“Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.” ~Author Unknown

Two Simple Words

“Thank You,” two simple words that have extremely powerful potential. Potential to take a terrible day and shed some light on it. Potential to make someone who is spinning their wheels to stop and realize…it IS worth it. Potential to provide that moment of clarity where appreciation truly warms the heart.

The beautiful thing about saying “Thank You” is that it doesn’t mean you are solving problems, or taking over responsibilities, but an acknowledgement and appreciation of efforts put forth. Two simple words to think about…

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week, May 2nd – May 6th, is National Teacher Appreciation Week. As I sat down today to label my ‘Thank You’ York Peppermint Patties, I found myself questioning the ways in which I’ve said “Thank You”. Wondering, do my actions speak louder than my words?

As I stuck label after label on my mints, I thought how odd it is that we need to dedicate a week to appreciate our teachers. As the quote above says,  teachers are the ones who teach all the other professions. That seems like a pretty big job…something that deserves much more appreciation than just a week. Yet, I wonder, have I shown my appreciation enough?

Since I’m questioning it, I’m guessing I haven’t…

Thank You 

I’m an Implementation Specialist in WCSD. Servicing Area 3, Hidden Valley Elementary School, Huffaker Elementary School and mentoring new to position Implementation Specialists. Each of these sites and individuals motivate me to get up each morning, so I want to take a moment to thank them. Though this post won’t split the seas or move mountains, hopefully this appreciation will do 2 things. 1. Give these special people that heart warming moment when they realize their work has made an impact on me and many others. 2, more importantly, you take a moment to think about those notable people who get you out of bed every morning and thank them.

JoEtta, thank you for pushing me each day, week, month and year to consider the bigger picture, yet reminding me that every bad day can be ended by visiting classrooms and students.

Salwa, thank you for your confidence in me and challenging me to not always have a destination in mind, but at least a path.

Robin, thank you for reminding me that it’s all about letting everyone in the car. Relationships matter and if people are happy to come to work, students will be happy too.

Susan, thank you for reminding me the importance of knowing all your students and their stories. You remind me to balance data with faces.

Alisa, thank you for being a role-model. You refine my thinking and provide me with the feedback I need.  I can always trust you to push me, but never hard enough to fall down.  You find interest in my thoughts and challenge me to always consider, “How will it shift thinking.”

Hidden Valley teachers, thank you for inviting me into your classrooms and taking risks with me. You hold me accountable, challenge me, and remind me that sometimes the chocolate basket is all we need (emphasis on “we”).

Huffaker staff, thank you for truly showing me what it means to care for each other. Coming to Reno from AZ, I felt like a lost puppy trying to find a home. You accept and care for me personally and professionally. You listen, ask questions and show me that there is value in family and tradition.

Implementation Specialist’s… thank you for being you! You teach me so many things about myself as well as the profession. Our conversations ground me, keep me in tune with “reality” across several sites, and challenge me. More than anything else, you are there for me as co-workers and friends. Whether it be face-to-face or Bitmoji conversations, I know I can trust each and every one of you as peers and friends. Thank you for always listening and remembering that small things do matter.

This Week and Beyond 

As we head into Teacher Appreciation Week, I challenge myself and others to take a few minutes and say “Thank You” to those you work with, and if you really want to make their day, tell them what you are thankful for. Our teachers are some of the most dedicated individuals in society and while a week of goodies and treats will be appreciated throughout the upcoming week, educators deserve to be recognized, valued, and thanked on a daily basis. 

And if you’re like me, and sitting there thinking how crazy it is to dedicate only a week to Teacher Appreciation,  use it to guide your reflection in regards to who you may need to a take a moment to thank.

Without our teachers administrative staff, secretaries, facilities and support staff, all other professions would be at risk. 

 THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have You Ever Wondered What the Best Way to Motivate Teachers Is?

As an Implementation Specialist…

I sat in, developed, and led numerous professional development sessions with staff members who seem disengaged, uninterested, or even appreciated the extra time to grade their papers and create their grocery lists.

No, not every session has participants who act this way, but reality is, it happens. Every time I prepare a new session, I do my best to anticipate who may walk in the door, and how best to engage them in the content.

Last Thursday, I think I found an answer.

Doughnuts and Discussions

It all started a month ago. I mentioned to my principal that I had come across several resources that I thought our teachers would like and that would support student achievement. However, I didn’t think it was valuable to continue sending out links with no explanations.

I threw out the idea of providing optional professional development. Yes, you read that right…optional professional development. Outside of contract time, with no credit, pay, or requirements.

The two of us decided it was worth a shot. After playing around with catchy words that didn’t sound too unwelcoming, I landed on ‘Doughnuts and Discussions’. Prior to putting in a lot of time planning something that wasn’t desired, I put together a Google Form to share the idea and get some insight from the staff. Below are the results I received:

I also received requests for:

• the direction of the District and Special Education
• creating a Book Club
• finding a way to issue credit

Not too bad right? Especially for a staff that consists of 22 general education teachers. While the level of interest from the survey looked promising, true commitment would be discovered in our first session.

Thursday, March 10…the True Test

I didn’t want to pressure anyone into coming to our first official ‘Doughnuts and Discussions’, so I only sent two Outlook reminders in the 3 weeks leading up to the event.

It was 7:55 am, the smell of the doughnuts was taking over the entrance of the building and 2 people had joined me in the lab …a first grade teacher and the principal. I started to worry. Yet, by 8:04, 10 educators were smiling and excited to participate…the first ‘Doughnuts and Discussions’ was a success, well, at least in terms of attendance!

What Was the Secret?

Some might say the doughnuts were what brought the participants in before contract time. However, I have seen other boxes of doughnuts in the staff lounge that go untouched. I truly believe the power in ‘Doughnuts and Discussions’ is that teachers had a voice. They determined the day, time, and content, though I only gave them options outside of contract time and topics that linked to student achievement. No surprises there!

Take Aways

Session one consisted of an overview and experience of NearPod; a free platform that allows power points to be turned into interactive lessons with real-time data and sharing of work samples via any device. Within the NearPod session participants explored Prodigy Game; a free Common Core Aligned math game for grades 1-8 that tracks student progress and is accessible via app. Additionally, participants explored Achieve the Achieve the Core’s Coherence Map in order to trace standards across grade levels and build understanding of concepts that link together. The AchieveAchieve’s Coherence Map also allows educators to pull example tasks that are aligned to specific standards. Finally, participants spent time exploring lessons and sample mini assessments from Achieve the Core (select classroom resources) as we discussed that we shouldn’t all be spending our time searching for resources that are already created, valid, and align to the standards when they already exist. Teachers took away:

• new resources to utilize in their classrooms (several which did the next day)
• an understanding of how these resources would directly impact student achievement
• the belief that reliable resources are out there…and they can be found for free
• agreat sugar buzz from the glazed donuts, they were amped to start their day

Click here for Session 1’s Presentation (you won’t get to see the interactive aspects of Nearpod with this, however you can see and explore the content).

Next Steps…

Currently, ‘Doughnuts and Discussions’ #2 is being planned. I can assure you that teachers will be exposed to new teaching strategies, tools that align to their interest inventory, and will directly impact student achievement, in a time, day and location of their choosing.

Stay Tuned for A Recap of Session 2!

For the past few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about educator passion. I continually see posts and blogs talking about why people have left the profession. In fact, as I count tonight I have 10 recent postings saved relating to why educators have left, teacher burn out,  lack of value and respect for teachers and so forth. I personally, have never understood where these feelings come from. No one enters the field of education for the money, which in turn leads me to believe they enter it because they have, or at some point had, a passion for it.

This morning I woke up anticipating the great professional collaboration I was going to experience at the Northern Nevada Leadership Summit. I was excited to hear about the changes as we shift from NCLB to ESSA. Yes, excited…these are the days I live for.  Deep thinking and collaboration geared around leadership, instruction, and best practices for our students. Some might say I nerd out in these situations. My laptop is out, Twitter is active, and my brain is running marathons thinking and planning how I can disseminate the information back to my sites in a meaningful manner. Google Docs documents everything I am hearing, Twitter lets me share the thought-provoking statements with my PLN, and my little green notebook holds the countless scribbles, connections, and resources I need to remind myself to look up later or build into the three decks I’m working on for professional development. It’s amazing. I love this feeling… this is my passion. Please don’t stop talking because I’m absorbing it…and you over there, please don’t talk to me…I can’t handle being interrupted from this process right now…This is passion.

I’ve been an Implementation Specialist for three years. Some say its a stepping stone, for me, its my passion. I love developing professional development and tailoring it in ways that connect with my sites.  My goal with any and all information is to anticipate anything that may lead to compliance and counteract it with something that supports commitment. As for the mentoring and coaching portion of my role, it’s my favorite. I love collaborating with educators, building their awareness, supporting student learning, and ultimately building their capacity as a leader.

Remember that statement in my opening paragraph where I said I’ve never understood where negative feelings towards our profession come from?

Well, this afternoon I discovered the answer…first hand.

As we sat there listening to the explanation as to why our positions we being reallocated I finally understood.

For the past three years our team has worked tirelessly to make an impact on our sites, encourage teachers to have faith in the district, and to ensure that we have a mission and a vision and that at the end of the day we will succeed. We practiced what we preached.

Social Emotional Learning is real…so we worked to build self-awareness and understand our strengths so that when we came together we were solid. Our social awareness was powerful. Regardless of what you just received as a staff, we were able to put ourselves in your shoes and empathize with you. From here, we’d take time to listen and offer help when needed. Eventually working to bring us back together.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day here we sit being told it will all work out and that we should view this as a new opportunity. Yet all I can think is stop talking…I can no longer absorb this.

I get it.

Tonight I will add posting number 11 to my files relating to teachers feeling passionless and burnt out. Unfortunately this time, it’s my own posting.

 

 

 

A few weeks ago my husband’s college roommate came to visit for the weekend from Silicon Valley. Over dinner, we began discussing our current stages in life, our passions, careers, and issues that arise from our careers. In following is a brief recap of our narratives:

Myself: Personally, happily married to my husband who challenges me to take risks, value and prioritize my personal interests, and always listen to my heart. Family and traveling the world are priorities, along with our Golden Doodle Henry.  I enjoy cooking dinners and meals with my husband  recapping our days with one another. Professionally, I’m currently an Implementation Specialist who is passionate about coaching and ensuring that teachers and students receive the supports that they need in order to be successful and feel valued. This also leading to my biggest question pertaining to education at this time…in a time when teacher retention is lacking, stress is on the rise, and time and resources are limited how do we assist teachers in reigniting their passion for teaching?

Friend: Personally, playing the dating game as a young professional in Silicon Valley. Spends his time traveling the world for weeks  at a time and enjoys brainstorming entrepreneurial  opportunities. His personal hobbies consist of sailing, surfing, flying and engaging in anything that is adventurous. Professionally, he recently left Google and is now exploring new opportunities at a start-up. This leading to the biggest question pertaining to his career at this time…what’s the next big invention and how do I stop working so much so that I can actually enjoy my unlimited vacation…yes,  you read that correctly, his unlimited vacation!

As we continued talking he informed me that companies without unlimited vacation policies, laundry services, gym memberships and three provided meals a day are simply not competitive. Coming from me, where this type of work environment is pretty much non-existent, this “problem” sounded like heaven.  From his perspective yes, is was great. Although, each of these elements led to the bigger challenge…it is very easy for him to find himself never leaving work. Additionally, he rarely takes advantage of his unlimited vacation and yes, he’s a thirty something year old who struggles navigating the grocery store. ..

While I’m aware the two of us  have very different careers, I can’t help but think will the world of education ever become the place where we find teachers saying, “I just can’t stop working because I enjoy it so much?”

Educators…what ignites your passion and keeps you wanting to stay at work?

I was asked to discuss some ways that I have engaged in reflective practice and how I have (or will) provide teachers the opportunity to engage in reflective practice. Below are my responses:

Do you reflect about a particular situation more than another? If so, what is it, and why? (Student discipline, teacher support, PLC structure, climate/culture of building, how you are perceived?)

I tend to spend a lot of time reflecting on coaching conversations, both one on one and grade level PLCs. Working with teachers is something I am passionate about. My number one goal is to increase their capacity and their reflective tendencies. Teaching is a hard job and there is a lot to focus on. Therefore, I spend a lot of time reflecting on my language, approaches, and support. I strive to support teachers and help them to see the connections and value of everything on their plate. Frustration increases from lack of understanding and not being heard. With relationships in place and carefully planned conversations I strive to coach people not to 100% buy in, but to seeing the value in what they are doing, or bring asked to do, thus increasing their commitment to doing what’s best for students.

Do you provide yourself with consistent time to reflect, or is it hit and miss? Would you consider adding it into your daily/weekly activities? If so, how?

My most consistent reflection time occurs on my way home from work each day, or at the gym. This is often the first moment in the day when I can slow down for a moment and not be distracted, thus allowing me to reflect. I also have a personal blog where I post reflections. I have participated in a few blog challenges that set requirements for posting, however I found it difficult. My clearest reflections occur when I’m least expecting it. Having a deadline to post a reflection or write things down made my reflection time, which I really value, a “to-do”, rather than a meaningful opportunity.

The other form of reflection that I enjoy engaging in is when I have the opportunity to be coached. This form of reflection is the least consistent for me, however when it does occur I find great value in it.

How do you make it possible (or will make it possible) for teachers to reflect on their practice? Will it be in data discussions, PLC’s, evaluation conferences, blogs,….). How will you help teachers embrace reflection as a valuable part of their practice?

Teachers need time in order to reflect on their practice. I try to provide time in the form of a sub out day, a coaching session,a PLC, an uninterrupted lunch break, or a quick stop and jot upon arrival to a staff meeting. Careful questioning, snapshots of their “reality” (data, video, evidence..) or a good listening ear are all elements I use to help one reflect. I help teachers embrace reflection through modeling and intentionality. Being prepared with questions and tools that lead one to reflect and come to the “answers” on their own is a powerful way to help someone see the value of reflection.

I was asked to watch Susan Scott’s Ted-X Talk titled “The Cause for Radical Transparency” and then reflect on it. Below is my response and here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVKaXUB4EFg

Scott’s talk presented many thought-provoking ideas. However, when I looked back over the statements that stuck out to me, one seemed to really connect with me: “Do not attempt to project different images, show up as yourself consistently.” This idea of “showing up as yourself” seems like one of the “obvious” leadership qualities, although I believe it’s one that is easier said than done.

I am a true believer of being myself. I have always wanted to earn the opportunities I have been granted, and for others to see that. When we begin tailoring our actions or beliefs, for beneficial reasons, we lose sight of who we are, our personal beliefs, and what we are truly advocating for.  Projecting different images impacts ourselves personally as well as others.

Being a leader means that you have followers, and I think it’s fair to say that followers want to please their leaders. If the leader is projecting different images it makes it very difficult for followers to understand the vision and beliefs they are striving for. To me, this is similar to having a moving learning target for our students. It’s very difficult to hit a moving target, likewise it’s very difficult to follow a moving target. By following Scott’s advice to project ourselves consistently we avoid unnecessary challenges and model our true leadership behaviors.

What is one way you ensure that you are project a consistent image?

Car shopping, something that is extremely fun when done to fulfill a want, not so fun when it’s done to fulfill a need.

About two weeks ago, my husband and I totaled our vehicle in a battle with a deer. It’s still debatable whether the deer or the car won, given they are both no longer with us… Either way, I’m glad we walked away with nothing more than a bit of whiplash.

As you might have guessed, this whole mess has left us in and out of car dealerships searching for the perfect replacement.

Car dealerships are somewhere on my top ten list of places I really hate spending my time. Luckily, I have an amazing husband who thrives in these situations, allowing me to sit back and determine who the end benefactor will be…customer or dealer?

It wasn’t until we were sitting in one of the little glass rooms with the salesman on one side of the table and us on the other, pretending to negotiate, that I started making the connections between car salesmen and coaches.

Both car salesmen and coaches have an end goal in mind. Something they will try to lead you to believe is the best fit for you. Something they will ensure you has a positive impact on your life. It may not be something you are aware of, but by the end of the session you will be considering options you hadn’t thought about before.

Given the similarities between coaches and car salesmen, you may be asking yourself why are we still car shopping nearly three weeks later?

The car salesman started out strong. Attempting to connect with us on a personal level. Finding out what we were looking for and why.

As he started narrowing in on the end goal, his active listening was coming on thick. Not going to lie, I was rather impressed…for the first few minutes. However, it was his rephrasing that broke the deal. Good coaches know that rephrasing is used to demonstrate you’re listening and clarify that you are on the same page…not for you to rephrase what you “wanted to hear.” How quickly the conversation shifted from a focus on what we wanted, to what he wanted. As the buyer, we want to feel like you are working for us, not the other way around.

The car salesman who is willing to take off his consulting hat (telling us what to do), and keep on his coaching hat (keeping the focus on us) just might be able to shift our thinking enough to close the deal.

But for now, the search continues…

For those of you who don’t know, I committed to the #educoach challenge to post a blog once a week for four weeks. Initially, I was extremely excited about this challenge. Reflecting on my professional practice is something I enjoy doing personally and aspire to do more of.

That being said, the third week has officially began…and I have posted once. What does this mean? I procrastinate, I lack time management skills, possibly my priorities are not in order, or maybe I’m  not making time to honor my personal interest of reflecting on my practice?

I think it’s the latter.

Over the weekend, I found myself stressed about getting caught up on my blog postings for the challenge. Yet, here it is Monday morning and it’s still not posted…

Its 7:30 am, and I’m finally sitting down in a quiet office to put my thoughts on paper. As I do, I realize I don’t feel guilty about being behind on my blog posting. This weekend I chose to honor my personal interests over all else; I slept in, baked banana muffins, and spent Saturday afternoon watching Michigan State beat Michigan in football…and it was refreshing!

When I started my blog I wanted to set a weekly goal for postings. However, I didn’t because I wanted it to be something I enjoyed doing, not a checklist. This doesn’t mean blogging isn’t important to me or that it’s not worthy of my “to-do” list, but that the point of reflecting on my professional practice is doing it at a time that is meaningful for me…and sometimes that doesn’t line up to the deadlines.

I saw a Tweet from author Pete Hall that said he schedules a 15-minute meeting with a fictitious person every day as a sacred placeholder for whitespace and reflection. This may be the first small step I take in finding time for professional reflection.

How do you find time to reflect on your practice?

It’s not often that we experience a leader break down or take a day of rest. In my mind, this phenomenon is similar to watching a father cry. Something that should be normal and acceptable, yet when it happens the world seems to stop…for some.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I found myself thinking about leaders and how their presence, or lack of, is somewhat indicative of their leadership style. When a leader is out we are quick to notice the office door shut, or that the morning announcements have suddenly lost their energy, but I wonder what else we notice when we stop and think about it? Is the staff lounge once again the hot spot, or has it become a ghost town? Do daily routines and procedures carry on as normal, or is everyone scrambling for someone to tell them what to do and when?

Most people want their absence to be noticed, however I must ask, to what degree do we want people to notice our absence? A simple text or emails saying “Get well soon,” an email saying “Enjoy your day of rest,” or better yet, “I’m so glad your back, everything was a disaster when you were gone!”

For me personally, the leadership style I yearn for is one supported by interdependence. A role similar to that of a river guide. Someone guiding a team and on the lookout for obstacles, but also someone who realizes they can’t do the job alone. Just like a river guide, a leader can’t do it all. It takes the support of a team to make moves, and it takes the strengths of each individuals to pull you up when the impact knocks you down.

So next time you are out, stop and think… am I a single point of failure or will they carry on down the river with a simple “Get well soon.”

A guilty pleasure of mine is to race home after a long day, in search of some me time with my idol Ellen DeGeneres. Regardless of the day, Ellen guarantees me a good laugh and usually a tear or two.

Talk about the perfect day job, encouraging people to “Be kind to one another.”

Today, I watched Ellen gift a car, sign, and $10,000 to Mr. Corey’s Cookies. In case you haven’t heard of Mr. Corey’s Cookies, it’s a cookie dough company started by an adorable 11-year-old entrepreneur. Ellen’s rational for supporting this young boy’s company…to help build his confidence. What an amazing confidence booster right?

While I’d love to grant people their dream wish on a daily basis, I don’t have the pocketbook or the sponsors that Ellen does. Although, I do have an understanding that everyone thrives on acknowledgement.

Finding ten minutes of personal time is hard, let alone finding time to acknowledge someone else. As I witness with Ellen, making someone else’s day also makes your day. Whether it be a $10,000-dollar check, a Hershey’s Kiss, or a simple Post-it note, positive feedback and acknowledgement lead to confidence… and confidence leads to success.

“Be kind to one another,” such simple words, yet when acted upon days and lives can be impacted.

What was your act of kindness today?