Would you like to work for this company?

My good friend, John Kovac, sent me an email regarding my last blog post and included a link to an article on his company.  SAS, a tech company based in North Carolina, is generally regarded as one of the best companies to work for in the world and  John is fortunate to have recently joined them.  After reading this article I have to admit that I am a bit envious of the perks available to SAS employees.  Click here for a link to the article.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Good morning! I hope all of you in the US are looking forward to a shortened work week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

1. To read another call for bringing the private sector into public education please click here.  To echo Larry Kudlow, I believe free market capitalism is the best path to prosperity and I think many of the points made in this article are valid.  Good businesses attract more customers and are replicated, whereas bad businesses go out of business; wouldn't it be great if the same were true for schools?

Wouldn't it be nice to see this sign on some of our nations perennially failing schools?

2.  Here is a very short, but very informative article on 5 Ways to Be Amazing at Work.  I particularly like #2, as in an educational setting I think we do a great job of identifying problems, but we are not as good at solving problems.

Each of us has the ability to point at the problem, but how many of us have the courage to suggest a solution to the problem?  Moreover, how many of us are prepared to own the solution w suggest?

3. This article from the Harvard Business Review suggests that If You Are Going to Change Your Culture, Do It Quickly!  Not a day goes by that I don't see at least one article dealing with organizational culture in my Twitter feed or some other form of media.  The following quote alone makes reading the article worthwhile: "Once associates started taking ownership of their culture, they started thinking about how they could improve their work, rather than just doing their work."

Kaizen is an important part of our culture at IAS

4.  What is important to parents choosing schools?  This article provides the answers and I do not find them surprising at all.

Thoughts from Atlanta

While on vacation this past weekend I came across some articles you may find interesting.  Hope this finds you all well and enjoying life wherever you may be!

Professor James Tooley and School Choice This link contains Professor Tooley's musings on school choice and the media's reluctance to  address it in the case of Malala Yousafzai--the young lady shot by the Taliban in Pakistan.  Professor Tooley has written two very interesting books I am familiar with: The Beautiful Tree and From Village School to Global Brand: Changing the World Through Education.  Click here for a link to Professor Tooley discussing The Beautiful Tree.  



Center on International Education Benchmarking This link contains many links to interesting articles on education.  I would like to draw your attention to the very last article on the page which contains a link to a report on the Global Teacher Status Index by the Varkey GEMS Foundation.  Surprisingly, this study had Finland ranked behind the USA in regard to respect for the profession which is surprising given Finland's superior performance on the Program for International Student Assessment administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.


Flight Not an Option in Public School Wars  This article by Neal McCluskey gets to the heart of the problem: BIG $$$$$ and jobs at stake!

Random Thoughts And Articles On A Thursday

On Monday I had the good fortune to listen to Mike Lipkin, one of North America's preeminent coaches and motivators.  In short, this guy is amazing and I walked away from his presentation thoroughly impressed.  I encourage you to visit his website (click here) when you have the opportunity.

Mike Lipkin--you need to know who he is!

If you are interested in accessing educational data please click here. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is headquartered in Paris and its mission is "is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world."  If you are interested in trends in education around the world, I encourage you to follow the OECD on Twitter @OECD_Edu.

I believe the key to eliminating so many of the problems facing us both domestically and globally is access to a high-quality education.  A recent article in The Economist addresses the issue of gender inequality in education on the continent of Africa.  This is a very short, but enlightening read you can access by clicking here. 




This morning I listened to a great podcast from Harvard Business Review Ideacast.  Erica Ariel Fox, who teaches negotiation at Harvard Law School, discussed how to resolve inner conflict to lead wisely and live well.  If you have ever been told to work smarter, not harder and struggled to grasp the true meaning of this advice, listening to this podcast will help you understand.  For the link to her personal website, please click here.  Below is the cover to her most popular work.

Interesting reading for educators

If you have any interest in why the Chinese tend to score so much higher than the United States on math assessments then you might want to click on this link.  I am looking forward to following this study.  If this subject is of particular interest to you then I suggest you also check out Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
What makes math instruction more effective in China?



Thomas Friedman suggests that there is no secret to the success of students in Shanghai on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) examinations.  He credits the "back to the basics" approach and a relentless emphasis on improving instructional practices.
Another view on education in China



Nice article on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the best way to utilize them in a school setting.
Education and skills using today's technologies



If you are an educator, please read this and post your response so we can have a discussion around this topic.  I am curious to hear what teachers have to say on this subject and would also be interested in the perspective parents would have regarding their experience with their sons in the classroom.
What schools can do to help boys succeed

Some Interesting Links for Wednesday Reading!

Below are five links I think you may find interesting and, hopefully, useful.  The first link is certainly disturbing and is indicative of the moral decay of our nation.  The bottom line is that there are no free lunches--someone always pays, but the people taking advantage of this glitch in the system don't quite get this concept.  The second link is primarily for those in leadership positions or desiring a leadership position.  I believe teachers with Apple products will find the third link beneficial, although they may already have these apps.  The fourth and fifth links address our nation's high schools and what can be done to improve them.  As always, please let me know what you think.  Have a great day!


To find out how far we have slipped as a nation, please click here.

Looking to take your leadership to a new level?  Numbers 2 through 4 will work for school leaders.

Use your iPad or iPhone to make your classroom more effective and efficient!  8 Great apps for the classroom!

What can we do to improve American high schools?  Rethinking High School

It is important ot remind our students that the habits they are developing today matter tomorrow.  Practice College Study Skills During High School

Burn the Boats!

Have you ever been faced with a situation in which you were not sure you could get full support from your team?  A situation that required complete buy-in from all constituents, yet you doubted standard operating procedures would garner that support?  Well, I have a strategy for you!  I know how to get the support you need—burn the boats!

                Hernan Cortes arrived in Mexico in early 1519 on shaky ground.  His commission legalizing his trip to Mexico has been canceled and he doubted the loyalty of his men.  He was a long way from home, his support was dwindling, and failure looked inevitable, so he burned the boats.  Now, there truly was no turning back; no way to head home,  Cortes left them with no choice but to press on.  He took away any safety net his men believed they had and gave them no choice but to continue to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan and face down the most-feared warriors in the area.  No matter what you think of Cortes, he was successful implementing this strategy given that he went on to conquer the Aztec empire and four years later he was named Governor and Captain-General of New Spain.

                Last year was my first year as a school leader and with the support of my administrative team, we decided to burn the boats.  We wanted our school community to know we were serious about academic achievement.  We wanted them to believe us when we said it was unacceptable for any students to fail.  I saw the eyes rolling and the looks between some staff members when we told them it was unacceptable for students to fail.  Moreover, we knew that some of our students had heard this message before and believed they could always rely upon summer school to get to the next grade.  We knew all of this, so we figuratively burned the boats.  I spent the money we allocated for summer school.  Technically I reallocated it and informed our staff and students we were going to do it right the first time and not have a need for summer school.  We did this knowing that over 30% of our students were retained or had to attend summer school the previous year.  In short, we gave them no other options.  Did it work?  Last year we promoted 99.9925% of our students to the following grade and had an aggregate academic average of 83%.  If you really want to get something done, burn the boats.  Give people no other option but to press on and move forward.  Burn the boats: make failure painful and most people will work their tails off to avoid it.

                

Position Yourself To Win!

I knew Alabama would win yesterday.  Okay, to those of you who know me well, you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking, "Tell me something I don't know."  I am a huge "homer" when it comes to the University of Alabama and I generally believe they are going to win every football game.  Now, if you are not a sports fan, don't worry, I am going to bring this back to leadership and life, but you will have to bear with me for just a bit longer.

Yesterday the University of Alabama traveled to College Station, Texas to square off against the Aggies from Texas A&M University and last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel.  Now if you follow football, that is enough said.  However, for those who are not college football fans let me just say that Johnny Manziel is about the most exciting player in college football and Kyle Field, where the Aggies play, might just be one of the biggest home field advantages in all of college football.  That is to say, my beloved Crimson Tide had their work cut out for them.  Nonetheless, I believed deep in my heart that the Crimson Tide would prevail, because they had put themselves in position to win.  You see, while the Crimson Tide were preparing for this game, the Aggies were dealing with discipline issues.  A total of eight players were suspended for all or part of the first game of the season, including Mr. Manziel,  and at least four players were suspended for all or part of their second game.  Put simply, the Aggies did not put themselves in position to win considering they were going up against the #1 team in all of college football.

I thought about this quite a bit the weeks prior to the game, but related it more to life than the upcoming game.  How many times have we failed to put ourselves in position to win in life?  It is easy to criticize these student-athletes, but how do we fare when we perform a self-assessment?  How many times have we done that which we know we ought not to do?  How many times have we taken a short cut?  How often have we shown up late or even "mailed it in?"  Life is difficult enough with all it throws at us, but often we are our own worst enemy--just like these young men from Texas A&M.  Each of us, I would argue, knows what we are SUPPOSED to do and even when we are supposed to do it, but we fail to mange the moment.  Far too often we don't make the decision we know we should make.  We put our selfish interests ahead of our team or we allow what we believe to be good in the short-term to trump what we know to be good long-term.  Life often comes down to being bigger than the moment, making the right decision even when we don't want to go that way.  However, getting into the habit of mastering these small moments will make it that much easier to choose correctly when faced with some of life's toughest choices.  Remember, what we do today, or leave undone, always has consequences for tomorrow.

Those We Love And Those Who Need Our Love

School doors open around Michigan tomorrow.  Most teachers already have their homeroom and class rosters and have no doubt given it the once-over and made mental notes about the students in their classes.  I have no doubt that some teachers are eagerly anticipating seeing certain students in their classrooms as they have heard great things from other staff members or have prior experience with elder siblings.  On the other hand, there are those names that make us pause and perhaps say a silent prayer, as our colleagues have shared numerous horror stories about this student or that student.  Perhaps we have even had their siblings in our classes and we remember how challenging they were.  Generally, the former are those we love and the latter are those we hope miss a few days here and there.  However, it is the latter group of students that most needs our attention, our extra effort, and, yes, our love.  These are the students that struggle to conform to the routine of the school-day, they tend to chafe under the consistency of school because they live in such an inconsistent environment.  Their behavior is by-and-large determined by the context in which they live.  Go easy tomorrow.  Be kind, be understanding, be firm, but be gentle; what we do this week will set the tone for the remainder of the year.  Our words and actions will create the context in our schools that leads to the behaviors we desire or adds to the challenges we face.  Create a great year!

Food for Thought on a Monday Afternoon

Below I posted three links that you may find interesting.  I would appreciate hearing your feedback on all three, but especially on the first two links.

5 Ways to Spot a Potential Leader

Very short, but spot-on article regarding some ways to identify those with leadership potential.  I particularly like #1 and #3.

What do you look for when attempting to identify potential leaders?  Is the author on the right track?

It's time for educators to learn new tricks

Interesting article by Luke Johnson calling for change in secondary and post-secondary education.  I agree with the following points:
1. We need to focus on acquisition of  language skills in Arabic, Mandarin, etc. rather than French.
2. Unions do serve the needs of their members rather than the consumers in an industry, thus they tend to be resistant to change.
3. His call for differentiated instruction is to be applauded, particularly at the university level.

I believe we are only at the beginning of many significant changes in how students are to be educated in the future.  The advent of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) will certainly begin to change the delivery of instruction.  Moreover, the possibilities associated with e-books and tablets are exciting and may prove to revolutionize the industry.

What do you think about change in education?  Too little?  Too much?  Too soon?

Grading-System Scrutiny May Follow Fall of Fla. Chief

This story could certainly prove to be very unfortunate for proponents of school choice.  We need total transparency as those advocating against school choice are sure to use this story to support efforts to slow down what so many have worked to bring about.

The importance of horizontal leadership

“I have no problem being the ultimate arbiter of discipline, but if I am the primary arbiter of discipline, then our team will never be worth a darn!”  I used to say these exact words to my basketball team on a regular basis.  Okay, yes, I probably did use a stronger word than darn, in fact probably a couple of stronger words.  I was attempting to get my team to buy-in to the concept of horizontal leadership, or shared leadership.  Each of them knew what the expectations were for members of our basketball team, yet I struggled to get them to hold one another accountable.  It is no coincidence that once they accepted the responsibility of horizontal leadership we began to accumulate more wins.

As mentioned earlier, horizontal leadership is just another way of saying shared leadership.  It really compliments Mark Sanborn’s book You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader.  The idea being that leadership is for all of us, not just those with the title denoting leadership.  I would suggest that most, if not all, successful teams, groups, and organizations have very strong horizontal leadership.  When all members of a group accept the responsibility associated with horizontal leadership, greatness becomes a distinct possibility.

Imagine the athletic team that does not require their coach, coaches, or team captains hovering over them to do what they are supposed to do, to the best of their ability, when they are supposed to do it—this is a team that maximizes their time spent practicing!  How about the office that continues to hum along when their supervisor is out of the building—productivity does not drop simply because “the boss” is not there to tell people to get back to work.  This happens because of horizontal leadership.  Each member of the team, group, or organization first assumes responsibility for leading themselves and then accepts the responsibility of holding their teammates accountable for their actions.  When I was coaching I would share a quote from Alexander the Great with my student-athletes: “I am not afraid of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”  The point is that the lion will convince the sheep that they are, in fact, lions, whereas an army of lions led by sheep will become convinced they are, in fact, sheep.  I used to challenge my student-athletes to a step further: I challenged them to become an army of lions led by lions, but reminded them that this would only be possible if they embraced horizontal leadership.  Lions led by lions would be an unstoppable force, whereas the sheep led by a lion were in trouble if something happened to the lion leading them. 

 Horizontal leadership allows teams to weather storms and assists in eliminating the possibility of a single point of failure—two desired outcomes for any team.  Everything certainly rises and falls based upon leadership, thus we must do our best to ensure that our teams have multiple leaders and are not dependent upon the presence, loyalty, or well-being of one single leader.

Dylan Luna and the American Dream

Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the SABIS Directors' Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.  In addition to the incredible location, I was also able to listen to many excellent speakers discuss exciting new developments unique to SABIS.  Moreover, I was able to listen to Svava Bjarnason, Principal Education Specialist at the International Finance Corporation discuss the work her organization is doing in the field of education.

Four days prior to hearing Ms. Bjarnason speak about all the good the International Finance Corporation is doing throughout the world in the field of education, I was on the roof of our hotel enjoying an Efes and looking out over Istanbul.  I turned to one of my colleagues and posed a question: How many talented children in this city of over 13 million will never get a chance in life because they are denied access to a quality education?

Daily children in our country take the education they are provided for granted.  Sure, there are many who seize this opportunity and use it to get where they want to go, but how many throw this golden opportunity away?  How many squander the opportunity to better themselves and to improve their socio-economic status in a matter of a few short years?  People in our country take the opportunities provided to us for granted.  Looking down at Istanbul I wondered "How many children similar to Dylan Luna are in this city?"  How many children are walking around with a dream, yet see no possible way of reaching this dream?  Dylan was a student of mine at the International Academy of Flint and one of my all-time favorites.  I am not sure I ever met a young person with a greater sense of purpose than Dylan.  Moreover, Dylan possessed a drive and determination I rarely saw in others.  He seized every opportunity possible in order to get where he wanted to go.  Rather than looking at his circumstances as obstacles and using them as an excuse for failure or lack of success, Dylan used his circumstances as building blocks and motivation to drive him forward.  However, Dylan was able to do so because he had a great family and support network behind him, he had access to a quality education, and he recognized the importance of this opportunity.  Providing ALL children with access to such an education may prove to be the most important issue of our generation.

Our challenge as educators is two-fold.  Not only must we work daily to ensure that the children under our care are provided the best possible education, but we must also strive to build quality relationships with the children under our care so we can influence them to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them in our great nation.  Many of our children need help seeing what is directly in front of them--both good and bad.  For this generation of young people, nothing exists until it actually occurs.  We must assume the responsibility of assisting them in looking and planning ahead, helping them navigate the challenges life brings their way, and recognizing the opportunities they have as citizens in our country.

Why Won't We Get Out of Our Boats?

Thank you so much to those of you sharing your thoughts and stories on my last post.  It is a great deal of fun to read your thoughts and to hear how others have dealt with the fear of failure in their lives.  The fear that tells us not to pick up a rattlesnake is a good thing, but the fear that tells us not to try because we might fail is a very bad thing.  This is the fear that prevents us from becoming what we were created to be; the fear that holds us back from realizing our potential. I have spent a great deal of time watching others, examining my past, and thinking about this subject in order to determine why we are so afraid to take that step, to venture outside our comfort zone, to get out of our respective boats.  I have identified the following three areas as reasons people are afraid to get out of their boats.

1. Low self-esteem.  It is very, very difficult for people to step outside their comfort zone and risk failure when they do not feel good about themselves.  People need to have a relatively high level of self-esteem in order to withstand the possible blow to their ego associated with failure.  With a high level of self-esteem, we are able to handle the loss of face we too often associate with failure.  On the other hand, a low self-esteem will often work to hold us back as we become too concerned about what others will think about our failure.  Instead of focusing on the possible benefits of our efforts, we instead focus on all that we believe will come with our potential failure.

2. Non-supportive environment.  Far too often we do not surround ourselves with the right type of people.  We need people around us who delight in our triumphs and console us during our failures. Unfortunately we often have people around us who delight in our failures and are jealous of our triumphs.  The people we bring into our lives act as either balloons or anchors: they either raise us up or they serve to keep us anchored to the ground (more to come on this later in the month).

3.  Culture.  There seems to be such a stigma associated with failure today.  So many people I come into contact with use language that would lead you to believe that those who achieve greatness were born for it.  I suggest the opposite: those who achieve greatness are keenly aware of the bitter taste of failure and defeat.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets to the top of the mountain unscathed.  All champions emerge, bruised, bloodied, but unbowed despite the setbacks they endure.  This is what makes them champions; the courage to endure setback after setback with an unwavering belief in their eventual victory in whatever endeavor they pursue.  This is what victors are made of and this is the behavior we should emulate.

I am convinced that if we can overcome these three impediments, we will be primed to get out of our boats and take our first steps toward greatness.  Imagine what we would be capable of achieving if we no longer feared the sting or stigma of failure?

Redefining Failure

In our increasingly complex and competitive world, failure has become much more commonplace.  Moreover, thanks to the advent of social-media and the 24-7 news cycle, failures and shortcomings are now immediately known and shared around the globe.  It is no wonder that many of us are afraid to "get out of our boat" and often appear to be paralyzed due to our fear of failure.  We have to overcome this fear and put our life in motion because "A life which does not go into action is a failure."  I believe the first step to overcoming our fear of failure is to change how we look at failure by redefining the concept.  With that in mind, I would like to provide you with six new ways to look at failure.

1. Failure = Practice.  Athletes understand this concept.  They fail daily in practice, whether they are practicing shooting in basketball, hitting a curve ball in baseball, or putting and chipping in golf, nobody is perfect all the time and if we are not perfect, then we are, in fact, failing at least some of the time.  Remember the words of Thomas Edison: "I have not failed; I have simply found 10,000 ways it will not work."

2.  Failure makes us smarter and stronger.  Failure clearly illustrates what does not work and allows us an opportunity to determine what we need to do differently or what we need to start doing.  My good friend, Kendra Giles once facilitated a presentation on what we need to stop doing, continue doing, and start doing. Failure provides us an opportunity to consider these three ideas much more intelligently.  In addition, after we eliminate certain behaviors because we have identified them with our failure, we are then able to begin anew with both more vigor and confidence.  Henry Ford reminds us "Failure is the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."

3.  Failure makes us resilient.  Often when we fail we find that what we were so afraid of is not that bad.  In fact, Plato tells us "Courage is knowing what not to fear."  We discover that not only was our failure not fatal, but that it is a single, unsustainable act if we allow it to be.  Moreover, we often discover that failure is simply a step on our way to future success.  Benjamin Disraeli has a quote that addresses this perfectly: "Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure."

4.  Failure equips us with leadership skills.  Put simply, we cannot take others where we have not been or are afraid to go.  As leaders, we must be willing to take the first step.  Contrary to what we have heard from our current crop of politicians (politicians, not leaders) in the United States, there is no leading from behind.  Leaders are out front, forging the path ahead, inspiring their followers to walk in their footsteps.  Leaders go first.

5. Failure prepares us for success.  Perhaps I should change this to read failure prepares us to handle success. Over the past 14 years I have counseled numerous students going through difficult times.  During these times I share with them the following belief: God has to build us down before He builds us up.  We need a strong foundation in order to handle the success ahead of us.  How many times have we seen someone get too much too soon and the success overwhelms them and proves to be fleeting?  Experiencing failure prior to our breakthrough prepares us to deal with the trappings of success.

6.  Failure allows a deeper appreciation of success.  Obviously these last two points go together and really serve to complement one another.  There is a great quote from Truman Capote that sums up this point perfectly: "Failure is the condiment that flavors success."  Only those who have been denied access to the mountaintop prior to reaching the summit can truly appreciate the victory.

I hope these six points assist you in in overcoming any fear currently holding you back.  Changing our paradigm of failure is the first step in this process and should prove to get you started on your journey, wherever it may lead.

Three Questions That Lead To More Effective Classroom Management

My experience teaches me that classroom management is more about the adult's response to situations than it is about the situations themselves.  If we can condition our response to stressful situations in the classroom, I believe we can generally control most any situation that may arise.  However, in order to condition our responses, we must first condition our thoughts.  With this in mind I identified three questions to ask myself prior to responding.

1. Am I about to make this situation better or worse?  Is what I am about to do going to increase the volatility or am I about to deescalate the situation?  When entering into a volatile situation our response will either serve as gasoline and exacerbate the flames or as water and douse the flames.  It is my experience that our first response in these situations is often not the best choice, thus I suggest asking this very simple question prior to any action.

2. What is the context that produced this behavior?  The key to solving a problem is completely understanding the problem.  Many of the challenging situations we deal with at school are not directly related to something that occurred at school.  More often than not the student is dealing with some unresolved issue from outside of school or something happened at school that was simply the catalyst that pushed them over the edge.  It is key to ask the right questions in order to understand the context that produced the undesired behavior.  Only then can we begin addressing the negative behavior and then assist the student in overcoming the challenge they are facing.

3. Is this about me?  Sometimes it is us or something we have done or said, and this presents the greatest challenge.  It is very easy to make it "personal" in this type of situation and this will only serve to make it worse.  Even the most self-aware people have a difficult time objectively examining their behavior when they are in the moment.  Faced with this type of situation I attempt to "shelve" the issue for the moment; that is, I want to give both of us a chance to settle down before delving into what I did to bring about the situation or what I did to make the situation worse.  It is best to utilize the ten-second rule in this type of scenario.  The ten-second rule is as follows: do not engage the student for period of time longer than ten seconds during a redirection in front of the class.  This rule has saved me from making colossal mistakes numerous times.

I believe asking yourself these three questions will save you a great deal of time and trouble in the classroom.  Changing our response to stressful situations is simply changing our habits.  In order to change our habits, we must first change the way we think about a situation and this takes time and practice.  Have a great week!

How Deep Are Your Pockets?

It is no secret that the students we serve oftentimes do not think ahead, that is to say they do not consider the possible consequences of their actions.  While I am certainly aware of this shortcoming, I know that I don't do enough to teach the students under my care to think ahead and to consider all the possible ramifications of their behavior.  Today I took the first step to rectifying this problem.

Speaking to a group of students today in my school, I opened by introducing them to the word continuum.  I suggested that for every behavior, there was a continuum of possible consequences.  We quickly agreed that generally the best possible consequence for negative behavior was that it would go unnoticed and thus they would escape any possible consequence.  However, I argued that once they engaged in a negative or risky behavior, then they just agreed to "buy" all the possible consequences on that particular continuum.  For example, let's say I punch somebody in the face.  There are a number of possible consequences, starting with I cause no serious damage and the person I punched decides not to beat me senseless.  That is most likely the "best possible" scenario.  However, there are numerous other possible consequences on this continuum, including the following:

• He punches me back
• I cause some injury and end up at the mercy of law enforcement
• I cause some injury and end up responsible for the other party's medical bills
• I hit the other person and they fall, hit their head on the ground, and die

When I make the decision to punch that other person, I have, in effect, "bought" all possible consequences on this continuum.  Once I make the decision to throw that punch, I am now at the mercy of fate and I have to accept whatever consequence comes my way.

Perhaps teaching our students to think of the best possible scenario and the worst possible scenario associated with certain behaviors might serve to make them pause prior to engaging in negative or risky behaviors.  If we can get them to pause prior to acting or reacting, maybe the temptation toward a negative action will pass.  As the leader of a school that is majority minority, I know that my students are not always afforded the second or even third chances that students from other areas are provided.  Thus, their pockets are not quite as deep--in a manner of speaking--and subsequently they cannot "afford" to buy all the consequences related to negative or risky behavior.

More On Building Relationships

Be like water.  That is the advice I give teachers all the time.  Water wears down rock over time, but it takes time and it requires consistency.  Be like water; consistently stay on message and don't get discouraged when it comes to students.

 So, this year I took my own advice at my new school.  I literally knew almost none of the students on the first day of school, but I decided to open car doors and greet each and every student upon arrival.  Very quickly I noticed that one particular student went out of his way to ignore me.  In fact, I could not even get him to acknowledge my presence.  No matter, I was like water: greeted him each and every morning by name and wished him a great day.  September, October, and November came and went and still he would not acknowledge me.  However, I think he may have looked at me during December.  It may have been my imagination or it may have been that the Christmas spirit moved him to glance in my direction, but I'm pretty sure he looked at me.

During the month of January I decided to kick it up a notch.  Now, not only would I greet him upon his arrival at school, but I was going to intentionally "run into him" during the school day and attempt to place myself in such a way that he could not ignore me.  This was going to work!  I was right there, in the hallway, he couldn't miss me and . . . nothing.  Be like water, said the voice in my head.

Finally, in February, I got a nod!  No verbal greeting, but actual acknowledgement that I was there, occupying the same planet as him--this was a breakthrough!  Toward the end of the month I actually got him to answer a question.  Yes, it was a one word response to my inquiry, but I was making headway.  Emboldened by the acknowledgement of my existence, I stepped up my game and started talking to this young man as often as possible and sometimes I even received a lengthier reply: "Naw, that wasn't me."  Or something like, "I'm good."  Nonetheless, this was true progress.

Toward the end of March I grew very bold and decided to add a letter to the repertoire of communication techniques I employed. I wrote this young man and conveyed the following:

•  I was worried about him and his lack of academic progress
•  I believed he was capable of much better work than he was currently producing
•  I was afraid that if he didn't pick up the pace I believed he would be retained in the same grade
•  If this did occur, he would have no one to blame but himself, as he is more than capable of meeting promotion requirements
• I believed in him and would be there to offer assistance if needed

This young man became a bit more talkative upon return from Spring Break, but there was no apparent major breakthrough, nor did he acknowledge receiving my letter.  However, yesterday, his homeroom teacher approached me at the end of the day with a HUGE smile on her face.  She proceeded to tell me that he worked in class and volunteered to assist in checking the work of others--this was incredible progress!  I shared this with another administrator in our school and he shared similar sentiments as the homeroom teacher.  Now, I am not near vain enough to take credit for this change in behavior, but can we ever determine which rush of water smoothed the rough edges of the stone?  Moreover, does it really even matter?  Who cares about the credit; the stone has been changed .  Be like water, my friends.

Feedback From a Teacher

Today I received a great email from a teacher commenting on my last post on building relationships.  Take a look at what this teacher wrote (below in italics).  I have to tell you, I am incredibly impressed by the self-awareness of this teacher and the willingness to objectively view their behavior.  Take a look.

I liked the article. This is something I definitely need to work on. With some students, this is easy and I can see how it has helped. However, I think that ***** thinks I dislike her. Her attention is very low and I am constantly  redirecting her. Also, she is afraid of showing me her work because I usually end up pointing out a mistake she made. I end up having too many negative comments toward her and not enough positive. This effects her behavior to me. I need to work on building our relationship and focusing more on the positive.

I found this email refreshing and spot-on.  I plan on using it with my staff at the end of the year and during back-to-school workshops.  Imagine how much better we would be as professionals if we all took the time to look within ourselves and we carefully and honestly audited our words and actions with the students we serve--we would be primed for improvement!  Moreover, what if as school leaders we could make these behaviors a fundamental part of our building's culture; I believe we would significantly improve our effectiveness as educators and we would have families knocking down the doors to get into our schools.  This change must start with us because the current status quo in our industry does not encourage such behaviors.

Step Three: Build Strong, Positive Relationships With Your Students

The third step to effective classroom management is building strong, positive relationships with the students in your classroom.  I believe this is an area that is often overlooked by many.  However, failure to build strong, positive relationships with the students you teach will serve to make your job much more difficult than it needs to be.

               

  First, let’s discuss some of the benefits of building relationships with your students.  We can begin with the adage, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  In my experience, this has proven to be true all the time.  I have had the privilege of working with brilliant teachers who unfortunately could not make headway with many students because the students just did not believe that the teacher truly cared about them.  Students are generally far more willing to comply with a directive from an adult they believe cares for them.  Students do not care about titles or degrees; what is important to them is that they know the adult in the front of the class has their best interests at heart and willingly, openly, and consistently displays an interest in their respective lives. 

                

Building strong, positive relationships with students will go a long way toward mitigating potential problems if you do or say something out of line.  Believe it or not, I have actually said things to students, or in front of students, I should not have said.  Of course, many of my colleagues know that I certainly did not have to preface that last statement with believe it or not.  As I have matured and grown wiser (still a long way to go on that journey) these situations have occurred less frequently, but we are all human, are all fallible, and we will all make mistakes even when we know better.  But you know what; students have always been willing to give me a break because of the time I invested in them.  Never once, not once, did my mistakes ever become an issue.  Of course, I was always willing and eager to apologize after the fact, but not one student ever made an issue of my shortcomings and it would have been very easy for them to do so.

                

If you have strong, positive relationships with your students you will begin to find that they are willing to share the burden for classroom management.  In fact, you will begin to see leaders in your classroom offer redirection to students before you are even able to get the words out!  In addition, frequently I have been able to approach a student about a challenge I was facing in the school and I could almost always count on them to assist me in overcoming that challenge.  It is my experience that students are willing to bend over backwards for teachers they care about and believe care about them.

                

So, the benefits of building relationships with students are readily apparent, but how do you go about doing it?  Well, first, we have to recognize there are no shortcuts.  Unfortunately I have seen adults attempt to take shortcuts in this area.  Generally shortcuts look something like the following:

1.       Allowing students to get away with negative behaviors

2.       Sharing information with students that is inappropriate

3.       Gossiping about other staff members or other students

4.       Speaking disparagingly about authority figures: parents; teachers; or administrators

5.       Speaking disparagingly about other students

Exhibiting any of the behaviors listed above is certain to produce long-term negative effects.  You will not build a strong, positive relationship and your students will not respect you.  At that point you will be far worse off than if you had not even tried.  Here is what I recommend:

1.       Greet them all the time by name.  Make a point to learn your students’ names as soon as humanly possible and use them as often as possible in a positive manner.

2.       Notice them.  Did they change their appearance?  Then make a positive comment about the change and tell them how much you like it.  There is a world of difference between “Your outfit looks nice today.” and “I love that color on you!”  Personalize your compliments and watch how it pays off in the long run.

3.       Ask them about themselves.  News flash: people like talking about themselves.  Yeah, I know, hard to believe, right?  Make a point to discover their likes, dislikes, and interests.  Search for commonalities and capitalize upon them.

4.       Listen to them without always judging them.  To be honest, this is difficult for me.  I am extremely opinionated and I often forget that what is important to them at this stage in their life was once important to me at that very same stage.  As an adult it is very easy for us  to attempt to minimize the struggles they are going through, but it means the world to them at this point in their lives, so treat their challenges accordingly.

5.       Spend time with them outside the classroom.  Go to their games, concerts, recitals, baptisms, confirmations, birthdays, etc.  We spend time with the people we care about.  I always shared with students that the most valuable thing to me outside my family was my time, so imagine the response when I show up at their events.

Building strong, positive relationships with the students we serve is of the utmost importance.  As I become better at being a school leader I will begin to formalize this process more and more for my staff.  It is something we have to do on purpose, because with everything else we are charged with doing it is easy to forget about it and let it fall by the wayside.  Moreover, it is very easy to minimize the importance of building relationships with our students because we do not always see the benefits of doing so immediately.  However, if we are committed to becoming the best educators we can be, it is a task that should be at the forefront of our thoughts each and every day we serve children.

Step Two: Policies, Procedures, and Protocols

Visualizing how you believe your classroom should function is the first step to managing your classroom.  Everything you need to do to properly manage your classroom is dependent upon taking this very important first step.  Once you have established a vision for your classroom, it is now time to consider the three P’s of classroom management: policies, procedures, and protocols.

Policies are defined as proposed or adopted courses or principles of action.  For example, “In our classroom all team members will communicate respectfully and will demonstrate respect and tolerance for opposing viewpoints.”  This, to me, sounds like a very good policy for classrooms to adopt.    A further example, “Our classroom values participation from all team members.”  I think we would agree that this is, once again, a very sound policy to have in a classroom and a policy conducive to fostering good behavior from all team members.  Classroom policies should establish norms for behavior and “paint the picture” for our students; our policies clearly state what we want to see and what we strive for on a daily basis.  Our policies should align with our vision.

Policies are really a clear extension of our vision, but we also have to foster behaviors aligned with our vision and policies.   One definition of procedures is as follows: an established or official way of doing something.  To further clarify we should add the following: a series of actions conducted in a certain order or manner.  Determining classroom procedures will take a great deal of work, but the benefits are well worth the effort.  Procedures clearly establish proper behaviors, but also clarify how we go about performing these behaviors.  Teachers must have a procedure for darn near everything: what to do when you need supplies; what to do when you need to use the restroom; what to do when you have a question; what to do when you want to participate in the discussion; how to enter and exit the room; how to pass in homework; how to walk to the lunchroom; how to transition to PE and other classes; how to assist a classmate; and how to resolve conflicts.  I am sure a group of educators could generate a list of what-to-dos and how-to-dos that would fill a notebook—I would suggest sitting down with your colleagues and doing so.  Establishing procedures for all possible scenarios will go a long way toward assisting you in reaching your vision for your classroom and assuring adherence to your established policies.

Protocols are closely related to procedures, but slightly different, thus requiring their own definition.  Protocols are defined as such: the established codes of procedures or behaviors in any group.  I like to define protocols as “If this . . ., then this . . .”  If a student does not follow the established procedures, thus violating classroom policies, then what happens? What happens if they violate this policy more than once?  What do you do if a team member clearly demonstrates a lack of respect for another team member in a group discussion?  Consider not only your response, but also what the response of the other team members should be in such a scenario.  Establishing these protocols will allow your classroom to function much more efficiently and effectively.  If you have the proper protocols in place, you will find that you as the classroom teacher do not always have to act as the primary mechanism of accountability.  You should always serve as the ultimate arbiter of accountability, but imagine how much easier your job would be if you could depend upon having other members of the classroom hold one another responsible for adherence to classroom policies.  This is possible if you establish and teach the protocols necessary to assist you in achieving your classroom vision.

Establishment of classroom policies, procedures, and protocols remove a great deal of uncertainty for our students.  Establishing and teaching these three P’s will make them feel safer and more secure as they clearly understand what is expected of them, the behaviors they need to exhibit, the manner of demonstrating these behaviors, and they understand the consequences for violations in the classrooms.  Teaching your three P’s in an ongoing manner removes a great deal of the ambiguity associated with our students’ lives.  A co-worker and I used to joke that many educators are consistently inconsistent.   Establishment of classroom policies, procedures, and protocols will allow us, as well as our students, to behave in a more consistent manner and will allow us to better manage our classrooms.

Some Great Links on Leadership

1. I think you will like this very brief article on the three E's of leadership: Engaging, Encouraging, and Enforcing.  Moreover,I think there is a lesson to be learned in regard to Peter's changing attitude toward Kathy.
http://www.inc.com/peter-gasca/3-leadership-skills-that-trump-all-others.html


2. A great remidner that the one thing we can be sure of changing in life is ourselves!
http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/2013/03/career-self-leadership-3-key-variables.html


3. A reminder on the importance of knowing your audience when you are communicating. http://linked2leadership.com/2013/03/23/communication-breakdown-are-you-thinking-about-your-audience/

The first step to classroom management: have a vision

Nothing bedevils teachers like classroom management.  Research tells us that 1/3 leave teaching within the first three years and 1/2 leave within the first five years.  I imagine it is safe to attribute many of these defections to stress associated with an inability to properly manage their classrooms.  In fact, I have yet to meet the teacher who believed they were adequately prepared to manage a classroom when they entered the profession.  During my time as an educator I have had the distinct privilege to watch some excellent teachers in action.  Moreover, I have also had the opportunity to think about this issue and to discuss it at length with many of the staff members I have been so fortunate to work side-by-side with for the past 14 years.  As a result of these observations, discussions, and after much thought, I believe I have some ideas on how to improve any teacher's classroom management.

Teachers must have a vision for their classroom.  They must have a clear idea of how their classroom will look when it is operating at maximum efficiency and effectiveness.  What are the students doing when you are delivering the lesson?  How are they seated?  How do students enter and exit the room?  Your vision should encompass your procedures and policies for any situation you and your students may encounter throughout the day.  Developing a vision for your classroom will allow you to troubleshoot many problems before they ever arise in your classroom.  Moreover, it makes you think of your possible responses, thus preparing you to deal with or avoid potential problems down the road--and we all know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Developing a vision for your classroom serves as a catalyst to make you think about the behaviors you want to see, the behaviors you will tolerate, and the behaviors that are non-negotiable for you as a classroom leader.  Keep in mind that all successful organizations, teams, and individuals develop a vision and use that as their blueprint for action and decision-making.  When used properly, it helps orient our behavior in an effort to achieve our goals.

In the days to come I will also address some other components of classroom management.  As always, I am interested to hear what you have to say on the subject.  Please feel free to make comments or to email me your thoughts.  Have a great Thursday!