Blog

What stops us from doing unpleasant or burdensome tasks? It's those dreaded DFLIs (Don't Feel Like It) and DWANNAs (Don't Want To)! Procrastination is alive and well in your school by now, and Top 20 wants to help you exterminate that pest. Take a quick listen to Tom...

Relationship First. As humans we rarely ask a stranger to lend us their lawn mower or to help us move. Yet as educators, we often ask students to ‘do’ all sorts of things (like math, essays, speeches, etc.) without building a relationship first. Human Being Preceded...

Keep telling your students "you are more than a score." Standardized test scores do not define students. Each child has unique identity, worth, and purpose, and each one has vastly different skills and talents. We have to deal with young people as human beings first,...

Feedback: Checking In Educators: It's late October and it's time to check in with your students to see how things are going. Feedback is the “Breakfast of Champions,” it's how we effectively adjust what we are doing in the classroom. You are the pilot, flying the...

CREATING A TOP 20 CULTURE     Our Current Work Culture   What exists in our current culture that empowers our potential to explode?         What exists in our current culture that limits our potential from exploding?      ...

Remembering Your Mission & Purpose Why are we doing what we are doing?     Name three core values you carry as a teacher. You are a member of this profession because you believe:   A.   B.   C.     Star Qualities...

Roadblock to Success: I AM STUPID!   Equal Sign lets ‘Stupid’ out of the box   Reactions to Feeling Stupid:   Withdraw: quit + quiet Pretend Emotional: embarrassed, angry, upset, sad, worry, nervous, stress Judgments: I’m not good enough; I don’t know...

When I was cleaning sticks off my sidewalk this weekend, a car pulled up, rolled down the window, and the driver asked me which direction he needed to go to get to Cleveland Avenue. I told him, he thanked me, and went on his way. At no point in our brief conversation...

This week’s communication (sent home to the parents/guardians of Mr. Bowlin’s 4th graders) ignites the barrage of brainpower combating the evil enemy that has been limiting potential since the beginning of time: STUPID! The assault on STUPID reminds us that Stupid...

This week’s communication (sent home to the parents/guardians of Mr. Bowlin’s 4th graders) takes a serious look at the many ways they’re SMART. Do your students or children know how they’re smart? Have a read and let them know! Top 20: Know How We’re Smart Growth...