Have you ever noticed a child's face and body posture when you are teaching something they already know? Sometimes they tune out. Sometimes they get angry. Sometimes they call out.
I typically respond to the children with next steps. I may say that we're going to do a quick review then spread out depending on what we need, and what we know. I may say that it is important to revisit the topic in a new way as there is always more to learn. I may even ask the child if they want to work on something else if I know that the child has mastered the concept.
I am a lot like those children when new presenters that don't know me introduce information that I've already learned a lot about, information I've considered with depth. My initial response is to be insulted that someone can treat me as if I've never learned the information before. Like the students, I get turned off too. Yet, I know that there's always more to learn--like everybody else, I don't know it all. Then, as I tell students, I coach myself to listen, learn more, and consider deeper questions related to the topic. I also remind myself to listen to what others have to say to understand well where they are coming from, what they know, and what they question.
In the best of circumstances, I believe it is best for teachers to get to know their students well--to listen to the students, hear what they have to say, and teach those students well via their interests, questions, and needs.
There's aways more to learn about teaching and learning. None of us are ever there, there's always more to know. Onward.
Monday, February 03, 2020
Teachers: Sometimes we don't have the answers
It's okay not to have the answer as an educator. We are met everyday with situations that are new to us. No matter how long you teach, you will always come across new challenges--events you simply don't know how to respond to. The key is knowing what to do when you don't know what to do.
Be honest
It is okay to say to a colleague, parent, or student, "I simply don't know what to do in this situation. I want ____________________ for you or your child or this situation, but I don't know how to get there. What do you suggest?" Typically beginning by questioning the stakeholders involved is a terrific place to start.
Make a plan to find out
Work with students, colleagues, and family members to figure out the situation beginning with what you know, "We know that. . . ." And then, once you've collected the knowns, then work on the vision statement--what is it that we want to achieve and why. Make sure your desired outcome and rationale are solid and agreed upon by the team. It is likely that the first problem in getting to the place you desire is the fact that the team of students, family members, and educators do not agree on the vision. After you know what works and where you want to go, then fill in the steps from what is happening now to where you want to go.
As I think of a situation I'm working on now. The knowns are students' abilities, curiosity, good supports, and positive health and energy. The desire is to help the children become full members of the classroom community in positive ways that include the child's choice and voice. The steps ahead include greater modeling, teaching, and support for the many ways the children can more successfully be included in the classroom community. The challenge is to list those ways to gain greater inclusion specifically and then to figure out with the team how we can provide greater modeling, teaching, and support for those efforts.
Chart your efforts
It is easy to forget your efforts in areas that are challenging or unknown, so it is important to clearly document your efforts. The documentation help you to look back at where you started, the missteps, and the progress you've made. The documentation can be helpful to future, similar situations too.
In teaching as in life, we will continually be met with situations that are new, confusing, and unknown to us. The worst thing we can do is pretend that we understand the situation well when we don't. The best steps we can take are to acknowledge the mystery of the situation, work with the team to make a plan, and chart the efforts. That's a good way to move from unknowing to knowing in ways that benefit our students well.
Be honest
It is okay to say to a colleague, parent, or student, "I simply don't know what to do in this situation. I want ____________________ for you or your child or this situation, but I don't know how to get there. What do you suggest?" Typically beginning by questioning the stakeholders involved is a terrific place to start.
Make a plan to find out
Work with students, colleagues, and family members to figure out the situation beginning with what you know, "We know that. . . ." And then, once you've collected the knowns, then work on the vision statement--what is it that we want to achieve and why. Make sure your desired outcome and rationale are solid and agreed upon by the team. It is likely that the first problem in getting to the place you desire is the fact that the team of students, family members, and educators do not agree on the vision. After you know what works and where you want to go, then fill in the steps from what is happening now to where you want to go.
As I think of a situation I'm working on now. The knowns are students' abilities, curiosity, good supports, and positive health and energy. The desire is to help the children become full members of the classroom community in positive ways that include the child's choice and voice. The steps ahead include greater modeling, teaching, and support for the many ways the children can more successfully be included in the classroom community. The challenge is to list those ways to gain greater inclusion specifically and then to figure out with the team how we can provide greater modeling, teaching, and support for those efforts.
Chart your efforts
It is easy to forget your efforts in areas that are challenging or unknown, so it is important to clearly document your efforts. The documentation help you to look back at where you started, the missteps, and the progress you've made. The documentation can be helpful to future, similar situations too.
In teaching as in life, we will continually be met with situations that are new, confusing, and unknown to us. The worst thing we can do is pretend that we understand the situation well when we don't. The best steps we can take are to acknowledge the mystery of the situation, work with the team to make a plan, and chart the efforts. That's a good way to move from unknowing to knowing in ways that benefit our students well.
Flexibility Challenge
Early this weekend, I reviewed the plans for the school week ahead. Confident that I was ready for a good week, I reviewed the school calendar only to find what looked like a staffing change that affected my homeroom. I was perturbed as I had planned for what I thought was the plan only to find out that the plan was different. In real time, that meant an extra 1/2 hour of work prior to my 7:45 meeting--ugh!
Changes happen in schools all the time, and one of the most challenging aspects of teaching is the fact that we have to be flexible and ready to react to change with positivity. Yet, are all those changes necessary? Is there a way to avoid last minute changes for the most part? I want to think more about that.
Unexpected changes that one can never plan for are generally not too hard to respond to, but changes that you think might be avoidable are more difficult. What can we do to avoid those kinds of last minute changes?
Staffing
Many schools operate with not enough staffing to do the job well. That makes teaching well challenging. For example, are there teachers in your school who are not replaced by a substitute when they are absent? If they are teachers, and they are not replaced, who does their job for a day and what students lose out on their services? In my opinion, any full time teacher or assistant that is absent, should be replaced by a substitute teacher. System leaders may say, "But we don't have the money for that," and my response is we need to well fund schools--we can't expect schools to run without ample staffing.
Further, due to the low pay of many teaching-related jobs, sometimes it is difficult to get people who are well trained and ready to do the job, thus it is on-the-job-training which in some cases works out just fine, but in other cases, does not work out well at all. I believe that all education jobs should receive ample training, preparation, and support--we can't just expect people to be dropped in a school setting and know what to do. We can do better in this regard.
Long Term Planning
It is essential that school teams engage in long term planning in order to alleviate scheduling and other changes that can be avoided by long term planning. In the best of circumstances, calendars for the school year are created the spring before that year and all main events are scheduled. Then as people schedule new events, they can work around the main events.
The same is true for scheduling. Schools should provide ample lead time in the summer and during the first days of schools for staff to schedule services and main areas of teaching. Beginning the year with a good pattern of services and programming ensures that we teach that which we prioritize to be most important for the students.
Good Communication
The principal at our school sends out a daily newsletter. I LOVE that because it keeps everyone on the same page with regard to expectations, special events, and school-wide planning. Good communication helps us to avoid unexpected changes--the kinds of changes that interrupt what we have planned and add extra time to our schedules.
There will be unexpected events in school. We do have to be flexible to be good educators, but we can work with our school teams to create structures that make undue change a rare occasion rather than a daily event. This matters when it comes to teaching children well. Do you agree?
Changes happen in schools all the time, and one of the most challenging aspects of teaching is the fact that we have to be flexible and ready to react to change with positivity. Yet, are all those changes necessary? Is there a way to avoid last minute changes for the most part? I want to think more about that.
Unexpected changes that one can never plan for are generally not too hard to respond to, but changes that you think might be avoidable are more difficult. What can we do to avoid those kinds of last minute changes?
Staffing
Many schools operate with not enough staffing to do the job well. That makes teaching well challenging. For example, are there teachers in your school who are not replaced by a substitute when they are absent? If they are teachers, and they are not replaced, who does their job for a day and what students lose out on their services? In my opinion, any full time teacher or assistant that is absent, should be replaced by a substitute teacher. System leaders may say, "But we don't have the money for that," and my response is we need to well fund schools--we can't expect schools to run without ample staffing.
Further, due to the low pay of many teaching-related jobs, sometimes it is difficult to get people who are well trained and ready to do the job, thus it is on-the-job-training which in some cases works out just fine, but in other cases, does not work out well at all. I believe that all education jobs should receive ample training, preparation, and support--we can't just expect people to be dropped in a school setting and know what to do. We can do better in this regard.
Long Term Planning
It is essential that school teams engage in long term planning in order to alleviate scheduling and other changes that can be avoided by long term planning. In the best of circumstances, calendars for the school year are created the spring before that year and all main events are scheduled. Then as people schedule new events, they can work around the main events.
The same is true for scheduling. Schools should provide ample lead time in the summer and during the first days of schools for staff to schedule services and main areas of teaching. Beginning the year with a good pattern of services and programming ensures that we teach that which we prioritize to be most important for the students.
Good Communication
The principal at our school sends out a daily newsletter. I LOVE that because it keeps everyone on the same page with regard to expectations, special events, and school-wide planning. Good communication helps us to avoid unexpected changes--the kinds of changes that interrupt what we have planned and add extra time to our schedules.
There will be unexpected events in school. We do have to be flexible to be good educators, but we can work with our school teams to create structures that make undue change a rare occasion rather than a daily event. This matters when it comes to teaching children well. Do you agree?
Sunday, February 02, 2020
Teaching/Learning: First Week in February 2020
As I ready to prepare Sunday dinner and enjoy the company of loving family members, I want to think about the school week ahead. What will take priority?
Progress Reports
I have a few more progress reports to continue. Those are due tomorrow.
Student Meetings
There will be a couple of important students meetings this week, meeting when I'll think about how we can better serve several students' needs and interests in the classroom. I want to think deeply with colleagues and family members about these students and what we can do to empower their school experience in enriching, meaningful, and engaging ways.
Staff Meetings
There are also a couple of staff meetings focused on culturally proficient teaching. We'll read and discuss this article, then listen to the author provide greater depth on the topic. I always look forward to learning that develops the way we teach and learn together in meaningful ways.
Math Practice and Review
Students will have a number of days to review the math we've been studying recently and since the beginning of the year. There are paper-pencil packets, online practice tests, and other study venues that students will access on their own and together to study. Then on Friday, students will take the unit test to show what they know. In the meantime, I'll review a very large number of student papers to see who is skilled at the targeted learning standards and who still needs more help and support. At the end of the week, I'll do the same with students' assessments.
Reading
I'll continue to read Bud, Not Buddy with one student. We are really enjoying the story and having many, many rich conversations as we read.
Climate Change Projects
The team will make time to discuss these projects at our weekly Professional Learning Community (PLC) meeting this week. We'll schedule full teaching days in the week ahead to focus on this project. It is the kind of project that requires deep time to do well.
Healthy Routine
It is always difficult to live with a healthy routine when you teach since the limitless proposition of school work has a way of taking over your schedule. I'll continue to reach for this as I teach and learn.
It will be a good week ahead--a week I look forward to. Now for Sunday dinner prep. . . onward.
Progress Reports
I have a few more progress reports to continue. Those are due tomorrow.
Student Meetings
There will be a couple of important students meetings this week, meeting when I'll think about how we can better serve several students' needs and interests in the classroom. I want to think deeply with colleagues and family members about these students and what we can do to empower their school experience in enriching, meaningful, and engaging ways.
Staff Meetings
There are also a couple of staff meetings focused on culturally proficient teaching. We'll read and discuss this article, then listen to the author provide greater depth on the topic. I always look forward to learning that develops the way we teach and learn together in meaningful ways.
Math Practice and Review
Students will have a number of days to review the math we've been studying recently and since the beginning of the year. There are paper-pencil packets, online practice tests, and other study venues that students will access on their own and together to study. Then on Friday, students will take the unit test to show what they know. In the meantime, I'll review a very large number of student papers to see who is skilled at the targeted learning standards and who still needs more help and support. At the end of the week, I'll do the same with students' assessments.
Reading
I'll continue to read Bud, Not Buddy with one student. We are really enjoying the story and having many, many rich conversations as we read.
Climate Change Projects
The team will make time to discuss these projects at our weekly Professional Learning Community (PLC) meeting this week. We'll schedule full teaching days in the week ahead to focus on this project. It is the kind of project that requires deep time to do well.
Healthy Routine
It is always difficult to live with a healthy routine when you teach since the limitless proposition of school work has a way of taking over your schedule. I'll continue to reach for this as I teach and learn.
It will be a good week ahead--a week I look forward to. Now for Sunday dinner prep. . . onward.
Loving the children we teach
I contemplated love this morning. The contemplation seed occurred yesterday when I pondered the questions, what do I want; what do I need? As I pondered, I realized that it was important to me to live a more loving life. Of course, as I pondered these questions, I realized that there are areas of life where I can be more loving, and in those areas I've wrongly projected what people need rather than truly ask those people, what do you need? how can I help?
In part, my contemplation included the students at school--children for whom I believe I can serve in better ways, children I need to listen to more. It is not always easy to be able to listen to all of our students in school given the numbers of students we serve and the busy schedules we have, but we must make time for this as it is the only way that we can serve our students with good service, the only way we can truly help our students achieve in meaningful, life-enriching ways.
So how can we make more time to listen to our students and then respond to their needs and desires? We have to re-look at our schedules to determine who is getting attention and time. It is likely that children that need more time to express themselves for all kinds of reasons may not be getting the air time and service they deserve--how do we carve out time in the busy school schedule to honor the voices and choices of these students? It is also likely that some students who face the most confusing, complex situations in life may not be getting the deep and meaningful time they need to sort out life's complexities in order to move ahead of the confusion and complexity life has handed them. How do we make time for these students to express themselves, tell their stories, and receive the kinds of help that truly make a difference.
It is easy to love and serve students who fit the schedules and goals we already have in place at schools, but it is not as easy to love and serve students who don't fit into our neatly created schedules, curriculum programs, and plans, yet these are the students who need us the most. These are the students for whom a loving approach to teaching and learning will make life-changing results. We can't ignore this awesome opportunity that we have to truly make a difference in children's lives.
I will continue to think about how I might love and serve my students, their families, and colleagues better in the days ahead. Love is the first answer when we seek to elevate what we do and how we do it. Onward.
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