Yesterday I visited with my Aunt Joan,
a smiling, white-haired woman whose blue eyes still twinkle, even though she
will soon be 90 years old. As the wife
of a small-town farmer, she has faced many challenges and has worked hard
throughout her life. She still
does. This winter, her physician had to
threaten to withhold a prescription in order to get her to promise not to
shovel the snow from her walkway. Even though she’s had rheumatoid arthritis
for almost 70 years, when I talked with her yesterday, her only complaint about
doing yard work was that she is no longer steady enough to trim the tops of her
bushes. She’s an amazing woman.
During our conversation, Aunt Joan
both reminisced and talked about the future.
She said she wouldn’t trade her life for anything, and she gave me some
advice: Whatever situation you are
given, make the most of it. Be positive,
she said. The thing that matters most is
your attitude.
This is sound advice no matter your
profession. And for teachers, who work every day with impressionable children
and youth, teachers’ attitudes have a ripple effect.
Teaching is hard work, but focusing on
the negative is toxic, for both teachers and students. A negative attitude creates distance between
teachers and students and among colleagues, making the work harder. It breeds
negative feelings about our profession that extend beyond the teachers’ lounge.
Human interactions can cultivate hope
or breed despair. They can build dreams
or dash hopes. So teachers need to give
themselves regular check-ups to consider the attitudes they are reflecting to
their students.
It always helps to start with
ourselves. If I bite my tongue rather than speaking ungraciously of another, I
am a builder instead of one who tears down. If I ask questions to get to know
my colleagues better, I am strengthening relationships. If I share a story of student growth and
learning, I am creating celebratory expectations.
As coaches, we can find ways to shift
conversations to be more hopeful and helpful. Model positive talk about
students. If students are called lazy,
shift the conversation to focus on practices that enhance student
motivation. If students are described as
incapable, help teacher uncover their areas of strength. Shifting the
conversation away from complaining can raise expectations for students and help
teachers feel more efficacious.
Coaches can also take a direct
approach to changing attitudes.
Anonymously collect complaints you hear about students, then bring these
comments to a faculty meeting for discussion.
Ask teachers to reflect: What do these statements imply about
expectations and interactions? Then give a one-week complaint-free
challenge. You can lighten the tone by
giving each teacher a few complaint “tickets” to be issued when they catch a
colleague complaining during the week. After the week has passed, have teacher
reflect on any changes. Do they walk
away from school at the end of the day with more energy? With more joy?
Teachers can find something positive
to talk about, replacing negativity with joy and grumbling with thankfulness. They
can build relationships with students and colleagues. As teachers spend less
time talking about negative aspects of their jobs and their students and focus
on more positive experiences, they feel more hope for the future of education
and for their role in that future. Instructional
coaches can provide support and inspiration to help teachers enjoy, not just
endure, their professions.
This week, you
might want to take a look at:
If
you’re planning PD, read this:
Tips
for moving into a coaching position:
Relationship-building
tips for instructional coaches:
Sharable articles on the research that
should guide literacy instruction:
https://threeteacherstalk.com/2016/06/28/try-it-tuesday-cite-the-research-that-drives-your-practice/
Getting started with trauma-informed
practices:
That’s
it for this week. Happy Coaching!
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