Find Your Tribe

We come together in Professional Learning Communities, Data Teams and PLN's to plan and prepare for instruction. We do this both face-to-face and in an online setting. Encouraging and supporting educators in a collaborative process along with ongoing applicable professional development has been essential to our field. These components make us better.

Innovators are an essential. Researchers in the field of education have shaped the way in which we teach and learn and how we drive instruction. It is the work of John Hattie and his research on Effect Size along with the beliefs of Malcolm Gladwell in his work with the Tipping Point coupled with the studies of Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck, that provide educators with an unlimited supply of knowledge, best practice and insight into how to best deliver education.

With that, we also know that teaching and learning does not happen in a vacuum. There are no isolated moments. Reaching each individual learner can not be done within a silo. To be effective and to make academic progress, we must be able and willing to come together in the spirit of the tribe.

As you forge ahead through these months of teaching and learning, keep the following in mind:

• Tribes are there to support the work that you do and the work you need to do. 
• Tribes model that asking for help does not indicate a weakness, rather your desire to develop an undiscovered strength.
• Tribes drive collaboration. And, it is intended to keep you and those you work with moving towards both individual and collective success. 
• Tribes cultivate innovators. You are an innovator because you strive to refine your craft. You chose to be the best.
• Tribes keep you accountable. Be both the teacher and the student. 
• To lead we have to learn. Tribes foster both.

Find your tribe and work toward the goals in which you have established. Know that it is a journey, as the research says, and it will take time. Remember your purpose. Stay true to what's best for students, for teachers and for the learning process. We are better together.

6 Essentials for Educators

As educators, we are well versed in what works, and does not, in education. Day-in and day-out we get a fresh take at new opportunities. And, each day I get an opportunity to improve on the day before. We are, as the saying goes, a work in progress.

Spending my days and weeks with middle level students (and their teachers) can provide great examples of what progress does look like. And, after hours of classroom visits, teacher observations and self-reflection, I can also speak to where the work currently is and where we should should continue to offer our support for educators. We are also asking each day, "Where can we grow?"

And, throughout each of these days in education we talk about essentials to our teaching and our learning. Here is my list of suggestions on striving to support the work in progress of both teachers and administrators in education. Please feel free to add yours in the comment section below.

• Teachers (and Administrators) need and want ongoing embedded professional development. There is a balance between what teachers want and what they need to improve in their instruction. The essential key to this is ensuring that the PD they receive supports not only the now but also what lies ahead. It is important that we stay current in our PD. And to do so, at times you have to get ahead.
• Educators require feedback to their instruction on an ongoing basis. And, this feedback needs to be both validating of what is working but also critical of what is not. The best conversations with colleagues are the ones that end with a question and not a statement. Leave the room wanting to learn more not feeling like you have everything answered. Great conversations lead to more great conversations.
• Collaborative time for educators is essential. As we refine our craft and look to improve in our instruction, there must be time set aside for teachers to share ideas, discuss obstacles and brainstorm next steps. Progress comes from both successes and failures. We must talk about both and schedule time for this to happen. We know the enemy for reflection is time. Let's be proactive.
• Data drives instruction. We know what the standards are and what needs to be taught. We have the instinctive ability to create lesson plans that support those. However, when all is said and done, it is the assessments that we use and the data in the results that will make us better teachers and help students in their learning. Use the data to drive what you teach and what your goals are in learning each day.
• Personalize with a purpose and differentiate as to support the work. Words are just that. Applying them is the challenge and the charge. As more is shared about what personalization is and the potential to impact teaching and learning, we will continue our efforts to meet our learners where they are and embed best practice. Our students are unique learners and as educators it is our role and responsibility to meet them where they are and grow them. 
• Relationships are essential and drive everything. As we think about our exchanges with others in a school day (and beyond) it is the way we carry ourselves with our community that defines us and helps us progress in our success. Whether working with students, teachers or our community, we must cultivate our relationships to maximize the experience. It is at the core of what we do and can be the foundation to our efforts.

As you reflect on your work and determine what is needed to support your own learning and those around you, think of how you embed these qualities into what you do. Feedback, collaboration and relationships are just a slice of what we inherently strive to improve on. Embrace being a work in progress. It is what makes us better.

Collective Journey

Collectively we are better. I have yet to work in a school where success happens in a silo. A community of learners is undeniably one of the strongest forces known in education. And with that, it is the ride that motivates me most of all.

Teachers are impactful in ways that we can not always measure. There is no test, or assessment, or survey that can capture all of the greatness that occurs within their walls each day. Often times it is the simple take-aways, the confidence and the desire to come back day in and day out that is the best measurement of a students, and a teachers, journey and their passion for what they do.

Today is one day on the road to success. Each day adds to that. Mile by mile our journey becomes more identifiable and more attainable. There is a journey that I am on that inspires me and intrigues me and motivates me to be present for my teachers and my community. I am embracing the ride.

I am intrigued by the opportunities. And remember, the road to success is a collective journey.

Timeout, Coach

Timeouts. Just about every sport has them. They are used in a variety of ways. Whether to slow down the pace of play, allow players to regroup, to get another player into the game or even to freeze the opponent, timeouts are a crucial part of competition. Timeouts will always be a part of the game.

In fact, they have been known to win, or lose, some of the most amazing sporting moments (movies included) of all times. Here is one of the classic timeouts (speeches) in sports movie history. Please forgive a few moments of language. The message though, is coaching (and use of a timeout) at its finest.

Our work in education needs timeouts as well. We work tirelessly as teachers and administrators. Each of us are constantly on our game in the hopes of achieving all that we can day in and day out. Granted we are not in a game that we are trying to "win", we are however, trying to ensure some of the greatest teaching and learning of all time. Consider it our own victory of sorts.

Therefore, take a timeout when the situation calls for one. Whether you are working with your students, supporting your teachers in professional development or leading a district, there are times that you need the same opportunities as the athletes are provided on the court or on the field.

Timeouts are great for:

• Reflection of a situation that needs thought before responding.
• Regrouping from a lesson gone awry.
• Supporting others in time of confusion and loss of clarity.
• When you simply believe that life in general is moving too fast.

The writing of this blog is my own personal timeout. I afforded myself a few moments to take a break and step back. My work and aspects of it have been moving at lightning speed. I was losing my ability to think clearly and guide unconditionally. And, I do not see this timeout as a sign of weakness or fear of losing. Just the opposite in fact. Instead, I will go back into the game ready to finish what I started. Even though there is no clock that will read "zeros" or a score that shows winners or losers, it is my hope that those that I work with will be able to see and feel the energy and passion I come back with after taking pause and reflection in what I do.

My timeout was only a few moments. But the impact will last well beyond. Game on.

Unspoken Moments

As educators, we support each other and our students at all times in all sorts of ways. That is what we do. It is what drives us, it is our motivation and our charge.

Each year we are given teaching tools, resources and even support of our professional colleagues to ensure that we have the best of the best in front of our learners each day. Our toolboxes are full.

Each day our students enter the building and anticipate what will be taught. Teachers step through their doors and know that there are lessons and knowledge to be gained. Administrators do their part in the process and work to ensure that their are the tools that teachers need and students want in front of them each day.

Each moment we are a team. We are a collective unit. We are better together.

And often times, it is the unspoken moments that give us some of the greatest returns on the work that we do. Whether a nod of acknowledgement, a grin of gratitude or a gesture of thanks, it is these very moments that make our days as purposeful and productive as they are. Our days are consumed with simple yet powerful exchanges that often go unnoticed and not even recognized.

With that in mind and as you go through your week ahead, think of the unspoken moments that help drive your instruction and how that impacts both student learning and teacher instruction. Consider how the unintentional becomes the intentional. And how the unspoken moments become the powerful force behind the great things that happen each and every day. Embrace each day.

Be Present.

Often we find ourselves thinking ahead about "what's next" and we lose our focus on the "what's now". Our intentions are good. However, it is our actions that can become overwhelming.

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to colleagues talk about their work with Growth Mindset. What they shared was validating and engaging. Great stuff to say the least. As they were presenting I was able to make connections across the board. We were of the same mold. And having read Carol Dweck's work a while back and having been implementing some of the strategies and supporting my colleagues, I realized the need for me to reflect even more so.

I fully engrossed myself in the moment and I became the student during their lesson. It was now my role to gain knowledge from this unique opportunity and to embrace this time. For much of the conversation I could nod in affirmation that I had been, and was continuing to bring, the concepts of growth mindset to my staff. I even believe and am fully aware of the word (and the meaning) of "yet" and each day find an opportunity to apply that word to my work.

What I also discovered during this time and within this lesson was that I have spent a good bit of time thinking ahead and not always keeping grounded to what is happening currently. Like many of you, it is common. I began to realize that there needs to be two lists during my day. They shared their experience with "To Do" and "To Be". And with that, I was hooked.

By no means has has it been a negative experience that I have been working ahead in my professional goals and ideas in supporting teaching and learning. In fact I am often motivated and excited about coming to work each morning because of those very goals and aspirations. Instead, today was a reminder of the importance of being present in what is already being accomplished and celebrating the now. I engulfed myself in the notion of what needs to be done. That is the "To Do's" we each face. And the compliment to that which is the "To Be". That is where my feet are today.

There is a balance between then and now. We have to be reflective but not stagnant. Teachers are yearning for more yet need to be encouraged to embrace the lessons of the day. We have to look ahead, that is what keeps us the innovative educators that we are. Yet at the same time we have to be mindful of the present. We will always have work to do, but we also have to remember where we are.

Start Somewhere

It doesn't matter how much you want to get somewhere if you never take that first step.

Recently I have been pushed by my colleagues to think about how I lead. And I am the one who encouraged them to share and therefore become a voice in my process of reflection.

Each year I give those that I work with a Staff Satisfaction Survey to gage how their year is going so far. My administrative team (myself and Samantha Althouse), ask about 20-25 questions and even give text space for our entire staff to share their attitudes and feelings about their school experience. We also encourage them share suggestions and solutions for growth. Their voice is essential in this process.

One of the unique pieces about this survey is that it is anonymous. Yep. No names, no content area, nothing other than how many years they have been in the building. Some would never consider doing this. We on the other hand, welcome it. We give the survey twice a year. Once in the late fall/early winter and the other in the spring. Our goal is simple: to become better leaders. The feedback we get is intense, thought-provoking, assuring and at times, painful. We are glad we ask the questions and we are open to the responses.

As you can imagine it is the raw, reflective and powerful feedback that we get that makes it worthwhile. Some responses are right where we thought they would be while others, well, let's just say it gives us plenty to plan for and work on in the days, weeks and months ahead. 

The one thing we do know for sure by going through this process is that we always have an opportunity to grow in what we do. That is something to embrace.

We know the work will not be easy. It will uncomfortable at that.

That is all fine by me, with us. We know as leaders and as teachers we have to start somewhere.

As leaders we cannot grow complacent and comfortable. We as leaders should not take the path of least resistance nor find a path that has the fewest number of obstacles. Those paths are safe. Those paths are easy. That path goes nowhere. If we want to achieve, we have to push the boundaries. We have to be willing to reflect, to learn, to grow.

Our survey guarantees that in order for us to move our organization forward we must embrace "productive discomfort".

Reflect, grow, change, lead, listen, learn and be willing to make tough decisions. We have to start somewhere and that somewhere starts today.