I’m on a diet. I eat turkey burgers, veggies, grilled chicken, eggs, pork, steak, and lots of beans (not as flatulent as I am after a night of beer drinking). I eat as much or more than I did a week ago, haven’t exercised at all and, on my fifth day, I’ve lost 5 lbs and my levis aren’t so snug. Sure, I’ve cut out the sugar and white, processed carbs but I don’t think that’s what makes the biggest difference. I’m not fat cause I track.
Ever spend a bunch of money at dinner and then purposefully avoid looking at your checking account so you don’t feel bad filling up the tank the next day? Too bad overdraft notices go to email now. Now flip that. Think about the lady meticulously noting debits in her checkbook in the checkout. I can bet you she never gets an overdraft email. She tracks, the overdrafter doesn’t .
With this in mind, I’ve started having my students track how many poems they write and how many words they scribble in free writes. Result? A baffling splurge of enthusiasm for writing! Like my diet, we’ve cut out a few things: lectures, most homework, and most assessments, and we’ve started tracking a couple simple items. Life doesn’t have to be so complicated and neither does school. Count the positive, eliminate the negative, and always teach in the present!
Teach in the Present 
Ah! So brilliant! Tracking is a great way to keep track. We’ve implemented this at work (to some degree) and it really does help to meet a goal!
Right on dude! I have always said that I am my own greatest critic. If only my teachers could have harnessed that power I might have liked school, or cared, or (insert other positive here…)