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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