Confidence, Courage, and Transparency

Transparency takes confidence and courage.

It is easier to keep thoughts to yourself, or quietly share with like-minded colleagues. It takes confidence and courage to speak up. When you speak up you put yourself out there, and you can expect both support and criticism. Transparency requires that you're ready to take the good and the bad--confident that you are able to own and correct error and mistakes as well as strengthen good work and grow.

Transparency, however, also demands respect.  Transparency without respect does not move organizations forward, instead that kind of transparency serves to tangle the path ahead.  Respect means that you take care with your thought and communication essentially putting yourself in the shoes of others as you comment, challenge, or seek understanding.

Respectful, focused transparency, debate, and discussion have the potential to move school systems to more efficient, student-centered practice.  Our clear conversations and discussions help us to work together to determine the best ways to teach the children in our schools and classrooms.  If we take the time up front to honestly analyze problems, set goals, create schedules, implement efforts, assess, and revise regularly, we will reap the rewards of student success and happiness.

How can school culture foster respectful transparency?

First, schools can promote communication and collaboration protocols and norms at the team, system, and school levels.  I was one that scoffed at the norm setting process during our initial PLCs, but now I understand the necessity of this practice at all levels of an organization.

Next, truthful discourse should be encouraged and debate embraced.  We will not always agree, but we can collaborate on practice, and assess to determine optimal learning paths, decisions, and efforts.

After that, collective vision and goal setting should be a regular, perhaps yearly, effort of a team, school, or system, and throughout the year the goals should be revisited in efficient ways to assess progress, cheer each other on, and revise if necessary. When goals and vision are not inclusive or set by the team, investment wanes.  Instead, when goals and vision are collective, investment grows.

Finally, a students-first attitude and emphasis should pervade all that we do in the school community and that should be at the center of our transparent discussions and efforts.  A desire for student growth and happiness is one thread that connects all staff in a school organization.

It takes courage and confidence to be transparent in your thoughts, actions, and assessments, and it also takes respect, empathy, and care.  Transparency like this will move our schools and systems ahead when it comes to teaching children well.

The Day Before the Tests: Reflection

Today's the last day before our last MCAS tests for the year--it's the last chance to review and prep for yearly assessments.  Tests, at best, serve as formative assessments of the collective group's and individual student's general knowledge of multiple standards. I see the tests as one indicator of student learning, and years of giving these tests show me that the way students score generally line with with their ease at taking in, analyzing, and presenting information related to the standards.

I spend two weeks before the tests reviewing all that we learned throughout the year in multiple ways. We shore up areas that can be quickly strengthened. Then we'll end this final day with fun and play--a way to relax before students do their best work next week.

The debate continues to test or not to test. I continue to believe that streamlined tests provide a general indicator of student, school, and system success in discrete areas.  The tests provide teachers at the elementary level with a common, essential skill and standard set to embed into worthy, engaging learning design.  I believe the money and time spent on standardized tests like this should be streamlined, and the tests should be seen for what they are--one indicator to assess a school, system, or state. I am cautious about using test scores to rate a teacher since there are so many factors involved in a student's overall progress and growth, so many factors beyond one teacher's reach. Yet, like teachers everywhere, I do my best to give students a strong foundation for test success.

Thinking of tests as one indicator, and streamlining the time and dollars spent on tests, should open up resources for more engaging, multi-modal, student-centered teaching and learning including multiple tools and resources to empower students.  This area of school life should send a direct message that teaching and learning is not equal to standardized tests, but instead teaching and learning is a life-long endeavor that brings life strength, promise, and potential.

It is the day before the tests.  My colleagues and I have worked to give students every advantage to do their best. Now I'm ready to move onto our project/problem base learning chapter of the year with greater strength and enthusiasm. In many ways the year is a combination of a quilt and weave.  There are many discrete units, teaching points and goals, and then there is the way these dimensions intersect to create a vibrant, student-centered learning environment. That's the teaching/learning puzzle--the one that teachers enjoy working on day in and day out to teach children well.

Successful Student Service Delivery

Students today receive multiple services in school. Services range from special education services, physical/occupational therapy, adaptive physical education, math/reading boost/coaching, guidance, speech, and more.

When done well, these services make school more engaging and profitable to students by allowing children to access learning with greater strength and joy. Also, due to the wonderful assessments and tools we have today, we are able to target and meet students' program goals with greater specificity, assessment, and result.

The challenge with all these services and potential is coordination and communication. This coordination and communication can be a complex task, one that can result in lost potential without guiding protocols and commitment. Shared protocols can help to guide service delivery in successful ways. Here are some protocols schools might consider.

• Classroom and special educators related to specific service delivery(s) are expected to meet prior to the start of the service delivery year to discuss meeting times, service delivery focus, curriculum, assessment, and communication.
• Communication protocols will be established at the start of the school year including email expectations, meeting plans/schedules, parent communication, and assessment/reporting responsibility.
• Service delivery schedules will be created before the start of school each year.
• New student files will be evaluated before the school year starts by a designated educator, and if new students require services, those services will be planned prior to the start of school. 
• Service delivery, like classroom schedules, will begin on day one of the school year or as close to the first day of school as possible. 
• Service delivery goals, times, and days will be created with care and communicated well including a short list of student learning goals. 
• When possible, changes in the service delivery schedule or classroom events will be communicated with lead time so all involved will have time to shift plans and prepare materials.
• Service delivery goals will be short-listed and simplified so that all educators working with that child/children will have a clear understanding of the child's learning priorities.
• Service delivery is expected to be timely as often as possible.
• Educators will be expected to work together with a focus on a successful, learning program for each child receiving services. 

It can be difficult for educators to keep track of service delivery times, goals, and results.  This confusion can lead to less-than-optimal service delivery-classroom coordination and communication.  Hence I recommend that classroom teachers organize their class service delivery schedule and goals with a chart like the one below.  That chart can be placed in a clear sheet and located in an easy to reference position in the classroom.

Schools today are better than in the past thanks to the many laws and structures that have brought important services to schools. When I was young many of these services did not exist in schools, and I saw the damaging effects a lack of services had on students who needed those services. The best way to optimize these services is to make the time up front to create schedules and protocols that lead the services with a focus on teaching children well.

Streamline Supports

I am in favor of streamlined supports. When supports are streamlined those supports create paths to successful practice. When supports are not organized and streamlined, those supports create nets rather than paths, nets that confound successful practice.

Streamline supports have the following attributes:

• Regular communication that revisits what's happened, discusses current practice, and highlights future endeavor with dates, questions and topics.
• Regular schedules.
• Goals, vision, a plan, and assessments.
• A collaborative, service mindset, and action identifying who the support is servicing and how.
• Transparent action, effort.
• Time-on-task, most time spent in support.
• Meetings up front to discuss the support parameters, schedule and focus.  Follow-up meetings for revision, growth, and enrichment.
• Lead time for scheduling.
• Respect and inclusion of those that the support serves.

In a sense, an educator is a support service. We support our learners. In what ways can we streamline our efforts so we create paths to learning, rather than nets that prevent growth.  The following attributes can strengthen the support we provide.

• Regular, predictable routines.
• Regular communication similar to a weekly newsletter.
• An organized atmosphere.
• An open mind to learner's needs and questions.
• Positivity.
• Students first.
• Trouble shooting and problem solving with students and families to create a student-centered, responsive practice.
• Engaging effort and practice. 

How are your supports streamlined?  In what ways do your supports create nets rather than paths to optimal learning?  How can you engage in positive conversation with those you work with in order to streamline supports and make those supports more effective?  

Truth in Teaching is Sometimes a Lonely Path

Sometimes sharing truthful observations and thoughts create a lonely path.

Sometimes asking questions related to those observations and thoughts turns people off. Often playing the game or turning a blind eye is preferred.

To move against the expected culture, structure, and organization creates disruption, frustration, and perhaps even anger at times.

And sometimes one is punished for truth and care.

Teachers are on the front line with little time left for conversation or collaboration. Mostly it is the teacher and many children together learning, creating, and moving forward.

If a teacher has a big idea or thought, it is usually a long, complicated journey to fruition--a sometimes lonely journey with little support.

Many still see the teacher as the factory worker, the front line, the "do-it" person, not the thinking, decision making, collaborative member of the team. Many don't equate professional with teacher.

This is one aspect of my profession that I don't like, and one reason why I would caution my children toward a career in teaching.  It is difficult to see promise and potential, but have little voice or decision making power.

Some will argue that teachers do have voice, and if they use their voice well and right, then change will happen. Using voice "well and right" differs from organization to organization as culture differs from school system to school system.

I've tried many paths in the past few years.  Some small paths have succeeded in small ways.  Other paths have reached a dead end.  Like many educators, I've worked over time (double time in many cases) most days to do what's expected, and then on my own time built new ideas, craft, learning and effort to move my practice forward.  I've done that so I can meet the current expectations while also doing what I know is good and right for children as education evolves. That, as you know, takes a toll on one's family life--a toll that in some cases may be too big a price to pay to do work you believe in.  Yet, as many know, substantial, positive change and work demands sacrifice.

Once I rest up after the latest closed path, I'll seek new and better ways to collaborate, share, learn and move forward. I'm not giving up, but I must say I am discouraged.

In the end, I will continue to serve children as well as I can. I will continue to work with children's needs, passions and interests in mind.  I will look for ways to grow with strength. This weekend's edcamp will be an energizing retreat--one that will spur my future research and work.

Teaching can be a lonely path--all teachers who dream big know that.