Many
years ago, a friend and his wife were asked to bring ice cream to the church
social. Not just a gallon – their job was to pick up all of the
ice cream for the group from the local creamery. Although they were planning to
visit relatives in another town that day, the young couple planned their
schedule around returning early enough to get the ice cream to the park before
the party. When they arrived at the
creamery, however, they were told that the ice cream had already been picked
up. The leader who had given them the
assignment, knowing they were out of town, had taken care of this errand.
Maybe
my friend and his wife should have felt grateful that someone had their back.
Instead, they felt frustrated that their carefully-planned return trip was in vain. They felt deflated that the leader who gave
them the assignment didn’t believe they would carry it out. They wondered if they had a part to play. The sting, and the lesson, lingered. Over subsequent decades, whenever they have
conversations about delegating tasks, they’ll ask, “Who’s bringing the ice
cream?” This question serves not only to
divvy up the work, but also to remind them to give ownership for a task to the
one who it’s been delegated to.
Coaches
can sometime act as “saviors,” prepared to jump in and save the day when
someone is off their game. While it’s important that we ensure the final
outcome is effective instruction for students, taking up the slack too often
can backfire, reducing teachers’ preparation and motivation.
It
may be tempting to keep a few tricks up your sleeve that you can pull out in
the time of need. But if a teacher said she’d bring that research article to
share with the group, let her do it. And if she forgets this time and the group
doesn’t have what they need, she’ll probably be more likely to be prepared the
next time around. If the data that’s needed for a decision is the
responsibility of the classroom teacher, don’t bring the data yourself. An email reminder beforehand could be
appropriate, but “bringing the ice cream” is not.
I’m
a firm believer that people rise to the expectations we have for them. Expect
that teachers will live up to their commitments. Expect that they will follow through. Occasionally, the group may have to do without
the ice cream, but the expectations and responsibility that are built will be
worth the lack of dessert.
This
week, you might want to take a look at:
Five
reasons remote learning did not meet the needs of learners:
10 SEL
learning strategies:
Writing-at-Home
resources for young children 4 – 8 (great share for parents):
A
3-minute listen on the court’s decision that students have a right to learn to
read:
6
Co-Teaching models:
That’s
it for this week. Happy Coaching!
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code TCP2020 during checkout for free shipping on my book, Collaborative
Lesson Study at tcpress.com.
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