Hello!
My name is Steve Reifman, and I am a National Board Certified elementary school teacher, author, and speaker in Santa Monica, CA.
SteveReifman.com is a resource for elementary school teachers and parents. My mission is to teach the whole child—empowering students to succeed academically, build strong character, learn valuable work habits and social skills, and take charge of their health and wellness.
Blog
Discover over 100 posts filled with teaching tips, links to YouTube videos, and other useful ideas and strategies for teaching the whole child.
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Teaching Resources
Explore these print books, e-books, courses, and other resources that offer effective, proven ideas and strategies that improve student learning.
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Chase Manning Mystery Series
Each book in this award-winning mystery series for kids 8-12 features a single-day, real-time thriller that takes place on an elementary school campus.
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Workshops
Looking for a presenter for your next conference or workshop? Check out these engaging, innovative sessions that address a wide variety of topics.
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Since reading Jenkins’ terrific book many years ago, I have envisioned the other three tools I use to establish purpose as rounding out this organizational target, with each successive ring advancing our cause in a distinct way.
The class mission statement is the second tool and the second ring of the target. Most of the blog series has described the power and utility of a class mission statement. I spent so much time focusing on this tool because I genuinely believe it to be the most powerful tool teachers possess when it comes to connecting daily learning activities to important future purposes; establishing an expectation level for student work, effort, and behavior; building a confident mindset in our students; and emphasizing valuable habits of character.
I did not feature the other two tools in this blog series because I have written extensively about them in the past. The Tower of Opportunity (described in the “Other Projects†section of this site) provides a powerful visual metaphor that helps teachers connect daily learning activities to higher life roles and responsibilities, and Personal Mission Statements (featured in Teaching Tips 17-19) afford children the chance to set meaningful, well-rounded goals that can motivate them to achieve at higher and higher levels.
In addition, I describe all four of these tools in great detail in my book Eight Essentials for Empowered Teaching and Learning, K-8.
Taken together, these tools form a complete organizational target. Starting from the aim and moving outward to Personal Mission Statements, we proceed inside-out from the general to the specific, from the group level to the individual level. Each successive ring advances our cause to establish a sense of purpose in our classrooms. Establishing purpose requires that we commit ourselves to making a consistent effort to help students find meaning in their work. We achieve this objective by connecting classroom learning to higher, worthwhile purposes that kids value.
The class mission statement is the second tool and the second ring of the target. Most of the blog series has described the power and utility of a class mission statement. I spent so much time focusing on this tool because I genuinely believe it to be the most powerful tool teachers possess when it comes to connecting daily learning activities to important future purposes; establishing an expectation level for student work, effort, and behavior; building a confident mindset in our students; and emphasizing valuable habits of character.
I did not feature the other two tools in this blog series because I have written extensively about them in the past. The Tower of Opportunity (described in the “Other Projects†section of this site) provides a powerful visual metaphor that helps teachers connect daily learning activities to higher life roles and responsibilities, and Personal Mission Statements (featured in Teaching Tips 17-19) afford children the chance to set meaningful, well-rounded goals that can motivate them to achieve at higher and higher levels.
In addition, I describe all four of these tools in great detail in my book Eight Essentials for Empowered Teaching and Learning, K-8.
Taken together, these tools form a complete organizational target. Starting from the aim and moving outward to Personal Mission Statements, we proceed inside-out from the general to the specific, from the group level to the individual level. Each successive ring advances our cause to establish a sense of purpose in our classrooms. Establishing purpose requires that we commit ourselves to making a consistent effort to help students find meaning in their work. We achieve this objective by connecting classroom learning to higher, worthwhile purposes that kids value.
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