Learn to Start EDU: The LTS Instructor

The Learn to Start instructor has the charisma to engage and challenge a room into action. They bring strong self-confidence, but not ego, to the classroom. They are a student formative development expert that recognizes that the focus of the program is on skill development rather than the delivery of content. They model transparency and direct communication skills in order to develop a culture of live feedback. They facilitate learning by allowing students to fail rather than providing them with a solution because they understand that learning happens over time, not in an instant. They earn respect and trust in the classroom in a short period of time by being their most present in that environment.

In a traditional classroom, a teacher’s expertise is their subject content. In a Learn to Start classroom, an instructor’s expertise is student formative development. They are the daily mentor, and guide them through their development as they answer the three program questions: Who are you? What can you do? How do you prove it? 

Here’s what a mentor does:

• Facilitates learning
• Guides through experiences
• Asks questions
• Offers advice
• Provides feedback

Being an expert in student formative development means you:

• Differentiate your instruction
• Set deadlines and requirements, but allow for different levels and paces of development within those
• Meet students where they are and help them grow from that point
• Teach students how to set their own expectations and reflect on their own progress

We need teachers present in their classrooms. But, the current situation for a working classroom teacher is one designed for burnout. There are not enough work hours in the day for a teacher to meet every responsibility asked of them. If teachers need the energy to work before and after school and on the weekends, we cannot expect them to have the energy necessary to be present with their students during class.  Which responsibilities would you remove from a teacher’s workload to better their in-class performance?