Elevate the Norm is run by one teacher, so messages come straight to Clay Shumate rather than to a support queue.
What is worth writing about
- A correction. If something here is factually wrong, this is the fastest way to get it fixed. Name the article and the claim. See the corrections policy for how they are handled.
- A question about your own classroom. Questions that come up more than once tend to turn into articles.
- Disagreement. Particularly from teachers who tried something here and found it did not work. That is more useful than agreement.
- Bringing this to your school. Staff professional development, or setting up the recognition system in a building.
- Using the resources. They are free to print and share for classroom use with the credit line intact, so you do not need permission — but it is always good to hear where they ended up.
How to reach Clay
Use the inquiry form at the bottom of the home page. It goes directly to Clay.
For a question about teaching practice specifically, the questions page has its own form and those get answered publicly where the answer would help other teachers — without identifying you or your school.
What to expect
Replies come from a person who teaches full time, so they are not instant — during a school week they may take several days. Corrections are prioritized over everything else.
Please do not send student names, student work, or anything identifying a child. If your question needs classroom detail, describe the situation without the identifying parts.
Guest post pitches, link exchange requests, and paid placement offers are not accepted.