Word finds are GREAT for student learning!

No. No they are not.  A few kids enjoy them.  Most do not.  They do not help kids learn.  Stop doing them for the purpose of improving vocabulary or better spelling.  There are much better ways.

Also, very few kids like The Quiet Game.  Most hate it.  They know what you need from them.  Kids choose their friends as the "most quiet" classmate.  Other kids purposely lose quickly because they know deep down inside that they will not be chosen.   Playing the quiet game really just sets the stage for you to be able to more easily spot the talkers.  Let's teach them how to talk to each other appropriately.  If too many kids are unable to act appropriately in the hallway, it is your fault.  If it is only one or two kids, address them individually.  Find a better way.

This week we are learning the letter R!  Letter of the week is irrelevant.  What a contrary and meaningless way to help young students gain ownership of the alphabet.  Start with the letters in their name.  Use environmental print. Stop cutting out 8 little letter R's and gluing them next to eight pictures of things that supposedly start with the letter R.  Kids need to learn letters and sounds through relevant language.  Worksheets with poorly drawn Rats do not help kids learn the capital R.  We can do letters better.

Copying off the board needs to end.  I'm not talking about copying a problem or an expectation for a learning activity.  I'm talking about copying a poem or a paragraph.  Don't make kids copy something that someone else has written.  If kids need to write something down, let them write their own words!  Copying is not learning.  Design something better.

Sitting out at recess for forgetting homework does not help kids remember their homework.  The kids who habitually lose their homework are only missing out on the movement they probably need.  The kids who always remember the homework simply see a stick pointed their direction.  Compliance out of fear is not the best way to do it.  Paying kids with rewards isn't the best way either.  Build intrinsic motivation by giving them better ownership of their behaviors and consequences.

Rainbow writing does not improve writing.  It does not help kids become better writers or spellers.  It does not increase engagement for the great majority of students.  It is a waste of time.  Kids are more thoughtful about choosing the colors instead of correct spelling.  I don't even know what pyramid writing is but it looks worthless.  Writing spelling words five times each is not good.   Spelling is tough to teach, but there are much better ways.

Round Robin reading still happens.  Oh my goodness, why?  The lack of engagement is beyond obvious.  The below-level readers cannot read the text.  Kids more than a couple of reading lower than the text can't even follow along.  Most kids don't follow along.  The high readers are bored to tears!  There are better ways.

These suggestions are not new.  These strategies were equally ineffective in 1994, my first year of teaching.  They were ineffective in 1979, when I was a 5th grader.  They are still ineffective, yet they still happen.

When educational practices are proven to be effective for all students, keep doing them.  The strategies highlighted above are not effective.  They are also not engaging or fun.  They are not fun for the kids or for the teacher.  Design better learning activities.

Same Question, Different Reaction

I was recently asked, "What would the people you work with say about you in your role as principal?"

The first thing that popped into my head, "They would say that I like to ask questions!"  Indeed, I do like to ask questions.  I like to hear about the rationale behind ideas.  I like to hear about the barriers that may be in the way.  I ask question to learn more about what is going on.

The challenge with some questions is that they mean different things to different people.  The easiest example is the question, "Why?"  For some people, this little three-letter word automatically flips the defensiveness switch.  If you are asking why, you must not trust me and my decisions and you think my words are not OK.

Within a solid relationship, this one usually does not cause a defensive reaction.  But it can.  For example, two strong, thoughtful, and energetic teachers I worked with for several years approached me with a question about team teaching.  They were very excited!  These two had been on the campus leadership team and had led several successful initiatives.  They were seen as true campus leaders and I felt like they knew I respected their work and their thoughts immensely.  They were very comfortable engaging in professional discourse and they had enjoyably indulged my why a thousand times!

They asked if their whole team could try a new arrangement for teaching and learning.  Just the thought of taking a risk and trying something different was awesome!  I loved the fact that they wanted to explore ways to improve what was happening for their students!  I listened to them explain the logistics for few minutes, then asked them about their rationale, "Why will this arrangement be better for your students?"

I had asked these two teachers the "Why" question many times in the past and they typically loved answering it because they confidently knew their business!  They didn't mind answering why!  These teachers, the ones that I felt like I had a great relationship with, had previously shown no problem with my why.

This time however, their faces changed a little, and they approached their response with a bit of hesitancy. As usual, they had some really good answers to the question, but they did not have their typical level of confidence, so their reaction to the question wasn't the same as usual.  No bright smiles this time. Rather than excitedly telling me about their plans, they hemmed and hawed a little bit.  They didn't like my why.  I am sure the fact that I had had not immediately approved caused a great deal of the difference in their reaction.

Knowing these two, they would have made it successful regardless of my question.  They usually did!  However this time, I left them with two outstanding questions to think about.

1. How will you ensure that you build relationships with every single child just as well as you usually do in a self-contained classroom?
2. How will you ensure that your lesson planning remains fully collaborative like it is now?

It didn't take too long for this group to approach me again with the same request, "Can we team teach?"

This time, I didn't even need to ask, "Why?"  I could tell that they had really thought out the the answers to that question.  When they presented their rationale, their reactions were quite the opposite of the first request.  They were excited and confident.  They had already thought through the why.  They had really done the thinking and talking to make sure that their plan would have the very best chance to work well!  Bright smiles and brilliant ideas abound!

My why didn't bother them this time!

In hindsight, knowing the talent and passion for doing great things of these two teachers and the entire team, I should have responded to their question with an immediate and emphatic, "Yes!"  Then I should have engaged in some other good questions to hear more about it.  Also looking back, I can say that they made their team better by working hard to build relationships and by using their collaborative strengths to plan for incredible instruction!

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.

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!