This week my students enter the gauntlet of end of year testing. From the SBAC to our District Benchmarks, students will be testing 80% of the days between April 24th and June 2nd. As our morning announcements laid out the plan and potential incentives for outcomes and behavior, I watched the faces of so many students shift to fear, indifference, and outright hostility.
I took the time to use our Circle Time to address the culture of testing and compliance inherent in most schools whose data, taken on the numbers alone, don't tell the real story. In an effort to alleviate the pressure of the testing season, we talked about how to navigate this year's American Testing Warriors course. 1. Be honest with yourself. For many of my students, we needed to address the truth. SBAC and Benchmarks judge us against the 7th Grade Standards. Many of my students arrived without having met the 6th grade, or even the 5th grade standards. If we aren't honest that this a result of adult failures and student failures, we can't be our best. If students are blaming teachers, they will remain disconnected. If teachers are blaming students, they will fail to push through frustration. 2. Focus on Growth Yes, the outcomes are important. They allow us to better understand current student levels; we can then address potential solutions. It's that data cycle we all know so well. But if we only reward students who meet outcomes, we are implying that the hard work of students who make significant growth towards the standards is not important. The message that outcomes matter more than the effort serves to defeat our struggling students, actually hindering our overall progress. 3. Encourage #mindsetforlearning I remain energized by the work, A Mindset for Learning of Christine Hertz and Kristine Mraz. In the Circle, we were honest with our current levels, but we spoke Optimistically about their ability to perform at their best. Their teachers had provided the needed instruction; they have put in the effort. These two components will give them a great opportunity to be their best. We spoke about the flexibility of trying different methods when they get stuck, and how their resilience throughout the year had helped them handle the struggles of 7th grade. We examined the persistence they had shown in resubmitting work until they were happy with their scores. And, we shared our the empathy we show towards each other will allow us to support each other during the testing window. 4. This is about their opportunity, not ours Like many schools, the evaluation system attaches testing outcomes to our final evaluation. That personal level of anxiety can filter out to our students, who are more perceptive than we sometimes give them credit for. Yes, the final outcomes matter to me, but they cannot tell the truth of what is accomplished in my classroom. The students tell the story through achieving at their personal best. From the start of the year, my students have heard me repeat, perhaps annoyingly so, that they have excellence inside of them. They can show that through, among other things, being optimistic, resilient, persistent, flexible, and empathetic. If they live those values, I trust they will demonstrate amazing growth. In the end, some will reach the District and State standards. Some will not. Before my own children begin go off to school or athletic event, I remind them, "Work hard; do your best; take a risk; have fun." Let's encourage our students to do the same while competing on American Testing Warriors.
0 Comments
Going through my now defunct, original blog, I came across a post from almost 10 years ago--a time well before I had honestly considered educational leadership. However, I had unsuspectingly taken my first steps towards pursuing work at building level of leadership. Here is that post:
"My older brother recommended a book to me, and this afternoon I stopped at Barnes and Noble to purchase the book, Strengths Finder 2.0. The book can be found in the Business Management section. The purpose of the read was to discover what my natural instincts indicate my top five themes of strength are in relation to the career I have chosen. This year, more than any, I have felt underutilized. The result of feeling underutilized is that I am restless and wanting more from my job. Rath lists six results from when "you're not able to use your strengths at work..." 1. dread going to work. 2. have more negative than positive interactions with your colleagues 3. treat customers poorly 4. tell your friends what a miserable company you work for 5. achieve less on a daily basis 6. have fewer positive and creative moments All six of these thoughts and realities have expressed themselves this year. Some of the culpability certainly rests on my outlook of the situation, but much of it stems from a drastic change in the way I am able to perform as a teacher. I never gave my previous principal credit for creating an environment for me that allowed me to grow as a teacher and to succeed as a teacher. After taking the online quiz, which is only available with a unique code from the book, I discovered my top five strengths. The descriptions and warnings have already begun to influence me. Here are my top five with their brief 'Shared Theme Description:' 1. Activator--people who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient. 2. Communication--people who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters. 3. Adaptability--people who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time. 4. Command--people who are especially talented in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions. 5. Self-Assurance--people who are especially talented in the Self-Assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They posses an inner compass that gives them the confidence that their decisions are right. I want to follow up with more posts relating this book to teaching. But first, let me just thank my previous principal, Mr. Dean, for allowing me to operate according to my strengths. Even when I took risks within my strengths, Mr. Dean never hindered my growth. I didn't necessarily appreciate it fully in the moment, but I do now." Here I sit, ten years later, finding so much in this post that is true today. I continue to use these five themes and strengths of mine. I continue to be thankful for the model of Mr. Dean. Further, I am thankful for the first two administrators to recognize in me these same skills, encouraging their growth, and leading me towards my pursuit of administration, Mr. Whibey and Mr. Merlino. Upon completing my coursework for Educational Leadership (shout out to UCAPP's East 25), our mentor distributed an artistic, wire-woven, giraffe. She explained that we should be willing to "stick our necks out." As I work on updating my resume, her symbol and words are more than appropriate.
Last summer I put my neck out more times than I want to remember, seeking to land that first position as a Dean of Students, Assistant Principal, or Principal. I failed to even get an interview with 70%. With 15% of the schools, I had one interview and wasn't moved forward. The other 15% actually were obvious learning experience as I moved on to multiple interviews. In the end, I returned to the classroom feeling more dejected than I ought to considering how I am regularly championing the idea that failure is okay. I say it to my students. I say it to my children: "Be kind, compassionate, polite. Work hard. Take risks." Now, as the application season opens for business, I am forced to reflect on the risks, and whether sticking my neck out helped me to grow in this profession I love. Takeaway 1: Mastery Based Learning is worth the effort because, and this can be tough, it is more about the students than the adult. I can't say I have mastered MBL, but I definitely waded into the waters and flopped around a bit. Now when interviewing, I will be able to speak to MBL through the lens of experience and not simply as philosophy. Takeaway 2: For a school to be successful, teacher leaders are essential. One of my weaknesses has been that I can be too "in my own head". This can lead to doing things for or to people instead of with them. I have had the chance to lead Restorative Practices in my classroom. Each session starts with a circle, much like you would find in a Responsive Classroom. As the school begins to roll the practice out to the whole group, I can say that I have been a part of helping the Principal go about change in a thoughtful, grass-roots, manner. When I get that first building leadership position, I will remember the impact of allowing teachers to lead change. Takeaway 3: Growth can happen only when we are willing to learn. In all honesty, I was not happy about so much rejection. But when my 10 year old daughter failed to make a team she was passionate about making, she explained that she was sad, but knew what she needed to improve at for the next time. She made a plan. She also added, "Dad, it's kind of like you not getting a principal job. You just have to keep believing." In the final analysis, I am ready to stick my neck out again. |
Author
Educational Leader providing challenging and equitable learning experiences for students. Archives
July 2018
Categories |