"Culture is very important to the Mavs. Your best player has to be a fit for what you want the culture of the team to be. He has to be someone who leads by example. Someone who sets the tone in the locker room and on the court. It isn't about who talks the most or the loudest. It is about the demeanor and attitude he brings." - Mark Cuban
In a sense, not unlike basketball, teaching is performance work. Yes, there's the efforts behind the scene to read, research, prepare, collaborate, and ready the teaching/learning environment, and there's also the performance--the actual teaching.
When it comes to the performance, as Cuban notes above, demeanor and attitude matter.
When you observe your learning/teaching organization, who is the "best player" as Cuban explains, the one who leads by example, sets the tone, and is all about the demeanor and attitude he/she brings?
What is the optimal demeanor and attitude of an educator? Does this differ from school to school because of culture, environment, ages of students, geography, or leadership?
When demeanor and attitude are less than what you'd expect for yourself or others, what prompts that digression and how can the details of school roles, routines, and responsibilities change to support optimal demeanor and attitude?
Demeanor and attitude--that's a focus I'll observe and think about as I assist the music teacher during play rehearsal, lead a test review, and monitor outdoor recess today. It's a good focus for today and the many days of teaching to come.
Addition
Here are a few short articles about workplace demeanor:
Composure
Positive Attitude
Trust
When You Read Me. . .
