Caring, engaging, learning, and leading [guest post]

by ericsheninger | Oct 11, 2010 | Guest Bloggers, Leadership and Vision, Learning and Teaching | 5 comments

As an administrator I feel that my job is to create, foster, and sustain a culture of learning that focuses on the success of each and every student.  Paramount to this objective is the daily instruction that takes place in the classroom. The teacher, and his/her ability to promote student learning and achievement, is the single most important factor that will influence a child’s success in the classroom and beyond.

First and foremost, I want teachers who genuinely care about kids. If you don’t like being around adolescents for more than six hours, on average, each day then how will you be able to effectively teach and meet all of their diverse needs?  Connected to this is enthusiasm.  In the classroom, if a teacher is unenthusiastic about the lesson and the content then how can they expect their students to be excited about learning?  Passion and enthusiasm are qualities that I look for when interviewing prospective teaching candidates as well as during observations and classroom walk-throughs.   These attributes are contagious and together are two of the most important tools that a teacher can utilize to reach even the most challenging students.

From an instructional standpoint I want teachers to develop lessons that actively engage all students.  This can be accomplished in many different ways, but I firmly believe that the teachers who make the content meaningful and relevant to students never have a problem with engagement.   The learning environment should include examples of student work, consistent enforcement of rules, and excessive positive reinforcement.  Innovation is something that has become a more prevalent focus in my school.  To accomplish this, I want and need teachers that are not afraid of taking risks and failing once in a while.  What I don’t want is the same lessons and instructional techniques being used year in and year out.  It is imperative that teachers need to be accepting of new ideas and that they implement strategies that are either research-based or have been successful elsewhere.

Instilling a desire in our students to become life-long learners is not only a main objective of every educator’s job, but also something that has to be consistently modeled.  Teachers should actively pursue opportunities for growth without administrators getting on their case.  Consistent improvement is the only way teachers can stay abreast of all of the many changes in instructional techniques, educational technology, and ways in which students learn.  The concept of growing on the weekends and during the summer should also be embraced.  Routinely using the excuse “I don’t have time to do that” is unacceptable in my eyes.  As educators, we must make the time to get better because our students and their future depend on it.

Finally, I want teachers who will demonstrate and embrace a capacity to lead.  I am all about collaboration and making shared decisions that will benefit all students.  The success of initiatives such as Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) are dependent on teacher leaders acting as facilitators who ensure that all the work being done focuses on student achievement.  Teacher leaders are also essential in terms of developing meaningful in-house professional development, modeling professionalism, and assisting administrators to create and sustain vibrant learning cultures.  They act as agents of change and empower other teachers to embrace this movement. Administrators need teacher leaders in order to support and sustain innovative practices. 

In summary, as an administrator I want teachers who love their job and come to school every day willing and eager to make a difference in the life of a child.  I want teachers who are passionate, enthusiastic, routinely refine their teaching strategies based on research, and are willing to put the time in to better their craft.  I want teachers that will work with me to become better leaders, mentors, and colleagues.

Eric Sheninger is in his fourth year as Principal of New Milford High School. His school is located in New Milford, NJ, which is a suburb of New York City. New Milford has approximately 700 students in grades 9-12.

Image credit: Australian teachers at ISTE Leadership Symposium

What I Ask of SLA Teachers [guest post]

by chrislehmann | Oct 10, 2010 | Guest Bloggers, Leadership and Vision, Learning and Teaching | 4 comments

I want to thank Scott for asking me to do this and I want to curse him a little for making me go last. This is not an easy crew to follow.

I couldn’t get my head around what “administrators” in general ask of teachers, so I chose to focus on what I ask of Science Leadership Academy teachers. For the record, I think SLA teachers are, as a group, about the hardest working group of people I could ever imagine, and I think that is more because of the collegial atmosphere than anything I could ever do. So “work hard” isn’t making the list. So without further ado.

Top Ten Things I Ask of SLA Teachers.

10. Take care of yourself. Teaching is a marathon, not a sprint, and SLA teachers do put themselves out there early and often. I want my teachers to take time for themselves every day. I want SLA teachers to take trips, go to conferences, spend time with family and spend time with each other when they don’t talk about school.

9. Understand that your class is but one of five or six or seven classes that kids have. Understand that school is one of many things in a teenager’s life. And while what goes on in your class is important, I ask that teachers remember that, at any given moment in time, there are pressures on their kids’ lives that makes what goes on in our classes seem powerfully inconsequential.

8. Never be afraid to bring an idea or a critique or a thought to me. Never be afraid to tell me what you think.

7. Be as transparent as possible. That means giving students opportunities to publish their work to the world. That means opening your door to colleagues, to parents, to visitors. That means never playing “gotcha” with the kids with your expectations.

6. Remember that benevolent dictatorship may make for an orderly class, but it rarely helps kids become better people. Giving kids opportunities to feel ownership of the classroom is important because, in the end, you can get what you want or you can get much more.

5. Remember that inquiry isn’t just for kids. If we want our kids to always push themselves to question more, dig deeper, figure it out for themselves, we must be willing to do that too.

4. Take ownership of major pieces of the school outside your classroom. SLA works because everyone takes on pieces of it. Run a club, chair a committee, write a grant, do the thing you always wanted to do in a school but never thought the structure of school could support.

3. Be part of a community of teachers and learners and speak the same language. Kids spend too much time in schools figuring out teachers, and that detracts from the powerful work they can do for themselves, not for us. It is why I ask all teachers at SLA to always incorporate the core values into their planning, why we all use Understanding by Design to plan our units, why we all use the same rubric to grade all our projects. When we speak the same language about the way we teach and learn, kids can get down to the work of learning more quickly.

2. Treat your class as a lens, not a silo. The goal is for our kids to be well-rounded, thoughtful citizens. Remember that if you’re lucky, 10% of the kids in your class will major in your subject. Make sure the other 90% understand how what they are learning with you helps them to be a better person.

1. Remember that we teach students before we teach subjects. I ask that all SLA teachers understand and live the profound difference between the statements, “I teach history,” and “I teach kids history.” Children should never be the implied object of their own education.

And one more – Be kind. Be kind to your students, to your colleagues, even to your principal. Whatever you do, be kind.

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Chris Lehmann is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, an inquiry-driven, project-based, 1:1 laptop magnet high school in Philadelphia, PA. Named as one of the Ten Most Amazing Schools in the US by Ladies Home Journal, SLA is a partnership between The Franklin Institute and the School District of Philadelphia. Chris blogs at Practical Theory.

Image credit: I’ll give you the world if you love me!

What Administrators Need? I Need Teachers Who Think like Distance Runners [guest post]

by andytorris | Oct 9, 2010 | Guest Bloggers, Leadership and Vision, Learning and Teaching | 3 comments

One of my administrative colleagues at my school here in Shanghai is a marathon runner.

I am not.

The mere thought of running for more than my personal requirement of 30 minutes three times a week makes me want to loose more than just a few pounds (if you know what I mean!).

He on the other hand finds great joy in the planning for a marathon. The event itself is a test of a solid training plan and commitment to a goal.

His words to me still ring in my ears; “Andy, marathons are one of the very few things in this world that you cannot fake. If you don’t plan, commit and train, you throw up in front of the world”.

Ouch.

That is not something I want to do for sure!

I need teachers to take on the same mindset and apply it to their teaching and their careers. It comes down to planning, stretching for strength, minding the pace, working as a team member, and listening to a trusted coach.

Planning
I am not talking about lesson planning here. I am talking about life planning.

Like a long distance runner preparing for a race I expect a teacher to plan their career in the same way. I need teachers who can see past the next vacation or school year and consider what they need to do continue to improve, to learn and to reach their ultimate potential throughout the entirety of their career. As new employees come to our school we have a long conversation within the interview process about career goals. Professional stagnation is not an alternative at our school. We ask that people take their goals seriously. We ask that they stay professionally current and focused on goals that can be supported not only by the teacher but also by the organization.

Like a race, a career can only go two ways, forward or backward. There is no standing still. Without some plan, a career and thus teaching skill goes backward.

Stretch for Strength
Like a runner, a good stretch outside of one’s own comfort zone keeps a teacher professionally limber. We all know the person who strives to stay in their comfort zone, They never take risks. Their constant focus is to remain in the middle part of the pack (or the back) but not stand out in last pace. Mediocrity is their norm.

Instead, a quality professional, and great long distance runner knows that they must stretch themselves. Before the race (or the work) they prepare with warm-ups, stretches and deliberate steps. Teachers take care of their professional health by continuation of their learning. They take on new things, learn new skills, and assume new responsibilities. Teachers I want stretch themselves in new areas and new ways. A few years back I was asked to serve on a committee studying instrumental music in our elementary schools. I don’t play an instrument and have no background in music, yet I eagerly accepted the appointment, learned as much as I could about the subject and I believe I learned and contributed to the committee simultaneously. It made me a better principal too!

Mind the Pace
I need teachers to take care of themselves and find balance in their lives. Like a marathon runner, we have to realize that we cannot win the race in the first months of school or even the first years of our career. We must take on things carefully, with intention and with understanding that a stressed and overwhelmed teacher cannot be a good instructor or leader. In those times when the hill is in front of the runner or the inevitable “wall” is hit, a runner will become even more deliberate with their steps, carefully plodding through till the hill is gone or the wall is diminished. The runner will recognize that there may be some discomfort,- even pain- but it will not last forever and such events should not stand in front of our goals. Teachers I want to work with will also power through challenges or hills taking care of themselves and recognizing that the end will be justified by challenges they face as long as their pace is managed.

Working as a team member
Running, like teaching, is a team sport embedded in an individual activity. Administrators for years have been asking teachers to collaborate and then assigning them to separate classrooms, buildings and schedules. As much as we all hate it, there are realities we have to deal with in the daily operations of a school, but with all that being said, I still want to make sure that the teachers I work with see themselves as part of a larger team and they know that their roles will vary and depend on the topic, timing and situation. Teachers, like long distance runners must see themselves as members of a team. Some runners will be the rabbits; running ahead with a quick pace hoping to lead the way. Others will be the pacer; keeping the team at a decent speed, and minding the time. Yet another may be a leader, guiding and facilitating a good race result. These roles are fluid and changed frequently through a race, just like I would expect my teachers to take on different roles in a school setting.

Listening to a Trusted Coach
I grew up in Oregon. The name Prefontaine was burned into our brains as children there, as our bad boy running star from Coos Bay and the University of Oregon gained great status as he won race after race and whose life came tragically to an early end. Pre was a great talent, with amazing heart and a competitive edge. Most students of the sport would tell you that Pre would not have been a great runner without the guidance of Bill Bowerman. Bowerman recruited and guided this amazing talent, helping him become a world class runner. Prefontaine learned to listen to this coach, and was open to listening to and learning from him. I want teachers who seek mentors and is willing to learn from them. A mentor, by the way, is not necessarily an administrator. By no means is a mentor necessarily an older, wiser colleague or college professor. A mentor is someone who can guide learning and provide advice and support. These mentors come to us in many ways, but at the end of the day, they are there to make sure you make it to the end of the race with success and satisfaction. The teachers I want to work with seek out this deeper level of collaboration and gain great knowledge from that relationship.

Teaching, like long distance running cannot be faked. Oh sure, one can look like a long distance runner for a few minutes on a treadmill. 30 minutes three times a week can build running muscles and a guy can even peel off a few pounds, but put that same runner on a track or in a race and by the midpoint that runner (and thus that teacher) will lose their edge and it is SO OBVIOUS that they cannot continue. Sadly, I believe many schools allow the teacher who is not conditioned to continue in their work- allowing mediocre education to continue instead of allowing them to step off the track and get back into professional shape.

I need teachers who plan their professional track, stretch themselves for professional strength, mind their pace of their work and career and listen to a trusted mentor.

This entry has been cross posted at www.sentimentsoncommonsense.com

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Andrew Torris currently serves at the Deputy Superintendent for the Pudong Campus of Shanghai American School. He has served as a technology leader for most of his 24 years as an educator in the United States, Saudi Arabia and the People’s Republic of China. He has presented at regional conferences on technology topics, taught at the elementary and university level and been a building level and central office level administrator for 15 years. Most recently Mr. Torris used his deep passion for learning and technology to bring to reality the 1:1 laptop program at Shanghai American School. He lead the program development from the drawing board to community acceptance of the program and ultimate implementation involving over 400 teachers and over 2000 students. In addition to his many other duties at Shanghai American School, he also serves at the leader of educational technology. His blog can be found at www.sentimentsoncommonsense.com

RAINMAKERS

by kevinriley | Oct 7, 2010 | Guest Bloggers, Leadership and Vision, Learning and Teaching | 1 comment

When Scott first invited me to contribute a post in response to “What Does Every Administrator Need from Teachers” I immediately thought about the “Seven Gifts of El Milagro” that I wrote about a few years ago. At Mueller Charter School (aka. “El Milagro”) there just seem to be some common attributes shared by our most effective teachers. In the long grind of the school year and the relentless escalation of demands imposed by No Child Left Behind, I have come to expect these seven attributes from all of our teachers: commitment, talent, innovation, collaboration, intrinsic motivation, resiliency, and compassion.

THE GIFT OF COMMITMENT
The first of the Seven Gifts is the Gift of Commitment; an ability and willingness to focus like a red laser on the battle at hand. A belief in the cause. We look for warriors, and not just in the poetic sense of the term. True warriors are relentless in their pursuit of the mission. Even in the face of personal loss and harm, they give of themselves. No excuses. No compromise.

THE GIFT OF TALENT
While it would be nice to place a classic and complete teacher in every classroom, we have to settle for talented and inspiring and academically curious idealists. Our teachers have to have a strong, foundation in literacy and mathematical reasoning. They have to have that content knowledge.

But math and language arts content is not enough. Nor is science, social studies, physical education, and the visual and performing arts content. In between, who will make Yo-Yo Ma as real as Beyoncé? Who will inspire children to take a second microscopic look at a cricket’s wing and marvel at the intricate similarities that exist among living things? Who will explain how the same people who gave us Babylon, now give us Hamas? Who will teach children to sing with whatever voice God gave them…if not their teacher?

At El Milagro, our teachers must first be talented human beings if they are going to be talented teachers. And talent is formed from each individual’s unique amalgam of interest and curiosity, their personalities, their life experiences, their natural gifts. And, of course, their ability to translate their excitement and love for learning to others.

THE GIFT OF INNOVATION
The grand metaphors of life do not escape the creative observer. Life, in and of itself, may very well be the metaphor. In the meantime, however, there are those whose minds can bend and accept ambiguity and change and chaos and the long rough ride. There is a flexibility in their mental constructs. They solve problems with a sense of humor. They are confident in their own efficacy.

We used to say that we were looking for people who were capable of “thinking outside the box” until thinking outside the box became its own confining metaphor. So now we are just looking for gifted innovators…people with imaginations, playful spirits, and an ability to create El Milagro from Mueller Charter School. We are looking for Picasso or George Lucas. We are looking for Andy Warhol to find something useful to do with a can of soup besides open it with a rusted kitchen tool. We are looking for Christo to drape Central Park in orange banners and photograph the tourists as they run through them—catching and consuming them as if they were snowflakes melting in their mouths for the first time.

A GIFT FOR COLLABORATION
We are not the passengers. We are the crew. We row together or die in irons. There is no option for reclusive entrepreneurs concocting innovations in the broom closet. We share. We talk. We brainstorm and ask lots of questions that begin with “What if…” Our teachers communicate about their students’ progress on a regular basis. They collaborate with anyone who wants to play. And they all want to play.

THE GIFT OF INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
We are looking for teachers who have the rare ability to find inspiration in their own magic; teachers who are driven only by a compulsion to serve. Indeed, if people are intrinsically driven to achieve greatness on behalf of others, and to be a part of a passionate force of change, there is simply no more powerful source of motivation. If we are truly committed to the success of every child…then nothing can motivate us but their success! Nothing. Not money, not fear of sanctions, nor a manager’s praise.

THE GIFT OF RESILIENCY
Our teachers have to be resilient. That’s why we seek warriors who will not take “No” for an answer. Our teachers will not be denied. They fall and they rise up. They fall and they rise up. Their resilience is as much a part of El Milagro as anything else we do. We can’t promise much. But we can promise you will stumble and swear and agonize over the challenges: the mobility, the poverty, the ambiguity. The never-ending meetings and demands when you are sick and tired and buried and when you just want to hide out in your classroom and catch your breath.

And just when you arrive at your breaking point, in that moment when you discover that you cannot succeed at El Milagro unless you are resilient…you rise yet again. Bouncing back. Modeling persistence. While children all around you notice that the mysterious strength that they are drawing from their teacher somehow carries them—and they discover in themselves the strength to overcome anything.

THE GIFT OF COMPASSION
In “A Love Poem for My Students”, Ms. Michel, one of my first grade teachers wrote of her compassion for her students.  In part, it says:

I live to learn how to teach
my young people how to reach
the stars.

By far—
they are the most blessed gift given to me.

Ms. Michel has many gifts as a teacher. But the ones that her students derive the most benefit from are her commitment… talent… innovation… collaboration… intrinsic motivation… resiliency… and compassion. The Seven Gifts.

She reminds me of the verse I once read from Exodus: “You are blessed. You are a blessing to others. You are a blessing to the world.”I suppose, in the end, that that is what I ask of teachers every day: to bring the seven gifts and be a blessing to the world.

Kevin Riley, Ed.D., is in his 11th year as the Executive Director of Mueller Charter School (El Milagro), in Chula Vista, California. His blog is called El Milagro Weblog.

What Does Every Administrator Need from Teachers? [guest post]

by lindaperdaems | Oct 6, 2010 | Guest Bloggers, Leadership and Vision, Learning and Teaching | 3 comments

I would like to preface my answer to this question by telling you that I am very lucky to work in an elementary school at which my comments are observed every day and are actually part of the “air we breathe.” Thus, my inspiration for my job and for this blog comes from my fabulous colleagues. Administrators need the following from teachers…

Commitment To:

• The hard work of the teaching field.
• Doing WHATEVER it takes so that EVERY student meets or exceeds learning standards and achieves at high levels. 
• Developing a relationship with every student so that the student believes the teacher truly cares, believes in his/her ability to achieve, and works tirelessly to support his/her learning. 
• Being a “student” of teaching – working each day to strengthen teaching skills and implement new strategies.
• Collaboration with colleagues, students, parents, and the school community.
• Using formative and summative assessments to monitor student achievement and inform our practice.
• A constant focus on growth and results.

Communication By: 

• Reading, understanding, and following district and building policies and procedures.
• Frequent communication with parents, that includes updates regarding curriculum, classroom procedures, and their child’s progress.
• Keeping administration in the loop so that there is shared knowledge as issues arise.
• Maintaining building protocols for how we communicate with each other.
• Sharing successful – and unsuccessful – practices so that all can learn together.
• Maintaining trust and confidentiality.

Balance In:

• Curriculum priorities.
• Personal life and work life.
• Focus on student results.
• Keeping it all in perspective.
• Using humor to mamage the stress of our work.

Attitude That:

• Holds students at the core of all we do.
• Positively faces the many challenges in education today.
• Is fun-loving – while we work hard we also need to know how to have fun together.
• Understands that administrators, too, are being challenged and stretched in their jobs and, just like every teacher, the administrator is doing his/her best every day with the knowledge and skills available.

Challenge:

• By asking questions, not accepting the status quo, while also offering suggestions for change.
• Each other to strengthen the CORE of our instruction.
• Kids to set goals, monitor their own progress, and work to achieve those goals.
• To not “admire the problem,” rather to find ways to solve it.

In today’s world of education, it is critical that administrators and teachers work together to manage the constant pressures that come when we are focused on raising the achievement of every student. Much of our work is centered on philosophical and programmatic change, which naturally equates to added stress. At our school, we are working collaboratively to review best practice, monitor student achievement through assessment, analyze achievement data, and implement instructional practices and strategies to impact student achievement and close the achievement gaps. However, by working together we can make a huge difference in the lives of our students! I wouldn’t be in this job if I didn’t love the students and those who teach and support them!

Linda Perdaems is in her 20th year as an elementary school principal at Woodland Elementary School in the Osseo Area School System. Her school is located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Woodland currently has 1,030 preschool through sixth grade students.

Image credit: Whatever it takes!