Silent hallways

Close your eyes and create this picture in your mind:  Single file lines of folks walking through the hallways.  The lines stop at pre-determined locations.  They do not proceed without permission.  The only voices you hear are from those in charge, constantly reminding folks not to talk.  The only words you hear are, "Shhhh!"

"No talking."

"Level Zero volume, please."

"You have lost points."

"Stay on the right side."

"Single file."

"No talking."

Which one do you picture?

The only two places I can think of that require zero talking in the hallways are prisons and some elementary schools.  As I observe attempts for zero talking in schools, successfully getting kids to remain completely silent in hallways seems impossible.  As teachers attempt to make the hallways silent, the only words that are actually heard in the hallways are usually negative.  The only words that are heard are the ones that are spoken to kids who are breaking the rule.  When a kid wants to say something, a choice is made.  Am I gonna break the silence rule or not?  Usually, most kids choose option three.  Try to be sneaky.  Try not to get caught.

Sure, teachers will give compliments to a quiet class, but they do not actually seem to elicit any student pride.  They are fairly hollow compliments that are far outweighed by the constant "reminders" to be silent.  Six comments to students that are not quiet will be heard much more clearly than, "Thank you to the front of the line for not talking at all."  Usually, when a teacher thanks the front of the line, they really want the back of the line to hear it, hoping it will remind them to hush!

Instead, what if we taught our students to use an appropriate hallway volume?  What if we taught them to keep conversations to a minimum in the hallways?  What if we taught them how to save lengthy conversations for a better time?  Would this type of environment require any more redirection towards students who break the hallway volume rule?

It is funny that when kids try to sneak in little conversations, they typically use a volume that teachers would find quite acceptable.  If we can see that most of our kids are capable of it, why don't we create systems that foster the skill?

Would more kids break the rules if we allowed quiet conversations?  I don't think so.  The same kids who act impulsively, regardless of the rules, will struggle.  I think that the average child will break the rules much less often because this system is not so black and white.  Option three, whispering, is actually the preferred option.  I am certain that teachers would minimize the number of redirection comments that currently occur entirely too often.

It also seems to be true that teachers vary widely on what silence means in the hallways.  Some teachers are absolute sticklers for it, while others are much more lax.  The sticklers shake their heads at the lax ones.  Funny though, that some teachers who don't like the rule still enforce it with fidelity because they are rule followers.

If your school requires silence in the hallways, count the number of times you hear an adult remind students to be silent in the hallways.  It is overwhelming.  Count the number of sneaky conversations that students hold without causing disruption or noise.

Does a demand for silence teach kids what we want them to learn about being a little human being in this world?

Malice, Ignorance, or Busy-ness

Tim Ferriss constantly says, "Do not attribute to malice what you can attribute to ignorance or busy-ness."

There are times we hear things that make us wonder if someone is out to get us.
"Why would she try to undermine the good work I am trying to do?"
"I've already vetted this idea with the team.  Why would she suggest such significant changes to our plan?"

Sometimes we feel ignored and we wonder why.
"Does he not care?"
"It was a simple question.  Am I not important enough for a reply?"

The next time you don't get the response you were hoping for, or perhaps you don't get a response at all, you do get to choose how you feel about it.  You can choose to feel as if the other person is purposely treating you poorly.  Or, you can choose to attribute their poor response to a lack of knowledge on his/her part, or because he/she is legitimately too busy.

Once that shift is made, your response to the situation will become more pro-active and more successful!

Actions

We all know that actions speak louder than words.  What we do is more telling than what we say.  As educators, how well do we listen to those actions on a regular basis?  What is our class trying to tell us?  

We know what Little Johnny is saying when he is bouncing off the walls.  We have learned to "listen" to Little Johnny's actions frequently to meet his needs pro-actively.  What about the class as a whole?  When the entire class is speaking to us, do we listen?  

If 95% of the class sits on the edge of their seats, hanging on to your every word, you know they are engaged.  When the entire class is participating in small group science experiments, you know they are engaged.  Likewise, if six kids are actively choosing to ignore you and the assignment at hand, what does that tell you?  It tells you that the activity you designed for today's learning has room for improvement.  Those six kids are telling you what they think.

During your best lesson of the year, how many of your kids are fully engaged?  Probably all of them.  Your best lesson captures them all!  Dave Burgess, author of, "Teach Like a Pirate," talks about the lessons that kids would pay to be a part of.  Every decent teacher has a few of these.  These are the lessons the kids love and the teacher loves too!

These lessons fully engage students.  The more of them you have, the better your class will be.  The kids will learn more and their actions will tell you how much they like it.  What about the lessons that aren't worth the price of the ticket quite yet?  Kids would not pay for them.  When you "listen" to the actions of the class, what do you learn?  

This week, pay special attention to what your class is telling you without any words.  Your students' actions only speak louder than their words if you are listening.  Also, pay more attention to what you do.  Your students are always listening to your actions.

Like Goldilocks!

I was talking with a kid today about the difficulty of her math problem.  She said she wanted them to be easy like they were in first grade.  I asked her if math was easy in first grade and she quickly responded with, "It would be easy now!"

So I asked again, "Was your first grade math easy when you were in first grade?"

No answer.

So I asked her why she wanted easy math like that right now in middle school.  She said that school would be fun if everything was super easy.  Her friend interrupted, "No it wouldn't!  It would be SO boring!"

The conversation continued between these two:

Kid #1:  "Yeah, but I would make straight A's!"

Kid #2:  "So! You would end up getting in trouble all the time and you would end up too stupid for high school!"

Kid #1:  "Well, when the assignment is pointless, I don't like struggling for no good reason!"

Kid #2:  "Answering 2+2 all day, every day would be pointless too!"

I enjoyed listening to this back-and-forth, then interrupted, "What kind of activities do you want your teacher to provide for you?"

Kid #2 replied immediately, "Not too hard.  Not too easy.  Just right.  Like Goldilocks!"

That kid...

You know the one.  He has a tough time getting along with other kids and he definitely drives most of his teachers crazy.  He may have a few bad habits or attention deficit disorder.  He may seem to not care about a thing the written curriculum tells him to care about.  He may not seem to care about the lessons and activities that you are telling him to care about.  He may talk too much and wiggle too much and wander too much.  He may argue with you and everyone else.  Perhaps he always needs to be right and he see every interaction as a battle he wants to win.  You know this kid.

A lot of folks have probably already given up on him.  They only see those attributes that make him a misfit rather than the things that help him fit in.  The teachers before you have told him that he wiggles too much.  He has heard it 1000 times.  They also told him to focus on his work.  He has heard that 1000 times too.  His peers have called him weird about 1000 times too.  He has heard all of the ways he is a misfit too many times.

I guess he just refuses to make the changes that pretty much everyone is telling him to make.  I guess he doesn't want to change.  I guess he prefers to remain a misfit.  He probably likes hearing the same negative observations about him repeated 1000 times.  He wakes up every morning and thinks to himself, "I sure would like to experience an entire day of negativity and butting heads about my less-than-desirable characteristics."  Of course, this would be ludicrous.

So what do you do?  Is your mindset fixed?  How do you help him become successful?  Can you help him fit in?  Can you help him make some positive changes so that he is less of a misfit?

The changes won't happen overnight.  If so, they would have already happened.  In fact, your efforts may only be a small portion of his journey to fit in.  Your actions may not become evident for years to come.  The thing to remember is that your actions will eventually become evident, whether you are a positive influence on him or not.  Your actions with your student will help shape who he becomes.  If you give up on him, he will be influenced by you.  If you continue to call him a misfit and tell him he needs to focus, he will be influenced by you, but not in a good way.

It is not what you say...

"It is not what you say, it is how you say it."

I have heard this since I was little.  Choosing the right tone of voice can be everything.  No matter what needs to be said, it can be said kindly.  It can be said with good heart.  Except when the words shouldn't be spoken at all.  

Choosing the right words is every bit as important as saying the right words kindly.  When you can't find the right words to say, it doesn't matter how pleasant your voice sounds.  When you can't find the right words to say, don't say them.

Do what you love!

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are filled with inspirational quotes these days.  So many, that it is impossible to read them all.  It is even more impossible for all of them to be meaningful to everyone.  But everyone can find one or two quips that strike a chord and resonate some kind of meaningful influence all day long.  Over the last few months, the quotes I have noticed most frequently have a similar message:

"Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

"Doing what you love is where happiness lives."

I know a bunch of people who live this way every day.  Lots of them do so with their jobs.  Other folks do so with hobbies or other creative endeavors.  The lucky folks get to do what they love at work and at home... all the time!

I also know people who don't get to do what they love.  They only do.  They don't love it.  Some barely even like what they do.  They go to a job they dislike, then head home too tired to pursue their passions outside of the workplace.  And they are stuck.  They are in a rut and they can't get out.  Too tired to find their way out of the rut and too tired to enjoy life after the job that provides no joy.

Imagine a world where no one was in that rut!

Are you only happy on weekends?

Some people get to Friday and find themselves suddenly looking for a way to do something that makes them happy.  They go all week long, trudging through the week, with no happiness other than the upcoming weekend.  For some people, the happy times includes time with friends or family.  Others just want to kick off their shoes, sit back, and relax.  Then the weekend ends, and it is back to a Monday through Friday grind.

Don't let it be a grind!  As you head through this weekend, start planning ahead for next week.  Find your joy every single day of every single week!

The whites of his eyes!

Have you ever been so absolutely certain you were right about something that you were unable to see someone else's perspective?  This happens frequently with all of us, but even more with teenagers.  Think about a time you told something to a 13-year-old and witnessed a world record eye-rolling.  As the adult, you know that you are absolutely correct, but the teenager absolutely won't believe you!

Many times, you simply want this kid to hear you when you say, "I have been through this.  I know what I'm talking about.  Just change your mind and believe me."

Most of the time, the teen won't do it.  He not only wants to be correct, he refuses to even entertain the thought of being wrong.  This is where the adult gets to choose frustration or patience.  Which course of action will be taken with this one?

The kid wants to make his own decisions.  He wants to be correct.  He wants to own it.  Sometimes, it is hard to let him own it.  Especially if you know where he is going to end up.  So as he glares at the ceiling through the top of his skull and tells you what he is going to do, what will your response be:

"Are you serious?" {spoken with some level of sarcasm?}

                                                 or

"Let me know how it goes?" {spoken with absolutely NO sarcasm.}

The best thing I've seen all week!

Yesterday, I sat in the front office of a local school during dismissal.  It was a very busy, yet well-organized process.  A student entered the office and asked to use the phone.  I watched intently as one of the staff members assisted him.  She was absolutely fantastic!  She knew the child by name and asked why he wasn't heading to practice.  The child told her that his dad told him not to go to practice because he needed to pick him up early.  The child was clearly frustrated because his dad wasn't in the parking lot and he was missing practice!

The woman slid the phone across the counter and watched him as he dialed.  The student tried to dial the number twice with no luck.  At this point, many adults would have said, "Here.  Let me dial it for you."  Instead, she gently asked, "Is it long distance?"

He nodded and tried to dial again.  She continued to stand back and let him try and try again.  After two or three more unsuccessful attempts, she calmly stated with a smile, "You might need to dial a one first."

He tried two more times. Still no success and he was getting frustrated.  By this time, very few adults would lend more guidance.  Most would take over and do it for him.  Some might actually say, "I can't believe you don't know how to dial a phone!"

Instead, she respectfully and politely tried to guide him through the dialing process.  With this last attempt, it still did not work for him, so she did ask him if he wanted her to dial it for him.  I love that she did not TELL him she would do it.  The choice was his.  

He accepted her offer and the call was made.  This fine educator never lost sight of the fact that this was a child learning how to do something.  She never lost her cool or placed an unreasonable expectation on him.  Sure, we think that all kids should be able to dial a phone number, but in reality, most of us simple tap a name on our cell phones to call anyone these days.  This child walked in frustrated, tried out an unpolished skill several times unsuccessfully, felt the love and guidance of a teacher, and walked out feeling better than when he entered the office!  I do not know her name but I was thoroughly impressed!

Puddle Jumper!

I love the rain.  I also love getting outside right after the rain!

One of my favorite things is watching a kid size up a jump across a rain puddle.  Toes on the edge, a little bend of the knees and a swing of the arms...and jump!  Then the smile!  The great thing about this risk-taking leap is that the smile comes whether those feet clear the water or they make a splash!

The goal, the plan, and the results take almost no time at all...and end with a smile!  The goal was chosen, the effort was made, and the smile came regardless of success!

What about a more long-term goal?  Wouldn't it be great to approach it with the same puddle-jumper attitude!!!

Sharpen the Saw

The second semester is rolling.  Middle-of-the-year benchmarks are done.  Data is ready for analysis.  The end of January is when the gas peddle hits the floor and time seems to fly.  It is also when the typical teacher experiences a bit of stress as testing time approaches and some of the kiddos aren't progressing as planned.

If you have done this for a few years, and felt this way for a few years, you know that the stress will wane and you will make it through this time.  Say this to yourself, "I will make it through this time of year because I have done it before."

Then ask yourself, "How will I make it better for my students and for myself?"

One of your answers to this question must be, "I will sharpen my saw!"

Dr. Covey explains Habit #7 so well:

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Here are some examples of activities: Physical: Beneficial eating, exercising, and resting Social/Emotional: Making social and meaningful connections with others Mental: Learning, reading, writing, and teaching Spiritual: Spending time in nature, expanding spiritual self through meditation, music, art, prayer, or service As you renew yourself in each of the four areas, you create growth and change in your life. Sharpen the Saw keeps you fresh so you can continue to practice the other six habits. You increase your capacity to produce and handle the challenges around you. Without this renewal, the body becomes weak, the mind mechanical, the emotions raw, the spirit insensitive, and the person selfish. Not a pretty picture, is it? Feeling good doesn't just happen. Living a life in balance means taking the necessary time to renew yourself. It's all up to you. You can renew yourself through relaxation. Or you can totally burn yourself out by overdoing everything. You can pamper yourself mentally and spiritually. Or you can go through life oblivious to your well-being. You can experience vibrant energy. Or you can procrastinate and miss out on the benefits of good health and exercise. You can revitalize yourself and face a new day in peace and harmony. Or you can wake up in the morning full of apathy because your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone. Just remember that every day provides a new opportunity for renewal--a new opportunity to recharge yourself instead of hitting the wall. All it takes is the desire, knowledge, and skill.

Passion is Energy!

I just took a quick walk through The University of Texas campus. The 2nd semester has recently begun and there were tables and students everywhere!  They were holding posters, giving away candy, playing music, and handing out pamphlets.  They were trying to recruit, advertise, raise funds, or promote for their cause.

It was an impressive sight!  I started thinking about all the reasons they were participating.  They weren't getting paid for it.  They seemed to be enjoying themselves.  They might simply be involved to make friends.  But most of the groups were service-oriented.  To me, this means they got involved because they were passionate about the cause.

I know that our local high schools have some advocacy efforts led by their students.  This made me wonder, how can we create an environment for our youngest students to become involved with a service effort?  I'm not simply talking about the projects that are led by the school.  Don't get me wrong!  School-led efforts are excellent and worthy vehicles for teaching kids how the service to others is a win-win endeavor.

I'm just curious if we can build systems in elementary schools where student-led, passion-driven efforts will flourish?

Sway Bar Success!

Yesterday, my family finished a few days of camping at our favorite state park.  The weather was gorgeous!  High temperatures were around 70 degrees and the nights were perfect for sitting around the campfire.  Each day, we hiked the trails and took in some incredible Central Texas views!  We also hit the water in our kayaks.  Only one fish was caught on this trip, and I'm sure he swam back to tell his catfish buddies about his out-of-water adventure!

When it comes time to pack up and head out, usually my two boys are willing to help out in whatever way necessary.  While they would prefer to act like kids at the lakeside park, they also like the idea of getting home to play with their friends.  After an hour or so, I enlisted their help to finish the process of camp clean up.  They took care of a few of the obvious things, such as gathering the kayak gear and picking up any little piece of trash.  All in all, they do a good job!

Once our gear was packed, it was time to hook up the camper.  My oldest son did a great job of lining up the ball and hitch and getting the truck in place.  The next step was the weight distribution bars and the sway bar.  I typically take care of these, but this time, I wanted to see if my son could figure it out.  He has watched me several times, but not in the last two months.  I asked him to take care of it and he responded, "How do they go on?"

My typical reaction would probably be to tell him exactly what to do.  That would have been more efficient and easier.  He would have complied and the task would have gotten done.  A lot of times, we think that if we tell kids each step, they will remember the process next time.  But really, the teacher in me knew better.  Instead of telling him what to do, I said, "I bet you can figure it out!"  Then I walked away.  I knew it might be counterproductive to stand and watch.  I just might have blurted out some statement and taken away his autonomy.

Sure enough, he figured it out and got it done!  Sway bar success!  This made me happy!  He was proud of himself too!  Giving him the autonomy to get it done helped him learn the process way better than telling him each step of the way.  It also made him feel better about his accomplishment than he would have if I had told him each step and he had merely complied.

Suspend Judgment and Enable Curiosity

Elementary school teachers are the ultimate action researchers.  They constantly monitor the subjects in their laboratories for optimum learning, then tweak or change variables when needed.  They also find times when they need to seek the opinion of a fellow researcher, so they ask another teacher for ideas that might address a specific barrier to a child's learning.

Some of the most important conversations that teachers have are to answer the question, "What do we do for the kids who struggle to learn this?"

After many years of involvement with these discussions, I have seen a wide range of responses to the ideas that get thrown on the table in efforts to help struggling students.  Most of the time, teachers are willing to listen to as many strategies as possible, then choose one or two.  Naturally, the strategies that are typically chosen are the ones that feel most comfortable to each teacher.  Each teacher chooses the ones that seems most doable.  If three teachers hear fifteen different ideas, they may choose three completely different strategies, based on their own personal preference.

This has me wondering...when we hear ideas during a brainstorming session, do we make our judgments immediately?  As the ideas hit the table, do our experiences cause us to keep or discard ideas too quickly?  When brainstorming, what if we were better able to suspend judgment and enable curiosity?

Be a No Man!

The best plans for success often follow the toughest arguments.  We don't always recognize it, but a really good disagreement typically shows how far apart folks are thinking when the improvment process begins  Once the work is done, the result that follows the argument must be good if everyone supports it because it has overcome the differences that caused the argument in the first place.  Unless you are a "Yes" Man.

Don't apologize to people for having a difference of opinion.  Use your differences to build something greater than any one of you could have done on your own!


When your team is looking to make things better, first be sure you share a common goal.  If you have that, be sure team members are not copies of the same thoughts.  Most of all, be sure you are not simply saying yes to the rest of the team, just to keep the peace.  It is OK to be a "No" Man!

Butterflies

A little bit of fear is not always a bad thing.  That little feeling you get as you face a challenge.  It may be your new job, a new student in your classroom, or even walking in the building with a new haircut.  The deep breath you take as you approach your challenge is a sign that some level of fear is with you.  Butterflies in your stomach!

Many coaches believe that the feeling of butterflies in your stomach prior to a competition is healthy and contributes towards a strong performance.  The same can be said for singers, dancers, and actors.  Teachers get the feeling on the first day of school every year, just before the kids walk in the door!  This fear is not the opposite of courage!  Courage is what you use to overcome your fears!  A little bit of fear always loses to bravery!

Embrace those butterflies!  Step up to the starting line and run!  When the curtain opens, smile and shine!  When you feel those butterflies in your stomach, you know you are doing something that takes courage.  Smile as you reach beyond your comfort zone and let your bravery show!

Brave and Happy!

Do what you can!

Make it happen.  Get it started.  Get it done.

These statements are not always so easy for a lot of folks.  Fear gets in the way.  Oftentimes, we look for some kind of answer to be given to us or we wait for a new factor to play into our actions.  We wait for someone else to influence our decisions and our actions before jumping in.

Great advice!  If you begin with the end in mind, then focus on these three phrases, you will be able to take that first step to action.  This doesn't mean you shouldn't seek the help of others.  Seeking assistance may be step #1.  Sure, it may be risky, but will it be worth it?  Probably.  Do what you can, then continue to do it better!  We want kids to do this in school, so shouldn't we follow the same advice?

Be brave and happy.  Get it started!

Think, then do!

Dan Millman is one of my favorite authors.  I devoured his books in my 20's and 30's, yet many of his ideas still resonate strongly 15-20 years later.  Over the last few weeks, I have been doing a lot of thinking about a potential upcoming assignment.  Then, as I was thinking, I thought to myself, "I am doing way to much thinking and not enough doing!"  Dan Millman says it this way:




As a guy who wants to be proactive, I decided to make a call this morning, just to ask about the assignment timeline that I am quite eager to learn about.  The timeline is not in my circle of influence, but it is in my circle of concern.  First I thought, then I proactively chose to ease my concern by making a phone call and asking!  Not so tough!

Dan Millman would be proud!

Is this good enough to try?

So you have been working on something new,  You are excited about the potential benefits of your efforts and you are passionate about finding success.  At some point, you might ask yourself, "Is this good enough to try?"

The answer to this question is almost always yes!  If your new endeavor is good enough to call good, it is good enough to try.  Give it a shot, learn from your efforts, then make improvements.

If you are waiting for the perfect plan before making it happen, you could be waiting a long time.