CONNECTIONS: Take the Hard Road
“What comes easy won’t last long and what lasts long won’t come easy.”
It will not be long before we start a new calendar year, a time when many people make resolutions and set goals designed to positively impact themselves and/or others. Making such resolutions is relatively easy; sticking to them is often difficult. Some will no doubt succeed in adhering to their resolutions while others, inevitably, will fail. The difference? In many cases, those who succeed will take the hard road rather than the easy road when faced with difficult choices.
For example, many self-improvement plans center on exercise, diet, or finances. In each instance, success depends on choosing the hard road on a consistent basis. Waking up early to run five miles is taking the hard road. Sleeping in and skipping the run is the easy road. Cooking a meal with healthy food can be a hard road while ordering a pizza to be delivered is an easy road. When it comes to finances, spending $100 is an easy road; saving $100 is a hard road. Unfortunately, it seems as if we humans are generally wired to take the easy road; the default position seems to be the status quo or to create as little stress, work, or discomfort as possible. On the other hand, it takes discipline and intentionality to do what is hard.
Here is the good news, however, that we must keep in mind: Easy roads eventually become hard, while hard roads eventually become easy. That morning run, that daily meal, and the consistent saving of a few dollars? Eventually, these acts become routines and these routines ultimately become habits. It no longer becomes a question of whether to run, save, or eat healthy; it has simply become what we do and who we are. It was hard, but over time, we simply became people who exercise, people who eat healthy foods, and people who are financially stable. It is no longer a choice of whether we do it; it simply becomes who we are. What was once a hard road has become an easy road because we are now more healthy, wealthy, or wise. Conversely, had we taken the easy road, in the beginning, we would eventually be on the hard road, forced to deal with difficulties in terms of our health, finances, or other difficulties.
In our personal lives, there are scads of examples proving the easy road/hard road concept. We suspect this phenomenon is equally applicable in our professional lives as educators. What are some hard roads we must take now in our classrooms and schools so that our lives (and those of our students) eventually become easier and we achieve our goals? There are likely endless examples, but one that comes to mind is addressing the underperformance of a student or staff member. Perhaps a student continuously misbehaves in our classroom. Perhaps a teacher in our school is not adhering to our cultural norms. In both instances, the easy road might be to overlook the underperformance or to address it, but only in a cursory way. Perhaps we talk to the student, but fail to contact the parent who has proven difficult to deal with in the past. Maybe we mention our concerns to the staff member, yet still provide a satisfactory formal evaluation. This easy path will eventually become hard as the underperformance will continue and likely worsen.
The hard road in these scenarios involves making the time to learn why the behavior is occurring, having potentially difficult conversations with those involved, creating a plan to change the underperformance, and continuing to monitor the situation throughout the school year, providing feedback and possibly consequences along the way. Left unchecked, the undesired behaviors will not only continue but will likely get worse. Taking the hard road is (obviously) hard–at first. In this example, it takes a great deal of time and requires us to engage in uncomfortable conversations. However, this commitment to taking the hard road at the outset pays dividends over time as the student’s behavior improves or the staff member’s commitment deepens. In the end, because we chose the hard road, our work became easier.
What are some other instances at our schools in which it behooves us to take the hard road now so we can enjoy the easy road further down the line and reach our ultimate destination as smoothly as possible? Do they involve grading, assessment, data, and pedagogy? Teacher evaluation, parent/community relationships, standardized testing, and implementing change? We would love to hear your thoughts. Knowing that hard roads become easy and easy roads become hard and choosing, therefore, to take the hard road is another way we create a positive and productive culture in our classrooms and schools
Thanks to all educators reading this and for the amazing work you are doing during these challenging times.
As always, Teach and Lead with Passion...
DAILY INSPIRATION EDUCATOR
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NEW BOOK (ebook Format)!
Crafting the Culture: 45 Reflections on Matters Most by Joe Sanfelippo and Jeff Zoul
Nailing down a precise definition of culture can be tricky; at times, it seems as if culture is more a “feeling” than anything that can be quantified, measured, or seen. At the same time, the feeling about culture one gets when entering any school or classroom is palpable and it is relatively easy to distinguish between schools and classrooms with strong cultures from those with less productive cultures. Any leader interested in maximizing their influence on others and the performance of those they lead, whether first-grade students, a group of teachers, or a team of business professionals, must be intentional about focusing on the culture they are trying to build and maintain.
This book is a collection of short, targeted insights into school culture from two school leaders who speak about culture in presentations throughout the country. Crafting the Culture contains daily reflections on culture that include a focus on specific words and phrases we often hear from audiences when describing their ideal cultures of excellence. These forty-five short, daily reflections will inspire you to think about how you are currently crafting the culture in your own setting–in particular, your classroom, school, or district.
Each daily reflection in this book includes a meaningful quote about culture–or the specific cultural focus of the day–as well as thoughts from the authors on the day’s cultural focus followed by reflective questions and action steps for readers to consider. By carving out a few minutes each day to read the quote, passage, and questions, readers can then reflect on these and consider how they might apply to their role and their setting. Begin Crafting the Culture in your own setting by reading these inspirational daily passages!
Crafting the Culture is available now via our website and Amazon. Click here for more information.
FEATURED BOOK!
Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms: Preparing Learners for Their Future
by Eric Sheninger
The premise of this book is simple, yet powerful. It’s time to future-proof learning for ALL kids. Broken into four parts, this book combines stories, insight from thousands of school visits, practical strategies, research, lessons from the pandemic, and examples from classrooms to assist educators to transform their practice. The parts:
Re-thinking “normal”
Re-thinking learning
Re-thinking the learner
Re-thinking our mindset
Each chapter ends with a “Disruptive Challenge” designed to do just that: Challenge educators to disrupt in some way their current thinking or professional practices.
Critical Components of the Book:
Disruptive change is the new normal. As such, our mindset and practices must evolve to future-proof learning in ways that help students develop meaningful competencies critical for success in an unpredictable world.
Comfort is the enemy of growth. We must critically evaluate if the way things have always been done in the classroom sets learners up for success now and in the future. Improvement in all we do is a never-ended journey.
Learning is a process, not an event. It requires educators to develop and use instructional practices and pedagogical techniques that meet the unique needs of all students.
Outlier practices play a key role in the development of disruptive thinking. Some practices add value while others do not. It is up to educators to find the right blend of these strategies to empower learners.
Packed with ready to use ideas and embedded resources including the latest digital tools, templates, and artifacts from real classrooms, readers will learn:
Why a mindset shift is essential in order to prepare learners for an unpredictable world.
How to implement strategies that focus on developing critical competencies.
How to ensure equity through personalization.
What to reflect on to improve and build powerful relationships.
CONNECTEDD’S TAKEAWAYS:
Thought for the Day: “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be." Socrates
Teaching Technique to Try: Big Paper: This discussion strategy uses writing and silence as tools to help students explore a topic in depth. This process slows down students’ thinking and gives them an opportunity to focus on the views of others. It also creates a visual record of students’ thoughts and questions that you can refer to later in a course. Check out this link from Facing History and Ourselves for a step-by-step process for using this technique.
Eyes On Culture: We believe that culture is a true difference-maker in any classroom, school, district, or organization. As a result, we focus much of the work we do on creating and maintaining positive and productive cultures. Culture Focus: Trust. High-performing schools with strong cultures are places in which both adults and students are confident in their abilities and have confidence in each other. Perhaps the greatest single gift any staff member can give to a student they are teaching is the gift of confidence. Our students’ belief in themselves is based largely on the extent to which we believe in them. Likewise, one of the greatest gifts administrators can give teachers is also the gift of confidence, letting them know–not only by their words, but also through their actions–that they believe in teachers’ abilities to accomplish the mission. They provide support as needed, but also the autonomy to get the job done, making the most of their unique talents and gifts. There are established non-negotiables in place for the collective whole, but individuals are encouraged to work within this framework while also allowing significant latitude in how the goals will be accomplished. In school cultures with confident kids and staff members, both are more likely to take risks, embrace change, and achieve their goals and dreams. Give the gift of confidence to the people you are serving in your district, school, or classroom by constantly communicating these three critical messages:
The work we are doing is important.
You can do it.
I will not give up on you.
What are some ways we can instill confidence within and among the people we serve and lead? Please share your thoughts about a culture of confidence via Twitter: @ConnectEDDBooks We would love to hear from you!