I have learned so many lessons just in the last year, not to mention the totality of my prior career. But as I thought about what I try to keep front and center in my mind right now, here's what I came up with, in spontaneous and haphazard order:
Kids are forgiving, if you are. Saying "I'm wrong" or "I'm sorry" is probably the hardest lesson I've had to learn. Man, it's SO hard to own your bad choices. And my students may never learn this lesson unless I consistently model it for them when I'm wrong. Every. Time. Which is way more often than I'd like to admit. Thus the dilemma.
Treat students the way you want to be treated. More and more, I'm coming to understand that I need to put myself in my students' shoes. The last thing I want to do is sit in a desk all day listening to lectures. Unless the lecturer is a rockin' storyteller, then I will sit at her feet and listen. All. Day. That's not most teachers' reality. The reality is: I want to learn. I want to read and write. I want to talk to my friends, and I want to move. Your students will want all of these, too, if you honor these desires in your planning.
Do I want to be yelled at in front of everyone when I make a bad choice? Imagine how you'd feel at a faculty meeting if the principal asked you to please put your phone away and pay attention. I prefer a private conversation 100% of the time. Or a proximity reminder. Or a redirect. Kids do, too. Most off-task behavior isn't malicious. It's a lack of engagement or a matter of misplaced priorities. Dignify the choice to engage. Teach with compassion. This empowers learners.
Focus your planning on what the kids will be doing, rather than what you will be doing. This creates an active learning mindset. Whoever's doing the talking is usually doing the learning. If you're the sage on stage all day, every day, what are the kids doing? Diligently taking meticulous notes?! Focusing on what the student is doing helps clarify learning targets as well as the activities that would best lead the learners to those targets. Don't fall in love with the sound of your own voice. Fall in love with the buzz of an actively engaged classroom.
Do your own assignments. This is your built-in "crazy checkup." If they are too hard or too long or too complicated for you, imagine what it's like for your students. They appreciate the tips and advice you can provide from the inside. Instant credibility.
Show students your writing process from start to finish. Don't just show them your amazing finished masterpieces. I admit, I love nothing more than the applause and accolades for one of my artfully crafted works. But your goal should be to produce more writing and leave the writers wanting to produce more writing. They can't do that if they perceive the standard is unreachable. And they will believe it is, if you spend all your time basking in the glow of your own awesomeness. You have to show them the path. And that includes the homely, unorganized scribble on the back of the napkin or envelope where your idea started. And all the little un-awesome steps in between. Draft in front of them. It's hard work to draft under pressure, and it can take a lot of time, but you and your writers will never be the same. The transformation is amazing! Light the path of writing from beginning to end, and spread the glow of awesomeness to all! You'll need some wicked good sunglasses.
Give time to what you value. The more time you spend in any activity shows what you think is important. What are you communicating to your students about what's important? Reading ten minutes every day is sacred in my classroom. My students hold that time to be sacred because I do. I model it as much as I can in class, as well as outside of class. Responding to each other's writing every other Monday is sacred. Blogging about our reading every other Friday, so we have writing to read on Mondays is sacred. Book sharing on alternate Fridays, and library time on alternate Mondays are sacred. Students like predictability. So what are your big rocks? Identify them, value them with time, and make them sacred. What about the rest of your time? Spend it in surprise and discovery because students like that, too. What can I say? We are all paradoxical creatures.
Bonus: Laughter unifies and heals. When all else fails, this is your best tool. Don't forget to use it!
"Most off-task behavior isn't malicious. It's a lack of engagement or a matter of misplaced priorities." Brilliant.
ReplyDelete"Fall in love with the buzz of an actively engaged classroom." Rock on!
" I want to learn. I want to read and write. I want to talk to my friends, and I want to move." Ditto. Only louder. Plus I want a soft chair to sit in.
"Do your own assignments." YES. I recommend this to my CLT all the time.
"Reading ten minutes every day is sacred in my classroom." Mine too.
It means so much to me to see things I value reflected in your post. It is affirming and empowering. Thank you.