Principal's Message 11/17/08

PRACTICES USED WITH ADULTS COMPARED TO WHAT WE DO WITH CHILDREN

When I work with children, I find the strategies I use with adults to be similar. Should the techniques I use with you be different from what I do with the children? Should your techniques used in your classroom be different than how I handle the staff as a whole? Let’s take a look.

Should the misconduct of one ruin it for the others?

The whole versus the individual…This is one I struggle with. I think it comes down to a matter of convenience when taking on resistance or disruptions. For example, if one teacher or even two or three teachers attend a professional development but they spend their time doing their graduate work, sleeping, or some other task not related to the topic at hand, should a rule be put in place for all staff members to develop a report or share out when they get back with their department or should those employees be addressed individually? Even worse, should professional development be eliminated instead? When people defy a responsibility or push their limits on an expectation, it is the first inclination to change procedures to eliminate the requirement or to increase supervision. This is convenient for me because I do not have to run around trying to figure out who is not paying attention to a professional development. I do not have to meet with you after every PD you attend to see if you were engaged. I believe it is not fair to give repercussions to an entire staff if only a few have broken the rules or abused their responsibilities but it’s so much easier. I used to address individual staff problems with the entire staff in the morning meetings. It slowly melted morale because it became a complaining session rather than preparation for the day. I learned that easier was not necessarily better.

When a few students break the rules, are you inclined to punish the class as a whole? Is it fair for me to punish the entire staff when a few broke the rules? I know as adults you would be inclined to tell me to deal with those people on an individual basis. I think children feel the same way. When you punish them for the actions of others, they become frustrated just like you. We all desire for justice to be served within our communities. Sometimes, if we are unable to isolate the perpetrators, then we must figure out another way to address the situation rather than punish the entire group or, even worse, lecture people who did not do anything wrong.

Comparing to others versus comparing to what works

When the test results came out, I summarized the results as per each class. It was easy for a teacher to determine how their work with their students compared with the other staff members. When a staff member works hard and goes beyond their job description, it makes me wonder how you would feel if I weighed one adult’s efforts against you. I think it is one thing to praise the hard work of one person and give him or her proper recognition for a job well done. It changes everyone’s perspective if I were to say, “Why can’t you be more like Dr. Schultz?”; or when you articulate that you are struggling with a concept and I answer with, “Well, Mr. Ciano is doing it in his classroom.” It would be more advantageous to develop a goal or vision as to where a person can go with their practices or daily efforts and coach him or her on how to reach that level. The comparison method runs the risk of deteriorating the confidence of an individual or develops a sense of defeat. I think the same goes for our students. If we can create a vision of where we want our students to go on an individual basis, instead of comparing their work to other students, we can coach them to reach a goal or vision. Some techniques to support these efforts are a rubric, posting student work so the student can make the comparison on their own, or articulating through conferencing how a student can improve.

Supporting the individual compared to the whole

When we used to provide professional development in house, many of you would get frustrated with having to hear about a topic you already knew inside and out. Several of you would request to be excused, start grading papers, or would even engage in note passing with another staff member. It’s understandable that one would become impatient with having to hear about information they know already. I think students are the same way especially if a lesson runs over several days. If adults are inclined to not pay attention or, better yet, side track other staff members, then why are we surprised that students are vulnerable to distracting their classmates when they do not have to learn what is being shared (they already know it). If a majority of the class needs a lesson to be taught again, then a plan needs to be put in place for the students who already know the topic. If not, then you will be taking on more management problems than helping your students progress. The more your students are split as far as previous knowledge of a topic, the more creativity must be invested into a lesson to meet their needs and allow the class to run smoothly.

Motivating through repercussions or creativity

If I put rules in affect without explaining the purpose of them, many of you, if not all, would become extremely frustrated. If every time you did not do what I wanted, I threatened to put a letter in your file, you would become very unhappy when you walked into our building. As adults, we crave to have our input in what we face on a daily basis. We appreciate an explanation when systems or procedures are shifted for the good of the whole. Even with initiatives, when presented as a whole without an individual discussion or an opportunity to shift or adjust it, you become resistant to it. How much input do we allow our students to have in our classrooms?

Some of you use grades as your motivating factor for participation in your class or completion of work. Basically, in so many words, you are telling children that if they do not do “A, B, and C” they will fail your class. If the rules or expectations are not met, he or she will be held over. It sure does sound similar to repercussions. I find that when I coach a teacher to meet expectations by showing him or her how to improve, I get better results than using the “letter in the file” method or even the “Unsatisfactory” Observation. Most staff are much more cooperative, appreciative, and optimistic when they are coached to reach another level professionally with positive reinforcement and the proper presentation of their identified weaknesses. I believe students are the same way. By directly showing how a student can improve and checking in on their progress, he or she will have a better chance of progressing than reiterating the possibility of failure or being held over. The final ingredient that makes the biggest difference, is offering your support. “I will do A, B, and C if you do D, E, and F.”

If I held a grudge against you when you did something wrong, how would you feel?
If another faculty member put me in a bad mood, would it be fair to you to be in bad mood during our meeting?

HOW MUCH DIFFERENT ARE WE FROM OUR CHILDREN? YOU TELL ME.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE

The discipline committee meets every week from 3:15 to 4:15 to address issues surrounding the structure, implementation, and effectiveness of the school-wide discipline code. We meet in Room 310.

- JOIN THE COMMITTEE: Members of the discipline committee are eager and excited to work with new staff members and veteran staff members interested in improving our school’s culture and community. Please join us at this week’s meeting on Thursday in Mr. Mezan’s room.

- DRESS CODE: School hoodies (grey with Falcon insignia on back) are allowed in classrooms. Any solid-colored sweaters are allowed (no stripes, letters, or anything else allowed).

- ANECDOTALS: Please be sure to complete anecdotals for students repeatedly getting into trouble. These are very helpful for parent-teacher conferences and interventions.

ATTENDANCE LAST WEEK

Monday: 92%
Tuesday: No students
Wednesday: 93%
Thursday: 92%
Friday: 86% We are dropping on Fridays. We need to look for our pattern absences

BIRTHDAYS:

James Unger November 14th
Kristen Willis November 19th

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“True success in medicine is not easy. It requires will, attention to detail, and creativity. But… it is possible anywhere and by anyone. … [each astonishing success]… began, I noticed, remarkably simply: with a readiness to recognize problems and determination to remedy them. … Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try. ” from Better by Atul Gawande