Let's Celebrate Teachers of the Moment

I truly believe that the magic in schools does not happen in the over-the-top, newsworthy lessons, but in the consistent, positive relationships between educators and students. There are many of these moments that occur in schools, and it’s time for schools to open the gate from the inside and share the small, wonderful, magical moments with stakeholders.

A lot of teachers have a hard time sharing what they do in their classrooms. One teacher I worked with saw a picture a teacher from another school had posted from her classroom about a book her students were reading. The teacher with whom I was working asked, “Is there a video with that or is the teacher just bragging?” School cultures aren’t always collaborative, and isolation causes competitiveness and comparisons.

Also, many times teachers think that what they do is ordinary and not worth sharing, like in the video below.

At my school, we celebrate Teachers of the Quarter and recognize a Teacher of the Year, and they are all very deserving individuals.

 

However, we also have many “Teachers of the Moment,” and I use social media to share them with the world. I couldn’t be prouder of our staff and students, and it takes the pressure off of teachers to “brag” on themselves or share their “ordinary” interactions. I think school leaders have a responsibility to promote the great things students and staff are doing at their schools in order to tell their school's story effectively. 

The idea of Teachers of the Moment is one of the biggest "aha's" that I've heard from educators who have gone through my step-by-step mini-course. Teachers of the Moment happen all day, every day, and THAT is what makes public education awesome. 

Simon Sinek asks: Do You Know Your Why?

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Simon Sinek set out to find out why companies like Apple were highly successful while others with the same resources were not. His philosophy is based on an idea called "Start with Why." His philosophy applies to business, marketers, and other organizations. I propose that we apply it to school systems, schools, and educators. 

He shares what he calls "The Golden Circle." In it, there are three layers: 

The What - Organizations know exactly what they do. It should be what an organization (or educator) does to fulfill the "Why."

The How - This is how the organization (or educator) does the what. It's how organizations and educators are different from each other. These are the tools and procedures by which we operate.

The Why - This is the driving passion and core belief of the organization (or educator). 

But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations --regardless of their size, regardless of their industry -- all think, act and communicate from the inside out.    

                           -Simon Sinek

What is my Why? I want to be the adult that I needed when I was a kid. I also want to ensure that every student has an adult that is his/her "go-to" person. I believe it's important that kids have an adult they can talk to about their fears, mistakes, questions, and ideas without judgment or shame. 

So, I ask you... Do you know your Why?

"What good is having a belly if there's no fire in it. Wake up, drink your passion, light a match, and get to work."   -Simon Sinek

Read more about the Golden Circle and how leaders with the greatest influence use it as a framework for leadership in Simon Sinek's book, Start With Why

Related posts:

Never Give Up

How Would Your School or District Answer These 5 Questions about Relationships?

The Moment that Changed my Life

Designing Professional Development for Adult Learners

The traditional model of PD is changing in many places, and educators nowadays can learn from PLNs, twitter, online courses, and edcamps, to name a few. While technology makes learning easily accessible and able to fit into a person’s busy schedule, the adult learner must be motivated to learn and participate.  Paying attention to how adults are motivated is important in designing Professional Development for educators. 

Malcolm Knowles was a pioneer in adult learning, and the Rochester institute of Technology shares some of Knowles’ findings about adult learning styles on their website:

Adult learners are…

Problem-centered and seek educational solutions that will take them from where they are to where they want to be in their life or profession. 

Results-oriented, with specific results in mind for education.  Because their participation is often voluntary, adults may drop out if the education they are receiving does not lead to those results.

Self-directed, and typically do not depend on others for direction.

Often skeptical about new information, preferring to try it out before accepting it.

Looking for education that relates or applies directly to perceived needs, and is timely and appropriate for their current lives.

Willing to accept responsibility for their own learning, as long as they see that learning as timely and appropriate.

"Learning is change and change is learning."

Keeping these characteristics in mind, planning Professional Development should be planned in such a way that will motivate adult learners. Most importantly, know the learners – their goals, problems, readiness, and needs.

Provide options and choices so that adults can be self-directed.

Learning experiences should be practical and immediately relevant.

Use scenarios or real-life situations for problem-solving and discussion.

Create learning opportunities that will fit into busy schedules and concepts can be mastered in a short amount of time.


What else would you add to help the student to be ready?

Give me your tired, your poor....

She came to visit me on the third day of school. I was overjoyed to see her, a sophomore this year. She had had trouble making friends and avoided the lunchroom as a ninth grader.  I was hoping that this would be a better year for her.

She greeted me with a big smile and a hug, and I told her I was glad to see her. Then I asked, “How was your summer?”

“Crazy!” she said.

I asked about it, and she sat down and said, “Well, my dad had to go to prison this summer. Since he had to go to prison, I had to go stay with my mom and grandma. I don’t get along with my mom or grandma; my grandma doesn’t like me. I had to stay a weekend with them, and I had to stay in the house the whole time and my mom and grandma yelled and said mean and nasty stuff to me.”

For the student above, school is a refuge for her. She has made connections with a few students and she feels safe and cared for at school. She tries hard in her classes, and she wants to go to college.

But unless her basic needs are met, she won't be able to learn all that she needs to learn in order to be prepared for college.

source

The number of students like the one above is growing -- students who need stability, a caring environment, and an opportunity to create a future unlike the present in which they live.

We must find a way to connect with every student, listen to their story, and ensure that basic needs are met before we can optimize their learning potential.

We can use Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to evaluate our programs. How would we go about doing that? What questions need to be asked?

Here are some starter questions:

• Does our school offer a breakfast program? Should we?
• Is there something we need to put into place to ensure our students' physiological needs are met?
• Do our teachers use proactive and positive classroom management techniques?
• Is our staff consistent with enforcing school rules?
• How do we connect students to adults in the building?
• Are teachers creating community within their classrooms?
• Are our teachers using sarcasm?
• Are we teaching and modeling a growth mindset?

And the student who visited me in my office?

I could call her an "at-risk" student, but I prefer to use the term used by Rosa Perez-Isiah... I'll use "At-promise" instead.