When Times Get Tough

Posted on May 17, 2022 Written by

This week has been extremely frustrating. Without going into too much detail, our state recently passed a law that will require a significant amount of extra work for many teachers. This law doesn’t address a widespread problem (there was only a single misunderstood incident in one school), but a few partisan legislators jumped on it, blowing it all out of proportion to pander to their base … and the end result was this new unnecessary law. Grrrrrr!

I was venting about this a bit to my old mentor, who today is an endowed chair at a major university. He’s had a lifetime of experience in multiple settings (including top leadership positions in Texas and Pennsylvania), and has served as a consultant to hundreds of school systems in more than forty states. Simply put, he’s “been there and done that” too many times to count. He’s always been a fount of wisdom and I truly value his input.

After we discussed this situation back and forth for a while, he offered this comment that was so insightful I just had to share it: “Forget about trying to influence the system.  Focus on working with individual students, individual teachers, and individual schools and you will make a meaningful difference. And occasionally, you may even get the chance to influence policy on a broader scale.”

Wow, just wow! I hope this encouragement to “refocus” helps you as much as it did me, especially in these “interesting” times.

Note: Just to be clear, this post is only my personal opinion. It in no way represents an official position by my department, my college, or my university.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: , ,

More on SEL …

Posted on May 10, 2022 Written by

In previous posts, we’ve discussed Social Emotion Learning (SEL) and the positive impact it can have on student learning. There’s now over a decade of data supporting SEL implementation, and many districts have found ways to sustain and even expand SEL … despite ongoing leadership and budget challenges.*

In 2011, eight large school districts formed a network to share ideas on how to apply SEL research to real-life, districtwide practices. This article shares the lessons they learned from that process, and provides inspiration for schools and districts wanting to emulate their success.

*See previous posts about nationwide concerns in these areas.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: , , ,

Bridging the Empathy Gap

Posted on April 26, 2022 Written by

Among the challenges that today’s teachers and administrators face are the increasing social and political conflicts that are rapidly dividing coworkers, families, and friends. However, also we know that effective educators are “bridge builders.” So how can we apply those skills to today’s troubling times?

This article by award-winning educator, author, and speaker Chase Mielke focuses on the four L’s of empathy — listening, labeling, linking, and letting go. It offers suggestions that can help you build stronger connections, temper emotions, and avoid escalating potential conflicts.

In the words of the author, “”We must start by realizing that what we share is more common, more powerful, and more critical to growth than how we differ” (Mielke, 2022).  

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: , , ,

Engaging Teachers

Posted on April 12, 2022 Written by

In these challenging times, helping your teachers feel more empowered and effective in their work is a vital task. Numerous studies (Goddard, 2001; Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2000) suggest that engaged teachers have a significant impact on both school culture and student learning. In fact, according to Hattie (2016) the shared effort of engaged teachers is the single most influential factor in promoting student achievement — higher than student socioeconomic status, prior achievement, home support, motivation, concentration, and even a student’s persistence.

This article offers several specific ways that administrators can empower and motivate their instructional staff. In the words of the author, “Student growth happens when students have teachers who believe in them — and in themselves. A principal’s role is to identify how the staff fits together as a team … to build teacher confidence, motivation, and engagement through positive feedback and support. When principals do (this) … motivation and engagement will increase, creating a cycle that feeds the positive school environment all students deserve.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized