Nothing

I recently saw a teacher post her frustrations with her students via social media. (Don't worry, it's not one of you!) The teacher remarked that her students had come to her with the age-old question, "What can I do to improve my grade?" in the week that grades were due. In her post, she stated that she always responds to that question with the same answer, "Nothing. I hope that this teaches you to do your work when it is due, but I doubt that it will." This teacher was obviously frustrated at the fact that this seems to happen every time grades are due.

That question is frustrating to a teacher. I remember that feeling very well. Objectively, I try to think back about myself as a teacher and what I did or could have done differently in that situation. All I can come up with is that if there is anything that you do not like as a result in your classroom, then you have to be the one to change the environment that causes that result. If this teacher is always frustrated with this response from students, my question to her is this: "What did you change to keep that from happening?" The answer that she gave her students applies to her as well. "Nothing."

I have written a lot about teacher leadership recently and how it has to start within the four walls of your classroom. Recognizing where things go awry and working toward changing that for the better is true teacher leadership. In this case, it's also data-driven leadership! It's never too late to assess, identify and respond to issues preventing student achievement. What can you do today that will change things for the better in your classroom?

What Aren't You Saying?

Recently a press conference video clip of Geno Auriemma, head coach of the University of Connecticut' s women's basketball team, has made a lot of news. (Click play if you haven't seen this) If you don't know Coach Auriemma, all you need to know is that he has coached UConn to eleven NCAA Division I National Championships. No one else has ever done that. Being the coach of the country's premier women's basketball program, he gets to do things his way. He chooses who he wants, when he wants them. Recruiting isn't his problem. He always has the top of the talent pool. His job is to manage that talent. In the clip, he does not talk about how many shots a player makes or their defensive skills. Instead he talks about body language and a player's attitude toward their teammates, even when they are on the bench.

Last week's blog was about teacher leadership and how we have to start by leading in our own classrooms. Beyond our rooms, teacher leaders are most valuable by building others around them and not themselves. That could not be more true today in our era of school accountability. If you can remember back to the beginning of the year when I showed everyone at a faculty meeting how our school report card grade is established, you know that very few classes directly impact that score. Just EOC courses count for growth and proficiency. Everyone else has the responsibility of building strong students in literacy, mathematics, science, critical thinking and career development, not to mention how we all contribute to the overall wellbeing of our students.

March is one of those tough times to be a teacher. We are tired and the kids are tired. It's an easy time to be frustrated. I get that way as well so I can't honestly tell you not to be. What I can ask is that, just like Coach Auriemma says, watch your body language. What are we telling our students and each other by not saying a word? Are we leading in the right direction? I think students and colleagues are particularly keen on seeing this in each other, probably because we spend so much time together. So even if you are not ready to be a vocal teacher leader, try being one that doesn't have to say anything at all.

What is Teacher Leadership

Teacher Leadership is the very first standard and element on the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation instrument. It's that important. Our school houses close to 100 employees (including teachers, assistants, clerical staff, support staff, cafeteria and custodial workers) and 800 students. Between myself and my assistant principals, we would be lucky to directly engage about 10-20% of those people on a daily basis. Teachers have to be leaders to direct the rest. The system simply would not work without it. While we recognize that teacher leadership is fundamental, we fail to prepare teacher leaders. Be honest, how many of us have actually had professional development in leadership?

Being a teacher leader is akin to being a captain on a team. You play alongside your teammates and cheer them on the majority of the time. Sometimes you also have to be the one to call out when things are not working and address that as well. If I am being honest about the problems that schools face, we can trace plenty of them back to ourselves. Adult problems of failing to enforce rules, set a proper example or perform to expectations allow students to run awry. At the same time, this isn't the Marine Corps either. Somewhere in there is a balance where we lead by example, support each other and our goals and enjoy what we do. Teacher leaders support that balance. The valuable voices of teachers support schools and the direction they move toward. They are not dependent on years of experience or pay scale. Each week I go to several teachers on our staff for ideas and direction. Teacher input is essential to school administration.

In the spirit of yesterday's fantastic professional development, (great job Shaw and Garcia), I'll share with you one of the first leadership lessons I was ever taught. It is one that still holds true for me today, and one I try to go back to often. "There are no part-time leaders. Real leaders are there all of the time." Work toward teacher leadership by first leading in your classroom, then seeking to lead beyond your students. Be consistent. Work to always be a leader that your students and colleagues can count on. If everyone did that, just imagine what example it would set for our students.

Very Superstitious

Over the past few months of basketball games, several of us became very superstitious. For me, it started with refusing to talk about a state championship. Then I would refuse to talk about anything other than the next game. By the end of the season, I had lucky shoes, a lucky shirt and specific places I would stand during the game. In my head, these things mattered somehow. All I knew was that things were working and I refused to change anything that worked. Anything.

Being superstitious is nothing new for athletes and sports fans. Most will likely admit to something small that they believe impacts the game. The funny thing about superstitions is that they require some form of constant assessment. When things go well, you evaluate what was right about that day. When you lose, you evaluate what was different. So with that thought in mind, is it smart to be superstitious about instruction? When students perform well in a lesson or unit, do we take the time to evaluate what made that difference? I'm not talking about a lucky shirt in this case, but more about what changed within the classroom. When students do not perform well, are we analyzing what changed to cause this? If we can approach instruction with the same mentality of a superstitious athlete or fan, we can take a much more critical approach to self-assessment. So while wearing your lucky shirt on exam days may help, try analyzing all parts of student achievement and try making those repeatable.

And by the way, we only had two losses this season in men's basketball. Both of those occurred on days that Duke and Carolina played each other. We should probably not schedule games on those days next year.

Confidence

Most of my blog posts are about metaphors. I am always looking for things I see throughout the week that can be applied to teaching and learning. Like many of you, I've been watching a lot of basketball lately. One thing I have noticed about this year's basketball team is how confident they look when they are playing. From the moment their name is called, to the final minutes, their faces show that they know what they are there for. There is never a look of confusion or doubt about what their job is. On Tuesday, I looked for that on the faces of our Juniors when they sat down to take the ACT. Did they look confident or afraid? Were they ready? To be honest, I saw both. I saw students that were smiling with two pencils and a calculator on their desk. I saw others that already looked like they were beaten down.

How can we replicate that confidence that our players have about their mission to academic achievement? I feel like anything like that can be coached. So what are coaches doing that classroom teachers are missing? Coaching brings instant feedback, positive and negative. Coaches applaud great work and make an example when a player steps out of line. But even when a player miss-steps, there is always a learning opportunity and a chance for redemption with a cheer at the end. I think that reinforcement from the coaches and teammates is what builds that confidence. So do we cheer enough in our classrooms? Do we encourage confidence in our students and can we even get them to encourage it amongst themselves? If you can, you've built a truly accomplished classroom culture based on collaboration and achievement. Try coaching along with your teaching and let's see if we can build some confidence in our students for their next big assessment.