is no secret that I have some strong opinions on using awards and rewards to “motivate” our students to be better behaved and achieve more in schools. Instead of using carrots and sticks to bribe and punish students, we… Continue Reading
Kids need movement. We all need movement. Recess is a need. PE is a need. Energy breaks are necessary. If I am in a longer session and I need to move, I get up and take a break. I bounce… Continue Reading
The first 9 months of raising twin girls has been some of the most challenging and rewarding moments of my life. During these months, my wife and I have been such learners as we try to figure out what works… Continue Reading
As a follow-up to my recent post “My Issue With Rewards”, I wanted to highlight the thoughts of two parents from my PLN on the topic of rewards. These individuals have caused me to reflect further upon the use of… Continue Reading
A few years ago, as a new principal, I made a decision to recognize the children for “making a difference” at our school. The idea was that at our monthly assembly, all staff members would have an opportunity to publicly… Continue Reading
As educators, we are often faced with an opportunity to take the easy road or the hard road. The easy road often works for us as parents, teachers, administrators but it rarely works for kids. The difficult road may be… Continue Reading
As we approach May, and now that I have 2 daughters, it is time to continue a long standing Wejr Family tradition – the “Weejies” – The Wejr Family Awards. Growing up, I was an A student and a decent… Continue Reading
I am pleased to have Brian Barry (@nunavut_teacher) as a guest blogger. Brian is a Grade 9 Math/Science teacher from Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada who is passionate about education technology and human motivation. His thoughts on motivation, including rewards and punishment,… Continue Reading
“We don’t know who we can be until we know what we can do.” – Sir Ken Robinson (This was originally guest-posted as an “A-Ha Moment” on Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension. With all the talk about how we changed… Continue Reading
In a recent article in the Vancouver Province, it described an initiative started by a community to pay their children for getting good grades. After reading this, my heart began to race and I was floored. How could an entire… Continue Reading