Talk Like a Candidate Day

   We all know about "Talk Like a Pirate" day.
   But after listening to candidate speeches for the last bazillion years, teachers should talk like a candidate for the weeks leading up to the election.
   You know what I mean. Candidate A talks about something in a sentence or two, then raises his voice with a "we can do it" kind of inflection.
   President Obama does it well. Others, like Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney, seem like they're trying too hard and their efforts feel false and manipulative.
   Here's how it might go in my classroom.
   "Hey Class 4! It's great to see you. It's great to be back in this classroom with all you future leaders of this country. The COUNTRY BELONGS TO YOU!
   "Despite what the math teacher says, I offer you the key to your future. Yes, Literacy is your future. If you learn to read and write well, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. YES, YOU CAN!
   "So today we're here to practice how to start your stories with great leads. Not just good leads, but GREAT LEADS!
   "Future leaders of America: Are you READY? I can teach you leads better than anyone, especially better than the math teacher who WANTS TO LIMIT YOUR LEARNING TO NUMBERS!
   "If you work hard today with my leadership, we can reach FOR THE STARS.
   "Ignore what that math teacher says about my teaching style. My teaching style works. My teaching style will bring YOU TO YOUR FUTURE!"

  Wow. That was a lot of work to write. I wonder how those candidates keep the energy going? I'll try this over the week to see what happens. Maybe we can transform our practice!