Today I conferred with a teacher who
said she really struggled with classroom management. Although I could have
simply agreed with her (Yes, you really are bad at that!), I don’t think it
would have won me any ground with her.
Instead, I told her the truth in a way that built her up: “At the beginning of the lesson,” I said, “I
saw you come in really firm. I heard
resolve in your voice. You asked for students’ feet to point toward you. You waited for full attention. You acknowledge students who were
ready.” I said all these things in a slow,
assured tone. I made sure it sunk in.
Then, talking a little faster, in a
voice that was a bit quieter, I acknowledge this hadn’t been the case
throughout the entire lesson. “As the
lesson went on,” I said, “you did seem to get caught up in the details of the
lesson and lose some of that confident expectation. Maybe you were thinking harder about what to
do next and less about students’ participation.
I think you just need more experience with using this new teaching
approach.” The tension was easing from Cynthia’s
shoulders as I continued talking, and she began to smile. “Early in the lesson, I saw the stance and
tone of someone with great classroom management,” I said. “You’ve got this!”
Cynthia talked a bit more about her
concerns, and I slipped in a few classroom management tips, but the rest of our
conversation focused, as it should, on students’ learning. As far as classroom management goes, what was
really lacking was her confidence (students can smell fear!), so I bolstered
that. In Cynthia’s mind (and my own), I
created her as an extraordinary teacher – who just had a few minor rough edges
to smooth. I wasn’t sugar-coating the
conversation; I was describing what I had seen when I chose to look for the
best in her.
There has been so much research about
how teachers’ perceptions of their students influences student
achievement. I haven’t done the research
(yet!), but my hypothesis is that the same holds true for the coach-teacher
relationship. When coaches choose to see
teachers as extraordinary, teachers rise to the occasion. It seemed to work with Cynthia today.
As you contemplate your own view of a
teacher you are working with (maybe one you’ve viewed as struggling), consider
how you might recreate her, instead, as extraordinary. What values does she have? In what ways is she important? What virtue
would she benefit from being recreated with? (Pause and think about those questions and
that teacher for a moment.)
I’m confident that we can see
something extraordinary in every teacher, and we can help them see it in
themselves. And extraordinary people are
usually open to becoming even more extraordinary!
p.s.
Life skills tip: You can practice
this with your significant other. It
might have been a while since you thought about what makes him or her
extraordinary. Try focusing on those
attributes and see how it affects your interactions. J
This
week, you might want to take a look at:
Creating
a comfortable classroom:
Take
time for reflection while there’s still time for adjustment before the school
year closes:
Tips
for using mentor texts effectively:
Leveraging
teacher leaders to boost coaching impact:
Sketchnoting
for you and your students – try it during read alouds:
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