“For a seed to achieve its
greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its
insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand
growth, it would look like complete destruction.”
~Cynthia Ocelli
Sometimes,
change and growth are miniscule and incremental. We hardly know they are
happening. Looking back on where we were, we are surprised at what we’ve now
become. But sometimes, sometimes growth is like Ocelli’s quote, above. Sometimes,
change and growth look like destruction. Sometimes we feel cracked. Sometimes,
everything spills out before change and growth occur. Sometimes it has to be
that way.
As
coaches, we are agents of change and growth. Sometimes, we work with teachers
whose incremental growth gradually moves them to become better than they were.
Some teachers, though, seem stuck in their shell. Familiar routines and
practices are comfortable and protective. Their shell seems hard, until one
day, somehow, it comes undone.
Lynn
was a confident teacher who planned great lessons and executed them with
precision—whether or not her students were following along. She was focused on her teaching,
rather than on her students’ learning. Frankly, it surprised me to see this.
She’d always sounded so confident in describing her lessons and sharing her
insights, I figured her teaching lived up to these descriptions. And in her
mind, it did. That was what made change so difficult. But somehow, after lots of
talk about student needs, formative assessment, and differentiation, the shell
cracked and she came completely undone. It was heart-wrenching, really, as she
realized that she was not quite the teacher she thought she was. But with her
characteristic determination, she made dramatic changes to her teaching within
a short time. Coming undone was what it took to get the work done.
Over
the years, as I’ve worked with other “hard-shelled” teachers, I’ve reflected on
my experience with Lynn. There’s no formula for cracking the shell. Just as
seeds have different conditions required for growth (planting depth, watering,
days to germination), the needs of these teachers differ. Remembering Lynn
gives me the courage and determination to push a little harder or stay with it
a little longer—and to tolerate and even push for the “undoing,” as hard as it
may be. “To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete
destruction.” Having walked the path with Lynn and others, I am coming to
understand this type of hard-won growth a little better.
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
Get your students ready
for National Novel Writing Month:
Ideas about ensuring the
ESSA is not a replication of failed reforms:
Spotlight on Writing
Instruction:
Play is children’s work:
Questions to guide guided reading:
That’s it for this week. Happy
Coaching!
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