Author: Everett Hill

Categories
General Leadership Instructional Leadership

Create a Positive Test Taking Culture in your school?

How do you create a positive test taking culture in your school?

Truly, how do you do it?

That was a question posed during a live meeting I attended in the past week.  How do you create a positive test taking culture in the school you are in?  Then part of the group discussed this topic.

I should say I had my mic and video off.  My family was in the house.  I did not say what first came to my mind.  Frankly, it was not positive nor uplifting.

That was a legitimate question discussed though.  Creating a positive test taking culture in a school in 2021.  How should we do it?  What should be in place?  How do we encourage students to have a positive attitude about test taking and high stakes test taking?  I shared this with another educator shortly afterwards and his response, get rid of high stakes test taking and students would be better off.  I fully agreed.

What is the purpose of high stakes test taking?  IB, AP, IGCSE, SAT, ACT, and all the other acronyms of tests that we require of students.  What is the point?  No truly.  What is the point of any of these high stakes tests in 2021 and why do we still allow this type of conversation to exist?

Many universities in North America and the world are not considering SAT and ACT as part of the formal application process anymore.  AP testing simply allows students to waive university level courses, so they get academic credit once they are allowed into the university if they score high enough on their assessment.  IB and IGCSE are most relevant to Europe and the British system, but not as much outside of those systems.  So, do they matter anymore?

If you are going to a specific system, then yes, some of the education programs do matter.  If one is going to Europe or the UK, then yes, a student is best served in the IB and IGCSE system based on what I know about them.  The high stakes testing do have an end goal and are perhaps a necessary evil inherent in the system.  But they have a point and a purpose as I understand.  If you apply to certain universities in the system, you know the score you are required to get for entry for example.

What about other assessments we so highly value?  What is their purpose?  Do they meet the needs of education today?  Truly, businesses repeatedly state that high school and university graduates are not completing their programs with the skills they need for their organizations to be successful.  If none of our programs are truly meeting the requirements for business, are we doing a good job with the high stakes assessments and classes we offer then test?

The question we have to ask, and honestly ask this not just the teacher meeting question of what do we think, is do we value high stakes testing and why?

Let us be brutally honest for a moment about education.  High stakes testing, if our students do well, makes the institution look very good.  We can waive our high-test scores in front of anyone looking and show them our academic success.  That success brings students to the school and puts backsides in seats.  In a private school, this is almost required.  In a public school, this is a flower in the cap of the school.

We will never get rid of high stakes academic testing in education.  No matter what we believe as educators, we will never get rid of it.  We need it as much as our students need it to demonstrate academic success for application to university.  It is our necessary evil.  It is here and it will remain in our programs.

How then do we have a discussion about a positive test taking culture in our school? 

It starts with an evaluation of your test-taking culture.  Let’s be brutally honest here, there are schools that are test-taking mills.  Their sole purpose is to get students to take as many high stakes tests as possible and pass with high marks.  Fortunately, those schools are a bit more of the outliers, but, that doesn’t mean it is not a prevailing attitude in schools.

I once heard a college counselor, who was wicked smart, tell a group of students that the correct answer to how many advanced courses and tests a student to take was simple.  Take as many as you can AND score top marks on everyone of them.  That was the only correct answer to that question he said. 

We may not be test mills, but we may very well believe that students should take a lot of tests and excel in order to make us, or our school, look good.  Where does your school fall in that continuum from no tests to as many as possible?  It is good to have that conversation and to identify why you believe that.  Then, discuss what impacts that attitude will have on the social and emotional wellness of students long-term.  Is that what you believe as a school?  Does that meet your vision and mission?

Be honest with your organization.  You must show success academically by your students.  Where they go to university matters.  Their academic success matters.  But that can look very different from one school to the next and frankly, the university admissions counselors know this.  Your clientele needs to see success from your students and the program.  Test results and scores matter, so does college admission.  At least be honest in the conversations around test-taking.

I worry when I hear comments about positive test-taking cultures though that we focus to much on academic success and taking tests.  It simply is not part of our work environment and we place too much emphasis on it for all students.  Yes, test scores on certain academic tests show an increased probability of success and earnings later in life.  But not every student needs to attend a 4 year university to be successful.

We miss the bigger picture if we focus on academic success only.  We miss the student sitting in the seat.  We miss the uniqueness of that individual.  We miss the creativity.  We miss the joy of learning if we push students towards academic success.  That is where we fail as institutions. 

Yes, we must have high stakes testing in some form at our institutions.  Those are not going away.  But be honest about why we do it in our school.  Also, do not forget that we are still teaching humans.  Let us not be so focused on creating a positive culture of testing that we forget that we have amazing musicians, poets, artists, writers and dreamers, tech wizards, creatives and those who will change the world in our midst.  They have skills that no test will evaluate and we may kill their creativity if we forget to acknowledge them.

I challenge you this year to consider, what is your test taking culture and why do you believe it?  Clearly define the purpose of your testing so you are able to articulate why it matters in your school.

Categories
School Culture

Every Person at School Matters.

Everyone matters.

Every person at the school, no matter what their role, matters.

The principal, teachers, office staff, para-educators, custodians, and kitchen staff matter.  And anyone associated with the school that is in the building.  No one should be left out of this list.

Every single person that a student could come across in a school building on a daily basis is important an matters in the life of a school.  You never know when an interaction between a staff member and a student or community member could color the entire view of the school.  It can happen in a few moments and give an impression of a school that you don’t want.

I remember vividly, to this day, walking into the office of the school.  I was a substitute teacher for one of the physical educators who was out that day.  I showed up, checked in with the office, but was told by a secretarial staff that the teachers were in a meeting and I needed to sit and wait. So, wait I did.

As the morning drew on, I realized I did not have a timetable or lesson plans.  So, being responsible, I asked the same person.  She said they had something and gave me a generic set of teaching materials.  Frankly, it was nothing more than basic school and district information and far short of a full timetable or lesson plans.  I was told that the teachers would come and get me when the staff meeting was over.  So, I sat back down.

I kept an eye on the time and realized it was getting close to the start of school.  So, again, being responsible, I went up to the same staff member and asked about going to the class, getting a key, or what I should do.  I said it appeared that I had a first period class that I was covering.  The staff member responded, “I told you someone would come and get you when the meeting was over.  Sit down and wait for them.”  Now, I was younger in my career and liked the district, but I was annoyed by being treated this way. So, I my oppositional defiant nature got the better of me and I sat down.

I watched the staff meeting get out, right before school started.  All the teachers left the meeting and went presumably to their classes.  I did the only thing I had been told to do.  I sat down and waited.

Warning bells for class rang.  The class bell rang.  Students arrived in the office to get their tardy slips as they were late.  A solid 10 minutes into the first class period, I strolled up to the class and asked if anyone was going to come and get me.  The secretary looked shocked and asked why I was still there.  Well, no one came to get me.  She was visibly annoyed with me when she told me to go to my class.  I told her I didn’t know where I needed to go.  She was even more annoyed giving me directions. 

When I finally arrived at the lockerroom for my class, I learned that the teacher I was covering was a female, not a male teacher.  Information that would have been helpful some time before.  When I told the male teachers what had happened, they just shook their heads and apologized saying this was not the first time this had happened.

Now, imagine a front facing staff member acting that way to your parents or community members.  Being annoyed that they had the audacity to ask questions or try to do the right thing.  Then, responding as though it was your fault.  What kind of a message does that send to the community?  Is that the kind of message you want students or families getting?  These are the first people the community meets when they enter the school.  It does beg the question about how the rest of the school community acts.

I did have the opportunity to sub at the school again.  I turned it down.  The lady who organized the substitutes for the district was lovely.  She asked me why and I relayed how I had been treated by the front office staff.  Sadly, she said she understood and I was not the first person to say this.

It begs the question, why do we accept this?  This was a staff member who dealt with the public regularly.  Other staff members do not face the public, but they do face the students.  They interact with the teachers and families on a regular basis. They are also sharing in the reputation of the school.

Now, I should say that I have met many front offices staff as well as other support staff in schools.  In most cases, they are nothing short of amazing.  They not only care for the facility, but they also look out for the kids.  In fact, they often know more about some kids than the educators.  They build amazing relationships with these students that we would never expect.  They are valued members of the community.  I make it a point to try and get to know these staff members and let them know how much I value them. 

Do you know your staff members?  Do you now their strengths and what they bring to the table?  Do you support them and allow them to teach or work with students?  Some of them bring amazing gifts to the table.  For example, at one school, the school custodian built his own telescope would give star talks in the parking lot some evenings.  Another example, a facilities supervisor taught students how to make paper from recycled school paper.  These folks have gifts and skills to share.  Let’s make use of them.

Every person in your organization is a gift.  My current principal said this year that we are all called to the school for a reason.  We may not know the reason yet, but we are all gifts and an answer to prayer.  Those were powerful words for us.  It was an acknowledgement that we are there for a reason.  That we bring our gifts to the table and we will help the community thrive this year.

Imagine if every member of the school community felt that way.  That connected to the school community as a whole.  What a place to work that would be!

I enter the gates of my school this year and the security are smiling and saying hello to staff and students.  Teachers and administrators greet each other.  Students are smiling and laughing and helping each other out.  Other staff support teachers and students with a smile.  The community is an amazing place to be.  Kids are cared for and known.  Teachers are making a positive impact.

True, my school is a private school with many benefits.  However, it is still a school community that is working together to lift students up.  Not every private school does that.  Some public schools do it better.  How is your school doing?

I hope as you enter this year that you lift each other up.  That you rally around your school community and recognize that everyone needs to lift and build the community.  This year, more than many in the past, we need to lift our students up.  Build positive, healthy communities to best teach and support our students in the coming year.

Reach out and tell me how you are doing it this year.

Categories
General Leadership

Why Educators need to read Chris Voss

“What were needed were simple psychological tactics and strategies that worked in the field to calm people down, establish rapport, gain trust, elicit the verbalization of needs and persuade the other guy of our empathy.  We needed something easy to teach, easy to learn and easy to execute.”

Read that quote again.  Don’t worry, I will cite the source below.

Now, read that quote again and think about it in terms of many situations you have been in as an educator or administrator.  You have been in situations that require us to calm people down, establish or re-establish rapport, gain or regain trust, and get a student/parent/staff member to elicit a verbalization of needs and persuade them that we are in fact empathetic.  That describes many of the tense, high stress situations that educators and administrators find themselves in on a regular basis.

As educators and educational administrators, we need to respond quickly and empathetically to situations.  Our students, parents, or other teachers need to know that we are listening and responsive to their needs.  We need the situation to be calm so that we can address issues, establish rapport, and gain or regain trust.  And we need something that is easy to teach and learn as well as being flexible enough to execute in a variety of situations that we face with many different audiences.

This was not taken from any of the many quality educational texts available on management or conflict resolution.  This was written by Chris Voss, renowned lead international kidnapping negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  This quote can be found in Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. 

The natural first question is, who cares?  What does Chris Voss, FBI negotiator have to do with education or educational administration?  Educators and administrators never deal with international kidnapping negotiations or anything nearly the difficult.  True, we will most likely never be called upon to negotiate a high stakes incident in our school lor buildings, but I will put forth, you need to read this book.

Within in the school setting, we negotiate all the time.  We have been trained to find the middle, the compromise or, as the book is titled Getting to Yes.  This is what we have been trained in and taught about.  With this as our background, we negotiate in one way that may not be the best way to address situations.  Often, we are on the ones on the losing end of the actual negotiation or discussion.  We assume we are in the negotiation for one result, but the game is being played differently by the person across from us.  We compromise and work to resolve issues that the other person should be wrestling with.

Chris is a master storyteller drawing upon his years of experience in the FBI and law enforcement.  He shares specific examples of success, and even failures, as the key learning points for negotiation.  His key point is that the rules of negotiation are not what we think they are.  The strategies we use assume logical, calm, rational individuals who want what we want.  In most cases, that is not what is happening. 

Consider that in school.  Do students, parents, or teachers actually want what we want?  Do they come from the same place that we do when discussing issues or say discipline?  Rarely do they.  When we negotiate, we are communicating to gather information and influence behavior.  As Chris Voss points out, a hostage negotiator must win, but we in the educational field do not have to win all the time.  We do need to know when we need to win though.

Chris Voss draws upon years of practical field experience in dealing with hostage situations around the world to share key points about negotiation.  What he does not do is give a guidebook for how to negotiate.  Instead, he provides a few basic tools that were effective in his line of work, explains how and why they work, then provides real life examples from situations for the reader to consider.  What I found fascinating was that he explains why the worst answer the person can get is “yes” in this situation.

As educational professionals, we need to recognize that we are not always in a win – win situation.  We also need to recognize that, in key situations, we do not need to go fast. In fact, we need to slow down and listen.  In this fast-paced world of resolving issues quickly, slowing down actually makes us better at our job as we can listen, think, and process better than if we if we rush to resolve issues.

This book is full of solid, useful information backed up by key examples and descriptions.  It is not how to book though.  For the “how to” you will need to seek elsewhere.  This information provides additional tools for the toolkit when working in difficult situation.   Most importantly, the information and skills are transferrable to other situations rather than specific to anyone.

Educational professionals need to know how to negotiate and resolve conflict.  The greater the number of tools in your toolkit, the better off you are.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to improve their skills of negotiation.  Not to mention, it is just a great read overall and full of quality content.

If you want more information about Chris Voss, please see the Black Swan Group website at:  https://www.blackswanltd.com/home

Check out his book on any of the major booksellers websites.

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Uncategorized

C.I.C.: What is the Best Advice for Teaching, or Your Chosen Profession, You Have Ever Received?

When I started writing back in February, it was to document some of my experiences during the pandemic times as an educator living and working in China.  As I have continued to write, I find myself drawn to helping others.  It is one of the areas that is a gift and strength for me.  I enjoy helping others and seek out others who are doing the same.

During this time, I have tried to share thoughts about education that have helped me over my career in the hopes that my experience would help others.  While my experience may not help everyone, there are those who have responded stating that it has helped them.  That not only makes me happy, it is a privilege to share what I have learned with others.

Which brings me to today.  One of the people I have started following on Linkedin is Karl Milsom.  Karl is an educator who is coaching other educators to break free of the mold of typical education.  He is pushing educators to truly think outside the box and radically change their teaching style to meet the needs of students today and in the future.  He is also building the #RebelTeachers network, a group of like minded educators who are striving to make education a better place and enact real change, if only at the classroom level know that it has positive impacts long-term.

Today, he posted a short post titled #RebelTip today.  Just a few moments ago actually.  Reading it, the idea is simple and good advice.  His post was simply, “never record the first grade”.  Simple, easy to follow advice for educators who want to provide the best opportunity for the students to succeed.  As I thought about this, I remember some amazing advice, like this, from wise educators from my past.

One of the pieces of advice that sticks with me was in a conversation with a principal and an experienced teacher in my first full time job.  Bob, my principal, and Sam, a classroom teacher, were talking with me about classroom management.  Bob simply asked Sam to give me some advice about how to best manage students in the classroom.  Sam simply said, “Shoot the first child that gets out of line, leave them lying on the floor all day, and the rest of the year will be easy.”

My jaw hit the floor and I didn’t know whether to laugh or gasp in horror.  I had just met Sam recently and barely spoke with him before this.  Bob, being a sage leader simply said, “Uh, Sam, I don’t think that is the best option for our school.  Maybe some other advice.”  We chuckled and it was at that point that Sam started to talk about Michael Grinder’s work on classroom management through ENVoY and Bob Gardner’s Cognitive Coaching.  This very off hand conversation set me on a path to continue to learn about non-verbal classroom management and teach others about it in whatever way I can.

Another piece of advice that has stuck with me came from a physical restraint training course I took as an educator to safely manage students who were overtly aggressive and dangerous.  The course focused on two areas of training, the first being de-escalation strategies and the second being physical restraint.  The educational leader who taught us the de-escalation strategies emphasized the importance of physical restraint as a last resort.  The first time she taught us she made a statement, “You always have to look beneath the behavior for the trigger.  What happened right before the behavior you had to deal with happened?  That is the issue.”  When I deal with students who are struggling with issues, I ask, what happened before this?  What is causing this behavior?  If I can identify that behavior, it is likely to reduce the behavior that is causing the issues.

Of course, I have written about my father and his lessons from the past.  I will always remember his simply advice of, “stick to the basics.  Do a few things better than anyone else.”  That advice has been repeated to many people I work with when they ask for advice.  We make life too difficult whether we are living, teaching, coaching, or trying to become great.  If we do what we can do well, better than anyone else, we will excel in the field.

What I am curious about now is, what advice do you remember and consider the best advice you ever got?  This is focused on educators, but I do wonder what others might say as well.

Please feel free to respond in the comments and provide you insights and wisdom so that we might all learn from it.

C.I.C.:  What is the Best Teaching Advice You Have Ever Received?

When I started writing back in February, it was to document some of my experiences during the pandemic times as an educator living and working in China.  As I have continued to write, I find myself drawn to helping others.  It is one of the areas that is a gift and strength for me.  I enjoy helping others and seek out others who are doing the same.

During this time, I have tried to share thoughts about education that have helped me over my career in the hopes that my experience would help others.  While my experience may not help everyone, there are those who have responded stating that it has helped them.  That not only makes me happy, it is a privilege to share what I have learned with others.

Which brings me to today.  One of the people I have started following on Linkedin is Karl Milsom.  Karl is an educator who is coaching other educators to break free of the mold of typical education.  He is pushing educators to truly think outside the box and radically change their teaching style to meet the needs of students today and in the future.  He is also building the #RebelTeachers network, a group of like minded educators who are striving to make education a better place and enact real change, if only at the classroom level know that it has positive impacts long-term.

Today, he posted a short post titled #RebelTip today.  Just a few moments ago actually.  Reading it, the idea is simple and good advice.  His post was simply, “never record the first grade”.  Simple, easy to follow advice for educators who want to provide the best opportunity for the students to succeed.  As I thought about this, I remember some amazing advice, like this, from wise educators from my past.

One of the pieces of advice that sticks with me was in a conversation with a principal and an experienced teacher in my first full time job.  Bob, my principal, and Sam, a classroom teacher, were talking with me about classroom management.  Bob simply asked Sam to give me some advice about how to best manage students in the classroom.  Sam simply said, “Shoot the first child that gets out of line, leave them lying on the floor all day, and the rest of the year will be easy.”

My jaw hit the floor and I didn’t know whether to laugh or gasp in horror.  I had just met Sam recently and barely spoke with him before this.  Bob, being a sage leader simply said, “Uh, Sam, I don’t think that is the best option for our school.  Maybe some other advice.”  We chuckled and it was at that point that Sam started to talk about Michael Grinder’s work on classroom management through ENVoY and Bob Gardner’s Cognitive Coaching.  This very off hand conversation set me on a path to continue to learn about non-verbal classroom management and teach others about it in whatever way I can.

Another piece of advice that has stuck with me came from a physical restraint training course I took as an educator to safely manage students who were overtly aggressive and dangerous.  The course focused on two areas of training, the first being de-escalation strategies and the second being physical restraint.  The educational leader who taught us the de-escalation strategies emphasized the importance of physical restraint as a last resort.  The first time she taught us she made a statement, “You always have to look beneath the behavior for the trigger.  What happened right before the behavior you had to deal with happened?  That is the issue.”  When I deal with students who are struggling with issues, I ask, what happened before this?  What is causing this behavior?  If I can identify that behavior, it is likely to reduce the behavior that is causing the issues.

Of course, I have written about my father and his lessons from the past.  I will always remember his simply advice of, “stick to the basics.  Do a few things better than anyone else.”  That advice has been repeated to many people I work with when they ask for advice.  We make life too difficult whether we are living, teaching, coaching, or trying to become great.  If we do what we can do well, better than anyone else, we will excel in the field.

What I am curious about now is, what advice do you remember and consider the best advice you ever got?  This is focused on educators, but I do wonder what others might say as well.

Please feel free to respond in the comments and provide you insights and wisdom so that we might all learn from it.

Categories
Uncategorized

Tell Applicants Why You Are Not Considering Them

I am in the process of applying for a new position in administration at an international school.  Which one? Well, that is the joy of applying for a new job isn’t it.  You apply at several that you hope you are a good fit for and, following the interview process, find the perfect fit for a lifetime, or at least for the next few years.  If I am honest, I detest interviewing and the whole process.

Today, I received a response to one of my applications.  It was the standard, “thank you for applying but we won’t be interviewing you for this position” responses that schools with many applicants send out.  Honestly, I was surprised to get that much of a response.  Some schools do not even bother to respond, and one simply learns that the position has been filled without any other reason.

In fairness to large schools, they get a fair number of applicants for positions.  The person or people making the decisions must decide which people to interview from a pool of qualified candidates.  The process is not simple if done well.  If not done well, the reasoning is not sound.

I have been involved in many discussions about hiring practices over the years.  The ways in which schools manage the candidates is varied and sometimes, over-simplistic.  I recall one discussion about a hiring process at a university for a dean position where the first level of evaluation was simple did the person have a master’s degree or not?  That process eliminated over half the candidates straight away as the minimum requirement was a masters’ degree.  I recall another process where there were over 400 hundred candidates for a single teaching position.  The first level of evaluation was, does the teacher have any experience?  The school eliminated everyone with less than four years’ experience before hitting a manageable number of candidates to evaluate.  These are real scenarios if you have a large candidate pool.

If that is the case, it would be ideal to respond to the pool with a notice stating that there is a candidate pool and an evaluation process which would eliminate candidates.  Some schools do state up front that, if you do not hear from them within a period of time, to consider yourself not a candidate.  Yes, it is a tough message but a realistic one for teachers or future administrators.  It is a necessary message of fairness to candidates.

I did not like getting the response today for this position I applied for.  Frankly, I didn’t agree with it as I felt that I had the qualifications that they expected.  It was a bit of a let down as well to not be considered for the position.  These are all normal feelings and experiences in this process.

As administrators, sharing the message of why one is not being considered, where possible, is a powerful statement to send.  I have been rejected from positions for many reasons, but rarely been told why.  Those who did tell me the reasons, I respected that much more and have recommended people to consider working with those schools.  I personally improved from those conversations or responses and strived to make the changes necessary to improve for the next interview process.  Sometimes the answer was simply that another person was a better fit. 

As we are entering a stressful year and hiring process for many people, we need to remember to be kind and responsive as we are able.  Right now, educators are stressed about the world conditions and the additional stress of hiring during this time.  The more we can ease people’s minds the better.

There is a reason I am not upset at the school that sent me the message today.  Even though I thought I had the qualifications for the position, the response clarified why I was not a candidate.  I did not have the exact experience in the position that they wanted.  The school was looking for a candidate with experience at the exact level in the exact role and at least three years of it.  Fair enough.  I don’t have that.  But, now I know and I move on with a clear reason why I am not a candidate.

What is it that you are doing right now to support educators and future administrators in the hiring process?  How will your school’s hiring process support people like me when we do not fit the mold for your school?  How will you let me know the reason that I am not a candidate?  I encourage you to consider your rejection process in this season as you look for the next educators at your school.

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Uncategorized

Welcome The Students at the Door

The start of the new school year is upon us.  For some, the new year will start online, again, and instruction will take place synchronously or asynchronously.  Others will have students lining up at their doorway ready to enter the classroom the teacher has set up.  Some will be wearing masks, others may not.  All will have some concern about staying healthy.

How do you prepare for this return to your classroom when you yourself will have concerns about a healthy, safe classroom?

Once you have laid out the physical space of your classroom, the next consideration is movement within the space.  How will students move within your classroom space daily?  What will they need to do to get from the door to their desk?  How will physical movement within the classroom be managed on a normal day?  What if there is an emergency in the room or at school?

As an educator, we have varying levels of comfort within our classroom environment.  Some like quiet and minimal movement while others are completely comfortable with noise and a lot of movement.  You need to determine what you are comfortable with within the confines of your own teaching space.  In a typical year, this is critical information for you to recognize as a teacher so one knows what the classroom normal is.  This year, that choice will be greatly dictated by others.

So, what are we to consider when looking at the movement of students within our classroom space?  Let’s break this down into basic areas of activities within the classroom.

Entering the Class

Mrs. Slaughter, yes that was her actual name, would meet her 9th grade students at the door every day almost without fail.  She would greet us by name and welcome us in.  Sometimes, she would have a devilish grin on her face that foreshadowed what was to come in the class that day.  We knew that once we walked in that door, we were in her room and space and there was a certain set of expectations she had.  Two doors over, Mrs. Rich would also meet us at the door, though she had a vastly different set of expectations.  Both great teachers with quite different styles of teaching once a student entered the classroom.

I enjoy meeting students at the door to my classroom like my former teachers did.  I can greet them by name and get a sense of how they are doing on that day.  It is my first contact with my students.  It creates a sense of expectation for the space that I meet them at the door before they enter, and I can adjust as needed before they enter the space.

Some teachers use this as a time to instruct students on expectations.  Entrance directions are given, and tasks are assigned.  Groups can be created using any number of strategies.  As you re-enter school under new conditions for spacing, seating, and in the classroom, this is also a good time to remind students of new expectations before entering the space.

I would strongly encourage that you create a video of what the class looks like and share it with your students before they enter the room.  Show them what the seats will look like, where bags will be placed, where the teaching space is, and any procedures that will be important day to day.  Prepare your students for the space in advance so that they are ready for the changes.  With new safety requirements in the classroom, we need to recognize that our instruction has to begin before the students enter the room.

Consider what your students need to know in advance of walking in your space.

  • How do they find their seats?
  • Where do they put their bags?
  • Where do they turn in homework?
  • Where do they look for teaching?
  • Can they move about the room?
  • How do they fill water bottles?
  • What if they need to use the toilet?
  • How do they ask questions?

All of these questions and more will be important from the outset of your class.  The educator who can share as much of this information in advance of entering the space will have an easier time of managing students within the space.  Especially if students are limited in their ability to move about the room as they might normally do.

I would recommend that you stand at your door as if you were a student looking at your classroom for the first time.  Walk through what you expect students to do when they enter the class.  Consider how a single student feels then, expand that number to your class size all moving at the same time.  Work your strategies and plans for that group size based on the health and safety expectations as well as your teaching expectations in this new environment.  With this in mind, consider what the priorities for space and movement are and plan to teach them everything they need to know, before they enter the space.

How do you meet and greet your students when they enter the classroom?  What does it look like in schools with COVID protocols in place?  How can you affect the greatest positive impact on students entering your room simply by your actions at the door? 

I look forward to hearing how you positively impact students daily simply by your actions.  Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section.

Categories
General Leadership School Culture

Administrators: Do You Ask Your Teachers to Review Your School Online?

It is that time of the school year.  August.  A time when schools are starting to ask their teachers if they plan on returning for the following school year.  Yes, schools are starting to ask now because the first job fairs are in mid-October.  Some schools have already asked their teachers and administrators if they are returning and decisions are being made.

What happens next?

Teachers start to explore options for their next job.  They set up their international job search files, get their references, and start to check out what jobs are popping up.  Then, they go to read the reviews that teachers from those schools have posted online.  I have been doing this myself. 

Administrators, some of your schools do not look that great online.

In this COVID influenced school year, many schools are simply struggling to get by.  There are an inordinate amount of challenges facing schools and administrations as they simply try to survive the myriad of struggles that they are facing.  Some schools do not even have enough staff in the country to open their doors in the coming weeks much less thrive in this environment.  These are all legitimate challenges.

Trust me, the job reviews sites are full of examples of international schools handling this pandemic exceedingly well, and very poorly.  There is always a significant uptick in reports at the end of a school year from departing staff.  If we are honest, those people who are most likely to report on their experience at schools are first, those who had a poor experience, second, those who had an amazing experience, and finally, the smallest group, those who want others to know what is happening there.

I always take job reviews with a grain of salt.  One has too.  The school is never as bad, nor as amazing as the review makes it sound.  Much of one’s experience at a school is a result of the individual experience with those who work in the school.  That can be high subjective in the long run.

However, one also finds commonalities in experiences with educators in schools.  For example, I have been reading about several schools that now have multiple new reports following COVID.  These schools are not receiving high marks for the quality and performance during this pandemic.  These individuals want to tell others about how bad the school has treated them as a warning to not consider this school.  A few have spoken very highly of their schools during this pandemic.  They have been very positive about their experiences.  These reviews are few and far between though.

As an administrator, how should you manage these reviews?

An administrator once told me that he wants all his teachers to review the school online.  To that end, he tells his staff at the end of the year to go online to any of the sites that review schools and review him and the program.  He said he wanted teachers to give a fair review of the school and have multiple pieces of information online about the place he led.  His reason?  The more information that was online, the more objective the picture of the school, and his leadership, would be.

Of course, this was in addition to internal monitoring of the school and end of year reflections.  As you may imagine, this was an administrator who ran a good school.  He did not worry about a large number of bad reviews.  He was comfortable reading about the school in online reviews and acting on any concerns that arose that he was not aware of.  As you may imagine, there were not many poor reviews of him or the school.

Administrators need to be comfortable in their own skin.  They need to be comfortable seeing their name online in public view as they are public figures.  The reality being, if an administrator is doing their job well, the reviews will generally be positive.  We must be comfortable knowing that not everyone likes everything we do.  If we don’t ask for feedback, it will be given in other ways that could be more harmful.

I like the idea that we ask teachers to complete online reviews of the school in public forums.  First, it gives credibility to the school.  The school gets its name out there in the public forum and other teachers can make decisions about the school based on the feedback provided.  Second, it updates what it truly happening in the school.  Many of the reviews are from years past and the school has changed significantly.  The leadership has changed, and the reviews have not been updated.  Current information allows teachers to make educated choices about their next school.  Finally, administrators gain another place for feedback about the school and their work which allows them to improve.

If you have not asked educators to provide feedback for the school in online reviews, I highly suggest that you do.  Yes, it will be scary the first time when you ask, but you will be surprised at the response.  I guarantee it will not be all bad.  The simple fact that you are willing to ask for feedback says something about your quality as an administrator of an international school.

If you have not used online review sites, I suggest the following three sites as a starting point:

International Schools Review:  https://www.internationalschoolsreview.com/

International School Advisor:  https://www.ischooladvisor.com/

International School Community:  https://www.internationalschoolcommunity.com/home

Categories
Classroom Management COVID-19 General Leadership

Classrooms in Crisis: Could We Move Classes Outside?

Last week, I wrote about managing the physical space of a classroom in the time of COVID-19.  There are many questions we have about opening school under the current health conditions that remain unanswered.  I will return to more considerations about restarting the classroom indoors moving forward.  However, I will divert a bit to consider another option for teaching that has come to light recently which will allow us to explore other viable options for teaching out students.

Allow me to digress a moment to review where schools around the world are with re-opening plans.  Currently, there are three basic models being considered.  First, return students fully to school in classrooms with some form of distancing and safety protocols in place with a somewhat normal timetable.  Second, return to a form of online instruction for at least part of the year where students access their content online.  Third, provide some form of a hybrid model where students will learn in part face to face and in part online.  There are variations in these three models, but there are no other unique or trend setting considerations being made at this time.

As an American, I have seen President Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, among others, push for students to return to the classroom.  Parents and teachers have said something similar, but with a caveat.  Students should return to full and normal school when it is safe to do so.  There are others who feel that students, around the world, should return to normal education to restart economies and learn face to face.  Some countries have demonstrated that it is safe to return to school after they addressed the concerns of COVID-19 in their country.  If we believe that we should have students return to school and do not believe it is safe to do so, then what are our options?

Consider the following option that is being considered in some schools in the United States and around the world.  While teaching outdoors may not be appropriate to your situation, it is a unique framework for discussion about options and possibilities that you could consider at your school.

Shift your classroom outdoors

A recent and by all appearances viable option for teaching students face to face in the fall is to move the classrooms outside.  Using the school grounds, parking lots, and perhaps streets, classes could be taught outside rather than inside the school.  While this is not a viable option for every school in the world based on climate, weather, or perhaps safety, a great number of schools could teach at least some of their classes outdoors starting in the fall.

Background

This does not come from a wild brainstorming conversation, on the contrary, some schools and educators are discussing this idea as a viable option.  In fact, there are programs that already encourage schools to get their students outdoors and in nature.  Green SchoolYards America for example has encouraged schools to turn asphalt covered playgrounds into green space to play.  Green School International has schools with classrooms that do not have walls and encourages students to be taught outdoors.  Green SchoolYards has been integral in the push for moving classes outdoors during this time of COVID-19 based on research that it is safer for students to be outdoors than in with the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative.  Even the push for outdoor kindergartens shows us we can teach students outdoors safely.

Facility Requirements

The greatest challenge a school will face is preparing facilities for teaching outdoors.  There will be costs involved for this shift to provide a teaching space outdoors.  Students will need some form of a roof over their head to provide shade or protect from the rain.  Students will need a place to sit and a place to write on.  Teachers will need a place to teach, perhaps a white board.  Projection and power for electronics would also need to be considered, but not necessarily provided.

Is it possible for a school to provide a teaching space, outdoors, with protection from the sun and rain where students could learn?  It is quite possible that they could.  A realistic issue would be space on the campus.  Is there enough space on the campus, if one includes the parking spaces and fields, to provide teaching areas for all students?  Could the school expand to the street in front of the school safely if needed?

This would be a significant shift in the spacing of the school and there would be costs involved.  Teachers would need to re-consider how their classroom was set up and the instruction provided.  Specific courses would need to consider how to teach subjects, such as science, band and choir, and art as well as others outside safely. 

Instruction and Learning

Teaching outside could look like instruction inside the classroom.  However, this will take the greatest shift for educators.  How do we teach our classes outdoors when we have limited materials available?  What does a lesson look like?  What materials do we use?  Do we teach the same outdoors as indoors?

These are very legitimate questions.  Teaching outdoors would not look the same as indoors.  I would put forth that it should not.  This is an opportunity to provide flipped lessons on basic content to be watched at home, then expand on the content in the classroom.  This provides us with an opportunity to return to written note-taking using standard practices such as Cornell Notes.  Each student could have their own notebook for each subject where they could write the notes, draw, color code, and practice their listening and writing skills.

Group discussions could take place about topics, obviously from a distance.  Socratic Seminars could occur at all levels.  Ideally, students would read text in advance, which is either provided in print or electronic format, then discuss it the next day.  Group discussions and work could take on a whole new meaning and value in this setting.

Creativity would be needed to determine how to best teach in this setting.  Each teacher would need to determine how the class looks for them.  It is important to note that teachers are not in this alone though.  There are amazing teachers in the district who can support each other to provide high quality content and ideas for others.  Subject area educators should work to support each other at all levels.  It will be a challenge, but it can be done.

Basic Needs

Food, water, shelter, toilets, and social and emotional well being are the areas that will be most relevant for our classes.  Food delivery for lunch from the kitchen is an option that most schools are mostly set up for.  In my experience, most food comes to the school pre-packaged and is heated on site.  It is then put out for students to pick up.  Food could be delivered to a class site, or students could go get food at a specific site.

Water bottles should be required at school.  Each student should have their own bottle that is labeled and left at school.  It would be filled first thing in the morning and then some method for re-filling should be provided.  These will need to be cleaned at least once a week.

Shelter, as mentioned in the facilities requirements section, would need to be provided.  Sunshade and protection from the rain would need to be purchased in the form of tents.  On days of severe weather, the classes could have a flipped school day where students stay at home and work online, or complete assigned homework or study.

Toilets.  In my opinion, students using the toilets in the building will cause minimal concern for health and safety.  Limit the number of students in the building and then close the lids before flushing to minimize overspray.  Something we should be doing anyways.  Simply do not allow large groups in the toilets at any one time.

Social and Emotional health and well being will be our greatest area of concern.  Some of our students are not in safe environments.  They may be physically threatened.  They may suffer mental abuse.  They may simply not have enough food to eat.  We need to be hyper aware of this issue and plan to address it and not increase the concerns when students are at school.  Additional counseling team support should be available as school returns to live teaching.

Staff Conflicts to Teaching Outdoors

There are some teachers who will state that they can not teach outdoors.  There will also be contractual issues that arise that will need to be addressed.  School education associations and unions will need to sit down with administration and work together to resolve these issues.  There will be concerns that must be addressed on both sides.  However, I genuinely believe if both groups work together to resolve these issues in creative ways while collaboratively resolving issues, it can work.

These are unique times.  They require creative and unique responses.  What they do not require are those teachers who simply state they can not teach outside because they do not want to.  That is not a real option, that is a positional statement.  How can you teach outside?  What in your contract prevents you from teaching outdoors?  These are administrative level issues that can be resolved.

Teachers must realize that we are addressing issues that we have not dealt with in over 100 years.  Yes, you can teach outside.  Just because you may not have your computer, projector, and PowerPoints does not mean you cannot teach.  In fact, I would argue that you could do some of your best teaching in this new environment and break free of the constraints of technology that have held you back.  If it is just because you do not want to, well, you could teach in the classroom or online.

Challenges to Teaching Outdoors

There are no simple answers to shifting entire schools outdoors.  Elementary schools would have very different issues that secondary.  Some schools will have significant weather issues such as heat and cold or storms.  Bad air quality is a reality for my school.  Some schools simply do not have the space to have all their classes outside on campus.  What about transitioning students from class to class?  Can we get Wi-Fi boosters and routers outdoors?  Will we use technology and if so, how will we charge them?  Teachers will complain.  Parents will complain. Community members will complain.  Students will complain. There will be normal student issues.  There will be new issues.  It will not be the same as teaching inside.  And these are just a few of the issues that will arise.

One issue that has not been addressed is school safety, which would be a legitimate challenge.  Outside events could happen.  Students could leave.  These are all known events and have already been planned for by most schools with clear responses already prepared.  However, it would behoove a school to give serious consideration to how their school safety might look.  For example, a school in Alaska that has issues with bears would have a very different response than a school in downtown New York.  This is also an area where facts must precede public opinion about safety.  I would put forth that, with certain exceptions, an outdoor program could be run safely.

Making the shift to outdoors would be the greatest hurdle to overcome.  There would be resistance to any plan such as this.  However, if we can show that the benefits outweigh the challenges or negatives, it is a viable possibility.

In Conclusion

There are no good answers to starting school in the fall and the above items just scratch the surface.  A great many changes need to happen to make schoolwork in the fall and all should be considered.  Everything should be on the table as an option for what school changes might occur in the next months.  The idea of opening school’s outdoors is just one option to consider.  The framework of how to do it and challenges is like any other option provided.  I hope that your school district is considering opening school in a safe, science-based manner in the fall.

Categories
Classroom Management General Leadership

Classrooms in Crisis: Manage the Physical Space First

What does your classroom look like in the fall when you return?  Will you return to a classroom with half the students?  Will you teach fully online?  Fully live?  A hybrid model?  Will you have to address the issue of a 2-meter distance between each desk and each student?  How will you teach group work?  Will you have barriers in place around each desk and workspace?  Will students wear masks all the time?  Will you school take care of your own health and safety needs? 

These are just a few of the questions that teachers are asking right now as they prepare to return to school.  They are legitimate and important questions to ask.  However, they only address part of the problem that will be in place in some schools when students return.  It is important that we take time to rationally think through what our fall classes will look like to be the best managers of our classroom space.

As I look at classroom management, it is not just a set of rules and consequences that one puts in place to ensure discipline.  For me, classroom management is everything that you as an educator do to ensure the class runs smoothly, procedures are clearly in place, and the students feel safe and build positive healthy relationships.  A well-managed class allows the teacher to provide instruction, address issues as they arise, and transition more effectively from one part of the class to the next in as smooth a manner as possible.  To that end, let us look at your classroom as you may be teaching in the fall.

First, it is important to acknowledge a few very vital issues.  Much of your classroom set up may be out of your control based on the school policies that will be implemented for health and safety reasons.  The number of students you teach, and whether you teach live, online, or a hybrid class will also be out of your control.  There will be fear about the return to the classroom that will impact how you teach on your return.  Finally, there will be a high possibility that you will transition from live to online teaching at least once during the school year.  Much of this will be out of your control, but you can plan for it now.  So, how can we prepare for the uncertainty of the Fall?

Manage your classroom space first.

Your teaching space will be dictated by the health and safety requirements of your district.  I realize that this seems ominous to consider since your classroom is probably too small for all your students to physically distance.  If we dwell on this basic issue, we will never move forward.  So, acknowledge it, and work with what you have.  Make sure you document this and address it with the administration and save this information and any responses for late.  Now, let us move on.

What can you do in your space?  How many students will you have?  Will they have their own materials?  Will they have isolation or cubby type structures that are physical barriers?  Will the class look welcoming?  Will they be sitting in row?  Facing the wall? 1 or 2 meters apart?  How close can you get to them?

I would strongly suggest you draw a map of your classroom on larger paper to get a sense of what the room looks like.  Include all the desks, any group teaching space, and where you will teach. Also include doors, storage, power outlets, water faucets, and toilets if they are in the room.  Last year, these could be afterthoughts, but this year, you need to consider everything.

Here are some questions to ask about the physical movement in the classroom by your students:

  • How and where will students enter the room?
  • Where will students store their items when they enter the room?
  • Once in the room, are students allowed to move about or will they be required to sit down at their desk?
  • Are all students able to see the teaching area?
  • Is your teaching area or desk cluttered and a distraction or tidy and organized?
  • Does the physical space feel inviting or isolating?
  • Do the students have their own material at their desk?
  • How does a student get water once at their desk?
  • How does a student go to the toilet if necessary?
  • How does a student sharpen a pencil or get a new pen if needed?
  • What if a student can not see what is written where do they move?
  • What if a student has a question how do they ask it?
  • Will electronic devices be used during class?  Where will they be stored?  How will they be used?  How will they be monitored?  How will they be cleaned?
  • How will students transition in and out of the space during normal times of movement to lunch and recess?
  • How and where will you teach the class?
  • Does every student have a line of sight to the teaching space?
  • Will you teach in small group settings?
  • How will you move about the room to check students based on distancing?
  • If you must teach both live and online, where will you place the camera?

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself about your teaching space as it will be vastly different than last year.  If possible, walk through your room like a student.  Enter as they would.  Sit in their space.  Think like a student.  Think like your best student, your most challenging mobile student, your quiet introverted student, and your most extroverted student.  Then, plan based on what you know about each of them.  This year will require a great deal more planning than in previous years.

The physical space of the classroom sets the tone for the students as they enter the door.  Remember, they may be excited to return as they have been isolated for months.  They may be nervous about catching COVID-19.  They may have been in exceedingly difficult situations socially based on their home life.  Every one of them will be in your class and they need to feel welcomed.

The class will not be the same.  You will be required to manage the space differently.  This is the first step in effectively managing your classroom space, addressing the physical area.  You cannot return to what you did before because students will return under vastly different conditions than before.  It is imperative that you spend time considering the physical layout, travel patterns, and issues with the space of the classroom before you can move on to addressing student needs.

In future writings, I will discuss other considerations for the management of the classroom from my perspective as an active educator working in a classroom space.  Until then, please continue to add constructive thoughts to the conversation for the safety of our students. 

As a side note, if your school administration or district are not providing for the health and safety needs of your physical space, you need to document this, report it through the proper chain of command, and keep copies of everything.  Your health and safety are also a priority as is the students.  I fear that this year will be one of litigation based on the spread of the coronavirus in schools and teachers will bear the brunt of these issues.  Protect yourself legally and, if these concerns are not being addressed, use the proper legal means to find an appropriate resolution.

If this interests you, please take a look at other writings on this site or #classroomsincrisis articles at Medium.com/@everettis

Categories
General Leadership Instructional Leadership Technology Use

Classrooms in Crisis: COVID-19

          Education is facing one of the greatest disruptions it has faced in recent year.  The COVID – 19, the coronavirus, has forced schools to go from standard classroom teaching practices to fully flipped classrooms.  Instead of using technology
for classroom support, technology is now the teaching tool.  This is changing the face of education at a rapid pace.

          Most educators have never experienced this level of disruption to their craft.  If truth be told, they are still working with models from an age gone by.  The skills
required for the students of tomorrow are here today.  More importantly, educators are faced with the reality that the skills they like to talk about, are now skills required of
them.

          We, as educators, love to talk about how we are forward thinking, using technology as an educational tool, and teaching skills of tomorrow.  Now, with the discussions going through many social media sites, classrooms are severely disrupted and in crisis.  The technology available that is supposedly so widely used is now the same technology that many realize they only use at a superficial level.  Never before have teachers had to face the challenge of using technology to flip classrooms as
the only method for teaching.  The façade of technology use has become apparent.

          There are those who have said that the classroom can be replaced by technology and teachers presenting material online.  Right now, that hypothesis is being tested in real world labs across Asia and soon to be other parts of the world.  Students are isolated in their homes, learning via computer and schooling themselves.  Many are
struggling with the technology, struggling with online learning, struggling with isolation from their peers and human support.  No technology can replace a real person and the
relationships formed in the classroom.

          The question then becomes will this experiment work or fail?  Those who say education can be done using a computer and online education have the opportunity to see the results in real time across a large number of schools.  What will we learn
and take from this?  What will be the benefits of the flipped classroom at this scale?  What learnings will educators take from this so that they are better prepared to teach using technology is this setting?  What skills must truly be taught to students so that they could be successful in this environment?  Or will education simply write this off as an anomaly and do nothing to shift to the future?  What will we learn from this disruption?  These classrooms in crisis with significant academic assessments bearing down on them?

          I would love to hear your thoughts.  Are we going to be better off as educators because of this significant disruption to our lives?  Will our student?  Or will we simply return to the status quo when this crisis ends?

#classroomsincrisis #education #teaching #classroommanagement

Check out this post and more at: https://medium.com/@everettis