“So embarrassed…” and other reflections on “Embracing our Unique Differences”
So embarrassed…
It’s been way too long since I’ve blogged — correction: since I’ve clicked “Publish” on a blog. I’ve done lots of reflecting, tons of planning, and plenty of writing; however, for one reason or another, I have yet to take the final step and click that elusive button.
In fact, even as I’m typing this sentence I’m thinking, “This blog will probably never see the light of day.” I am hoping to be wrong, at least this time.
I just finished reading an inspiring blog post by Elisabeth Bostwick entitled “Embracing our Unique Differences”. In the article, Elisabeth states, “In school and at home we need to be fostering a culture of acceptance and embrace the unique differences that each of us beholds.” She goes on to list 10 classroom tips (more on those soon) to encourage students to take risks and be their true, authentic selves.
As I read (and re-read, and re-read) the post, I cannot agree with Elisabeth more. I also can’t help but ask myself, “Have I embraced my own unique differences?” Have I done everything I can to model innovation, risk-taking, or growth mindset for my learners, when I can’t even bring myself to click a button more than a few times a year?
Of course, the answer to these questions is a resounding “No”. And that must change, today.
Obviously, my takeaway from reading this phenomenal blog post isn’t simply creating a goal of blogging more. My takeaway has more to do with how I am supporting my learners in being their authentic selves.
As you may or may not know, I am an educational technology coach supporting roughly 500 teachers and 5,000 students in a PK-12 school district. I have a LOT of diverse learners and am often times pulled in a LOT of different directions; however, I believe it is essential for me to uncover what makes each of my learners unique and how we can leverage that uniqueness to improve and enhance student learning.
Below, I have summarized Elisabeth’s “10 Classroom Tips” and provided ways I would like to utilize these tips as an instructional coach, this upcoming school year. I highly recommend reading the full list posted here and then coming back to read the rest of this post. Go ahead…I’ll wait.
Welcome back! Now, on to the list:
Tip #1: “Develop a culture of responsible risk taking through community building and intentional debriefing to foster empathy and understanding.”
As a coach, this is something I can definitely work to improve. Often times, teachers will come to me and ask for a great app or website to use with their students. They might even approach me in the hall to discuss an app or website they’ve heard about through the grapevine. I will typically show them how to use the tool and give them some examples of how they can use it in the mythical “classroom”. Many times, unfortunately, this is where the coaching ends.
Moving forward, I will take more of an initiative to schedule follow-up appointments with teachers to either watch the tool being used and provide feedback on my observations or to debrief and discuss the outcomes at a later date. I believe this will help develop deeper relationships with my learners and walk through the emotional highs and lows of implementation and transformation.
Tip #2: “Model empathy each day.”
This is an area in which I feel I excel, as far as students and teachers go. I am frequently complemented on how I handle difficult situations and advocate for all learners, no matter how hard I have to dig for root causes.
Where I tend to struggle, is when it comes to empathizing with our technology department and administration. There are numerous reasons why this is the case, but I will save them for a future blog post (see what I did there?). Ultimately, I believe it is important for me to empathize more with these folks and strive to coach them, as I would a teacher or student. Modeling this behavior will hopefully result in improvements to overall climate and increase opportunities for collaboration.
Tip #3: “Own up to mistakes.”
While I seem to have no problem fessing up to my own screw-ups (it helps to have lots of experience), I would love to see all teachers fully embrace this concept and roll with it. One idea I’ve had, is to add a section to my existing edtech newsletter where I interview teachers on their successes and failures implementing technology. Over time, I believe this will become an anticipated question and a valuable part of the culture.
Tip #4: “Survey students with questions such as: What would you like me to know about you? Or, what do you want to grow in this school year?”
This is a great icebreaker activity for new staff orientation, first PD sessions, or PLC meetings and could yield phenomenal benefits over time. Instead of mentally attempting to store this information, I will make a conscious effort to catalog and review these answers frequently. By recording this information into a spreadsheet or searchable document, I can make deeper connections and better prepare for ongoing coaching activities through the year.
Tip #5: “Utilize social media sites such as Edmodo or Slack where students can safely learn to interact with one another online with the support of their teacher.”
While I have attempted to implement various social platforms, where teachers can safely interact with one another asynchronously, none have particularly “taken off.” This could be due to a number of factors: lack of promotion, selecting the wrong platform, cycling through too many platforms too quickly. Ultimately, I will have to invest more time and effort in collecting data and finding the right fit for the learners.
Tip #6: “Empower students to find their inner passions and carve out time in class to allow students to work on passion projects.”
While I have no say on how teachers spend their class time, empowering learners to find their passions is important to me and leads right back to tip #4. It is vital for ALL teachers (new and veteran alike) to spend time on projects that mean something to them. I believe this helps encourage true lifelong learning and inquiry, while reducing day-to-day stress. I will work to communicate my passion projects with peers and encourage others to share their passions with me.
Tip #7: “Ignite the S.H.I.N.E. within students.”
The “Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.” movement was developed by LaVonna Roth and strives to “spark the passion, creativity and energy” of educators. In turn, educators will help students develop a path to “believe in their gifts, gain confidence and explore how they will contribute to the world.”
As a coach, it is my mission to help educators navigate an ever-changing landscape while remaining true to themselves, their hearts, and the reason they became educators. By incorporating better questions into my coaching, guiding the learner towards developing a deeper understanding of themselves, educators will become more confident, grounded, and will respond to change in more positive and productive ways.
Tip #8: “Morning meetings are a great way to begin each day.”
I agree and will find every opportunity to reach out and check in with teachers on a daily basis, whether physically or virtually. I will arrive early (something I do anyway) and either station myself near the sign-in book or “troll” the hallways. This will provide an opportunity for me to check in with teachers and vice versa.
I will strive to keep all conversations positive and on topic, no matter what television show aired the previous night. Not only will this keep me “in the loop” with what is going on in classrooms, but it will help establish my roll as a caring and approachable supporter for all educators.
Tip #9: “Provide opportunities for students to blog to an authentic audience.”
While I am (obviously) no expert on blogging, I believe it is important for teachers to find authentic audiences for them to share ideas and resources. I will continue to promote the concept of “connectedness” and encourage teachers to break out of the four-walls of their classroom to make real and authentic connections with other educators and leaders around the globe.
As a homage to the book, “What Connected Educators Do Differently”, I will develop a weekly “Follow 5” (five educators for people to follow), “Find 5” (five online resources educators can use to develop and grow), and “Take 5” (five simple actionable steps for teachers to form deeper connections). I believe this will help model and outline the process of connecting and sharing, while encouraging educators to develop an authentic audience and (dare I say) their very own PLN!
Tip #10: “Create a post-it wall in your classroom where students can post positive comments or shout-outs to celebrate their classmates.”
Since my “classroom” is really everyone else’s classroom, this is something I will encourage other teachers to implement for themselves. As a coach, I will look into posting a board in the faculty room for this very purpose. I believe it is an invaluable practice to have teachers complement each other in a highly visible space, without the fear of administrators using the information (or lack thereof) for evaluatory purposes. It might also be nice to update some of the 1970's-era bulletin boards in the faculty rooms.
As I wrap up this post, I want to thank Elisabeth Bostwick for her amazing work, not only as a writer, but as an phenomenal educator, inspiring leader, and a key member of my PLN. Be sure to check her out on #LeadUpChat and #LeadUpTeach, among many other outlets.
As for me, I am just hoping to click on this “Publish” button at some point soon…really soon…
Originally posted on Blogger http://ift.tt/29N4WE9
July 12, 2016 at 11:47AM
