As educators we need to understand that there is no finish line in our work.

Teachers craft classrooms that are good matches for their teaching styles as well as for learner needs.

[Students] often have a "We can figure this out - don't just tell us" attitude. In that way, they can be less patient with "traditional" approaches to teaching.

As a teacher, it is your job to make explicit whatever you though was implicit

It's important to know how to lead and manage a classroom with flexibility. Students of all ages are quite capable of learning these routines and contributing to their success once the teacher is comfortable guiding students in that direction.

We need to develop a robust set of tools - strategies and routines - that help us address student variance. It's easy to come to rely on two or three "trusty" instructional strategies like worksheets and lectures. Those are of little help in planning for a variety of student needs. As we develop a better toolbox, we're empowered to meet students where they are.

We have students at the university say on a regular basis, "You're asking us to think and no one has ever done that in school."