A Vision with High Expectations

Is it possible to have high expectations in the classroom, school, system, office or district without putting undue pressure and constraints on the community/environment? I believe it is. It begins and ends with positive and supportive relationships that you establish on the front end or along the way in the work while collaboratively creating clear action steps to overcoming constraints.

I am a huge fan of Capturing Kids Hearts. I have practiced the core values of Flippen Leadership my entire career as a teacher and leader. Under time constraints, do we always have the luxury of establishing firm relationships before we have to start giving coaching feedback or diving into the work together? Unfortunately, no. You have to give yourself permission to take the time to work on the relationships if possible. We don't always have that luxury though.

Back in my cheer coaching days, I remember some brutal conversations that the girls would have  with each other as big performances were approaching that often led to major conflict in our team. One instance was a very touchy situation where a young lady had gained some weight and her uniform was clearly TOO TIGHT. One of the other cheerleaders walked up to her and just stated the obvious in a negative tone, "Your uniform is too tight." The girl's crushed face and tears were heart breaking. That took some work to try to bring the team positively back together before the competition.

I remember thinking, you better have a deep relationship with me before you walk up and tell me that my uniform is too tight. It's all in how the conversation could have been navigated. How about offering to go get a salad for lunch, take an extra fitness class together, or ask your teammate if they want any support in such a sensitive area of life? Let your quiet actions mirror your values: bring water for everyone to drink on breaks rather than soda, bring fruit for snacks instead of the junk food most had on hand, provide positive reinforcement on what that teammate does to add value to your group. The bottom line is you better make sure that you have made some deposits in the emotional bank account before you start making withdrawals (Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

Coaching is sensitive work, and stating the obvious frustrates. Making comments, criticisms or suggestions on someone's craft is just as sensitive as commenting on someone's weight.  I wouldn't tell a child repeatedly that she is 2 years behind her peers much like I wouldn't appreciate someone telling me that I need to lose 10 lbs. True or not,  the problem becomes too overwhelming, and the child much like any adult will shut down.

Are you focusing on the problem or are you building the supports to get your team to achieving the vision? I believe in beginning whole group with goal setting and creating a shared vision, navigating into small groups (professional learning communities for adults), and then getting into personal coaching. I also don't believe you should start coaching on an expectation that you have not explicitly taught or assessed to establish present levels of performance.  We don't always have the time for this value, but not taking the time can have more costs in the end. I've navigated this mistake too often.

Can you ignore the obvious? No. Acknowledge where you are starting from and then work together to create the steps to achieve the vision.  I have a high appreciation for people in my life who can respect that I am intelligent enough to see the obvious. What gives each of us hope is working together to set the plan to overcome adversities, support weaknesses without focusing on them, and positively move forward with a lot of encouragement and celebrations of victories along the way.

Eric Jensen states that the number 1 factor in overcoming any adversity is the belief that you can. Belief inspires hope which inspires the mindset to grow. I want to encourage each of you today to dream, create a vision, and to face adversities head on with an attitude of victory as you collaborate on the steps needed to overcome!

How can you walk alongside your team to support the growth to meeting the vision? Recognize the strengths of the team, use a good to great model to analyze your system, offer to lead a book study, start a forum for an open dialogue around a critical growth area like a new methodology that might positively impact the group, or offer some team building ideas that might support the team in the area of struggle. It's easy to say someone needs to be a professional and educate themselves; it's admirable to offer to get in the trenches with someone and lead the way.

13 Simple Education Truths

Thirteen simple educator truths that when embraced can get our education system on the path to success.

1. Being an educator is not an 8 HR a day job with weekends, vacations, and summer completely off. Educators must plan, prepare, grade, and get training during a lot of those times for little pay compared to other degreed positions with such heavy responsibilities. We need to pay our educators better much like we need to pay our police and first responders better.

2. A teacher can choose to teach to the top end of a class and support the bottom half in getting to the top expectations through small groups or you can teach a 1 size fits all and only 25% -50% of the students will show growth. America needs for educators to do the first. Parents should ask for and expect rigorous instruction. If it's easy, then it isn't work. Whose job today is always easy? Are we preparing our children for the workforce of tomorrow?

3. Think about math like guided reading and teach a rigorous shared math mini lesson then run math groups much like reading groups to meet the needs of all learners. Note, if you as an educator still aren't doing guided reading groups or book clubs geared towards the higher end of each student's reading level/lexile K-8, please get this in place effectively immediately. It's best practice. Parents, if your student isn't doing math and or literacy at their instructional level, then you need to start pushing for it.

4. Teachers, if you still aren't using complex and rigorous texts that shift every 2-3 years as your shared or read aloud selections in lit/science/social studies, then you are allowing yourself to slip into a comfort zone that can become dangerous. Challenge yourself to stay on top of current events and shifts in text complexity so that students are prepared for secondary and college. That does not mean that you leave out classics. You find a balance.

5. As a teacher, are you are using textbooks as an everyday source in science, social studies or literacy, please find yourself some training on how to find differentiated nonfiction articles and trusted resources (like newzela) and/or utilizing nonfiction guided reading or library books to access informational text. A 5-10 year old textbook does not have current information in our quickly changing world. If you are still using the questions at the end of each chapter as the only higher level thinking, please stop. Create questions with students, try some Kagan structures for discussion, and learn the Socratic questioning method. You can use those questions at the end as the floor/launching pad.

6. As an educator, if you don't "buy into" flipped, project based, artful, STEM, expeditionary, personalized,  inquiry based, conceptual based, or any other pathway to learning than traditional teacher led, please push yourself to try at least one new learning pathway per year then pick what you want to perfect. I embrace multiple pathways to learning; there is no proven 1 way to prepare for post-secondary/college/tech school! If you have not heard of these, either start educating yourself or turn in your keys. It's your job to stay on top of methodologies. Kids and teachers need variety to prepare for our quickly changing tech driven world by education leaders who change and embrace the dynamic of the digital age. One size does not fit all for students or staff.

7. If you aren't challenging math students to defend their learning in writing and then in pair shares or table groups, you are missing out on some fun discourse and students are missing out on key learning from each other and about their own thinking.

8. Learning should be rigorous work. If it's too easy, no one is growing. If students have a hard time grappling, encourage them. They can do it with belief in them. If it's too hard, figure out what supports they need to get it. You are the teacher, and your job is to help students get it. No excuses.

9. Don't criticize and condemn kids. Coach. If you can't positively coach which means asking questions, helping kids to discover the path rather than just telling them the path, and/or collaborating with kids to support getting through errors positively and supportively, then education may not be for you. If you think listening to you all day is teaching, you are wrong. Anyone can talk.  Teaching is an art which is why we have specialized degrees in teaching.

10. There are a lot of ways to present what you know beyond a power point, poster, newsletter, article, etc. Prezi, Powtoon, Google slideshow/form/doc/et al, as well as many other tech resources and authentic student created products are great! Have you looked at Product Pouches by Enginuity? Get some product ideas that let kids have some choice while requiring they do something different with clear expectations on writing, conventions, facts, defending, or whatever the learning goals are for the unit. Better yet, make the kids research ways to share ideas through tech, writing, or products and choose 2 of their own innovative products that illustrate their learning.

11. Rubrics should be given before a project in kid friendly language with the opportunity for kids to ask questions about the expectations. If you have learners who are in the gifted programming, they may shoot for a 2/C because gifted kiddos often like to do the least possible. Don't let them. Meet weekly with the kiddos while working on projects to encourage and nudge to a 4/A.

12. Kids who are never pushed get to college and drop out because it doesn't come easy. We are setting kids up to fail and be right back home when we don't make them grapple with learning then problem solve how to find solutions.

13. Sarcasm, name calling and rudeness have no place in a school. Our job is to create safety to share, take risks, fail, succeed, try again, et al.  If you feel compelled to use sarcasm or name calling, please attend Capturing Kids Hearts. Sarcasm used as a literary device or not at a student's expense is a little different tool.

Are you already thinking of why you can't do the above as an educator? Then education may not be the life choice for you. If you are thinking it sounds like too much work on the teachers and students, you are right in that it's work, but it is possible. It is all doable, and I wouldn't expect something that I couldn't do myself.

If you can't walk the talk, you have no place leading children or leading in a school. If you are an educator, you are a leader. No more excuses. No whining. Our job is to teach and encourage children and educators. Don't give up, don't back down, and hold tight to the belief that not only can they do it but so CAN YOU!

No more apologies for being passionate about what I do. My one word goal for this year is #fearless. No fear allowed, and no more apologies for believing more, pushing harder, and not settling for anything less than the best. Any educator can change his/her practice if he/she is willing. Half the battle as a leader is finding people who believe they should be striving to continuously improve and perfect his/her craft. Educators should model a Growth Mindset (Dweck).