The picture above is me on my radical BMX bike circa 1985. I’ll get back to my bike in a minute, but first I want to share a quick story from school this year.
Earlier this year, one of our kindergarten students walked into our school with something taped to her jacket. Upon closer examination, I discovered she was wearing a note from her parent. The note basically explained some bus info and provided her parent-contact info so we could talk things through. Our office team usually gets phone calls and e-mails about bus changes, so the unconventional communication her parent used stood out to me.
The note actually reminded me of a time my mom had pinned a note to me. (This is where my BMX bike comes into play.) I was in 5th or 6th grade and I needed to get to a band lesson across town. My mom wasn’t able to drive me on that particular day, so she pinned a sign to my shirt and sent me on my way along with a dollar so I could stop and buy a Gatorade at a gas station.
Looking back, I’m not even sure how I managed to lug my trumpet across town while riding my bike, but I’m guessing it had something to do with the dollar that was burning a hole in my pocket. We’ll call this mom wisdom. 🙂
I hadn’t given the note too much thought until I walked into the gas station and the clerk started laughing at me. She informed me the note said, “If hit, call my mom at 555-5550.” Now that I’m a lot older and a little wiser, I get why this was funny. At the same time, I also wish my mom would’ve at least listed “911” as the first number for anyone who hit me to call. I totally digress.
Each of the stories above highlights the impact of explicit communication. (You can’t get much more explicit than a banner or sign, right?!)
When it comes to school leadership, I’ve probably fallen short on making our team’s vision and beliefs as explicit as they could be. Obviously, I think about the things that matter most a lot, but I’m still not sure we dialogue about them enough. I need to get better at helping to carry our banner…perhaps I should try pinning it to my shirt?
There’s another layer to this that’s just as important. I also need to get better at learning about the different banners individuals on our team carry; the passions, ideas, and life experiences of the people we serve are just as important as the goals and objectives we have for our organizations.
I understand that most of us will never pin a note or sign to our jacket stating our vision and core beliefs. I also get that if we’re living these core convictions most people would be able to state what we stand for without us having to mention it. However, the people we serve shouldn’t have to guess.
2 Ways Leaders Can Carry the Banner
1. Own it. Carry your banner by talking about why you do what you do when you’re doing it. Be bold in sharing your child-centered beliefs and heart for serving. (And if you’ve done it right, your banner is not yours alone…it’s the product of many people who have invested into the same cause.) Regardless, don’t shy away from positive redundancy. Many of the leaders I respect most share their core beliefs on a regular basis and it never gets old; if anything, it confirms what they’re committed to.
2. Help others. Earnestly seek to understand and advance the banners other people are carrying. Get to know their hearts. This will require you to set your banner and self-interest aside. It will also require you to take time to ask questions and actually care. (But doesn’t anything that’s worth it?)
How do you carry the banner and why is it so hard to do this well?
With the constant innovation occurring within EdTech, it can leave educators scratching their heads on which way to turn. Some educators opt to utilize technology as a substitution for paper and pencil tasks while others are seeking tech tools that engage and empower learning to transform experiences. Many educators use a combination of approaches to infuse technology in a meaningful demeanor. There’s not a right or wrong way to leverage technology per se, but what we need to be cognizant of is how it’s being used to create deeper or transformational learning. Technology can deeply engage, leading to empowered learning that fosters competencies in our learners in combination with honing in on developing skills.
As Eric Sheninger shares on IGTV, “Competencies are a dynamic combination of abilities, attributes, and behavior, as well as knowledge that is fundamental to use the skill aligned to learner outcomes.” We need to be intentional at helping learners become competent in the skills we’re fostering.
Let’s reflect on our current practice. When integrating technology into the classroom, where is our primary focus?
Is it on drilling a skill, moving students through a scripted “personalized” online program, or are we encouraging our learners to engage as active communicators, goal setters, creators and problem solvers, increasing student agency?
Students may appear engaged while using tech tools to practice math or reading skills. This isn’t necessarily wrong to do on occasion, but if it’s primarily how students are using technology in the classroom, we’re missing the boat. When I see this in action, I like to take a minute and approach students to gain their perspective. I ask them, “do you enjoy what they’re working on?” And, if they do, I’m always curious to find out what it is that they like about it. In all transparency, kids tend to look at me like I’m crazy when I ask this question, particularly if they’re not accustomed to being asked to share their voice. Most often I find that students who appear to be engaged using technology as an electronic worksheet are simply being compliant.
We need to create meaningful learning experiences and empower learners to do so for themselves, too.
Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation
#LEAPeffect
Technology continues to evolve, making our lives better or easier in some regard. It has the capacity to open doors to new opportunities as we redefine learning, creating limitless possibilities in the classroom. However, that doesn’t mean that everything we do in the classroom has to involve technology. As educators, we benefit from beginning with the end in mind and working backwards. Ultimately, we need to consider what the learning outcomes are and then how we will get there, while also thinking of the competencies we are seeking to foster. It’s important to create ample opportunities for students to explore, create, and collaborate through authentic problem solving within learning.
The SAMR model can be extremely useful when we want to transform learning experiences in our classroom by leveraging technology in a meaningful way to empower learning. Rather than substituting a worksheet with an online platform that basically replicates the work, we can move into augmentation, modification and redefinition. Opportunities to foster competencies increase as students utilize technology that incorporates the desired skill while empowering them to work in teams toward learning targets. Let’s explore.
Looking at the continuum, where do your students spend the most time?
There are numerous tools that can be leveraged to move through the continuum toward redefinition. When I’m seeking to transform the experience, I also consider how I can infuse the 6Cs of Reimagining Learning.
In my book, Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation, I provide L.E.A.P tips on how we can foster each. Now, I realize that we could add many more words that begin with the letter C such as citizenship and culture to name a couple, but I find that these can also fall under the category of connectedness, for example. When we are intentional about fostering the 6Cs of Reimagining Learning, we naturally begin to transform learning. And, for the greatest possible impact, we can embed competencies to deepen learning all around by being cognizant of how we employ the use of technology.
Let’s begin by thinking about how students use technology outside of school. While many passively watch video content of their favorite streamer or YouTuber, they also utilize technology to converse with peers, post pictures or use a combo of media to create Instagram Stories, comment on posts, and create content in connection with their interests. They even like to watch how-to videos that are relevant to them. Many kids have their own YouTube channels, even elementary students. Let me take a pause and express that as a parent, we do need to ensure we’re supporting our children to navigate technology appropriately and that I’m not advocating for young kids to be all over social media or on YouTube, but that’s a completely separate blog post for the future! Anyhow, I see youth using editing software to create their own video content, code robotics, and more outside of school. I cannot recall a time when I’ve seen youth outside of school using technology as a form of an electronic worksheet unless it has been assigned by a teacher. However, not all students have the same access to tech tools as others and as mentioned above, and some are less informed on how to use it appropriately.
In our schools, we have a unique opportunity to help students grasp how they can leverage technology appropriately to foster interpersonal skills, creativity and innovation, self-direction, and how to organize and present information to have an impact on the world… That’s right, the world! Technology allows us to share our voice and connect with experts from around the globe. We can bring elements of how children use technology outside of school, inside of school.
The Power of Video Creation
Integrating video creation in the classroom can be extremely powerful. Using anything from iMovieto WeVideo, students can create video content that curates their learning and then post videos to the class YouTube channel (with teacher permission). If you are uneasy with using YouTube (even despite privacy settings), SeeSaw or Flipgrid can be used as an alternative. The benefits of SeeSaw and Flipgrid are that students can add voice recordings or text sharing feedback with peers.
In our classroom, we used video for newscasts in connection with Project Based Learning and opinion writing, too. Video can also be used for acting out or creating a new ending for a book. Students were empowered to create how-to videos and weekly updates that we posted on our web based newsletter for families. Rather than me doing all of the communication, they became the co-creators of content and as a result, more families tuned in!
Tip: If employing video creation, I highly suggest that students have a graphic organizer handy that connects to their work so that their information is mapped out prior to creating the video. Developing a workflow supports learners to remain focused, helping them to be clear and concise.
I’ve seen first hand how creativity, collaboration, and communication skills skyrocket when video creation is interwoven in learning. Simply adding the option of creating a video while learning math, draws students in more deeply than merely working on a math assignment. Here’s why: when students are empowered to capture their own learning; demonstrating the process, their misconceptions or findings- they unleash creativity and personalize their product due to having ownership.
Video creation requires learners to watch and listen to their product, providing the opportunity to catch errors or identify what they’d like to improve upon. Video also empowers students to share their voice with others around the world. Our goal is to create authentic learning opportunities, and leveraging the power of video creation is limitless!
Harnessing the Capabilities of Apps and Websites
It’s rare that we use apps for anything other than to create our own content to demonstrate or capture learning. As a coach, expose learners to versatile apps that empower them to demonstrate creativity, communicate their thinking, collaborate with others, set goals, and integrate Design Thinking. In our classroom, learners have access to several apps or websites that have similar functionality such as Book Creator, Explain Everything and EduCreations (to name a few). Students select their preferred tool based on what they feel is best and then share their product on SeeSaw or Flipgrid to receive feedback.
[Carving out time for feedback encourages students to respond with empathy, think critically about how others can improve or what they did well, and reflection. The opportunity to refine work allows learners to build upon their learning, rather than viewing it as final.]
Furthermore, learners are empowered to add videos and pictures of their projects that include voice over, text, and graphics which allow them to reflect on their learning journey and unleash creative potential. Within learning environments of empowerment, you’ll observe students moving independently around the room to utilize resources and materials that support and enhance their learning. When integrating technology, leverage tools that are relevant to learners and that are likely to be used outside of school. This includes blogging, shared documents for collaboration, providing feedback to peers through avenues such as Google Classroom (Google Docs) or Office 365 and developing media to enhance presentations or demonstrate learning.
“Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.”
-Daniel Pink
Equip Learners to be Confident, Future-Ready Individuals
Technology isn’t a substitute for teaching. Rather, it has the potential to be a powerful tool for deepening the education experience for both learners and teachers. Let’s move beyond scripted online programs that often diminish the drive to learn. Ultimately, we desire students to be intrinsically motivated and driven to grow. Let’s increase intrinsic motivation and foster competencies that are fundamental to skill development by leveraging technology in a meaningful way. Looking at how students are using technology outside of school provides insights on what will feel authentic to them. And, by exposing students to other relevant uses equips them as confident, future-ready learners and unleashes each individual’s potential.
Below is a post by IMPress author John Spencer, author of Empower and author of an upcoming book Vintage Innovation (coming out early 2020).
I used to believe that creativity began in the mind. Ideas popped in and people responded externally by making things. I would get frustrated when students came into class having only used technology to consume rather than create. I would beg them to take risks creatively. Make something different. Be bold. Branch out even if you screw up. Just be bold.
However, things began to change when I had my own kids. I noticed that from a young age, creativity was inherently social. It often began by seeing, hearing, and experiencing first. Often, it included copying something that an adult was doing. As the kids grew older, I noticed a similar pattern. Though they were wildly creative, each one of them went through a process of noticing, exploring, copying and finally finding their own way.
It has me thinking about my own experience with creative work. When I first got into drawing, I copied the styles of other artists. When I first got into poetry, I copied the style of my favorite poet. When I first wrote a novel, it was essentially fan fiction — albeit at a time when no one knew that term. I have noticed similar trends among students. They often go through a phase of copying and mash-ups that occur before creating something truly original. As a middle school teacher, I saw this trend in art class, wood shop, in writer’s workshops, and in STEM labs. Now, at the university level, I see this as a progression that often happens as students learn the art of teaching. They often observe and copy before they move into creating from scratch.
The Importance of Critical Consuming
Like I mentioned earlier, creativity doesn’t always happen with a flash of inspiration. When you look at makers, they are often critical consumers of the same type of work they create. Chefs love great meals. Musicians listen to music. Architects often visit new cities and tour buildings to find inspiration. There’s this ongoing cycle of critical consuming, inspiration, and creative work. As they create more, it leads to a deeper ability to consume critically, where they find more inspiration, and the cycle continues.
This is why I reject the idea that students should be creators rather than consumers. Consuming isn’t inherently bad. However, what we want are for students to be critical consumers so that they can become makers. And often, this requires a journey from awareness through critical consuming and then eventually creation. For this reason, I’d love to share the seven stages from consuming to creating that we featured in the book Empower.
The Seven Stages from Consuming to Creating
I’ve been thinking about stages that I notice as students move from consumers of media to creators of media. I admit that this is not very scientific. There might be a better model out there that explains this phenomenon. However, here are seven stages I see students go through as they shift from consuming to creating:
#1: Awareness
Sometimes this is a passive exposure. You hear a style of music being played in the background and it seems unusual. After a few months of it, you find yourself thinking, “I kind-of like this.” Next thing you know, you’re choosing to listen to indie-fused techno-polka. Or maybe not. Other times, it’s more direct. You watch a particular movie or you see a production or you read a book and suddenly you’re hooked. Note that this is why I will never fully embrace completely choice-driven learning. Sometimes students need to be exposed to new media, topics, themes, and skills. And, the things that initially seem odd become intriguing and that when you move into the second stage.
#2: Active Consuming
In this phase, you are more likely to seek out the works that you are consuming (whether it is art, music, food, poetry). You aren’t yet a fan, but you start developing a taste for a particular style and you find yourself thinking more deeply about whatever work you are consuming. Notice that the term “consuming” is pretty loose here. A student might “consume” by playing suddenly getting into a new game they learned in P.E.
Sometimes this phase is more focused on the aesthetics and sometimes it is more focused on practical utility. A student might think, “Wow, that’s actually pretty fun” or she might think, “That’s actually kind of useful.” Either way, they are actively seeking out and consuming in this phase.
#3: Critical Consuming
Here, you start becoming an expert. You see the nuances in both form and functionality. It’s in this phase that your taste becomes more refined. You begin to appreciate the craft involved in making what you are consuming. You are able to distinguish between good and bad quality. When they are consuming media, this is a phase when they are truly becoming adept at how to find accurate and useful information.
#4: Curating
After becoming an expert, you start picking out the best and commenting on it. You collect things, organize things, and share your reviews with others. In this phase of curation, you are both a fan and a critic. curation goes beyond simply collecting items online. The best curators know how to find what is best by immersing themselves in a niche area while also making surprising connections between ideas in seemingly unrelated worlds. Curators find specific excerpts that are relevant at the moment but also timeless. They can explain the purpose, the context, and the necessity of what they are citing.
#5: Copying
This is the part that drives me crazy as a teacher. After developing a level of expertise on a particular work (or artist or style) students will literally copy it. So, a student who is an amazing artist insists in drawing, line-for-line, a manga work. A student who geeks out on bridges decides she wants to make an exact replica of another bridge. A student gets into food and never deviates from the recipe. Until . . . suddenly something changes. A student branches out and modifies the copycat work. There’s this spark of creativity that happens as they start to think, “Maybe I could try something a little different.”
This, in turn, leads to the next stage.
#6: Mash-Ups
Sometimes this looks like collage art. Kids combine elements from various favorite works that they have curated and make something new. Sometimes this looks like fan fiction. Other times, it might mean taking an idea from one area and applying it to a new context — which can often look incredibly creative. So that kid who is copying manga begins to experiment with a few styles and adopt a visual style from multiple sources. That writer whose work seems derivative starts to borrow structures from multiple authors in unique ways. Over time, students begin to find their own unique voice and it leads up to #7.
#7: Creating From Scratch
This is the stage where students start taking the biggest risks and making things that are truly original. While the ideas are often inspired by the previous six stages, this is where a student finds his own voice. It’s the stage where a student grows in confidence to the extent that she is able to take meaningful risks.
The Journey Varies from Person to Person
So what does this look like in a classroom? When I taught middle school, I had students explore and critically consume video games. They debated which games were the best and why. From there, they moved to copying examples of games on Scratch, then doing modifications and mash-ups of games. Finally, they moved to a place where they created something new on their own.
I admit that these aren’t lockstep stages. For example, when he was younger, my middle son got really into Pokemon, and went from the second stage (active consuming) into the third, fourth and fifth stage simultaneously. It wasn’t incremental. It was more of an “all at once” thing. Similarly, people sometimes begin at the second stage by intentionally seeking out a new form of art to consume (second stage) with a critical eye (third stage).
Other times, people skip stages. Someone might go from falling in love with a novel (second stage) to creating fan fiction (sixth stage) without ever copying anything (the fifth stage). On the other hand, I have almost always skipped the mash-up stage, preferring to move from copying a particular style to jumping out and finding my own voice.
This isn’t a formula so much as a general framework that I have used to help me remember that the jump from consuming to creating is more often a journey than a jump. However, the key takeaway is that students need time and opportunities to consume critically and walk through these phases on their own.
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A post by Tom Murray – His newest book will be out November 2019!
Traveling the country and working with school and district leaders over the past four years has significantly altered my lens. Spending fourteen years in the same district in Pennsylvania was an incredible blessing. I worked with so many dynamic, kid-loving people. Over my tenure there, our teams had come together during some of the most difficult times and also celebrated together through the joys we experienced.
In reflection, the downside of spending my entire k-12 career in one district was that my personal education lens and understanding became very narrow over time. Even though I worked at all levels in that system, it was the same community, many of the same adults, and many of the same leaders, year after year. (Please know that I see nothing wrong with being in one district and absolutely commend those that pour their lives into a single place for their entire career. I also absolutely loved where I was for those 14 years.) For me, that community and those [amazing] people, were all that I knew.
My point in sharing my personal reflection is that today I see so many things that other educators experience regularly, that were much smaller spots on my radar. A few examples: – Although I was a principal of two different Title 1 buildings; and both had significant levels of socioeconomic needs, now spending time in buildings where every child lives in poverty has given me more empathy for those who have far less and appreciate things that at times I took for granted in my work. – Where I worked, technology had been plentiful for years. I received a laptop as a brand new teacher, in 2000. Today, some teachers are just receiving personal devices for the first time, while others still yearn for that day to come. – Working with rural schools, which often lack the needed bandwidth to provide additional opportunities for students, puts connectivity much more on my radar than when leveraging technology worked pretty seamlessly for me as a teacher and administrator.
Although the list of where my lens has shifted could be expanded exponentially, there are also conversations I have with educators around themes that no matter what state I’m in, the demographics of the community they serve, or the budget in which they operate, are very similar in nature and where most things are agreed upon. Some examples include: – The importance of teacher leadership. – The desire for student agency. – The incredible talents of our nation’s children.
So what’s one area that never seems to go out of focus? The importance of school culture.
I recently had the opportunity to spend time with one of my closest friends, Jimmy Casas. Jimmy is a long-time educator, and the author of the best-selling book, Culturize: Every Student. Every Day. Whatever it Takes. Jimmy is also one of the best community builders that I’ve ever met. As you saw in the video above, I asked Jimmy for one simple idea to build culture in schools.
Jimmy shares the concept of “two a day,” an idea he gained from colleague and friend Jeff Zoul, where he’d take two note cards each day and write an encouraging, authentic note to two different staff members. Essentially, Jimmy points to a simple way in which he was able to help own the culture in which he was a part.
The difficulty lies not in the fact that people agree that culture is vital to a school’s success. That’s pretty much a given. The difficulty comes when not every person owns the culture in which they are a part. The idea is easy. Abdicating the responsibility is also easy. Placing the blame and pointing the finger is easy. Owning one’s part in it all is what’s challenging.
A school’s culture is the culmination of every interaction that occurs within it.
So how do you build your school’s culture? How do you help create a culture where people want to be? When you walk into the faculty room, do you build the energy up? Or, do you suck the air right out?
It’s no secret that school and district leadership set the tone for the culture within it; but to attempt to make the case that they are the only ones responsible for it is amazingly misguided.
What can you do tomorrow to move your school’s culture forward one step? Who’s that person on staff that needs some additional encouragement? Who’s that student that can help lead the way?
Having been to so many amazing schools over the past four years, I’ve also come to realize that creating school cultures where people want to be does not happen by chance.Creating cultures that people want to run to happens when the adults in the building are intentional with their interactions…one day at a time.
Will your interactions tomorrow help make your school a place people want to be? Or, a place people want to run from? What’s your role in the process? How does your own lens impact your thought process here?
The good news? No matter what you feel the condition of your school culture currently is, tomorrow is the first step in the remaining part of your journey. My advice? Be intentional. Be real. Build capacity in others. Work to understand your internal bias. Own your role in the work and don’t abdicate the responsibility we all have in creating the schools where our students will thrive.
A Post by Sunil Singh, co-author of Math Recess: Playful Learning in an Age of Disruption.
It is no coincidence that the deeper awareness of the value of play for our children is coming at the same time as the heightened attitudes towards play and mathematics. For a while, the pairing of those words generally meant trying to make math a joyful and fun experience. It seemed that play was serving a role that was limited to some kind of emotional outcome. Of course, having a positive attitude about math is critical, but the value of play goes much deeper than creating celebratory reactions from our students and teachers.
Much deeper.
And this depth is being charted at the same time as the general visibility of play in our society, ironically, is being eroded.
The number of minutes the average child now spends outside with unsupervised play is about 5 to 7 minutes every day. In the book “Math Recess: Playful Learning in an Age of Disruption”, the childhoods of Chris and I are were written with intentional detail–to paint a landscape of vivid, generally adult-free play. Nobody was counting, but pretty sure that our unsupervised play was clocking in at hours/day. It probably would have been a shock to ourselves to have this playtime measured with an egg-timer.
Play is fun. Play is integral to the social, emotional, and academic development of children.
Play is also our companion for our entire journey of mathematics. Whether that lasts for only until our teenage years or for the rest of our lives, play will never leave our side as we interact with mathematics. Play gives us permission to tinker, dabble, poke, prod, etc. with every math problem or idea that will appear before us.
It is actually more than permission, it is a historic and wondrous call–for every K to 12 student and teacher–that mathematics is something we must do for the sake of the moment of doing.
We cannot worry or entertain the idea of being “correct” as the goal. If that becomes the goal, as admirable as that it might be, we know that many students–and teachers–will exhibit anxiety and stress. These are not reactions that exist in play.
Dr. Peter Gray, who has written many books on Play, outlines the basic criteria for what constitutes the richest ideas of play.
(1) self-chosen and self-directed;
(2) motivated by means more than ends;
(3) guided by mental rules;
(4) includes a strong element of imagination
(5) is conducted in an alert, active, but relatively non-stressed frame of mind.
The purest of ideas of mathematics have had each and every one of those elements since mathematics was discovered. It has NEVER veered away or short-changed any of those five points above. Unfortunately, the mathematics that most of us have experienced and what our students experience has been a betrayal of play.
Thankfully, we are in a rebirth of play in math education. More of us are now doing mathematics in ways that honor the history of how mathematics evolved. And, sharing our most playful ideas about mathematics is naturally having the best social ramifications–we are forging friendships.
The Math Playground is being built. All are welcome and all belong.
A Blog Post by Elisabeth Bostwick- Author of Take the L.E.A.P.
Countless educators aim to inspire, be the change and exude positivity. I’m grateful for my connection to educators who exhibit this as it’s what encourages others to persevere in the face of adversity. As someone who has always embraced this concept myself, I tend to find it challenging to know how to share my voice on wrongdoings best. Afterall, positive people stick to positive messages, right? However, we cannot stand to glaze over apparent dysfunction or bow in fear to hierarchical models of leadership when we know something is blatantly wrong and ultimately hurting individuals. I believe that we can discuss semi-controversial topics while identifying creative ways to address them. Exuding positivity, as well as demonstrating professionalism is essential to me as an educator. Due to my deep sense of integrity, I’m also driven to be an agent of change, and my integrity makes it nearly impossible to ignore that there’s an enormous elephant in the room that exists for many educators.
Blogging and being connected as an educator has provided an avenue for us all to share our voice. Too many opt to talk behind closed doors while keeping their heads down instead of stepping out and addressing the elephant. Together we can creatively seek solutions to move forward or ways to change the course of our ship when we realize the time has come.
For countless years I have identified numerous avenues to reach all kids and foster curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and joy in learning. I believe in this wholeheartedly, and my commitment is unwavering. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have the support of many administrators, teammates, colleagues, and my professional learning network. These individuals have carried me through difficult times without necessarily realizing that they have. We’ve celebrated highlights and encouraged one another more times than I can count.
To be transparent, I’ve also experienced my fair share of mistrust. As someone who always seeks to give the benefit of the doubt and aspires to see the good in every situation, truth be told, some individuals allow their ego or personal agendas to dictate the course our ship sails. Egos and personal agendas cause the ride to feel rough and unsettling. In turn, it leaves others scrambling to figure out how to guide the ship best. Historically, I’m a ‘sail adjuster.’ When the wind blows in an unexpected direction or hits without warning, I merely adapt and move on, without missing a beat to provide students with the best learning opportunities. If by chance the wind batters the sail causing rips and tears, I not only adjust but make necessary repairs to remain on course. I’ve repaired my sail more times than I can count, and each time it seems to become stronger and more vibrant than before. After all, each gust is an opportunity to learn that encourages growth.
Situations exist where educators have exhausted every option to continue moving forward even in the most challenging situations. If the damaging effects of the wind grow so strong that the sail is irreparable, it may be time to either navigate a different course by joining another crew or even sailing on your own. Whether you’re adjusting, repairing, or replacing your sail, I hope you employ strategies that act as flint to ignite passion and exuberance to sail further than you ever have before.
Anyone of us can step up and lead to cultivate a healthy culture. Perhaps we don’t have complete control over every decision we’d like, but that’s not to say that we lack impact. Leadership is a title that can be held by anyone who has influence. Being a leader is not solely meant for those with an administration degree. Jimmy Casas, author of Culturize, writes,
“You don’t have to have a leadership title to be a leader. You just have to lead. When you have a disposition about you that others immediately recognize and sometimes want to emulate, you are a leader. When you draw people in and make them want to be around you, you are a leader. Maybe you have a unique skill set that people quickly notice and appreciate, or maybe it’s your words or tendency to notice the best in others that inspires the people around you to want to be better.”
While some individuals seek to foster leadership skills to develop capacity in others, I tend to think that there are instances where some people are threatened by those who demonstrate leadership without the ranks of title or degree. In some cases, it appears more comfortable to hold individuals at arm’s length to silence their efforts and even attempt to belittle through comments spewn to foster a sense of insecurity. Fortunately, we own our emotions, and while mistrust may develop, how we choose to feel is ultimately up to us. Some may think it’s crazy, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to stand staring in the eyes of the elephant in the room while the wind tears at my sail. Both have taught me countless lessons that serve as real-life experience. From these experiences, I’ve developed more profound empathy and compassion for others. While there are numerous leadership books out there such as Culturize, Lead Like a Pirate, and Start Right Now that provide phenomenal tips and in-depth strategies, here are just a handful of the leadership tips I’ve learned firsthand.
Embrace your inner leader by:
Committing to relationships first, next, and always
Nurturing a culture of yes
Adding-value to those you work alongside by frequently recognizing their efforts
Seeking ways to give back in an effort to show appreciation for the contributions made by individuals
Celebrating! Celebrate accomplishments, persevering through failures, risk-taking, awards or recognitions as a school and district to demonstrate appreciation
Spending time in classrooms with learners (as an administrator) serving alongside teachers when possible
Employing the use of Pineapple Charts so that teachers can visit and learn from colleagues
Tearing down fortress walls to allow for open conversations between teachers, administrators and the Board of Education
Trusting that individuals have the best intentions, this fosters deeper levels of trust
Being transparent and authentic by walking the talk
Simply apologizing for wrongdoings even if unintentional
I know this list could continue and I’m happy to add on over time. In closing, it’s vital that we ALL embrace our inner leader. Every person is facing some kind of battle; you may be the difference maker that rekindles passion within an individual who has lost their why, or eases the feeling of pressure when the going gets tough. With teacher shortages in addition to fewer students enrolling in teacher preparatory programs, collectively we need to cultivate a school culture that retains quality teachers. As leaders, let’s respectfully address elephants and create sustainable change. Together we can collaboratively navigate the waters to support one another along the journey.
