Reflections

Reflecting is a powerful and necessary tool in education. Sometimes in the hectic day-to-day struggle of a teacher's life, it gets neglected. This year our district has decided to use videos and coaching sessions to help teachers reflect upon their delivery in the classroom and grow. My coaching team has been amazed at how easily our teachers are shifting into this method of practice. Already we have had sessions where the teacher says, "I know what I need to do to make this better, " before we even get the first question asked. I am so happy that I am getting this chance to help teachers take the time to look at how they are doing things and asking themselves, "What can I do to make this even better?"
There are still some fears and anxieties about this whole process, but we continue to move forward. Some days it feels like baby steps, some days we are making leaps and bounds, and some days it feels like we are drowning in the middle of the lake. But each day I go home with a smile on my face, knowing my team is seeing positive things in our classrooms. Which means good things for our students. And isn't that the real reason we do it?

Sometimes You Have to Take the Stairs

"Shirley Temple Stair Dance from the Little Colonel" YouTube, https://youtu.be/LrBjFokI4jM,September 21, 2016

Thought of the week: 

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So today I was looking at motivational quotes and came across this one. It fits so many situations. I think about my athletic son who this fits more literally, as in you have to run the stairs to get into shape to compete at a high level. I think of the workplace where it fits more figuratively, as in the steps or jobs you have to hold on your way to the top. But for me, it fits where I am at in my new adventure. I have done the presentations and set the stage...that was pretty easy for me and fell into my comfort zone. Now comes the work with teachers. So for me, I am on my way to success but I am taking the stairs. I am learning as I go and wondering if I am on the stairs going up or going down or somehow doing a little dance in between? 

How Do You Learn?

I am old enough and have been in education long enough that I am considered a veteran teacher. With that title comes many things including a bigger toolbox of strategies, lots of stories, a whole lot of stuff, and experiences. I've also been around long enough to be privy to a variety of professional development learning. Amongst the learning is that not everyone learns the same. So when I taught in the classroom I was always trying to think about different learning styles in my classroom and how to meet those learning needs. Sometimes that was easy, especially incorporating hands on learning or auditory learning, but sometimes the task seemed daunting. When that happened I fell back into teaching one of two ways:
1. The way I like to learn.
2. The way I was taught.

Fortunately if I used the first option I would reach some students in my classroom because it was likely that I would have some visual learners or learners who liked to learn in small groups.
However, if I chose option 2 I'm not sure I was very effective because I'm not sure my students learned that way.  I will call it the "sit-n-git" method where the teacher talks, the students listen, and maybe the students get to do some kind of work (probably a worksheet) to practice the skill the teacher was talking about. In fact I know the last few years when I tried to teach a lesson this way I was not very successful in engaging students or getting the results I was hoping for.

So I have two questions for my educator friends:
1. How do you learn?
2. How do you teach?

It (growth mindset) is the belief that qualities can change and that we can develop our intelligence and abilities. The opposite of having a growth mindset is having a fixed mindset, which is the belief that intelligence and abilities cannot be developed. -Eduardo Briceños

I have not always had growth mindset. I was the youngest of 3 children. My parents were almost 40 when I was born. I was the miracle child, the golden child. My mother will tell you I was the easiest to raise, I was good at school, and I got along with everyone. I was told my the adults in my family how wonderful I was, how smart I was, how talented I was, and I believed them. School came easy and I achieved many awards throughout my school career (varsity letter, National Honor Society, academic awards, musical awards). Then I went to college. I found out maybe I wasn't so special and smart. I didn't get into the elite choir, I didn't get into advanced writing as a freshman, and I flunked a test. Suddenly I questioned my worth.
But somewhere along the way into adulthood I figured out that I could learn and I could grow and I could fail. That's right-I could fail and it was ok. I learned how to bounce back from failure. I learned how to reflect and adjust. Then I learned how to look at my students and try to help them learn how to grow and learn from mistakes, learn from failure. 
Now my challenge is to help my colleagues. Some of them already have growth mindset and are accepting this coaching situation as a time to grow in their professional practice. Others still are not sure. They want to be perfect the first time. They don't want to be told that they are "wrong". Luckily it's not my job to tell them they are wrong. I'm here to help them learn how to reflect and look for ways to make it better. After all, we can always get better.

Today I came across this quote when I was looking at my Twitter feed and I realized this is what I am asking teachers to do. I am asking them to try something new and perhaps there will be failure. But as educators we need to look at failure as an opportunity to grow and learn.  We can learn from failure-what part of it was good? what part didn't go so well? what can I do next time that will make it better? And here's an idea...ask the students for their feedback. For elementary students this could be as simple as a thumbs up/thumbs down, or a smiley face, straight face, or frown face. In middle school and high school I think students can give more effective feedback as far as what did you like about what we did in class? Did it help you learn? What would you do differently if you were the teacher? Just because we have always done things a certain way doesn't mean we should continue, or worse yet if we do a certain way because that is the way we were taught it is time to try something new.  My challenge as an instructional coach is how do I best help those teachers who are afraid to fail, afraid to step out of their comfort zone? How do I assure them it will be ok. How do I let them know I can get you through this if you just trust me and take the first step?

I don't have the answers...yet. I'm working on my skills as a coach. I'm working on establishing relationships. I'm reading and learning. I will fail along the way. But I will learn and I will get better. And I will try again.

Today my superintendent shared with me something she had seen on Twitter. I didn't write it down word for word but the gist was that the thing that is hard about being an educator is that we can make a difference, but we have to work on making that difference EVERY day.

Many people have asked me how I like my new position. I try to answer truthfully.
1. The first week was filled with meetings, meetings, meetings. (not my favorite)
2. The second week we got to start meeting with teachers in group so we could kick off our coaching process. (Yay!)
3. By the end of the week we actually got to use our new found coaching skills and help relieve the anxiety of one of the teachers about some of the expectations this year. (Yay team!)
4. I miss the kids. I miss the chance to get to try all these new things I have learned with the students to see what a difference it can make. Hopefully I will get a chance this year to do some modeling.
5. There are lots of things to accomplish this year but I have to take baby steps. Rome was not built in a day and change doesn't always happen overnight.

But I am excited about this opportunity to keep our district moving forward towards improved classroom practices and collaborating to raise student achievement. Right now my team is pushing change in hopes that it will transform our system.

John Miller @agileschools

Change is a call to action from the outside. Transformation is call to action from the inside.

Our students are counting on us (they might not know it) to be able to bring it 173 days 8:15-3:25 because we can make a difference.