GRETCHEN BRIDGERS is owner and chief consultant of Always A Lesson, which provides the support and guidance educators need to develop into their full potential. Gretchen is a two-time National Board Certified teacher. She also serves educators through her blog, her Empowering Educators podcast, coaching, keynote speaking and professional development sessions.

Foreword ix
 
Part One The Beginning, the Pathway, and the Formula 1
 
Prologue Where It All Began 3
 
Lessons from the Trenches 3
 
Introduction The Teacher Success Pathway 17
 
How to Use This Book 18
 
How This Book Will Help You 20
 
Chapter 1 The Formula 25
 
More Than a Toolbox 25
 
The Teacher Success Pathway 29
 
Part Two Brick 1: Lesson Design 33
 
Chapter 2 Obstacles to Lesson Design 35
 
Less Time to Plan 36
 
Too Much to Plan 36
 
The Lesson Plan Vortex 37
 
Less Time to Collaborate 38
 
Chapter 3 Lesson Design Phase Overview 41
 
Backwards Design 44
 
Gradual Release 48
 
Chapter 4 Effective Design 51
 
Pacing/Time Management 52
 
Checks for Understanding (CFUs) 53
 
Transition Routes 55
 
Teacher/Student Actions 56
 
Material Organization and Distribution 56
 
Differentiation 57
 
Chapter 5 Getting Started with Lesson Design 59
 
Lesson Plan Components 59
 
Sample Practice Script 66
 
Chapter 6 Mastering Lesson Design, Part 1 69
 
Standard, Objective, and Assessment Example 72
 
Direct Instruction Example 73
 
Guided Practice Example 74
 
Independent Practice Example 76
 
Chapter 7 Mastering Lesson Design, Part 2 79
 
Creating In- Class Data Collection Procedures 81
 
Developing Your Own Systems and Habits 83
 
Lesson Design Scenario Practice 89
 
Part Three Brick 2: Classroom Management 93
 
Chapter 8 Understanding Classroom Management 95
 
The Three Rs of Classroom Management 95
 
The Impact of Classroom Management 101
 
Chapter 9 Getting Started with Classroom Management 105
 
R1: Relationships 105
 
R2: Routines 108
 
Chapter 10 Addressing Misbehaviors 117
 
Chapter 11 Mastering Classroom Management 131
 
R3: Rope Students into Your Lesson 133
 
Part Four Brick 3: Student Engagement 145
 
Chapter 12 Understanding Student Engagement 147
 
What Student Engagement Does 147
 
Why Student Engagement Matters 151
 
Chapter 13 Getting Started with Student Engagement 157
 
Approaching Engagement from Three Directions 157
 
Building Engagement into Your Lesson 162
 
Chapter 14 Mastering Student Engagement 169
 
Strengthening Student Engagement 170
 
Part Five Brick 4: Student Choice and Ownership 179
 
Chapter 15 Understanding Student Choice and Ownership 181
 
Why Student Choice and Ownership Matters 183
 
Building In Student Choice and Ownership 187
 
Chapter 16 Getting Started with Student Choice and Ownership 191
 
Characteristics of Student Choice 192
 
Chapter 17 Mastering Student Choice and Ownership 199
 
Communication 199
 
Decision-Making 200
 
Environment 202
 
Equity and Equality 203
 
Co-create Norms 206
 
Data Collection and Reflection 207
 
Flexible Seating 208
 
Peer Evaluations 209
 
Project-Based Learning (PBL) 209
 
Part Six Implementing Your New Learning 215
 
Chapter 18 Teacher Success Next Steps 217
 
Chapter 19 Ongoing Learning 221
 
Ongoing Learning Opportunities 224
 
Continuous Collaboration 227
 
Chapter 20 Conclusion 235
 
Appendix 1: Reproducibles 239
 
Appendix 2: Using This Book to Mentor Others 295
 
References 305
 
Acknowledgments 311
 
About the Author 315
 
Index 317

Step-by-step advice to help teachers master classroom management, lesson design, student engagement, and beyond
 
Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success is the book that can turn every good teacher into a great teacher. The art and science of teaching can be difficult to navigate. There are moving pieces that change how teachers should approach instruction, like unique student needs year after year, curriculum changes, updated research on best practices and more. It's essential that teachers of all levels continue to learn and develop their craft so that they can best manage these moving pieces. Using personal stories and tangible next steps gained from her experience as a teacher and teacher leader, author Gretchen Bridgers can level-up your teaching, filling the gap left between traditional teacher-training programs and the real world.
 
With high teacher turnover rates in the wake of the great resignation that occurred post-COVID, teachers need support more than ever. Always a Lesson offers a systematic process for strengthening the skillset of any teacher. The sequence of what teachers work on is the key to move through obstacles and increase effectiveness. No matter their level of expertise, Bridgers takes the stance that all teachers are learners. By applying the principles and strategies in this book, novice to veteran teachers will see a positive impact on student learning and their proficiency as an elite educator.
 
K-12 teachers, teacher mentors, instructional coaches, school administrators, and anyone else with an interest in improving teacher retention will thank their lucky stars for this book.