Taylor Mali Quotes

That's what teaching is, the art of explanation: presenting the right information in the right order in a memorable way.

Say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it.

You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor, and I can make a...

I have a policy about honesty and ass-kicking, which is, if you ask for it, then I have to let you have it.

Certainly teachers themselves can do a better job of letting the world know how hard their profession is, but frankly, they have real work to do and a lot of it, so they don't have a whole lot of free time on their hands.

Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true: Teachers? Teachers make a difference! Now what about you?

Falling in love is like owning a dog.

Simply put, the best teachers are the ones you work your tail off for because in the end you just don't want them to think any less of you. You want and need their approval.

Everything I do is kind of a lesson, even if I am the only person who learns it.

It is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY. You have to speak with it, too.

Great teachers will never be able to make up for bad parents, nor should they be expected to.

The best teachers that I had were always the ones I never wanted to disappoint.

I implore you, I entreat you and I challenge you to speak with conviction. To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it. Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker, it is not enough these days to simply question authority—you've got to speak with it too.

The only thing that surprises me is the characterization of teachers as lazy and greedy. Only someone with very little understanding of what teaching requires would say such a thing.

By the time these students enter the workforce, many of the jobs they will apply for ill be in industries that don't even exist yet. That's a hard future to prepare someone for. Teachers have their sights set on the real goal: not to produce Ivy League graduates, but to encourage the development of naturally curious, confident, flexible, and happy learners who are ready for whatever the future has in store.

Teachers shouldn't make the mistake of always thinking they're the smartest person in the room

Who can teach when there are such lessons to be learned

Education is the miracle; I'm just the worker.

A poem is the perfect place to celebrate imperfection and exult in the ways you fall short of being the person you want to be.