Reach Them to Teach Them 2009 – Motivating Teachers to Achieve Peak Performance

If you’ve ever taught a day in your life, you know that the job is both rewarding and exhausting. In an effort to keep our students inspired and motivated to want to learn, sometimes we forget to recharge our own teaching batteries. Amy Crawford is an amazing elementary teacher based out of Knoxville, Tennessee who understands the need for teachers to have a profound impact on the lives of their students… but she also understands the need for teachers themselves to stay motivated. In 2006, Amy and a her dream team created a non-profit organization called Reach Them to Teach Them. The mission is clear… To train, motivate and inspire leaders so that every child is equipped to reach his/her maximum potential. I was honored to be invited to serve as the keynote speaker at this year’s event at the historic Tennessee Theater with 1,700 teachers on hand.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAVYou45bnk[/youtube]

One of Amy Crawford’s many secrets is to surround herself with an amazing group of people (she calls her dream team) who each bring a special set of skills to the organization. One member of Amy’s dream team is Dave Gorden, past president of the National Speakers Association. Dave is a great friend who originally shared with me the Reach Them to Teach Them vision and built a connection between Steve Spangler Science and the organization he is so proud to serve.

Huge thanks to Amy Crawford, Dave Gorden, the dream team and the 1,700 teachers from the greater Knoxville area who came together to celebrate the joy of teaching.