Use it for the next note.

1. Are you healthy in body?
(If not, go sleep.)

2. Have you taken account of all classroom and teaching variables?
(“Yes”=Liar. “No”=Think.)

3. Do you know students have diverse learning styles?
(Haven’t you heard?)

4. Have you spiced things up lately with a variety of activities?
(What spice describes your class dynamic now?)

5. Have you included humor and fun in your plans?
(Are you fun and funny with your class?)

6. Are you intentionally having fun teaching?
(Does fun just happen randomly?)

7. Have you clarified your expectations lately?
(Today? Tomorrow?)

8. Did you make clear those expectations from the start?
(“No”=New Beginnings)

Reject the temptations of success, throw back the status symbols, says Dr. West. It takes courage to think for oneself, but is necessary for one’s own freedom and happiness. Bravery is necessary for greatness, and this is what we should strive for.

He said it before, the current generation will have to retrain their minds to look past success, and to look to a higher place:

I remind young people everywhere I go, one of the worst things the older generation did was to tell them for twenty-five years “Be successful, be successful, be successful” as opposed to “Be great, be great, be great”. There’s a qualititative difference.

See another powerful video of Dr. West speaking at Brown University. And keep in mind your vision of personal greatness, make it a habit of mind to retain your focus on it. Make life about more than just commodities. As the Doctor said, sadly we have to learn to recognize the nihilism and destitution that our culture encourages so effectively. And that’s where the fight begins. That’s where we begin to hack our own destinies.