From Advantage Discipline
Mark Johnson and Sam Stecher presented at the 2007 Great Lakes Conference; Successful Strategies for Today's Differentiated Classrooms. They and their dog Rumble wowed the crowd. Their presentation, The Number One Person, gave the participants strategies they can use immediately to improve classroom structure and management while establishing positive relationships with students and promoting student responsibility and independence. The participants appreciated their humorous and very entertaining delivery of information that will enhance success with students of all ages. Many commented that the day just flew by. These guys are really good!!Sarah Knapp, Conference Coordinator, Great Lakes Conference, Grand Rapids, Michigan
From the Kearney Public Schools Social Emotional workshop January 11, 2007
*I can't remember the last time I went to a workshop and thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning until end as I did today at the social/emotional workshop you both presented at. Even after fourteen years of teaching, I will take so many new and fresh ideas away from it. It was motivating and inspiring to listen to both of you. I can only hope my own daughters are blessed with teachers of your caliber. Please let me know when you are presenting something again that would be beneficial to me as a classroom teacher or parent.Nice Job!!
Vicki
*I attended your workshop this morning and just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know I really enjoyed it! You guys did a great job! Thanks for being such inspiring leaders! KPS is lucky to have both of you.
Thanks Again,
Jodi
* I felt that this was one of the best presentations to date for myself at KPS. Mark and Sam gave us some great tips and ideas to use within the classroom. As a first year teacher any ideas that I can put into place on the same day I find very valuable. I felt that they gave great experiences in which I could see these methods working in a real classroom and not in some simulated environment. I thought that Mark and Sam did an excellent job and hope that they could possibly do more in the future.
* The presenters gave motivating examples that we could take back and use in our classes immediately, with little or no preparation.
* The workshop was very thorough and well designed for all staff regardless of their area or level of expertise.
* From a 1 to a 5 this workshop was definitely a 5. I walked right back into my classroom at midday with renewed energy and enthusiasm for a job I already dearly love. My eyes and teacher's heart immediately began searching for things I had missed before the workshop.
* Sam and Mark (and Ruckus) certainly deserve high marks. They are very passionate about teaching and children. They also have the unique ability to share their successes and failures in a very enjoyable way. Their chemistry as team presenters is nothing short of magic.
From the Douglas County West Middle School Teacher Inservice November 6, 2006
*Thank you for presenting at DC West Middle School. The staff had many compliments for your presentation. One 29 year veteran teacher said that you were in his top 5 all time for speakers at a staff in service. Well done!Mitch Mollring- Principal DC West Middle School
*Thank you for your very special in-service presentation Monday. I know why Mitch was so excited to have you here! You understand Middle School Students and how to approach their world. I heard many positive comments from staff. Several of the comments were "made sense," "very practical," "good for kids and teachers," and "can we get them back?" The most important message was, and my favorite, "I want to try some of their stuff!" You guys have something going that teachers and administrators want and need. Also, I enjoyed meeting you guys and hearing your message! "Keep doing neat things for students and teachers!" I am holding your shoe in the air as I type.
Thomas G. Wicks III, Ph.D.
Director of Curriculum and Educational Services
Douglas County West Community Schools
From Jim Fay's 18th Annual Love and Logic Wichita Conference, Wichita KS 2006
*Every speaker at the Wichita conference was amazing. But this session was the most inspirational and informative of the entire week.*I left this session with a plan, a vision for what kind of year I can have with my students.
*Every kid should have a teacher like these guys and any school could benefit from what the offer to teachers.
*Mark and Sam showed me how to make Love and Logic my own. I believe that with their ideas I can make classroom management less of a headache and more of an opportunity to for my students to learn.
*Thank you! I feel so fired up to get school started. You gave me a reason to want to get back in the classroom and work with my kids.
From the Summer 2006 ITIP Course at Educational Service Unit 10 presented by Sam.
*Sam was an outstanding instructor. He was very entertaining, energetic and gave many great ideas for our classrooms.*Sam made this course interesting and fun. I like the idea of my students being in a classroom like his.
*Sam had great and practical ideas that could be easily adapted to any classroom.
*Sam made this very enjoyable. I loved hearing all the different things he uses in his classroom.
*Sam did a great job. He was entertaining and informative. Seeing how he so naturally used these concepts made it easier to see how I could use them.
From the 2005 Fall Presentation to the University of Nebraska at Kearney Middle Level Methods Students
*My time with Mark and Sam was so valuable to me. I could feel their passion for teaching and that passion is contagious.*I was very impressed with Mark and Sam. Whenever I see a good teacher in action or hear exciting ideas for my classroom it just makes me excited about teaching.
*Students respond to a teacher who really cares about their individual needs. The care Mark and Sam have for each student is evident.
From the Oct. 4th presentation at Educational Service Unit 9 in Hastings NE
*I like experiences like this, real skills to enhance teaching so that in the end we help to improve student learning and success.*This has been the best workshop that I have attended. I learned some valuable tools. All teachers need a workshop like this. Your students must be very lucky to have such fantastic teachers.
*Building relationships with my students is so important. You guys gave me an awesome start on how I can improve on those relationships.
*You validated what I already do in my classroom and gave me some great ways I can fine tune my skills.
From the 17th Annual Nebraska Middle Level Academy at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center, Kearney, Nebraska on June 23 & 24, 2005
* I attended your session last year at North Platte and hearing you a second time gave me even more ideas. I used Choice in my classroom last year and it really worked and the kids loved it. This year I am going to build on this and add some traditions to further build relationships. Thank you!*Excellent job! I like how you have us write down practical things we can use when we go home or when school starts.
* This was an awesome presentation!
* Thanks for all the ideas I can use in my classroom. I could have listened to you guys all day. You rock!
* You have given me so much to work with. You 2 guys are great. I wish I had teachers like you. You made me laugh and have such great ideas. I am going to use these ideas in my class. You have empowered me.
* Fun ideas that are adaptable so they can be used anyone's comfort level.
* Great presentation!! I learned more from this presentation than any ed. class ever.
*You guys are amazing- great energy and powerful motivation. I will use some of these strategies. I already do, but it was great reinforcement.
*You have assured me that some traditions I felt I had to throw away for "time" reasons need to be revived.
*You guys are excellent teachers. So much fun and enthusiasm. I would be happy to send a student to your classes.
From the NAMLE State Symposium on April 22, 2005 at Aurora Middle School
* Really user friendly, great job of stressing relationships with students.* Some great new ideas/reinforced love and logic strategies.
* Great presentation with a lot of good suggestions.
* I learned that relationships need to be built if you are to be able to teach anything.
* Superb information.
* Practical, simple, and effective ideas.
* Practical strategies, and they made time for us to use and practice.
* Presented strategies that are practical and that work.
* All of the presentation was helpful, awesome job!
* The strategies provided were helpful, great presenters!
* Great ideas to keep kids having fun.
* The dog and the nicknames were both great.
* The nickname ideas, family mentality, keep the kids #1. It was all fantastic!
* Loved it all. Especially Cruiser!
* I will try the “I noticed…” approach. It sounds like a great idea. Also family approach is a good concept to develop.
* Very energetic presenters and great advice.
* The idea that the classroom is a family! Management can be simple
* The simplicity of classroom rules…no need to have a huge list.
* The dog was fantastic!
* The real life classroom stories were good to hear.