Building Community
                                                      Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids."  Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like."  A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level. 
 Ms. Noonan shares about her class meeting on The Teaching Channel.  This is a great way to build community in the classroom while also teaching academic skills.