Why we should focus on our beliefs as well as our practices
I was at the front of the school during dismissal, holding the door open for the students leaving. One 3rd grader stopped, looked at me, and asked, "Did you go to college?" "Yes, I did," I responded. He thought for a moment, then shared quietly, "I don't think I will go to college." I asked him why.
Because no one in my family has gone to college.
Right away, I reassured him that if he wanted to go to college. he would be able to. He then talked about how expensive college was, which led to a conversation about scholarships and grants for students who excel in school. (By the way, this is not a typical conversation I have with a 3rd grader. He is a very thoughtful person.)
We can have the most technically skilled teachers in our school. They can receive the best professional development available and be provided all the time they need to prepare instruction and manage other tasks. But if a teacher does not believe that every student in their classroom can be successful readers, writers, and thinkers, then no amount of qualification or ability will have the necessary impact on our students.
Fortunately, beliefs and practices are intertwined. One influences the other. For example, if we try and apply a new practice and find it successful, our beliefs can shift so that we are discontinuing the less innovative practice. Likewise, when we reconsider our current practices because students are not as successful as they could be, we can become more open to new ideas.
A personal example: when I was teaching 5th and 6th grade in a multi-age environment, I leaned on the reading anthology series during the literacy block. I recall one student who was a "word caller": they could read any text put in front of them, but they had little to no comprehension about what they just read. Frustrated, I sought out resources. Ideas from books by Cris Tovani and Stephanie Harvey were added to my repertoire. After applying these new practices, the student still wasn't successful. But at least I had more reliable information when sharing my concerns about a possible learning disability with the parent.
My beliefs changed because my concern for the student outweighed any pride or insecurity I had in my own abilities. Yet teachers do not have to wait for a challenge like mine to take action. In her book Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success (ASCD, 2014), Regie Routman describes characteristics of highly effective teacher-leaders (Appendix I):
Articulates core beliefs about teaching, literacy, and learning.
Daily practices match stated beliefs.
Reflects on how beliefs drive practices.
Seeks to improve and adjust beliefs and practices in light of new information and experiences.
Is open to productive change.
I'd like to think that I embodied some of these characteristics with the story about my former student. Yet prior to that case, I plowed through the mandated literacy program without giving much thought to the results. I cannot feel guilty, though. I can only share my own story in the hope that others will learn from my experiences.
As we start gathering assessment results from the fall screeners, I encourage all of us to pause for a moment and ask ourselves a few questions:
When it comes to my literacy instruction, why am I doing what I am doing? (What you list is your beliefs.)
If I didn't have the current resources in my classroom, what would I use for literacy instruction? (You are examining how your beliefs drive your practices.)
How can I ensure that every student not only is successful but also feels successful in my classroom? (You are becoming open to change.)
We can always do better. Every year we have students who don't believe they are capable or worthy of success. We know they are, and they don't have to feel this way. It's our job to model what it means to have high expectations for ourselves. Be open about our personal challenges and how we are currently addressing them. Students need to see us as learners, not just experts. An open and transparent mind can also help maintain a focus on what our students need instead of what we think we need to teach. They are, after all, the reason schools exist.