Glory Days (Can't Pass Us By)

Glory days well they'll pass you by

     Contrary to the sentiment expressed in the song by Bruce Springsteen, in our profession our glory days can't be something that has passed us by. By this I mean that the students we have today are deserving of the best educators we can be and not be saddled with someone whose best days are distant memories. The students in your classes today are new to you as you are new to them. They deserve to have the best teacher you are with all of the passion and commitment you bring to the profession.

     This is not to suggest that your teaching style does not change over the years. I know that some of the best things I thought I did in my early years of teaching would not be as successful today. Similarly some of the worst things I did early on are no longer a part of what I believe. In a brilliant post (http://bit.ly/zHY61R), Chris Kennedy (@chrkennedy) talks about how his teaching has changed over time.  As the context changes around us so do the strategies we employ to effectively teach students. What shouldn't change is the enthusiasm and capacity to make a difference.

And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it but I probably will

Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of

Tears and Triumphs

This is the lower jaw of a bowhead whale
and it is on display at Inuksuk High School
in Iqaluit. I got to meet two of the hunters and
was amazed by the story of the hunt.

     I feel more than fortunate to be able to travel and work with educators across Canada and the United States. There is no greater profession than that of the school teacher and I try to reflect that notion in my presentations. The beauty of the role is found in the understanding that we don't just get to predict the future but instead, get to create it. This is not without a myriad of challenges, as I was recently reminded, on my journey to Iqaluit where I spent four days at the Nunavut Teacher's Conference. I was also reminded, by listening to the stories and seeing the outcomes, that teachers are in the best position to help students overcome many of these challenges.

     Perhaps a little bit of context will help (and my good friend Brian Barry aka @Nunavut_Tweeter will correct any misinformation) to understand some of the challenges facing our colleagues in Nunavut. This is Canada's largest and least populated territory covering over two million square kilometers for a population of approximately 32,000. The twenty-five communities (with limited exceptions) are not connected to each other by road, leading to a high degree of isolation. The preceding is simply information and is not used by any of the educators as a crutch to prevent them from doing top quality work. As part of the push for an education that includes local context, the forty-two schools all include instruction in Inuktitut which is the language of the Inuit. Culture is an integral part of the learning experience for all students and Inuit elders work in all of the schools.

     In my keynote I share a personal story to illustrate why I am passionate about the beliefs I hold. Often this leads to others sharing their personal stories with me in a private moment after my session. I am humbled by the trust these folks place in me and appreciate the growth they have experienced to allow them to move forward and be difference makers in the lives of kids as a result. The stories I heard in Nunavut were not dissimilar to those I have had shared with me in other locations but the emotion and thought behind the stories left me feeling that the full healing for some of our First Peoples will take time. The commitment to doing the best for their students, however, is beyond reproach.

     Another interesting dynamic at this event was having teachers from Greenland in attendance. My afternoon session provided an insightful moment when I asked the various groups to define some key attributes they would want their school to be known for and what behaviors would indicate that those attributes were being demonstrated. One of the tables had a teacher from Greenland whose first language was Danish, a couple of teachers from Nunavut whose first language was Inuktitut, and a teacher who was a southerner (anyone from south of Nunavut) whose first language was French. While the objective of the activity was to get a common language around the attributes and behaviors, this group had to first find a common language! This reminded me of the struggles we sometimes have in schools when we think everyone is speaking a different language because they just "don't get what I am saying" or agree with my "brilliant insights".

     At the conclusion of the conference most of the 600 teachers were heading back to their communities having maximized their time with colleagues and increased their skill set to be able to meet the challenges of teaching in the North and reminded of the triumphs that come with being a teacher. On a personal note I'd like to thank Heather Campbell and her fabulous conference team for a great event and wonderful hospitality, Brian Barry for taking the time to share his insights, and Terry and Barb Young for once again opening up their home and hearts to me.

Tenet #10 - First With the Heart, Then With the Head.

     Bryce Courtenay wrote a great book called "The Power of One" which was a favorite of my son. The main character in the novel, Peekay, talks about his own battles through life and decided his approach must be "first with the head, then with the heart". He was not prepared to open himself up to the hurt that came with letting others into his life. I believe as educators we need to look at this the other way around. We need to have our students know we care about them first and the curriculum second. I have found this to be the most effective practice with all students and especially so with those who have baggage they sometimes bring to school.

     As I think back on some of the biggest challenges I have faced with students in my career I can say with confidence that the potential severity of the issue was always lessened by the time and energy I had invested pre-conflict. This is not to suggest I always got it right or that my human emotions didn't sometimes get the best of me. But here's the interesting part. If I had spent any time building relationships with my students, even when I got it wrong and lost my cool, they were remarkably forgiving. In addition to helping during the tough patches, having a positive connection with students also provided me enjoyment in my role. It was an added bonus to being an educator. I know that the relationships I have with many former students today were built on a foundation established when I was their teacher, coach, or Principal/Vice-Principal. A previous post (http://umakeadiff.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-all-about-relationships.html) talked about a recent example of these connections. 

     Daniel Goleman’s (2006) study of students identified as being at risk found that those placed with cold or controlling teachers struggled academically—regardless of whether their teachers followed pedagogic guidelines for good instruction. But if these students had a warm and responsive teacher, they flourished and learned as well as other kids. These results show that quality of relationship, above all else, is the springboard to success.

     A quote attributed to the late Chief Dan George provides an insightful reminder about the long term impact of connecting with the heart before the head:

"Always speak from the heart. When we get old, the brain forgets, 

but the heart, the heart never forgets." 

Tenet #9 - If We Don’t Model What We Teach, Then We are Teaching What We Model.

     One aspect about being a teacher is that you are always teaching. This extends beyond the classroom and often times, beyond the walls of school. Modeling the desired behaviors reminds students of the expectations for all members of the community. Contrast that with having a rule, for example no food or drink in class, that is broken regularly by the teacher arriving with their cup of coffee. What message is received in this case? Rules exist only for some members of the school community? Once you become an adult, the rules don't apply? This disconnect creates a huge challenge for educators as we try to ensure appropriate conduct but don't necessarily display it. Does your staff room operate under the same behavioral expectations and guidelines that you desire in your classroom?

     The modeling can take several forms. For example, are you a "Good Morning" person? If this is your normal greeting pattern, then stick to it. Even in those moments where you don't receive a similar reply. For some of our students this is foreign territory. They aren't greeted that way at home or on the street and they aren't quite sure of the right response. If you're only doing it to control their behavior they will sniff out your insincerity and won't respond. If this type of greeting isn't your style, think about how you do acknowledge students. Is it warm and sincere? How do you greet your colleagues? No matter how alone I thought I was I quickly realized my behavior was being watched by many others. The modeling may also be in how you choose to share yourself with your class. One of the best examples I saw of this was with a teacher who brought her "Bag of Me" with her to class. In that large bag were personal items that related to various times in the teacher's life. Students could pick out an item and the teacher then shared the story of why that item was significant. This built a positive relationship and provided a method by which students could also share their stories.

     It strikes me as patently unfair to expect that our students will thrive in a world of "Do as I say, not as I do.", and that we would be better served by demonstrating appropriate conduct in an authentic fashion. Remember the eyes are always on you.

Tenet #8 - Are you Looking for a Code of Conduct or a Code of Consequence?

     One of the areas that occupies a lot of time in staff discussion is student conduct. Often times these conversations get diverted to a discussion about consequences. About what we, the adults, need to do to them, the students, to gain compliance. I want to be clear that I am in favor of us having expectations for appropriate conduct for all members of our school community. I'm also in favor of the adults modeling those expectations. And I'm really in favor of us dealing with the behavioral miscues that occur with our students in the same way we deal with academic miscues - by providing strong remedial efforts to help students more closely approximate the desired behaviors. However, as Paul Dix argues in a blog post on the UK Guardian, 

"Most behavior systems are based on the "Punishment Road". The idea  

that for every behaviour there is a punishment to fit the crime; a punishment  

that is severe enough to give the child a road to Damascus and change  

their ways. For children who won't "do as they are told" the solution  

is to punish them, in increments of severity, until they will."

The frightening aspect of this approach is that it works for those students who are afraid of the consequences. However, for our neediest learners or those who come from challenging home environments, the effects can be severe. For these children we simply become the latest adult in a long line of adults who have let them down. Rarely are these students worried about the punishment or the consequences that result from them.  As Dix comments, "What they are coping with in their own lives far outweighs any threats that school can issue." These students need support not consequences. They need adults who display an understanding of who they are and demonstrate a desire to help them to meet the challenges.

     I am convinced, based on numerous conversations with teachers, most recognize this but they feel  stuck with a school-wide system or philosophy that weighs heavily on punishment being the answer. Students are given consequences with little regard to what they might need in order to change the negative behaviors they are demonstrating. If the student persists, we up the ante until they are asked to leave. It begins with the conversation staffs first engage in when the topic of student deportment arises. If the dialogue is all about control and "laying down the law", it will not be a surprise that more energy is spent on designing new consequences than in structuring growth opportunities to address the changes we can assist our students in making. This will also predetermine the end result for every conversation on behavior. It's like the old analogy that says if the only tool I have in my toolbox is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The health and welfare of our students demands that we have a more complete toolbox. 

Tenet #7 - Every Student Represents a Success Story Waiting to be Told.

     Of the ten tenets that are foundational to my views as an educator, this one is the one I'm most passionate about. It has become my mantra over the last number of years and is the one belief I will really try to push on my colleagues (if they don't already believe this to be true). I also take great pride in my inability, after 29 years as an educator, to be able to accurately predict the future of any student. As a result I err on the side of "anything is possible" especially when students are engaged and passionate about their learning.

     When I present this viewpoint I have been asked if it's my intent to make educators feel like they will never be successful. That if I insist on 100% of students meeting success as the target, we'll never reach that lofty goal. My reply to these queries is three-fold. First, I am not so naive as to ignore that, sometimes, the other outside influences in a student's life so overwhelms them that they cannot complete their time with us. They may leave and pursue other options but I always want them to know school will always be an option if they are willing to return. Second, I take no pride in setting the bar too low and then reaching the goal. Should we aim for a 95% success rate? If we achieve that is it cause for celebration? What about the 5% we missed? If they remain faceless and nameless we may find a way to walk away from their lack of achievement. But what if I asked you to put names and faces to that 5%. Could you do that with a clear conscience? Could you identify kids who are not entitled to a viable future? Kids for whom prisons are constructed? Third, our definition of success may not be the same. While academics are very important, not all of our students will go on to a post secondary degree. All can be contributing members to the communities we live in. If we have taught them the value of relationships, the ability to seek out knowledge, and given them confidence in themselves, we will have sent forward an individual we can all take pride in.

     In a brilliant post (http://chriswejr.com/2011/07/06/its-easy/) Chris Wejr (@MrWejr) outlines the two options available to all of us as educators. We can take the easy option or we can push for the harder to achieve option. I see no value in limiting the potential of any students by denying them opportunity or shrinking their available skill set even further by denying them access to all of the richness that schools contain. Every one of our students has a gift and a talent. They may not even know its potential. They are all success stories waiting to be told. Our job is to help them unfold their story.

She contemplated for a second, searching for the right words. Then they came to her, and a smile emerged as she realized their truth. 

“I’m a student. With or without your support, I am the future.”

* From the upcoming book “I Am the Future” by Tom and David Hierck (Spring release date)

Tenet #6 - What We Focus On Expands.

     After almost thirty years as an educator I feel I can walk in to any school and know what's important to the adults in that building within five minutes. Actually, it's got nothing to do with experience and I'm confident anyone reading this post could do the same thing. The key lies in what we choose to spend our time on. I believe our most precious resource in education today is time. Most educators will tell me they don't have enough time to accomplish the myriad of demands placed on them. I have not yet had an educator tell me they end each day with a half hour to kill and spend it pining away for more paperwork!

     If this is the case, how we choose to spend the time we have is a pretty clear indicator of what's important to us. If your staff engages in the "great late debate" frequently or we spend lots of time talking about food in class or kids wearing hats, then this defines what we see as important. Particularly when those topics come at the sacrifice of engaging in great dialogue about our practice, student progress, and involving parents in our schools. Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting schools ought to ignore the items around expectations and guidelines. I'm just not sure that hours spent talking about tardiness are well spent. The reality is we spend most of that time thinking about new consequences as if that might be the tonic. When I ask educator audiences to raise their hand if anyone can assure me they have never been late to a faculty meeting, I rarely get a hand raised. That doesn't mean it's not important, it just not as important as the time we devote to it and the good conversations we sacrifice because of that debate.

     If I come to your school what will I notice in that first five minutes?