Always Make New Mistakes

Last Week

Last week I had several intense conversations with a student who was facing a very difficult situation outside of school.  He was feeling overwhelmed and had come to the conclusion that he needed to leave school and go to work.  The long and short of these conversations is that he is not leaving school.  Nevertheless, I think I made a mistake with him.

One of the last things he said to me as he left my office was, “Nobody around here wants to help.” 

The rational side of me recognizes that his reaction grew out of fear and frustration.  That doesn’t make the statement any less of a kick in the gut.  In fact, during the years he has been a Royal, many of you have helped this young man personally in many ways.  The decisions I made were also meant to be helpful.  I urged him to take the long view of life and to see the next few months as difficult but endurable.  In the big picture, staying in school will pay off in ways that working for minimum wage will never replace.

It is good advice.  It is logical.  It is justifiable.  For whatever reason, however, my responses felt like “no help” to this student.

Later in the Week

Later in the week, I read a short article in Question/Answer format with Russell Quaglia, an expert on student engagement.  Quaglia’s response to a question about student disengagement from school resonated with the experience I just shared:

Feeling valued as a member of the school community means believing that people genuinely care about who you are as an individual.   The percentage is low because teachers do not show students that they care about them in ways that are perceptible to students…Of course teachers care—they just need to overtly transfer this understanding to students.  They need to know the students’ names, and their hopes and dreams, and they need to show connections between their lives and the curriculum.  Teachers need to care if students are absent from school—and ask how they are doing when they return.

According to Quaglia, the issue is not about teachers caring.  Educators care deeply, but we do not always show it in ways that students perceive.  The old saying “Perception is reality” is worth noting in this context.  If we care, but the students don’t perceive it, what is their reality?

A Bit Weak

That is the question I’ve been asking myself about last week’s conversations.  In the end, the message I had for this student was on target.  I don’t doubt that a bit, and I am very pleased that he is staying in school and will keep his options open.  How I responded, based on his comments, was likely a bit weak.  Perhaps the day will come when he realizes I was trying to help, but perhaps I need to, as Quaglia says, “care in ways that are perceptible to students.” 

Today!  Not just in the distant and abstract future.

Next Week

On my desk I have strategically attached a refrigerator magnet to my desk lamp with a few words of wisdom from Esther Dyson: “Always make new mistakes.”  I can’t help but see it when I turn on my light, and I use it as a daily reminder.

I’ve thought about the exchange with this student numerous times.  I’ve kicked around some ideas of what I could have done differently.  These ideas I have filed away in my toolbox to pull out at some other time when I need them.  The different approach I have in mind may or may not “work” next time around, but I think I can do better.  I think I can find ways to stay on message and yet still let the student know I understand his perspective and care about his opinions.

If the new approach I have in mind does not work, I will try a new set of mistakes.

A Good Week

I hope your week is a good one, HSE.  I know you care about our students.  I encourage you to find ways to let them in on this secret as well. 

Phil

Kudos this week to Jim Self and Greg Habegger—and all of you involved in Royals athletics.  It is an amazing thing to see the blue and red go at it during Mud Sock Week.  The kids had fun, and the community support is amazing.  None of this happens by chance.  The success of Mud Sock is due in no small part to the efforts of our athletic directors.  It’s a great day to be a Royal!

A Name, Questions, and an Autopsy

An Interesting Name:

This past summer I read a short summary about Dylan Wiliam and his new book Embedded Formative Assessments.  Besides being one of those guys whose first and last names seem to be reversed, Wiliam is a British educational researcher who has focused on the value of formative assessments. 

The short blurb about his book was so compelling that I jumped on Amazon and ordered a copy. When it first arrived, I thumbed it open and by chance hit page 47.  This is the first thing I read:

Students do not learn what we teach. 

That certainly caught my attention!  Here is the paragraph in its entirety:

Students do not learn what we teach.  If they did, we would not need to keep grade books.  We could, instead, simply record what we have taught. But anyone who has spent any time in a classroom knows that what students learn as a result of our instruction is unpredictable.  We teach what we think are good lessons, but then, after we collect our students’ notebooks, we wonder how they could have misinterpreted what we said so completely.

Those of you who have taught more than one day recognize this reality.  What we teach and what students learn can be frustratingly different.  In this book, Wiliam attempts to address this frustration.  I found that he is easy to read, summarizes research well, but most importantly, gives easy to use and practical ways to incorporate formative assessments into daily lessons.

Three Important Questions:

Whether you call the guy Wiliam or Dylan, he has some interesting things to say and ideas for the classroom.  For now, the questions he raises are good ones to ponder:

• How do you know that students in your class learned today what you wanted them to learn? 
• How do you know who “has it,” who has misconceptions, and who is still struggling?
• How do you know that your teaching resulted in learning?

A Physical is Better than an Autopsy:

This difference between teaching and learning is the heart of the matter.  Dylan compares teaching without learning to a surgeon saying, “The operation was a great success, but unfortunately, the patient died.”  To continue the metaphor, if you wait until the chapter exam or final exam to find out if students are learning, you may be performing an autopsy, rather than a physical.  That is the difference between summative and formative assessments.

This year you are going to hear often about formative assessments.  You will see references to them all over the Teacher Effectiveness Rubric, they are a key component of Student Learning Objectives, and the HSE²¹ Best Practice Model references them as well.  There is a reason for this: Research is very clear that using formative assessments and giving immediate feedback to students have a huge positive impact on learning.

I encourage you to give it a shot.  See if Dylan Wiliam (or is it Wiliam Dylan?) is right or wrong.  Maybe students do learn what we teach.  Maybe not all of them do.  Give a quick assessment during today’s lesson, and maybe you can avoid the unpleasant task of performing an autopsy at the end of the unit.

Have a great week, HSE.

Phil

Kudos this week to the HSE Mock Trial Team!  Janet Chandler coached this group to a first place finish in the National Judicial Competition held in Chicago this past summer.  Our students beat California in the quarter finals, Michigan in the semifinals, and Texas in the finals.  Justice was served. Case closed!

For those of you who like quotes, here are a few from some famous people who happen to have a first name for a last name:

• Hank Aaron: My motto was always to keep swinging.  Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble in the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.  Failure is a part of success.
• Danny Kaye: I wasn’t born a fool.  It took work to get this way.
• T. S. Elliot: If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
• Bruce Lee: A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

From B106: Gabe Kaplan, Vinnie Barbarino, and Good Work

Welcome back!  I can hardly write that line, especially at the beginning of the school year, without adding “Kotter.”

You see, I graduated from Hesston High School in June of 1975 and started my first day as a teacher in August of 1979.  Interestingly enough—at least to me—those are the same years in which Gabe Kaplan and the young John Travolta starred in the sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter.” 

Those of you of a certain age probably remember Mr. Kotter from watching the weekly show.  Because of the numerous reruns, others of you may also know of Vinnie Barbarino, Arnold Horshack, Juan Epstein, Boom Boom Washington, and the Sweathogs.  If not, check this picture as a reminder.

I haven’t seen an actual episode of “Welcome Back, Kotter” for years and years, but I recall it made some interesting points about teaching and caring for tough students.  Mr. Kotter told lots of stories, built strong relationships with his students, and created a classroom that met his students’ individual needs.  For Kotter, the job wasn't easy, but it was good work and it made a difference. 

That is, of course, the point Matt was making last Tuesday about his vision for Hamilton Southeastern High School, which he summarized as Know, Teach/Do, Care. 

• Know: Know your content, how to break it down into teachable chunks, and what you want to accomplish in each lesson.
• Teach/Do: Teach using the best practices you know and continue adding to the toolbox.
• Care: Care by getting to know each student well and meeting individual needs of all HSHS students.

If we do these things, like Kotter, we will be doing good work.

The Characteristics of “Good Work”

Daniel Goleman, in a New York Times article, cites research about what characterizes “good work” in any field.  He summarizes the following:

• You are highly competent and effective at what you do.
• The work expresses your ethical values and is aligned to your mission in life.
• The job gives a pleasing sense of engagement—in a word, joy.

The educators I know never shy away from the hard work.  At times, however, we can become overwhelmed by all the demands of the job, and the joy of our work can fade.  One way to retain the joy is by taking a good hard look at what is going on in this building.  The work we are doing is extremely important, we are having a positive impact on thousands of students, and we work with great people.  We are in this together and moving in the same direction.  It is amazing to be a part of this journey.

So welcome back, HSE.  The year is off and running.  Keep up the good work.  May your year be filled with professional growth, with strong relationships, and with joy.

Phil

PS: Kudos to the Guidance Department for getting 3,000 students scheduled and into classes. That is also nothing short of amazing!