Barbara believes educators have the toughest job in America, as they are asked every day to wear many different hats – mom, dad, nurse, counselor, teacher, advisor, judge, jury, lawyer – just to name a few. Taking on that job and playing those many roles is a daunting process. Students today are facing so many more challenges than we could ever have imagined. They are being bombarded by a constant stream of information and misinformation that hampers their ability to trust in what is true or not. Now their concerns are not only will they be able to graduate, but will they be safe from intruders and disease, or will they be able to attend school in person or only from their home. Add to this the stress and instability that a family faces trying to maintain a stable household with the threat of losing their livelihoods. This is a difficult time for teachers and students and parents as they try to confront and maneuver through these challenges.

We still must teach our children. We owe them a good education. They still crave knowledge and information. They still need to be challenged to discover who they are and what they can contribute to society. Students come into our classrooms and schools whether in person or on-line with different backgrounds and cultures and their cognitive abilities, assets and experiences are just as wide ranging.  Sometimes the only thing students have in common is their age! The “one size fits all” approach does not work anymore.

Barbara’s philosophy about teaching is simple. She agrees with Madeline Hunter when she said, “Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!” Many think she was being too “warm and fuzzy” but what she meant was you are not going to reach some kids academically until you first reach them on the “human to human” level. Sometimes the subject matter in our classrooms can’t compete with the “drama” in their lives. The main ingredient missing in a lot of our classrooms today is a “connection with kids.” Barbara believes that research is clear, when students know you value them as a human being, not just another student; they will work harder for you and challenge you less. She also believes teachers don’t need any more theory and new, trendy programs with catchy names.

Barbara believes teachers need to be given research based, proven, practical strategies and applications that teachers can start implementing immediately – without throwing anything out that is working, or compromising the curriculum.  The biggest unchallenged assumption by many today (especially politicians) about education is that kids are coming to school willing and ready to learn. As educators, we know this is not the case.  Children have to learn how to learn in order to become life time learners. Teachers can provide the vital lessons that will enable this.

Barbara knows there’s not much we can do from 4:00 PM until 8:00 AM but there is a lot we can do from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Barbara is dedicated to helping educators be successful through motivation, inspiration, humor and a common-sense approach to class management whether in a school environment or for a class on zoom. Most importantly, she leaves educators with as many proven, practical strategies as she can. Barbara has inspired many of her own students to become stars in their own right and provided classroom teachers with techniques to offer the most successful and popular classes in their schools.