Grounded in Experience
Newsletter
Welcome to my weekly round up, which includes a brief post and recommended reading and resources. This week we ground ourselves in what we believe works at this time. Enjoy this site? Share it with your colleagues.
Plum to the Earth
Before winter is here, I have been trying to close up the bottom of our deck in the backyard. My neighbor, Ed, is helping me frame the sides of the deck. Boards over the posts and beams will help keep the neighborhood critters out from underneath.
The ground slopes underneath. “How do we keep the beam level with the deck?” I asked Ed. “You don't,” he replied. “It just needs to be plum with the earth.” The beam was attached at a diagonal, with vertical boards eventually covering this part up.
Sometimes, following the typical rules does not get us to a preferred outcome. This experience was also a reminder for me at school. Are we still trying to meet the standards developed in 2019 within the constraints of 2020? How have we readjusted our expectations to be responsive to the situation and to our students?
I doubt I would have been successful with the deck without a different perspective. A new set of eyes also comes with unique experiences. If something in your practice is creating an obstacle, consider sharing it with a trusted colleague. Even if it does not get solved, they will appreciate being seen as credible and you will feel supported.
In these uncertain times, feeling grounded is one of the best gifts we give ourselves.
Recommended Reading and Resources
What lesson from a coaching experience has resonated with you? This anecdote can be from any field. Add your story here to our discussion thread.
After a research and literature review, Devin Vodicka outlined the four elements of trust in this article for Principal Leadership.
“The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools” - a 2014 article by David Kirp (The New York Times) that advocates for early childhood education, integrating social/emotional instruction with traditional academics, and teaching students how to think.
Cristy Rush-Levine writes about building on what students know and setting them up for success as a bridge to new learning during author studies (Choice Literacy).
The second of nine writing tips was posted on Thursday: Examine Sources of Tension. This “Educators as Writers” series is available to full subscribers, including opportunities for peer writing groups via Zoom. Sign up today!
Quotable
“As a football coach, I was walking out to the field with all of my assistant coaches (we weren't having a very good year) when one of them said, ‘These kids just don't seem to get it; we are never going to win.’ I stopped right in my tracks as the light bulb went off and ask everyone what we were going to do differently so that the kids would get it. We need to check for student understanding in all settings and monitor growth toward our goals. The last three weeks of practice involved new approaches and more teaching/reteaching to verify kids understood and could demonstrate what we were teaching. Kids became more engaged in the practices and our energy carried over to games. Ironically, the next season we started with a new approach to practice and a 25 game win streak followed.”
- Shared by Brad Lutes, principal, from the coaching experiences discussion thread
Take care,
Matt
P.S. What resonated with you most here? Leave your feedback in the comments.