I'm So Excited!

This winter has been taking its toll on my enthusiasm and excitement, but that all changed this week.
First we got back winter data, and although there was growth in some areas and classrooms, it wasn't district wide and not the growth I was hoping for.

Then it seemed like the teachers weren't jumping on the bandwagon this semester. We had asked them to watch two videos, read a short article, and contribute a blog to further their learning about clear learning intentions. They weren't refusing to do the work, but there seemed to be lots of reasons why it wasn't getting done. So my team felt like the teachers were "laying low", and we didn't feel like much was getting accomplished.

It just felt like no one had the time or felt any urgency to look at changing things to be more effective in the classroom. I understand that change is scary and in the daily grind of being a teacher sometimes it feels like if you ask me to do one more thing I will explode. I have been the type of teacher that was always open to new ideas (if they were good ones that had research behind them or had been successful for people that I valued their opinion) and better ways of doing something. I wasn't afraid to try new things,  and I knew I  may not get it right the first time, or the second time, or I might just fall flat on my face. But if I stuck with it and worked through it, things in my classroom could improve. 

But then this week happened. My team and I have been diligently working with some teachers who are willing to try new things and make change happen. There have been several conversations filled with excitement and renewed enthusiasm as teachers use the new strategies and like what they see. Students are making gains, engagement is improving, there is a better understanding of standards, and the day to day struggle of classroom behavior is getting easier. I finally feel like we are starting to make some change that is good for our students. Teachers are starting to see the importance of clearly stated learning intentions, and they are exploring what might happen if they lay out the success criteria at the beginning of the lesson/unit. This recharges my enthusiasm and makes me feel like the work I am doing is making a difference, and it makes me want to keep trying to be an agent of change in our district. 

So stay tuned.

Just when you think it can't get any worse

It's been a tough week. We had winter weather that resulted in ice, which also resulted in an unexpected day at home (which wasn't all bad). There was a mouse under our sink in the kitchen, and I deplore mice (we caught it). I was faced with some pretty hard data that despite all our efforts and hard work we are not where we want to be as a school district.
So it made me think. Maybe I should go back to the classroom where I know I can make an impact. Maybe I wasn't cut out for this coaching gig after all. Maybe I should be like the ostrich and just put my head in the sand. After all, I watched my colleagues interacting with kids and realized I missed the gratification that comes when you help kids grow and learn.
Then it happened. We had a staff meeting with the elementary teachers to have some open discussions about a consensus survey we had taken earlier in the year. One of the teachers approached me at the end of the meeting to tell me she believes that our efforts are making a big difference. She feels rejuvenated about teaching. It was the spark I needed. There is still lots of hard work to do. There are lots of changes that still have to be made, but just like the students I have to persevere and work through this.
"If she's amazing, she won't be easy. If she's easy she won't be amazing. If she's worth it you won't give up. If you give up, you're not worthy."-Bob Marley
I still want amazing things for the students and teachers. It is worth it, so I won't give up.

UPS and Downs

"Every town
 Has it's ups and downs
 Sometimes the ups
 Outnumber the downs..."
This comes from the song "Not in Nottingham" by Roger Miller. It's sung by the poor residents of Nottingham after the sheriff imprisons most of the town for not paying taxes. It popped into my head this morning as I was thinking about this first half of the year as an Instructional Coach.

There have been some ups and downs. But unlike Nottingham the ups have outnumbered the downs.
We have been blessed with a staff that is willing to work through some things and continue to try to improve classroom instruction. As I think back to the beginning of the year I can honestly say we didn't get as much accomplished as I thought we would. But there has been changes. The principals have done over 100 walk through visits since Mid-October. Our teachers are getting better at being able to clearly state their purpose for every lesson they teach. We have been able to collaborate over data and model effective teaching practices. We have even been fortunate enough to also collaborate with other coaches from other schools and get input from our AEA coach.

So it's time for Christmas break to renew and refresh. Then we will come back and start the climb back up the hill with new learning about learning and some clear success criteria. I continue to enjoy this new work I'm doing and will continue to dig in and help teachers Bring It for the remainder of the year. This is our time. Our time to learn, grow, and change the way we do things at ESC.

Today I came across this quote. It seemed to fit.

Social media is full of people talking about teaching their children to be kind and look out for one another. My thought is shouldn't we have been doing that all along? Why did it take the ugliest election in the history of the U.S. to bring people to that realization?

Do I have fears? I certainly do. I fear that people will be victimized. I fear that our country will remain divided and angry. I fear that people will continue to use the excuse "I am a ______ supporter" to vandalize, destroy, and ridicule.

But I also know the sun rose the day after the election and I went to work. I watched caring adults work with students. I watched students who struggle with life try to get through another day and learn something that will prepare them for life after high school.

I continue to work on how to help teachers learn and grow. Last week it was hard. I had to have some hard conversations. I observed that change is still hard for some of my colleagues. I wanted to run. But I stayed. I stayed and had that hard conversation. I read and watched videos and learned more about what makes teachers effective. I cried. And then I got up and kept moving forward.

I will be kind. I will open doors. I will say good morning when I see students and staff in the hallway. I will continue to treat people with empathy and compassion. I will keep working with teachers and staff to make change.  I have a choice. What's your choice?

Random thoughts

H-e-l-p is a four letter word. It's not hard to sound out and shouldn't be hard to use, but for some reason it is for some of the people in education. If you added up the years of experience in any given school building it would be in the hundreds. That is a lot of experience and a wealth of knowledge. But how many of us turn to our friends and colleagues and say, "Help. I'm not sure if my kids are understanding." Too many times we are too scared to let our colleagues know we aren't perfect, we don't know it all, and we need...H-E-L-P. So don't be afraid to let the other teachers know you need them and the knowledge and tools they own. Don't be afraid to ask for help. The other day I was feeling pretty discouraged about whether teachers were receptive to the coaching process and whether I was accomplishing anything. Then I had a coaching session with one of the teachers and we had a very productive session full of growth and learning for both of us. She was energized and optimistic about where she was headed with classroom instruction and I was energized and optimistic about being a coach again.

Today I got to co-teach with the high school Spanish teacher. Now, remember all my experience is at the elementary level. Our purpose was to get the students to practice saying and reading their numbers. So we did a number talk. A number talk is where you present the students with a number sentence and they have to use mental math to solve the problem and then explain how they did it. I handled the math side and she handled the Spanish side of it. I learned (or was reaffirmed of) 2 things.
     1. Lessons go 100% better if you clearly state the purpose or goal to the students at the beginning of the lesson.
    2. Not very many of our High School students are risk takers.
So let's talk about number 1. I knew this already, but it is one of my flaws when I teach. I know where I'm headed and what my purpose is, but sometimes I forget to tell the students. As a district we are working on this very thing. But the second time we did the number talks I remembered to clearly state the purpose of the lesson and the engagement and understanding went up from the beginning of the lesson. Which just reaffirms that we are doing the right thing by working with ALL our teachers on connecting standards and curricular goals to daily lessons.
But what really shocked me was how reluctant many of the high school students were to take a risk to try something new and to participate. The Spanish students aren't fluent when they use the numbers in conversation, so it's something they really have to think about, and they make a lot of mistakes. For several students this was huge. When I taught elementary I worked hard at making my classroom an environment where students weren't scared to take a chance, but somewhere along the line that changed. Is this what we want for our kids? So scared about making sure they are right that they won't even take a chance? What if Thomas Edison or any number of inventors and innovators hadn't taken a chance? What if they had been afraid to fail? Or is it because as teachers we model the fear of failure? Are we afraid to take a chance?

Today I get to work on my learning and professional development as a coach. My coaching team is participating in training through The New Teacher Center. It's a great time to network and learn together.
One thing I have learned already in the first half hour is that it takes 18 months for a teacher to change their thoughts and practices in a classroom so it becomes an imbedded practice. And that is if it is supported with professional learning. WOW! That's 2 full school years. My rational mind understands this and even thinks that if we could get most of our staff to make a big change within 2 years we would be farther ahead than where we are now. However my emotional mind is screaming, "We don't have 18 months! We need to change faster!"
So for me, this means I need to take a deep breath, keep moving forward, and celebrate the successes along the way.

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?