Next-Level Teaching

Empowering Students and Transforming School Culture

Jonathan Alsheimer

• Publisher: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781951600075
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Classroom Management

A next-level teacher never settles for the status quo. Instead, they ignite students' passion for learning, and that enthusiasm spreads through the whole school. In Next-Level Teaching, Jonathan Alsheimer shows how educators can create school environments so exciting and electric that not only the students but even other teachers and administrators are inspired to greatness.

Chapter One

Take It to the Next Level:
Why Not?

As I sat in the back of the plane going hundreds of miles an hour, with almost zero training, I was surprised at how calm I could remain on the outside. I’d thought for sure that I would be freaking out—I was about to do something that could kill me, after all.

My brother Jordan was the first of about ten jumpers that day. When the door of the plane opened, he looked back with a grin that reached ear to ear. All I could think was how jealous I was that he was going first. Next thing I knew, he leaned out of the plane, and he was gone. Watching him disappear into the sky only tripled the excitement that was building inside me.

That wasn’t true for the other jumpers on the plane. One by one I saw them try to mask their nervousness with nonstop chattering, fidgeting hands, and bouncing feet, all trying to hide the fact that they didn’t want to take the big leap they had signed up for. They were really scared of the possibility of falling thousands of feet. One would-be jumper had even refused to board the plane before takeoff, realizing at the last minute that he was afraid to fall to his doom.

I understood. I mean, there was a reason that they’d made us sign waiver after waiver in the case of possible injury—or death.

Finally, it was my turn. I peeked out of the plane as I sat with my feet dangling into the sky for what seemed like a full minute. My heart was pounding, and I could feel the surge of adrenaline. I had been instructed to exit the plane in a very specific way: with my head tilted up, my back arched, and my pack straps held tight with both hands. Getting anything wrong could lead to a bad fall or even a nasty collision with the plane before my initial descent got started.

I felt two taps on my shoulder. That was the cue. I leaned forward and we were falling!

Once I was in the sky with my tandem instructor, I was in the fastest free fall I could ever have dreamed of. If you have never gone skydiving, I’m telling you it’s a must! The feelings of fear and excitement are something you have to experience for yourself. As exhilarating as plummeting through the sky was, once my parachute opened the thrill was over, and it was pure bliss. I could see for miles and miles, and it was beautiful.

Your influence can stir the heart of your school and spread like wildfire.

The sad thing is that many people are too afraid to take that opportunity, so they will never experience those moments of exhilaration, wonder, and beauty. The same can be said of teaching. Too often people are comfortable with what they are used to, with what they know. Stepping outside the box and using your own unique flair to create something different can seem as scary as dangling from a plane about to jump. Thinking about what could go wrong can hold anyone back. But it is in that moment that you can either stay stagnant as an educator or propel yourself, your class, and your school to the next level by doing something as simple as leaning forward and stepping through the fear.

I think back to that would-be jumper who refused to get on the plane. Being afraid—what I think of as a why mentality—kept him on the ground and kept him from experiencing something truly incredible. That mentality will keep so many great people from doing amazing things. It will keep too many of us from becoming great teachers.

Sometimes, of course, we need to ask why. It’s the basis of many great questions, a powerful challenge when we find something that is clearly wrong or needs to be changed. But too often in our personal lives, the word why can hold us back from accomplishing amazing things. It’s an excuse, a chance to think up reasons why that amazing thing we’re considering can’t be done. Why try something new or why go after a big dream or why chase a goal? “It won’t happen,” some people say. “I’ll just fail. It will be a waste of my time,” say others. Why is the reason something is not going to happen. Why limits our possibilities and outcomes. Why puts our future in a box with no way out.

Instead I say: Why not? Why can’t I do something great? Why not chase a dream? Why not die with great memories, not dreams?

I grew up playing sports, and I came to love mixed martial arts (MMA), most notably the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). These guys are crazy: they fight in a cage! That was enough for me to want in. I didn’t desire a whole career of fighting—that was never my interest. I loved the training. I loved the preparation for battle. I loved the discipline these professionals needed to master a craft that many saw only as barbaric. I even fought once. It was a middleweight title fight, a big deal for someone with zero fights on their record. I was up against a two-time champion with over sixteen fights, and our fight was the main event, the last and most important fight of the evening.

I lost the fight, but it was such a brawl that the commentator came up to me afterward and told me it had been the fight of the night. I should not have even had a title fight; I should not have had sponsors (I reached out to every major mixed martial arts clothing brand I knew, and companies who usually sponsored championship UFC fighters were sending me clothing and gear), but I had it all because I refused to settle for anything less. I took a risk. Whether in the cage, in the classroom, or in life, the only limitations we have are the ones we put on ourselves.

Why not look at every available avenue to motivate and inspire students? Teaching is not about facts on a page or on a whiteboard. Bringing our teaching to the next level means taking chances in the classroom, from using stories of our personal lives to trying new activities—even when you’re worried they might utterly flop. It is up to us to make things happen in the classroom. Nothing happens when we are standing still. We need to embrace the adventure.

I am a middle school teacher. What business do I have working with the UFC, major clothing brands, television celebrities, professional athletes, sports agents, and movie producers? Well, I ask, why shouldn’t I? Why not? I can create a classroom full of fun and adventure, one that students, years after they leave school, will remember. School can be a place that students want to be, a place that is so fun they forget they are actually learning—but they are.

With any big risk there can be a great reward or great failure. You don’t have to live your life to the extreme or jump out of planes or be a martial artist. There are plenty of risks in teaching. You need to take chances to build relationships, create engaging lessons, and establish a lively classroom environment. Things might go wrong. The work can be exhausting. But the rewards are well worth it.

We are all in this together, and we all make mistakes. We need to understand that it is OK to make mistakes and to keep having fun and continuing to aspire and drive shifts in the cultures of our schools. That starts with you. You can change your school’s culture from negative and depressing to positive and happy. Your energy, love of education, and your ability to create a game with one dry-erase marker on a whiteboard is enough to capture an entire room’s attention. Students will race to be first in your classroom, and when the bell rings, they’ll be complaining that class is over so soon. Because of the learning experiences you’ve created, when they do leave your classroom, your students will change the energy in the halls and their other classes. A school-wide positive culture will take hold, with teachers loving what they do and students enjoying learning.

Principals want teachers like that—they crave teachers like that. They want teachers willing to do what it takes to perfect their craft, next-level teachers that will heighten the educational experience in their classrooms and schools. You are that teacher.

The fact that you opened this book proves that you are willing to do whatever it takes. You have that X factor. You are searching for ways to improve, looking for answers to tough questions, and ready to prove that you are willing to go beyond the everyday to become a next-level teacher for your students. You, like so many teachers, are not satisfied with the unsuccessful norms in education. You are not satisfied with being an average teacher for your students. You are not satisfied with just clocking in and collecting a paycheck. Your desire, your energy, your passion is what every school needs. It is what every classroom needs. It is what all students need.

Let that energy charge your teaching. Be the teacher your administrators will talk about to everyone they meet. Inspire, motivate, and promote academics through highly engaging lessons and positive relationships. It is time for us as educators to live the saying “You can do anything you set your mind to.” Be the teacher students gravitate to, and become a defining person in their lives. Your influence can stir the heart of your school and spread like wildfire. Actively and passionately influence your classroom and school’s culture. That is the impact of a next-level teacher and the power of student engagement.

Chapter Two

Great Players Produce Great Teams:
Elevate the Teaching Game

Growing up I loved sports. I had a true passion for baseball and basketball. I remember watching some of the best teams in sports history in the 1990s. Love them or hate them, I watched the Yankees roll over teams and win multiple World Series titles. I remember legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski building the Duke University men’s basketball program into a powerhouse. Most vividly, I remember watching Michael Jordan—arguably the greatest basketball player of all time—his teammate Scottie Pippen, and Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson of the Chicago Bulls as they ruled the NBA side by side. From 1991 to 1998 they won six NBA championships. Throughout my childhood I dreamed of being on a dominant team like the Bulls.

Even though over time players came and went, every player on that team had the same unwavering work ethic, and they shared a goal: to win the NBA championship title. Recalling all of those times I watched the Bulls totally dominate the court in the ’90s, one thing is perfectly clear: Every single one of the teams, the Yankees, the Duke Blue Devils, and the Bulls, had great players all committed to working together. No matter how good Michael Jordan was, there was always another player doing what needed to be done at any given time in order to push the Bulls to victory.

Those players did not have to be asked; they actively looked for ways to make their team better. They sought out ways to win games and become a successful franchise. Each of those players put in the work, the practice, and the hours to perfect their craft. Players did not just show up fifteen minutes before the game, lace up their shoes, and win championships. They devoted time and effort, made sacrifices, and looked for ways to improve so the team would reach its fullest potential. They created a culture of winning. A culture that was not only positive but also one you could not help but get caught up in. Hard work and success were not only required but rewarded. Most importantly, those players did not sit back and wait for success to come to them. They created that culture, they shaped their success, and they cultivated their destiny.

The Lessons of Sports in Schools

Can you imagine a school with an environment so incredible, so electric that not only the students but even the teachers get caught up in the excitement that has been created? Can you picture a place where you never know what to expect because around every corner something fun and entertaining is waiting? If you can, you know the effect a positive school culture can have on every student and every teacher.

What is a positive school culture? It’s what happens at a school that focuses on fostering relationships between students and teachers. It’s easy to tell when a school has it. At a school like this, tears are an inevitability at the conclusion of the academic year because the students and staff have created such strong bonds.

This kind of school culture doesn’t happen on its own, and it doesn’t happen with ordinary teachers. The kind of school I’m talking about requires teachers who are willing to step outside their comfort zones and create something special, teachers who go beyond the ordinary. That’s the kind of next-level teacher that you can be.

Too often teachers think our jobs are limited to what happens between the four walls of our classrooms and that our influence stops at the doors to the hallways. We think we cannot impact the school as a whole. But in fact teachers have the greatest power to influence and inspire change in schools, because we have the most personal contact with students each day. Your influence can create something amazing, if you have the right strategies to bring your classroom and your school to the next level. There are many ways to influence a school’s culture, even when teachers might feel like they have no options.

To begin a movement of positive change and cultural growth in schools, teachers need to be three key things: passionate, energetic, and engaging. First, teachers have to have a burning ambition to make an impact every single day. Second, teachers need to bring energy into the building, into their classrooms, into the hallways, and everywhere they go. Finally, teachers need to engage students, not only as instructors but on a personal level, in the halls, at lunch, wherever they can make an impact. When teac...