Friday, June 3, 2016

The Difference between Activity and Action

Schools are a place of great activity. This is never more evident than at the end of the school year, as we are busy with summative assessments and tying up loose ends. If you can extricate yourself from the bustle (or if your school year is over), take a step back and ask yourself, “Is our school a place of action?”

The difference between activity and action is striking. Activity, as the dictionary defines it, is the state of doing something that requires physical movement and energy. It means being busy. Action, on the other hand, has a very intentional feeling to it. The definition describes action as an act of will; the bringing about of an alteration.

Most of those reading this post are probably busy people. You have assumed the leader-role of coach because you are a doer. It is important for busy people to pause from time to time and reflect upon their busyness. Are you wearing your busyness like a badge of honor? Is your busyness intentional, or have tasks unintentionally piled up, leaving you unable to focus on the most important tasks?

I like the poem, “A Lacy Thought,“ by Eve Merriam:

There go the grownups
To the office,
To the store.
Subway rush,
Traffic crush;
Hurry, scurry,
Worry, flurry.

No wonder
Grown ups
Don’t grow up
Any more.
It takes a lot
Of slow
To grow.

I know I need to remind myself to take the slow to grow. If you find yourself in this situation, sift your activities so that what remains is intentional action. Getting rid of the rush and crush, the hurry and scurry in your own schedule is an important personal step. Taking this approach to your school’s agenda as you begin thinking about next year could have an even bigger impact. As a coach, you can be an instrument for change by sifting and shifting to include less activity and more action.


This week, you might want to take a look at:

Reasons for using humor in the classroom:



The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies (podcast or text):



Topic-specific links to teaching upper-elementary math with manipulatives and movement:



If you haven’t tried Google Lit Trips yet, they’re worth the effort!



You’ll think of lots of uses for this book, 10-Minute Inservice:



That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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