CONNECTIONS: Just One Thing!
“Your students won’t always remember what you've taught them, but they’ll always remember how you've treated them.”
Unknown
Our work as educators is extremely difficult. The good news? It is also extremely rewarding. Like any important job, our work can (and should) be complicated. Yet, there are times when it behooves us to simplify the work down to its very essence. An author we once worked with suggested that if educators simply did just one thing, we would have it all solved. (This "one thing" reference reminded me of a key moment in the film City Slickers; check it out here).
This author’s one thing? If we all followed the golden rule of treating others the way we want to be treated, that would take care of pretty much all the challenges we face in education. Oversimplified stance? Of course. But let’s consider, just for fun:
In what ways would our schools be different if every educator in every school dealt with every student, every colleague, and every parent as we would have them deal with us? For instance, if that one thing was the standard for treating others, how would we respond when:
A student misbehaves consistently?
A colleague asks us to cover their class?
A working parent asks if they could meet for a conference before or after “normal” working hours?
A student fails to turn in an assignment?
A student, parent, or colleague lashes out at us angrily about something?
A student misses two weeks of school for being ill?
A colleague falls short of our expectations in some area?
If, in each of these instances, we responded according to this one thing, we suspect our schools would be better places in which to teach, learn, and lead. If someone disappoints us--be that person a student, parent, or colleague--and we respond with respect, empathy, and honesty, chances are we are responding in a way we would want that person to deal with us. Here are three important caveats to this one thing, however:
It Starts with Us: First, like all good ideas for making our world a better place, it starts with us. If we are not modeling this behavior ourselves, it is unlikely to spread and become embedded in the culture of the organization.
Easier Said than Done: Second, this sounds a whole lot easier in theory than it actually is in practice. Let’s face it; there are some really annoying things occurring in our schools each day! Not only that, but at times people with whom we interact disappoint us, treat us poorly, and even do things that hurt us. When these things happen, it is never fun and often tempting to respond in kind. When thusly tempted, we must keep in mind this powerful axiom: “We are defined by our actions toward others, not others’ actions toward us.”
We are All Different: Third, we have learned that not everyone wants to be treated the way we want to be treated. Although there are certainly differences among people in how they prefer to be treated, we suspect there are some ways of dealing with others that work for nearly everyone. Behaving toward others with dignity, respect, patience, calmness, and empathy while actively listening and seeking to honestly know the other person are behaviors that will sit well with virtually all students, parents, and colleagues. In fact, the more we get to know our kids, parents, and colleagues, the more equipped we are to twist the Golden Rule just a bit, moving from treating others as we would want to be treated to treating others as they would want to be treated.
We may never get the entire school community consistently behaving in this way, but the more often each of us models this one thing, the more likely it is we will get others to follow suit. Eventually, if we stay the course, it may even become embedded into the culture as simply, “The way we do things around here.” This one thing may not be the answer to every challenge facing those of us serving in schools, but we honestly suspect it would eliminate many of the negative incidents that occur therein. Intentionally and consistently seeking to deal with others as we would have them deal with us is one thing we can do to make schools better.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“If you were to have only one goal this coming school year, make it that your students enjoy being in your classroom.”
Michael Linsin
DAILY INSPIRATION EDUCATOR
Please let us know about an inspiring educator you think we should highlight in a future newsletter by completing this brief form!
WHAT'S NEW?
Daily Inspiration for Educators: Positive Thoughts for Every Day of the Year by Jimmy Casas.
Most of the daily thoughts contained herein are variations on the “Thoughts for the Day” Casas has shared over the past years. Others are sayings found elsewhere, some of which are hundreds of years old and others found only recently. The goal of this volume is that in some small way, these daily thoughts will provide hope, validation, and inspiration to some of the most inspiring people in the world: hard working education professionals. Serving as a professional educator is so important that we must commit to doing whatever it takes to ensure that every child achieves success each and every day we serve. It is noble work, indeed. But it is difficult work with many daily challenges and disappointments. Daily Inspiration for Educators can serve as a resource that motivates and inspires educators during times of joy as well as when things get tough--as we know they will periodically in a profession as important and challenging as ours. Check out more here!
EYES ON CULTURE:
Multiply Excellence In Your School by Emily Paschall
In this new book, Emily Paschall supplies the recipe for success in today’s schools. School culture is the hidden curriculum that drives a school forward or backward, and when strong relationships and relentless passion are at its root, this is when excellence multiplies. This book is filled with a wide range of authentic stories and lessons, as well as tangible takeaways that will culturize your classroom, school, and community. Emily provides you with the necessary tools to not only live your own excellence, but to multiply excellence in others. In this book, you will learn:
How to use your lived experiences to help someone else
How to unlock the key to connecting with all kids, even those who seem unreachable
How to build partnerships with families so that they desire to work with you
How to make difficult conversations not so difficult
How to help every student, parent, and colleague achieve excellence
May the words in this book fill you with the joyful reminder of why you went into education in the first place—for KIDS!
COMING SOON
Pause. Breathe. Flourish: Living Your Best Life as an Educator by William D. Parker
In this book, Parker explores the habits, practices, and mindset necessary for growth as both an educator and a person. This book is grounded in the belief that when you invest in better care of yourself, you can better serve and lead others. Applying those insights is the challenge. Each chapter begins with a mental image and unpacks specific areas for cultivating personal or professional growth. Chapters end with reflection questions to help you take immediate actions for thoughtful application and improved outcomes. Do yourself a favor, and read ahead to pause, breathe, and flourish!
TAKE FIVE
Chats to Check Out: #sblchat - Wednesdays at 8:00 pm CST on Twitter. In #sblchat, interact with and learn alongside educators who are passionate about all things related to standards-based learning, including garding, assessment, and communicating student learning.
Podcasts to Ponder: One of our favorite resources is Aspire: The Leadership Development Podcast created by Joshua Stamper. This podcast provides those who are looking to build their leadership capacity an opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced and accomplished educational leaders. Learn more here
Blogs that Make Us Better: George Couros writes frequently about a wide range of teaching and leadership issues. We find these to be among the most practical and inspirational educational blogs in existence. Learn more here.
Teaching Technique to Try: Alphabet Brainstorm. Learn more about this teaching technique here, via Facing History and Ourselves, whose mission is to use the lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.
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. We define culture as: The norms, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, values, traditions, celebrations, and myths that comprise any group of people working together. Or, as Roland Barth once said, “It’s simply the way we do things around here.” When working with educators, we often ask the question, “What would you like your culture to be noted for?” Next, we ask them to fill in the blank with up to five answers: I would like for our school to be noted for its Culture of ________________ . Although the possibilities are endless, our Top 5 often include:
Culture of Caring
Culture of Respect
Culture of Equity
Culture of Joy
Culture of Risk Taking
What would your responses include? Feel free to share your thoughts via Twitter: @ConnectEDDBooks We would love to hear from you!