3 Keys to a "New" School Culture

My school is basically a toddler. 

Three years ago, it was being knit together by the careful hands of a bunch of construction workers. Two and a half years ago, it was born and began its life. A year and a half ago I became a teacher, and joined up with the barely-out-of-infancy school. 

I love that our school is new. We are building something new, each year is full of firsts- this year it is our first seniors. There is an air of excitement in classes, on fields, on stages, and even in the halls. This mood and approach to education is so important to the life of a school. Excitement quickly spreads throughout the faculty and amongst the students. Excitement turns to readiness to learn and eagerness to engage and create more new and stronger lessons and environments. This newness is something I realize that I am taking for granted. MOST schools are established, and doing "new" things does not come easily. 

That being said, I do believe there some things that all schools can and should do to recapture the "new." 

Culture

It begins and ends here:  new things are expected and encouraged. Cultures are shaped by perspectives, the perspective that breaking from tradition in a meaningful way (not change for change's sake) is healthy and necessary. "New" culture is all about openness- the new teacher and the established teacher have equal share in the building and growing of the school environment and attitude. Experience carries equal weight with ingenuity, and both work to balance each other out. New teachers invigorate the established, the established guide the new. In short, the culture of a "new" school is built around team. There is no room for condescension or elitism amongst staff or towards students. This culture allows students as well as educators a hand in the life of the school.  If that seems like a risk, it's intentional. 

Risks

Educators MUST have a culture that encourages and even expects risks to be taken. They try new technologies, new formats, new lessons. Teachers who are taking risks demonstrate to students that sometimes failure is a part of learning, and that getting back up after a failure is how to pursue success. Administrators who take risks inspire teachers- and make them feel safe to try audacious things. 

If you are an established school, recreating a culture of the "new" can be difficult. People, and therefore teachers, don't like change, so opposition is to be expected. But you are a risk taker, right?

My admnistrators take and encourage calculated risks. So our staff follows suit. My wife teaches at another campus in our district that is very established. Her principal is doing an amazing job of recreating a culture of the new- integrating social media seamlessly in his leadership and around campus, and challenging teachers to re-evaluate why "we've always done it that way" in a way that gets results and minimal pushback.  

Flexibility

New is not easy. New schools try things that do not work. New schools have to change plans on the fly. 

If you want to reclaim the new- you need to bend a little. If you are taking risks, that's a great start, but flexibility also means being willing to give people a second chance. 

Teachers and students. 

Flexibility may mean you have to allow students a chance to re-earn your trust. This is terrifying.  But it is necessary.  If you as a school are dedicated to a second chance for your educational approach, there is no better way to get the students on board that practically demonstrate a second chance by offering them one. 

Let students have a voice in the new direction and a say in the expectations. 

Student-centered instruction is all the rage, this is student-centered educational culture. It helps to build a relationship between student and teacher that is vital to the culture of the "new."

*****

One of the reason I was so excited to start at my school is that as a new teacher, I would get to grow with my school. But shouldn't that be the case for all teachers and all schools?  Schools and teachers growing, maturing, and developing together is a healthy relationship. One I'm glad to take part in, and hope all teachers and schools can find for themselves. 

New Years Teacher Resolutions

I'm not really sure if this should be posted tonight- technically for teachers, this is mid-year, not New Years- but I'm going to anyway. 

I'm a big believer in constantly evaluating myself. "Did I teach that right?"  "What is a better way to handle that topic?"  "How can I strengthen/fix that relationship with the difficult student?"

New Years resolutions are great for that, so here are mine. 

1.  Use Google calendar more effectively. I am a busy teacher. Co-sponsoring a very active StuCo, coaching a growing and developing Speech and Debate team, two daughters entering the active tween years, a wife who teaches as well, tons of  student activities to go see- oh and classes to teach. I've started using my calendar, but it's time for some next level calendaring. Setting up reminders as much for me as well as for my students has already started to help, but there is so much more to do. Which also helps with my second resolution. 

2.  Get more organized. I've never been a neat freak. I've always enjoyed kinda making things up as I go along. But those two endearing personal traits are not going to work all the time. Again, I'm going with a Google shout out- Gooogle Forms are an excellent tool for debate meet sign ups and planning questionnaires for StuCo. For the classroom, they can be used for class feedback (something I'm getting to in a little bit) and maybe some quiz taking, but I need to experiment more with that. I hate keeping up with papers, so I want to go more digital on class work. I'm also resolving to not let my desk get cluttered.  So I plan to introduce an assignment filing system. I've seen and heard from some other teachers what they use, but am open to suggestions. 

3.  Work on my teaching weaknesses.  I expect a lot of my students. I want them to put their best work forward. I have no problem pointing out to them when they don't. It is only fair that I be made aware when I'm not doing my best. I resolve to ask for more student feedback. What do I do that works?  What do I do that doesn't?  I know I cannot rely solely on student feedback, so I want to be better about asking my peers for guidance and advice. I am fortunate to work at a school that encourages peer coaching- teachers observing and encouraging each other. I want to observe my fellow teachers more, and hopefully see if they will observe me. Seeing the great results of peer coaching so far, I look forward to more opportunities. 

4.  Strengthen relationships with students...and teachers.   My students know I care about their success, they know I am willing to- and do- fight for them. But I want them to know I care about them. Personally. That I care about their extra curriculars, their work, their interests, and their struggles. That means going to games and performances, Googling ( I should get some sort of fee for endorsing at this point) the artist they can't stop talking about so I can carry on a conversation about something they care about do they are more willing to listen to the lesson I need to teach them. And teachers- communication is so important and it so easily gets overlooked. Sharing ideas, asking questions, digging into the content we teach together. Why do students miss those TEKS/standards more than others?  We can evaluate data- and the numbers show what is missed, but we need to discuss why they miss them. The relationships with students and with teachers cross here- if we know what is going on with the students, we can adapt our approach to see success. 

5.  Work on student weakness while strengthening student strengths.  In a previous post (http://amidoingthisrightteachers.blogspot.com/2014/11/good-to-great-yeah-it-book-title.html?m=1) I talked about not neglecting the stuff students do well on, because that's how you move student scores from passing to excellent. I won't rehash that here, but I plan to reteach not just the things students don't get, but also the stuff they did get in September so they do not lose it by May. 

That's my list- what about you?

Good to Great: yeah it's a book title

I coach Speech and Debate, and yesterday my team had their first meet of the year. About half our squad were rookies, including some freshmen. One of our CX teams, two freshmen girls, got the results for their first round- they had won!  One of them immediately responded with "But we did awful!  We didn't do this or this or ..." And she continued on until I stopped her. 

"But you won!"  She looked at me with a confused look for a second then I continued. " Even if you win by one, you still win. Focus not on what went wrong, but what went right. Enjoy that moment!"

A little more than 24 hours later, the teachable moment for me finally lit up. 

While we must work on our weaknesses, if we neglect our strengths they will atrophy. 

I teach in a class with an End of Course exam. We have data meetings where we all try to figure how to reteach the areas our students struggle in. This is important and necessary. But I rarely to never find myself pointing out what went well- when the kids got it right. Or if that is mentioned, it's a quick "Yaaay!" then back to the low TEKS/questions. 

What if we are missing a chance to take our students who are doing good and move them to great?  What if by occasionally offering our struggling students a chance at repeating success we tangentially inspire them to figure out what they missed on the harder stuff?

When I have students I had last year come back and visit, they will ask me what we are talking about now. These were honors students, "A" students who scored tops on their EOC's, and they often have trouble remembering the things they had so easily the year before. This hurts me. It makes me feel like I "successfully" taught students to succeed on a test, but didn't leave a lasting impression and love for the material that I desperately want to share with my students. 

Students need more than just "attaboys" when they do well. They need to be reminded that they did well and the should probably get frequent chances to demonstrate that they got it right. I believe strongly that success breeds success. Case in point- that Speech and Debate team I opened with had 12 -15 people on it last year. We had some successes, and this year we have at least 30. And my teams who won yesterday are hungry for more wins. 

I like to be reminded that I am good at things. It's great to hear it from people- "attaboys" are important- but actually tasting success and feeling success is so much better. And I remember those second successes better because there is reinforcement of correct and good actions from the first time. 

While I want my students to pass, I do not want that to be my end goal. I want them to be more than good, I want them to be great. I do want them to love what I teach. But I really want them to realize that they are capable of doing more than they think they can. 

So, when my students "get" a concept, I will try my best to not just accept that, but build on that while not neglecting the weaknesses. 

Now, if I just knew how to practically do that...

Fighting For Students, Not With Them

Today I spoke with a student who expressed to me he did not plan to graduate. I asked him what his plan was, long term. He seemed shocked that I asked him- not in a condemning tone, or by getting my "I'm a teacher and I know better" voice on- but in a genuinely curious tone. "I don't know."  He kind of looked like it was the first time he'd been asked that. I told him that as long as he was still in school, I wanted to know how I could help him do a little better, find some way better serve him as a teacher. I asked him to think about those ways I might help. As he walked away, I don't know if he was thinking about what I said, or just moving on. But I'm going to ask him, repeatedly, if he has found something that I can do. 

Round one. 

In that one moment- by accident, intuition, or something else- I did not admonish him for chooding the "not graduating" path. I expressed genuine concern. And by doing that, there was no escalation, the fight that began was for the student, not with them. 

Daily, students try to push my buttons. Just like the do every teacher. Sometimes, I fight back, I give them what they want, even if it is negative attention. Other times, my laid back attitude pays off and I start a conversation that has a chance to reveal the kryptonite to a students barriers. 

What does fighting for a student look like?

I tell my students regularly that I believe in them, that I know they can do it. I try to ask them what I can do better- because I am not perfect. I fight for them by ignoring behaviors that I know are just for attention. I fight for them by trying not to  take it personally when they talk over me- sometimes I succeed. I am working on being better at standing up for the students who are afraid to stand up for themselves. I genuinely like my students, and I want them to know it. I strive to earn their respect, not demand it. And in those moments when I need to demand their respect, I will have it. 

But one of the biggest, most practical ways I fight for my students is to try to find tools and techniques that will help struggling students succeed. I suggest things like flash cards, or using reviews, and I am working on videos of lectures they can view at any time. But I am still relatively new at this. 

So, teachers- what advice can you offer me?  What tools can you share to help me fight for my students?

What Do You Do?

The following is an imaginary conversation, FYI. 

"What do you do?"  

"I teach US History and Psychology."

"Oh. But what do you actually DO?  Architects design, doctors heal, lawyers build and argue cases, athletes compete, bus drivers transport, custodians clean, dentists terrify people. What do teachers DO?"

"Well, the short answer is I try to give students information in a way that allows them to retain said information."

"And the long answer?"

"Well, where do I start?  See, I have to learn about a topic. If I'm lucky, it's one I like. That means I have some background information on it to build on. If I'm not lucky, it is some obscure person or event or concept or book that about 12 people in the world are interested in- and none of them are my students. So, I have to learn an interest in that topic- learn, not feign, because students smell fake from a mile away. Oh, I have to learn that topic well, because one of those 12 people has about four degrees in this topic and wrote a few books and- more concerning for me- maintains a blog that comes in as the number one result on Google that my students will immediately find (because we are a "Bring your own device" campus) and correct me on. This will hurt my cred."

"Cred?"

"Credibility. See, I also need to know most slang. And cred is actually old now, so I would have had to deal with students mocking my out-of-touch wording. That means I have to redirect- teacher speak for stop chasing the rabbit and keep focus.  This takes a lot of quick thinking- 'How can I connect back to the important but obscure topic in 30 seconds or less?'"

"Wow. That's a lot to-"

"I'm not done yet. See students today have two needs- one they want to see fulfilled and the other they don't. They need to be entertained. This one they want. So, I have to make the lesson over the obscure topic interesting, fun, relevant, and relational. It is kind of like being on stage, live and you do four to six shows a day. And fourth period is the matinee show, so it's packed, and the 'audience' is hungry and or sleepy. You have to be more on point then than any other time. But the other need is rigor- teacher speak for challenging material- so I cannot just go through the motions. I have to ask insightful questions, pose questions that expect students to evaluate and investigate and create and synthesize the information. Because there will be a test they are expected to perform well on."

"So, I guess you hate tests?"

"I'm not a huge fan, but they are a necessary evil. We need to know what students have learned. What I don't like is the weight they carry on teachers. We have to take the tests seriously, but not teach to them. I feel kind of gross when I realize I am getting more concerned about students passing the test than I am students gaining interest in that obscure topic."

"But didn't you just learn that topic?"

"Yes. But you know what?  What better example for the students than for me to have actually started to care about the obscure topic I just learned about?  I am showing them that even an "old" person can learn new things. And the truth is, now there are 13 people who care about the topic, because now I kinda dig it."

"More slang?"

"No, that one is clearly me. See, you asked me what I do?  I try every day to get my students to fall in love with the subject matter I teach. But that's hard to quantify. So, I tell you the other stuff first, I draw you into a conversation, then I reveal how much I love what I'm taking about. If I am successful, I have built a relationship with you where you like and respect me enough to want to know the obscure topic because you like and respect me and I care- truly care- about the obscure topic. By the way, if I demand a student's respect but never actually try to earn it, I will never have it.  I have the unique and awesome responsibility of caring for twenty to forty students educational and emotional needs for an hour at a time. And then when I see them at their jobs or at their events or at the mall on Saturday I have to still show them I care- not because it's my job but because it has become who I am- I care about these students far beyond 8:20 to 3:45. I am concerned and hopeful for their futures, excited for their successes, heartbroken for their failures, and there for them when they need someone.  What do I do?  Everyday I design lessons, heal students who are hurting, build and argue both sides of opinions, compete for students' attention, transport students from lacking knowledge to understanding and application, clean up misconceptions and wrong answers and often the floor beneath their desks, and when behaviors demand it, I have to try to terrify people."

"Oh.  Wow. Ok, why do you do this?"

"Because it is so worth it."

The best yet?

Since my AP Psychology training this summer, where I won these cool perception goggles, I have been dying to use them. 

What they do is shift perspective by about 45 degrees to the left. It makes throwing a ball look like this awkward display:  http://instagram.com/p/tGz-2KKRod/

In our unit on Sensation and Perception, we were going to use them to to demonstrate how perspectives shift, and have a little fun. Personally, I was hoping to find a way to introduce the concept in a concrete way how to respect people with a different view of the world. 

The problem is, we have one pair. I've written a grant for a class set, but that will only benefit future classes. I introduced the goggles yesterday by having a contest between a baseball player and a softball player to see who was more accurate with the goggles. I had secretly taught the softball player a trick to counteract the goggle effects- and we all had a good laugh when our baseball player was completely off target.

 So, the lesson proper started off with the class sharing the goggles and trying to write their name. Not too challenging. Then a couple played "Pin the Tie on the Batman" using my 5 foot tall Batman standee ( see, he is instructionally important!).  Then we took a field trip to a water fountain. A handful of students donned the goggles and tried to not only not bump into a wall, get water into their mouths, not their ears. 

We went back to the classroom, all of having had a good time, and began to debrief the exercise. I asked students how they compensated for the altered perception. " We used our other senses," they replied. Some had used their finger to find the water stream then followed their sense of touch, for example. Then I asked them how they would adjust if multiple senses were not working. They admitted it would've been very hard to accomplish the task. 

In a moment of unexplained inspiration, I remembered a video I had seen. I set the stage for the video by asking who had seen "Man of Steel," the seen where young Clark's senses go into overload. About half had, so I explained further. Then I asked "What if a person had sensory overload like that- how would they deal?"  Not well, many responded. Then I showed the following video:  

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IcS2VUoe12M

The students sat silent. They took it all in. Their look said it all. "Is that really what it's like?"  I explained that autism affects your perception. Sometimes it is this bad. Other times, other individuals do not have this big of a problem. 

Students shared stories of friends they know who are on the autism spectrum. Then the bell rang. 

One student hung back, and explained to me that he often wondered if he might be on the spectrum. He talked of how often felt the way the video demonstrated. We talked, and he asked more questions.

In that moment, I knew, for that student, the lesson made a difference.   And for the other students who now saw some of their peers struggles, it made a difference. 

For me, that makes it one of the best yet.  

WHY do I teach?

Yesterday was the College Station ISD Kick-Off rally where district employees gathered to be encouraged and challenged for the coming year.  Our new Superintendent, Dr. Clark Ealy, challenged us to think about our 'Why.'  Not the 'what' or the 'how,' but the core, deep, soul-centered 'why' we teach.  As the 1500 or so of us filed out, I was already thinking on this.  And when College Station High School convened on our campus, and our Principal, Mike Martindale, again challenged us to think of our 'why,' I decided this would be a great place to talk about my 'Why.'

I teach because I come from a family of teachers, and I married one.  They seem like great people.  

I teach because my high school AP English teacher, Jack Nims, taught me that the right answer is not always the best answer.  He taught me how to think, not just how to regurgitate information. 

I teach because the more I teach, the more I want to learn.  Just when I think I know all I can about a subject, a little breadcrumb promise of something more is dropped, and I chase it down, hungry for more.

I teach because I have seen the difference an adult can make in a child if they just pay attention.  I have seen the faces of parents who were just thankful I took the time to appreciate their child for who they are, and the face of a student who saw an adult besides their parent care.  I teach for those that have been missed.

 I teach because teenagers today impact our culture more than even they know, and I want to point them in the way that makes them the best they can be. I hate the phrase "Children are our future." They aren't.  They are our now.  They are shaping our music, our worldviews, our technology, our approach to life, etc.  Sometimes it is beautiful.  Sometimes it is terrifying.  Students need teachers that do not seek to make them better people- that would be social engineering.  Teachers should guide and encourage students to find who they are.  I teach to point students to find the best person they can be.

I teach history because I love to tell stories.  I teach psychology because I love to try to figure out the way people tick.  I teach them both because the stories of history and understanding people are my favorite way to point students toward that "best person they can be."

I teach because he moment of understanding is the most intoxicating thing there is on Earth.  Whether you teach Math, Science, English, Art, Football, Foreign Language, Social Studies, Philosophy, or Theology - the moment a student's face lights up with recognition or irreverently shouts out that they "Got it!," is the best feeling there is.  I teach because I am addicted to those moments, and want more and more.

I teach because I want my students to know I see them as people, and I care about them succeeding not because it makes me look good, but because it makes them stronger and smarter people.  I teach because I like my students- all of them.

I teach because teachers matter.  I teach because they are needed.  I teach because they are on the front lines of making a difference in the lives of millions.  I teach because I want to be a part of something that truly, positively affects the world.

I teach because it is-  So.  Much. Fun.