The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck--101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers (Touchstone Book)

“Rife with heart-warming anecdotes and inspiring ideas . . . Educators and parents will find much to emulate in this passionate, motivating tool book.” —Publishers Weekly “Inspirational, easy-to-follow insights on how to grow smarter, healthier children and communities . . . this timely resource can make school a motivational and fun community.” —Kirkus Reviews Practical, innovative, and powerful methods to enliven classrooms and ignite a passion for learning in each and every child. It is time to “GET ON THE DESK” and make every school in America the absolute best it can be. I often say I am a schoolteacher with the heart of a parent. I’ve made it my mission to make a difference in the lives of all of our children. I have traveled throughout our country, visiting schools in all 50 states, seeking out remarkable teachers who inspire our children to greatness. Sadly, I have also witnessed classrooms that seemed sapped of all energy, filled with students struggling to stay awake and teachers in desperate need of inspiration. These “Molasses Classes” broke my heart. I had to do something! I decided to leave my classroom in East Harlem, New York, and devote my time to this audacious dream: to create a revolution in our country, starting from the ground up. The heart of this change would be a school, unlike any in the world. It would be full of passion, creativity, energy, and an unparalleled freedom to do whatever it took to lead every child to success. The parents and teachers of this school would forge a true partnership with the intent of providing the best learning environment possible. I am proud to say that dream—the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, is now a reality. We welcome educators from all over the world to visit and learn from our methods and techniques so that they may take them back to their schools. I am still teaching, every day, and I feel honored to have hosted more than 10,000 educators in my classroom. This book is filled with the magic, the successes, the heartbreaks, the mistakes, and the triumphs that are the Ron Clark Academy. These are the 101 most successful strategies we have used to help uplift our children and enliven our classrooms. My hope is that you will find ideas here that will help you ignite a passion for learning in your children—and together we can get the molasses out of all our children’s classes. Be different. Be bold. Join in. —RON CLARK pt. I. RCA's core principles and values : Teach children to believe in themselves and don't destroy the dream ; Not every child deserves a cookie ; Define your expectations and then raise the bar; The more you expect, the better the results will be ; Uplift other adults who play a role in the lives of our children ; Listen ; Give all that you have to your children even though you will often receive nothing in return ; Get to know your students in nonacademic settings ; Be selfless with your contributions to the team ; Make it happen. Don't give excuses; find solutions! ; Be excellent! ; Create moments that will have a lasting impact on children's lives ; Set the tone for a love of learning ; Treat every child as if he or she were your own ; Push yourself to be innovative beyond your imagination ; Know the name of every teacher, student, parent, administrator, and board member ; Use music to excite, motivate, and inspire ; Know your students ; Don't let opportunities pass you by, even if the time, funding, and circumstances aren't completely right ; Make learning magical ; Teach children that the good you do in the world comes back to you ; Teach children to embrace their personalities and present themselves with confidence in all situations ; Live with no fear ; Love what your students love, whether it's iCarly, Twilight, or the NFL ; Create lasting traditions pt. II. The role of the parent in the success of the child : Be prepared for the long haul if you want your child to succeed ; Don't be a helicopter parent. You can't come to their rescue forever ; Realize the power of gratitude and appreciation ; Remind children of their blessings and stress the value of a strong work ethic ; Nip it in the bud; small issues can grow into big problems ; Don't get your kid a video game system unless you are ready to be a prison guard ; Show them how to study; don't expect it to come naturally ; Realize that even very good children will sometimes lie ; Be patient ; See the potential in every child ; Punctuate the power of words ; Don't be a penny parent pt. III. Creating the right climate and culture : Welcome students and families to your school in style! Roll out the red carpet--literally! Believe that every child can learn, regardless of ethnicity, learning disabilities, emotional or behavior problems, or the economic situation of the family Open your doors to the parents Dress the part attire matters! Make the most of every moment! There should be an urgency in education! Can the intercom Please don't interrupt a teacher's lesson to deliver a note, ask a question, or disturb the class Avoid sitting down while students are in the room Do not use cell phones or computers while the students are in the room, unless the device is part of the lesson being taught Make homework for home, not school Make sure you do your homework, too! Begin each class on fire! Increase teacher quality instead of reducing class size Set an electric tone on day one Don't constantly stress about test scores. We have to stop sending the message to our students that the purpose of learning is to take a test Open up your home to your students Stay connected have parents on speed dial Give children a chance to respond and don't give up so quickly Realize that kids need to move! Bring education to life with kinesthetic learning Use chants to create a supportive, encouraging, exciting environment! Get on the desk! Resolve to find your own red button Celebrate the beauty of their ancestries Show them examples of excellence Set the bar high for parents, too! Use an Amazing Race to bring learning to life! Love your eighth graders Don't give children second chances on tests and projects Encourage children to cheer for one another Paint the walls with positive memories. (If their faces are on the walls, they are less likely to pee on them!) Never read a speech Make eye contact with your classroom or audience Move around the room throughout the lesson and never remain in the same place Teach the students, not the board Exhibit the same energy you expect from your audience Smile Never allow students to begin a statement with "umm," "well," or "me and" Fake it to make it Use a djembe drum. Every classroom in the world needs one Don't put the blame on students unfairly Lift up your teachers. No, really, lift them up Have fun -- pt. IV. Reaching out beyond the classroom : Teach parents the correct way to tutor their children ; Build strong bonds with parents ; Ask the hard questions: "what do you want this school to be?" ; Join parents, teachers, and community members together to create "theme days" for the school ; Accept the fact that if kids like you all the time, then you're doing something wrong ; Recognize that the heart of the school is the teacher. Hire the best and never settle ; Always observe a teacher applicant teaching a lesson before offering him or her a job ; Teach children the history and symbolism of their home and school ; Remember that children are literal thinkers and, as adults, we really have to spell out what we mean ; Remember that the little things can make all the difference ; Provide lessons in life that will become lessons for life ; Uplift the students who have the furthest to go ; Allow teachers the freedom to make their rooms reflect their personalities; allow them to use color! ; Let the students shine ; Leave the jealousy at the door ; Realize that you never truly know all that is going on in the life of a child ; Raise our children to be global citizens ; Recognize the big cost of big dreams ; Reach out to the community to build a powerful network ; Once you have donors, work hard to keep them! ; Send thank-you letters that are hand-drawn, colorful, and grammatically correct ; If you need advice, ask for money. If you need money, ask for advice ; Make your goodbyes mean something What's next? The new dream. In his NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The End of Molasses Classes, renowned educator Ron Clark challenged PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND COMMUNITIES everywhere to make a real difference in the lives of our kids, offering revolutionary and classroom-tested ways to UPLIFT, EDUCATE, AND EMPOWER our children. Read this book to find out why so many across the country have embraced these powerful rules. * SET THE ELECTRIC TONE ON DAY ONE * TEACH YOUR CHILDREN HOW TO STUDYDONT EXPECT IT TO COME NATURALLY * DONT CONSTANTLY STRESS ABOUT TEST SCORES * NOT EVERY CHILD DESERVES A COOKIE * LIFT UP YOUR TEACHERS. NO, REALLY, LIFT THEM UP! * IF KIDS LIKE YOU ALL THE TIME, YOURE DOING SOMETHING WRONG * DONT BE A PENNY PARENT BE DIFFERENT. BE BOLD. JOIN IN. Rife with heart-warming anecdotes and inspiring ideas . . . Educators and parents will find much to emulate in this passionate, motivating tool book. Publishers Weekly Inspirational, easy-to-follow insights on how to grow smarter, healthier children and communities . . . this timely resource can make school a motivational and fun community. Kirkus Reviews Practical, innovative, and powerful methods to enliven classrooms and ignite a passion for learning in each and every child. It is time to GET ON THE DESK and make every school in America the absolute best it can be. __New York Times__ bestselling author and educator Ron Clark challenges parents, teachers, and communities everywhere embrace a difference in the classroom and uplift, educate, and empower our children. Read this book to find out why so many across the country have embraced these powerful rules. - Set the electric tone on day one - Teach your children how to study—don't expect it to come naturally - Don't constantly stress about test scores - Not every child deserves a cookie - Lift up your teachers. No, really, lift them up! - If kids like you all the time, you're doing something wrong - Don't be a penny parent Be different. Be bold. Join in. Award-winning teacher and bestselling author Clark ("The Essential 55") presents a riveting new book providing rules for parents and teachers to help kids succeed in school.