Learning to Share Ideas Before Discounting Them
My story of developing the SubHack design
Charlie is a Teacher Coach on The Teachers Guild, where he provides guidance and support to the community.
This past summer and fall, I led the design of an idea called the SubHack, which was selected for implementation by West Contra Costa Unified School District and Google for Education at the end of their collaboration with The Teachers Guild.
This past summer and fall, I led the design of an idea called the SubHack, which was selected for implementation by West Contra Costa Unified School District and Google for Education at the end of their collaboration with The Teachers Guild.
The SubHack wasn’t called that at first. And it started off as a slightly different concept. But it evolved into this: Whenever a teacher is absent, students participate in 20% time by pursuing a passion project of their own design.
For me, the design experience was wonderful — filled with exciting turns, surprise appearances, and inspiring work from people who believed in the potential of this idea. One of the most memorable was a strategy meeting we held via Google Hangout.
From my dinner table in Maryland, I peered through my laptop screen as Emma, from The Teachers Guild, moved the camera around the room of educators and innovation experts gathered in California, all patiently awaiting to hear my idea. I became more and more nervous as the superintendent, trustee, school leaders, and folks from IDEO and Google for Education each took their turn greeting me.
Emma began by asking, “So Charles, maybe you can start by telling us about the logic model of your idea, and how it will change school culture?” At that moment, I accidentally closed my notes on screen (!), and proceeded to stumble through an awkward explanation that didn’t exactly live up to the easy-going presentation style I had hoped to achieve.
Fortunately, weeks of intense collaboration meant I was prepared for the rest of our conversation, especially after I paused and remembered to trust myself.
Sometimes innovation means forging ahead when you aren’t exactly as ready as you thought you’d be.
JOINING THE GUILD
I first heard about The Teachers Guild on Facebook from another teacher, Michael Schurr. I signed up immediately. I had been looking for a way to continue learning about design thinking, and the focus of the first collaboration, on establishing an innovative school culture, resonated with me.
Even though I quickly jumped into discussions of what others had posted on the website, I was reluctant to contribute an idea of my own. The reason is simple: we often discount our own ideas before sharing them, and I was no different. I was nervous about the fact that whatever I wrote would be so open and available for the whole world to see. I remember wondering, self-critically, whether I had anything new to offer.
But with a nudge from Michael, I eventually shared an idea to the community. After considering the themes that arose during the Discover phase, and a memorable brainstorming session with a colleague, I published a draft that ended:
“This idea is rough, new, and I think could really benefit from some feedback — please help!”
EVOLUTION
After posting my idea, the response was immediate. I received comments from people in places as far away as Australia. Elsa and Emma welcomed me and helped connect me to others on the platform.
I started a Google doc, and things got a lot more interesting when one night this guy named Tom Sayer peppered the doc with a ton of sharp comments, both encouraging and critical. Eventually, I figured out that Tom worked at Google! Which was, to put it lightly, kind of amazing. He introduced me to all sorts of cool new terminology, like “MVP.” It meant so much to me that he responded to all my comments, and took an interest in my ideas. There was this one time when we were wondering about statistics on teacher absences, and BOOM… Tom pulled the trustee of West Contra Costa right into the conversation.
Tom wasn’t the only person dedicating time to this. I hope you know how challenging it is to work in a school, and it’s super-frustrating when people put demands on you without requiring the same from themselves. I had the opposite experience on The Guild — everyone on my team seemed to be working just as hard as I was, if not more.
A coach from The Guild, Jessica Lura, actually developed a lesson to introduce the idea, and tested it with a class of 4th graders. Her insights truly helped the idea evolve. Also, a group of students at my high school generated their own prototypes, and they are still proud of the part they played in developing the idea.
Eventually The Guild asked me to produce an “elevator pitch,” delivered as a video to the collaboration hosts. Say what? Again, I was nervous and excited, and some focused coaching from Michael and Emma made all the difference.
I can’t tell you when exactly, but eventually this shifted from my work into OUR work. It was becoming a real collaboration.
EMPATHY
People made tremendous sacrifices of their time to help build out the concept. It’s important to note, since I’m often asked, that the current group of coaches at The Teachers Guild are volunteers, dedicated to supporting other working educators just like them. I’m continually amazed by the commitment of this group! They work constantly to develop other people’s ideas, in spare moments between classes, meetings, and many other demands upon their time.
On a personal note, throughout this entire period, my father battled health complications that kept him confined to a bed and transferred between four hospitals. This took its toll on me, and once again The Teachers Guild was supportive, which is not surprising given the focus on human needs that is essential to design thinking. Collaborators on The Guild team offered very intentional and heartfelt support, as I experienced my father’s illness and eventual passing.
THE IDEA NOW
I’m proud that our team developed an idea that is not costly to implement. And I’m deeply impressed by the educators who are currently piloting the SubHack in West Contra Costa Unified School District. They are providing opportunities for their students to pursue their passions. If we are to make progress on our society’s most vexing problems, we need teachers and students everywhere — like them — to develop their creative confidence.
OPEN YOUR IDEAS
When people join The Teachers Guild, it’s making that first post that is often the most challenging. The important thing is to just go for it! Our community is welcoming and supportive. We are about progress (not perfection), and we know that by working together we can transform education.
The Teachers Guild is a space where educators from many contexts — public and private, urban and rural, professors and practitioners, teachers and administrators — are collaborating for the benefit of the whole system. I’ve met a core group of people with whom I’ve never shared physical space, but who I now know as collaborators and creative thinkers.
When you’re trying something new or taking a risk, it’s very easy to disqualify yourself or give in to what’s termed “impostor syndrome.” But please, don’t discount your ideas before you’ve released them into the open — you really don’t know what will happen once you get other voices into the mix.
Previously, I would have kept this idea to myself, pondered it from time to time, maybe mentioned it to a few close friends. Where would it have gone if I hadn’t published that first rough draft? The idea has now been viewed almost 4,000 times on The Guild. I’ve presented it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and it was iterated during a conference at the Stanford d.school. I’ve got almost 70 files in Google Drive folders related to the project, and I won’t try to count the number of emails or notes that originated from discussions on Google Hangouts, comments through Google Docs or Slides, or feedback gathered online via The Teachers Guild.
YOU ALREADY KNOW
In the strategy meeting with WCCUSD leaders preparing to implement the idea, my main contributions were to suggest that schools need to give students more voice and choice in their own learning, precisely because of the reason that it makes us uncomfortable. I proposed that even when students struggle with their newfound freedom, this is actually a good thing for their growth.
“What percentage of the school year,” I recall being asked, “should be devoted to time for passion projects?” Here was someone who was, I’m sure, an outstanding educational leader. I offered my thoughts, but couldn’t resist adding that it wasn’t really my place to give advice.
“The truth,” I said, “is that no one is more qualified than you to determine what your students and colleagues need to make this a success. You already know what you need to know.”
There is no magic recipe for success. I really admire the team from West Contra Costa Unified School District for their dedication to being experimental and focused on the needs of their community. It should be fun to see what happens next!
