Friday, December 1, 2017

Finding the "Why" for Change

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

CHANGE is a big, scary word for most people. We know our routines and we are as comfortable in them as in our favorite jeans.  So when we are asked to change, that can make us uncomfortable.  And change is hard work. So how do we find the energy to move change forward?   Knowing our “why” can help fuel the change.

Several years ago, I was tasked with adopting new literacy materials for the elementary schools in my district.  More important than just updating old books, we had to have a purpose for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on materials. We had to find out why.  So we created philosophy statements to guide our work and then searched for materials that aligned with them. Statements like:

The learner must be at the center of literacy instruction.

Literacy instruction equips students to construct meaning, think critically, form educated opinions, and make knowledgeable decisions.

Literacy learning must include a wide range of reading, writing, communication, and technology associated with life today and life in the future. 

Our philosophy statements helped frame our “why” for finding and using new resources.  We teach literacy because we want our students to think critically and make knowledgeable decisions. We teach literacy because we want our students to be have tools for effective communication.

Change in our 30 elementary schools was hard work. Many teachers hadn’t previously used small group instruction, but we were fueled by our philosophy that “Instruction should target students’ needs and be provided at their instructional level.”  When we hit a road block or a challenge, we worked through or around it; our philosophy statements gave us resilience.

So what is your why?  First think about your why as a coach (because there will certainly be days when you need to remind yourself why you are doing this hard work!).  To find your coaching why, ask yourself:

·         What is it about your job that inspires you? What are you passionate about? When you focus on what you are passionate about, your influence and impact increase.  What you do has to be congruent with what you care about.

·         What are your strengths? What talents and skills do you bring to the table.  This is your private reflection time, so don’t be modest.  Knowing what you are good at helps to focus your why.

·         How will you measure success?  Working toward the goals that matter most to you gives you purpose.  When we align the work we are doing (both baby steps and big ones) with the objectives we want to achieve, we lengthen our stride. We accept challenges that extend and inspire us.

Go ahead.  Take a moment to ponder your inspiration, your strengths, and your objectives. Then craft a power statement that is your why for coaching.  After you’ve lived this process for yourself, you can guide others through it, finding whys specific to an initiative you are leading or a goal for school improvement that your faculty has set.  Our whys ignite our passion, fuel our creativity, and give us the energy for the hard work we call CHANGE.


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

Why students’ happiness matters:



More writing, less grading:



How to make a hovercraft (and other inexpensive, do-it-yourself physics ideas):



Using books to teach social-emotional skills:



Paraphrasing in science:



That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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