Who knew it would take two hostage negotiators to help my students extend their curfews, resolve arguments with their parents, and ultimately build better relationships?

When the RCMP Crisis Negotiation Unit visited my high school law class, I expected some interesting guest speakers. What I didn’t expect was just how profoundly they would change the way my students communicated.

The post How Two Mounties Taught My Students to Communicate Like Hostage Negotiators appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

As educators, we often hear the same question from students: When am I ever going to use this? It’s a fair and important query. When students don’t see a practical application of the content they’re learning, they can quickly lose interest and engagement consequently decreases. 

A 2024 Gallup survey found that only 58% of students aged 12–18 said they had learned something interesting at school in the past seven days, down from 68% in 2023. In that same survey, just 10% of high school students said they felt prepared for the future.

What can we do in the face of these alarming statistics? The answer may be surprisingly simple: embed more life skills into our teaching.

The post Making High School More Relevant: A Life Skills Approach appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

Listening is a fundamental skill that often gets overlooked. With phones, tablets, and other distractions everywhere, along with the regular hustle and bustle of busy classrooms, it’s hard to know what good listening really looks like. Teachers spend time teaching students to read, write, and solve math problems, but it’s just as important to teach them how to sit and pay proper attention.

In our conversation with educator, author, and keynote speaker Christine Miles, we explore the often-invisible crisis of listening in education. Her expertise illuminates both the challenges and the path forward for educators seeking to create more engaged, attentive learning environments.

Miles has made it her mission to bridge this critical gap, which is why she created The Listening Path®, a revolutionary system designed to teach listening as a foundational skill. Through her innovative tools and evidence-based approach, Miles helps both teachers and students develop the listening skills that are essential not just for academic success, but for meaningful communication throughout life.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: From your experience, why do you think listening has become such a critical challenge in today’s classrooms?

Listening is a true 21st-century skill, central to what education strives to accomplish. It’s at the core of the “4 C’s” that drive student success: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Yet listening is rarely taught with intention. We often assume it happens automatically, but the truth is that most adults and children, including teachers, have never received formal instruction on how to truly listen and understand.

Despite its formative importance, the numbers are startling: less than 2% of people have been formally taught to listen, yet 96% believe they’re “good listeners.” This leaves educators with a real dilemma. How do you teach a skill you’ve never learned yourself? As a result, listening strategies in classrooms are typically limited to performative behaviors like making eye contact or sitting quietly, instead of practices that develop genuine understanding.

Today’s classrooms are filled with distractions, and many students feel they are truly able to listen in ways that help them learn. When teaching intentional listening is absent, students mentally check out, miss directions, and struggle to connect with their teachers and classmates. Listening isn’t just about hearing words, it’s the bedrock of real understanding, focus, learning, and meaningful relationships.

Q: How did we end up with this disconnect? Do smartphones and social media play a role?

This gap isn’t new; it’s rooted in how we’ve approached listening for generations, treating it as a passive skill that should just “happen” naturally. In truth, our brains are wired to wander, and developing genuine listening skills has always been difficult.

Today, the challenge is even greater—97% of students own smartphones, and nearly all of them bring their phones to class, making distractions unavoidable. Screens and social media intensify the problem by shortening attention spans and pulling us away from meaningful interactions, both within and beyond the classroom.

That’s why we need to intentionally teach and practice listening skills, so we can address long-standing challenges and new distractions alike, and finally learn how to listen with understanding and purpose.

Q: Your award-winning book What Is it Costing You Not to Listen? explores the real price of poor listening skills. Can you share some of the most surprising or significant “costs” you uncovered through your research––both for students academically and for teachers professionally?

The biggest costs of poor listening skills are often invisible, hiding in plain sight. It is incredibly difficult to address a problem you aren’t even aware of, and that’s exactly where poor listening does its damage.

A major part of learning depends on attentive listening. When students aren’t fully engaged, the consequences ripple through every aspect of their education: missed instructions, misunderstood assignments, and a loss of valuable opportunities to build empathy, collaborative skills, and social intelligence with their peers. For teachers, the impact means more time spent re-explaining information, increased effort to maintain engagement, and fewer moments for those rewarding connections that make teaching so meaningful.

But this problem doesn’t stop at the classroom door. It extends into the workplace, where 70% of mistakes are due to ineffective listening, while reducing productivity and morale, and even fueling organizational conflict and turnover. In personal and professional relationships, poor listening erodes trust, diminishes creativity, and weakens teamwork. The hidden costs are real: lost learning, wasted time, unfulfilled potential, and a weaker sense of community.

Q: What are your most effective strategies for establishing what you might call a “listening culture” in the classroom? Are there specific techniques that teachers can implement immediately?

The most effective strategies for building a listening culture in schools start with making listening a visible and intentional part of everyday life. In my experience, classrooms thrive when listening isn’t treated as a background expectation, but rather is woven into the core curriculum and practiced daily.

I encourage educators to teach simple and practical listening tools, establishing a shared language that everyone uses together, both in school and at home. Reflection is key: make space for students to talk about not just what they know, but how they feel and what perspectives they bring. It’s just as important to celebrate listening as it is to celebrate speaking, so recognize when students make others feel heard and understood.

Finally, partnering with parents is essential. When teachers share classroom listening strategies and families use them during meals, bedtime, or family gatherings, listening becomes a shared value. These small steps, done together, can make it second nature and help a real listening culture grow.

Q: Parents often feel they’re competing with screens and constant distractions for their child’s attention. Based on the strategies in your book, what practical steps can they take at home to reinforce good listening habits?

Listening isn’t just for school, it’s a family skill, too. I always recommend setting aside some device-free time for conversations. Modeling good listening means showing real curiosity about your child’s world, and encouraging them to be curious about yours. Ask questions that invite your child to share more, and listen for the feelings behind their words—this shows them how much you value what they have to say.

While childhood is naturally self-centered, it’s still important to teach kids that being interested in others helps them learn to navigate life and stand out wherever they go. Have your child practice repeating back what they heard with family, and thank them for opening-up; these small acts nurture empathy and confidence. Even playing games or telling your own stories creates moments of connection, helping children realize that listening is about discovering and honoring each other’s experiences.

Q: Is there anything else about the listening crisis or solutions you’ve developed that you feel is important for teachers to understand as they progress through the school year?

The greatest takeaway is this: listening is a skill, and it can be learned at any age. We need to treat it as an active practice, just like reading or math. The Listening Path® is a solution that completely shifts classroom listening from basic performative behaviors—like making eye contact and staying quiet—to a structured, common language that’s fun and easily integrated into any classroom, home, or school setting.

One of the biggest gaps in the system is that most teachers have never been formally trained in listening skills themselves, so it’s nearly impossible to teach what they’ve never learned. The Listening Path® is designed specifically to close that gap. It’s easy for teachers to implement in the classroom without professional development or specialized training.

With this resource, teachers become facilitators, leading their students through engaging practice and exploration of these new tools, rather than shouldering the overwhelming responsibility of inventing or mastering a new curriculum. Teachers’ days are challenging enough; this tool helps them get back to what they do best: connecting with students, fostering learning, and helping every child thrive.

About Christine Miles

Christine Miles, MSEd, is a global pioneer in listening intelligence. She is an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and founder of The Listening Path®, a revolutionary system transforming how the world listens and connects. Christine empowers leaders, educators, students, and changemakers to turn listening into their greatest strategic advantage, helping them shift from miscommunication to meaningful impact, so they can build cultures of empathy, drive success, and spark lasting change.

The post Building a Listening Culture: A Conversation with Christine Miles appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

By Carol Gutierrez

A double rainbow, yes. The first time you see the Grand Canyon or Michelangelo’s David, sure. An astonishing goal in the game’s last 30 seconds, definitely. This is the stuff that leaves you awestruck. But a herniated disc? Sounds unlikely, but that’s what did it for me.

I was recovering from a spinal injury last summer when I read The Power of Awe by Jake Eagle and Michael Amster, and it changed my mindset. The book blends scientific and sensory, talking about ways we can bring more awe into our lives using what the authors call the “A.W.E. Method”:

• A (Attention): Turn your undivided attention to things you appreciate, value, or find amazing
• W (Wait): Slow down and pause
• E (Exhale and Expand): Amplify the sensations you are experiencing

So, while I was resting at home during summer vacation, rather than relying on medication, I decided to use the lessons from The Power of Awe to help me reduce my pain. The book encouraged me to focus on all the awe I had before me: the view of the bay from my balcony, breakfast in bed, the movement of the leaves on the trees outside my window, visiting with family members, the extra time I had to read and learn.

The Hypothesis

The topic of awe itself couldn’t be more timely. After 35 years of teaching elementary school, I’ve never seen such an urgent need to address social-emotional issues in and out of the classroom as I do now, post-COVID. I began wondering whether the power of awe could help not just me, but my students as well.

My thesis was this: Even if we can’t teach awe itself—since it can’t be conjured or manufactured—perhaps we can teach the ability to recognize, tune into, and appreciate a sense of awe in ourselves and others. It could be worthwhile.

Research shows awe has both physical and mental benefits, from calming down our nervous systems and relieving anxiety, to encouraging the release of oxytocin—the “love hormone,” which plays an important role in social interactions. I hoped all this might help children connect to others and their world in a way that the pandemic had squelched.

To test my hypothesis, I came up with a project that I could try out with my third-grade students. I called it the Awe Share Fair. I even decided to email Jake Eagle, one of the authors of The Power of Awe, about it. He was quick to encourage me and thought the fair was a “terrific idea!”

The Exploratory Period

I began by asking my class what gives them a sense of awe. The room fell silent, students’ eyes unfocused and gazes far away as they sorted through memories. Their initial response made me realize that simply asking the question was perhaps as important as answering it, which kicked off a revelatory few months of exploration.

We decided to start by experiencing and identifying awe for ourselves. First, through a class discussion where we looked at awe-inspiring images—rainbows, ocean waves, whales, sunsets—and considered what emotions they evoked in us. Next, by exploring activities from Eagle and Amster’s book that would help us focus on moments of awe, such as watching movement, elevating our gaze, and connecting with nature.

Then, it was time to head outside and practice finding awe for ourselves. We put on our “Awe Goggles” (pretend glasses we handmade out of paper) and looked around the school garden. There, students noticed dew on the leaves, buds on the trees, designs in the tree bark, insects, hanging fruit, and patterns in nature. They were astonished at all the awe around them.

We kept going, relishing exceptional moments—such as our field trip to the California Academy of Sciences, where we got to meet an albino alligator and have butterflies land on us—along with simple day-to-day wonders, like memories of a family weekend.

The Interview Process

The challenge, then, was to articulate all this awe we felt. Some students were immediately opinionated and persuasive. Others stayed silent, not quite sure how to put their feelings into words.

So, we dug deeper: with interviews. For two weeks, students’ homework was to interview four adults about times that they’ve experienced awe, asking open-ended questions, probing for details, and writing everything down. This was where students learned the value of asking others about the topic and really listening to their answers.

They presented their results from conversations with family members, friends, and neighbors. The topics were diverse, the audience was riveted. Normally quiet students now had big voices. One talked about how his grandfather listens to Bob Dylan when he’s driving in the car. Another told the story of his family traveling to Texas to chase the solar eclipse earlier that year. He shared a photo of the tiny crescent-shaped shadows on his face and we felt his awe.

The Awe Share Fair

Then it was time for students to extend themselves beyond their immediate circle and create our school’s first Awe Share Fair. From a wide-ranging list of 72 examples of awe, which included things like baby rabbits and disco balls and walking in the snow and learning a new language, each student selected a topic that spoke to them. Their task was to create a visual display about their chosen topic and then showcase it to students in the other third-grade class. By presenting our topics to students outside of our own classroom, we hoped to further our understanding of awe’s possibilities.

This part of our project began the week the students took their first state-wide tests. Turns out, the research is right; awe is a great antidote to stress! The awe project was an invaluable, joyful release valve for students during that time. Then, once the testing window closed, everyone happily turned their full attention back to the Awe Share Fair.

Suddenly, there were fragrant flowers adorning the desk that accompanied the “Nature Walks” display, cotton balls decorating the “Snow” laptop, and posters hung from the desk of “Imagination.” In one corner of the classroom was a poster about “Patterns in Nature” and in another was a spider web made of yarn. Each student found their own way to communicate a sense of awe to their audience.

The day of the Share Fair, as other third graders walked around our classroom, my students introduced themselves to each and every one who stopped by their desk. They talked about their topics, shared research, played videos, encouraged questions, and asked for feedback (important social practice, especially for shy or anxious students).

The Final Result

Awe might seem easy to convey. Show someone a photo of the Matterhorn and they’re wowed by the epic peak, right? But through this first Awe Share Fair, we learned that giving people a true sense of awe takes work—and thought! Foods that seem awe-some, like chocolate and zongzi (sticky rice treats), for instance, tend to derail conversation about them. It’s hard to listen well when you’re busy chewing.

So we tried again, removing distractions and improving the Share Fair’s layout, placing some presentations on the terrace outside the classroom in order to reduce the noise. Then we invited more guests: fourth graders, parents, staff.

After Awe Share Fair 2.0, the students felt even more pride as we debriefed and discussed our progress. By now, it was almost the last week of school. Classwork was all but finished and still, the students voted to have one more fair—this time for the fifth graders—on the last Tuesday of the year.

We kept adjusting, adding additional decorations and some background music, making further improvements to our presentations, and ordering more “You are Awesome” business cards to pass out as souvenirs to attendees. The process was every bit as important as the result. Finally, with Awe Share Fair 3.0, we achieved the fair we really wanted.

Then came the reviews: all good! Past students wished they’d had their own Awe Share Fairs when they were younger. Siblings, parents, and students—some who’d never stopped to consider awe before—talked about the wonder of the project. Everyone said they hoped to be invited to another fair next year, because they had enjoyed the experience so much.

The Power of Awe

Of course, awe isn’t new. Next generation science standards even call for curriculum about it. But I can tell you, there was something different happening in my classroom that year. The Awe Share Fair was unlike any other end-of-the-year projects I’ve encouraged, for three main reasons.

First, it gave every student a chance to shine. Science fair participants, for example, showcase specific skills, but with our awe project everyone contributed their voice. They also had the comfort of being in (or just outside) their own classroom. The only essential ingredient for success at the Awe Share Fair was true enthusiasm for something.

Second, at a time when devices and AI are encroaching on childhood, our awe project focused intentionally on human interaction. Students demonstrated their best speaking and listening skills from the interview to the presentation stage. Both improved markedly.

Third, undergirding the whole project was the mindfulness that can be derived from the “A.W.E. Method:” taking a few short moments to turn your undivided Attention to the things that give you awe, slowing down and Waiting, then Exhaling in order to Expand and amplify the sensations that you’re experiencing. This breathing practice helped everyone—from the student presenters to the Awe Fair attendees—get in touch with the feeling of awe.

When the project was done and the school year over, what impressed me most wasn’t just the diverse, deeply felt presentations by the students. It was the willingness of teachers, parents, and kids from other grades and classes to stop and really listen to my students describe the specific things that make them revel in the world around us.

You can’t plan to be awestruck, but you can practice being more open to wondrous moments. We can remind ourselves— and teach our young people—to embrace this mindset. Through the Awe Share Fair, my students and I explored the world, connected to science, reconnected with others, found new inspiration and purpose, eased anxiety, and most importantly, got young and old talking, speaking, and listening from the heart again. It was truly awesome.

Carol wishes to thank Holly Finn, class parent extraordinaire, for her help with the initial edits to this piece.

The post Everything Is Awe-some: Showing Young Students the Power of Awe appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

By Kate Ehrlich

I am a history/social studies teacher in Frederick County Public Schools, MD, and will soon be wrapping up my 19th year in the classroom. I’ve always believed in the importance of history and that the past has many crucial lessons to teach us. I also care deeply about ensuring that the curricula I teach reflects the diversity of our school and gives each student insights into the experiences of others. During the 2023–2024 school year, I worked with a group of talented student volunteers on a project that reflected these goals.

It all started with an educator learning tour that I took with the Institute for Common Power in the spring of 2023. Over the course of that trip, I was able to visit the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, both in Montgomery, AL. The museum and memorial each highlight key moments in America’s Black history, including the impact of racial terror lynchings.

The post The Black History Exhibit: Creating an Authentic Learning Experience appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

“May it please the court.” For the past 13 years, I’ve heard middle and high school students utter these words in a simulated moot court competition in Atlanta, GA. The competition is part of the Young Litigators Project, which provides an opportunity for youth to learn about the role of the Supreme Court, as well as their rights and responsibilities as citizens. The project educates youth on the rule of law and helps them to understand how laws directly impact their lives.

The Young Litigators Project began when I was hired by the Fulton County District Attorney’s office to develop and implement a teen court for a middle school that had a high truancy and suspension rate. Working with the school’s students, I noticed that they knew how the lower court worked, however they had limited knowledge of the Supreme Court and how its decisions can affect the entire country. I wanted to change this, and came up with the idea of developing a moot court competition among middle schools.

The post In the Halls of Justice: The Educational Value of Moot Court appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

By Laura Baukol, MA, CCC-SLP

As a speech-language pathologist (SLP), I am an expert in communication disorders in children. My 15 years of experience has spanned from early intervention with our youngest communicators through public education with elementary and secondary students.

In these roles, I have learned that teaching peers, families, educators, and friends to be strong communication partners can be just as important as teaching new skills to the child with the disability.

The post How to Be a Good Communication Partner appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

By Martha Beach

For the past nine years, Grade 6 students in Saskatoon, SK, have applied for one of 25 coveted spots in a special year-long program that sees them learning and growing with elders on a daily basis. This unique experience, called iGen, focuses on building intergenerational relationships; selected students will spend the entire school year in the iGen classroom, which is located in Sherbrooke Community Centre, a long-term care facility.

This exact program, delivered by teachers in partnership with Sherbrooke staff, seniors, and volunteers, is one-of-a-kind in Canada. However, the benefits of seniors and students connecting with each other is widespread. Whether through intergenerational co-housing, seniors volunteering in schools, or students volunteering in community care homes, socialization between older and younger generations benefits everyone involved.

The post Intergenerational Learning: A Way for Everyone to Shine appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

By Kelsey McCallum

Immerse your students in the wonderful world of horses through these exciting equine field trips!

Learning how to ride a horse can have many benefits for kids. It helps them build self-confidence, while also improving their strength, coordination, and balance. By taking care of these majestic animals, children are taught the importance of responsibility and a good work ethic. They also develop empathy as they bond with the horses, and gain valuable communication and leadership skills through riding together. Horseback riding is a great way to relieve stress and pent-up energy too. With so many positive takeaways, there’s no better time to get kids outside and into some saddles. Check out these six spectacular field trips across Canada and the U.S. and start riding today.

Amazing Gaits Equestrian Center
Theodore, AL

Amazing Gaits’ Educational Riding Field Trip is interactive, customizable, and plenty of fun. Students will learn about horse care and nutrition, pasture maintenance, and more, while having an opportunity to ride the horses too.

A&T Equestrian
Surrey, BC

At A&T Equestrian, customizable programs are available for elementary school students. Along with horseback riding, other educational opportunities can include: practicing how to lead and handle horses, learning about grooming and tacking, and understanding feeding and equine care.

Circle R Ranch
Delaware, ON

The Western Horseback Riding trip at Circle R Ranch is suitable for Grades 4–12, and provides students with the unique opportunity to take a leisurely ride across the ranch’s 80-hectare trail system. Each rider is paired with a horse that is best suited to their age and riding ability, and then given a lesson about the basics of horsemanship before following the ranch’s qualified instructors onto the trail.

Forest View Farms
Tinley Park, IL

Forest View Farms offers 30-minute and 1-hour rides for students in Grades 4 and up. Each student is paired with a horse that matches their skill level, before setting off on exciting trail rides that wind through the picturesque Cook County Forest Preserve. Pony rides for students in Grades K–3 are also available on the farm.

Mountain Trail Rides
Davis, WV

Students can take in the unparalleled beauty of Canaan Valley on horseback with the help of Mountain Trail Rides. Specializing in beginners and groups, Mountain Trail Rides provides instructions about horse behaviour and riding safety for all visitors. An age-specific curriculum is available, and can be customized to emphasize certain topics, upon request. Groups of 15 or more students receive a discount.

Sunset Trails Stables
Lee’s Summit, MO

These field trips provide an exciting introduction to the world of horses. Students will learn about horse behaviour and breeds, how to keep horses healthy, how to groom them, and more. Sunset Trails offers optional horse rides as well, where students are taught about proper riding positions and safety, and also how to mount and dismount, and how to steer, etc.

The post Horseback Riding: 6 Introductory Field Trips for Kids appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

By Fiona Tapp

You could be forgiven for thinking that spelling bees may not be as important in an age of instant spell checks and predictive text, but the competitions are so much more than simply memorizing a list of words.

The young wordsmiths who take part in these exciting events study root words and etymology to spell in front of an audience, quickly and competently. Participating in spelling bees, and the practice required to compete, not only helps children develop spelling skills and reading comprehension, but can bolster their confidence and communication skills as well.

The post How Spelling Bees Can Improve Literacy Skills in the Classroom appeared first on TEACH Magazine.