To help encourage conversations and dialogue about fostering a caring environment for learning, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How can you contribute to a caring learning environment? A Caring Culture (Week of 3/19/17) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
As we get a little bit closer to the 'lamb half' of March (hopefully - although, with a little snow this past Sunday it still feels like the lion is here), I hope that everyone is enjoying the extended sunlight that daylight savings brings us! After sleeping in until 9:40 on Saturday morning (I really can not remember the last time I did that!), we had a relaxed Saturday with the kids as we are all trying to stay healthy - sinus infections, bronchitis, ear infections, and the flu - yikes! We then had a low-key Sunday and held on to the quiet before our 'insanity' of spring schedules begins!
As one who likes schedules, plans, and patterns, the practice of breaking routines does not always come easily for me. I shared above that my sleeping in Saturday morning, and as crazy as it may sound, it threw me off for sure! Having not gone for a run and then yoga (usually all done by 9 a.m. on a Saturday), it was a funny feeling for me to readjust. Katie assured me that it was just what I needed to sleep in and I really did welcome the rest. It also 'forced' me to think about the pace and the resolutions/intentions I have not been good about working towards that I had shared at the outset of the 2017 calendar year. Reflecting on this minor change and how it impacted me, it is interesting to think about the parallels to changes in education, our approaches with students, and the feelings and emotions that they evoke.
I think every day in school brings promise and excitement, and the days at Blake are no different. I am excited about the initiatives and work we are doing - examining thoughtful systems of feedback and recognition, standards based reporting, project based learning, fostering a safe learning environment for all of our students, curating student growth, and alignment of curricula to name a few - and, yet, I recognize that all of this change can bring forth questions, anxiety, hesitation, and resistance. This is all appropriate and helps me to both recognize, name, and embrace the process.
This week we will be continuing our efforts to establish a safe and healthy environment for learning, with a focus on our LGBTQ students, families, and community. I have enjoyed the conversations, dialogue, and questions that have resulted from this work and I hope these discussions will continue and broaden each day. This work has reminded me of the need for all of us to listen, ask some questions, and bring a willingness to learn while respecting all varying perspectives. Grounding this work has been the common ground/foundation of the agreed principle of safety, trust, and relationships foster learning. I have learned a great deal from our collaboration with Colby Swettberg and Zach Kerr and am truly thankful for this growth. During our meetings, discussions, and presentations I have kept 'chicken scratch' notes and thoughts that come to mind on scraps of paper. In an attempt to gather these thoughts, I made a concerted effort to circle back and try and gather them in one spot as a reference point and 'learning check' for myself. In sharing some of these thoughts, I hope they will help to foster more conversations, elicit questions, and bring us a few steps closer towards the vision and mission we have for our students...
Some of my notes/thoughts (as always, I am more than happy to discuss)...
- We all can be allies
- What does it look like to be someone's ally
- We should keep working to put more bricks in the wall of self-esteem
- Let's be a suspect place for support, rather than having our students/staff/families find support in unsuspecting places
- We have an obligation to keep young people safe
- 'Thank you for trusting me enough to share with me who you are'
- Beach ball analogy - keeping the ball under water
- 'Words and visuals' of support are important
- 'That which is unspeakable is unmanageable'
- It is important that we model discourse
- It's never too late
- 'Please do not use word gay to mean stupid. You're talking about people I care about.'
- 'Bring an open heart' to school
- 'There is always room to recover'
- Get curious - invite an openness
- 'Make the path by walking it'
- 'Help me to understand your experience'
- A little movement goes a long way
- Beacons in the community - we can all be them
The posts below do not necessarily connect in a linear fashion, but each of them stood out in the sense that they held meaning and our part of Blake's mission - in particular, I think they underscore the importance of fostering a 'willingness to adapt' in a caring culture with our essential question and mission in mind...
Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.
Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Getting Curious (Not Furious) With Students
by Rebecca Alber in Edutopia
Kelly C. reminded me of this post that we came across at the beginning of last summer and it is a mantra - 'Curious, Not Furious' - that is worthy of practicing and living each and every day.
Getting curious on the part of the teacher looks like this: Why might the student be behaving this way? What might be some contributing factors? Might this be a reaction to fear or insecurity? Might she be scared, hungry, lonely, or tired? Instead of defaulting immediately to a disciplinary measure (detention, off to the principal's office, a time out), the teacher chooses to first ask the child: How are you? Are you okay today? How can I help? Is there anything you would like to talk about?
What is this truly about? It's about us moving more towards what I like to call classrooms of care -- an antithetical turn or very intentional detour from the institution of schooling. When we do this, we humanize ourselves with our students and create spaces for them to do the same, going beyond the singular dimension of "teacher" and singular dimension of "student." A classroom no longer seems sterile, regimented, or threatening. In this transformation, more and more classrooms become communities of care, discovery, and learning (for students and teachers).
Reflections of an Assistant Principal
by Cheryl Wilson in ASCD In-Service
I came across this post and it held meaning on a number of levels - the prospect of change, understanding perspectives, the importance of reflection, and the connection to the post above about being a little more curious before making assumptions. The principle/belief that 'the work is important on any side of the spectrum' is one that is critical to keep in mind - for administration, teachers, staff, students, parents, and community - we are in this important work together as a shared endeavor.
What I learned through this experience was there is no way to compare teacher duties vs. what administrators do. Both jobs have committed a service to students, parents and the community. The work is important on any side of the spectrum that you stand. That’s the bottom line.
Take it from me, it’s easy to make assumptions when you are not walking in someone’s shoes.
Keeping Our Eyes on the Ball
by Danny Steele from NASSP blog
This post is written as a response to the oft-asked question of educators regarding what it takes to keep a focus when there are so many balls up in the air. Although the intended audience is that of principals, I think it is fair to say that the approach, considerations, and intent behind Steele's words could be applied to teachers, staff, parents, and community. I particularly like his nod to the 'living mission' - something we try to embrace every day at Blake.In a time when public schools do not always enjoy the support of policymakers and public schools are at risk of being undercut by vouchers and charter schools, principals are still charged with raising test scores in their buildings. They are tasked with leading schools that prepare students for an uncertain future. They may feel buried in mandates and distracted by controversies and negative press. How do principals respond? We keep our eye on the ball.
We’ve all written school improvement plans. But we remember that people don’t follow plans; they follow passion. We have all been involved in the development of mission statements, but the best mission statements are not framed; they are lived.
Part of Justin Reich's (@bjfr) keynote address at #DLDMedfield was emphasizing the need for coherence, conversations, and shared dialogue in schools. Fostering reflection, listening, pushing our collective thinking, and opening up ideas are important steps in this regard. I reread some of Justin's work this past week and am highlighting a quote from a post I hope to share in the coming weeks: "If we look at the schools that have grown the most in the last five or ten years, schools that have made really significant improvements for their students in learning, these are the places that have had teacher communities that have been willing to come together and pull their oars together towards the same coherent goals." It is the caring culture of the Blake community that will carry us forward and unite our efforts.
I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
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Take care.
Nat