Did our hunting and gathering ancestors offer courses in mammoth-hunt approach tactics?
Did they ask their youth to review, remember, and randomly recall Chief Ug’s 10 Step Procedure for tracking the next kill before they were allowed to pursue their own?
Were the children allowed out of the cave during the day to watch and learn from the adults, who each possessed a lifetime of valuable information?
Who made their standardized tests? And could they have marked them without paper!?
Sometimes I wonder these things as 90+ teenagers funnel in and out of my classroom each and every day, bored and confused and unsure about what they want to do when they finish school.
“Creating a culture of learning” has been an educational catch-phrase for several years now. I’ve heard it spoken many times in classrooms, staff meetings, and conferences, More often than not, though, I’ve observed teachers roll their eyes whenever the phrase is uttered.
We all know learning is important, right? We would all like to work with people who were excited to teach and learn, right? Then why is creating a culture of learning – or getting people to buy into a culture of learning – so difficult?
RUMINATIONS
Now I don’t know this for certain, but I’m willing to bet that a culture of learning has more to do with the quality of relationships in a workplace community than anything else. I say this because I truly believe that learning is an intrinsic and intimate activity – we learn on our own and for our own reasons. This means that creating a culture of real learning requires genuine – and shared – interest and curiosity.
Think about it: would you openly and willingly share that something you’ve been wondering about with someone you didn’t like, or trust, or value?
No way! Absolutely not!
So, I think it’s quite simple:
Before you can create a genuine culture of learning, the people in the culture have to like and respect each other … genuinely.
So assuming this is right, I think three things are needed to foster good relationships of any kind: Space, Time, and Compassionate Effort. The more time we spend with people in particular spaces, the more likely it is that we will develop relationships with them. No space to spend time with one another also decreases the chance of relationships being developed. And even if you have an abundance of Space and Time, if the key people in the culture and/or community don’t make a Compassionate Effort to get to know the other members, there’s no chance of developing a culture of concern, which means fewer quality relationships will be developed.
Few relationships developed equals no chance of creating a culture of learning because people won’t care!
SPACE ~
For starters, the nature of teaching is very insular. We’re all in our own rooms all day long with children and/or pubescent young adults. Not ideal for developing adult relationships. Can much be done about changing the layout of your school? Yes, but not realistically. Let’s move to Time.
TIME ~
Lots can be done with time and – by and large – there is NO time in public schools. Our students get dropped off 15-20 minutes before the bell rings. Lunch hours are short. Our students race to get back on the bus right after school. To be frank, the average public school schedule is a whirlwind. But you can’t change architectural structures as easily as you can change time structures, so I think TIME is a great ingredient principals and district leaders can tinker with.
I have no concrete suggestions on how time should be used/designed differently, but rather some general ideas.
The more time can be manipulated to get staff rubbing elbows with one another while engaging in fun and meaningful activities, the greater the chance you’ll see positive, healthy relationships develop.
When that happens, the more likely the people in your school want to be a part of what’s happening, to take pride in that something, and to willingly and openly share what they’ve wondered about and learned along the way.
COMPASSIONATE EFFORT ~
I believe, however, that wanting to develop positive relationships with your staff-mates is the most important factor in creating a culture of learning.
The “indifferent cows” (picture above) you work with are indifferent about what others are learning not because of what others are learning, but who the other people are.
If the leaders don’t make a Compassionate Effort to get to know the people in their community, the people won’t care. Why would any of us care about what others are learning if we didn’t care about them personally.
As a teacher who’s run countless simulations in my classroom, I’ve always been amazed at how willingly my students assume different roles and identities. Don’t think only children or teenagers like getting into role. The truth is our ‘identity’ is actually pretty slippery. For a lot of people, ‘who we are’ can change fast. It’s just a strange and fascinating fact of human nature. If you don’t believe me, check out this video on the Stanford Prison Experiment before reading on.
So how does this relate to teaching and reducing your stress for the coming year?
For starters – and I’m only speaking from experience here but there’s got to be research out there that validates this – switching between identity roles is mentally and emotionally draining. Think back to a time when you started spending time with a new group of friends or co-workers who were really different than most people you spent time with. I bet you caught yourself saying new words and doing different things. Their ‘new’ personalities probably started seeping into your personality, you identity. For example, a good friend of mine started talking like Tony Soprano after watching 3 seasons in one month.
I believe most people are inclined to avoid these encounters of ‘newness.’ It’s like we’re hardwired to take the path of least resistance. It makes sense: it’s mentally and emotionally easier to have one identity role and one world-view instead of two or three. Granted some people can effortlessly switch between and maintain multiple identity boundaries with ease, I believe most people can’t. Their psyche attempts to unify them. There’s something within us that tries to find ‘identity equilibrium.’
I AM ‘TEACHER’
One of the biggest adjustments of my life was teaching. I think it’s true for most new teachers. I went from normal-guy to ‘teacher’ in less than a couple of months. I had to organize discussions, evaluate work and talent, make rules, and do whatever it took to enforce them. I was 23. I was becoming ‘teacher.’
And I found myself saying and doing things that I promised myself – just months earlier – I would never say or do.
It was as if my subconscious was willingly assuming the stereotypical ‘teacher’ role because I had to. It wasn’t me. Was it?
I wasn’t letting kids go to the washroom until their work was finished (because that was what the math teacher said I’d be smart to do).
I was yelling at students in the hallway for being (because that’s what the teacher across the hall did all the time and I thought I should too … but I’m always late).
I spelled-out swear words in the staffroom (because that’s what the ladies in their 50’s did and I didn’t want to offend them … but I never spelled out swear words).
I found myself, when marking, scoffing at really innocent spelling mistakes (because that’s what the English teachers I sometimes ate lunch with complained about all the time: bad spelling).
I even read a note that I caught being passed around aloud to the class! (I don’t know why I did that, I hated it when teachers did that … unless it was written by a girl I had a crush on).
I even (and I’ve never told anyone this) said to a group of senior students who were laughing, “Quit having such a good time.” Who says stuff like that? Oh yeah, ‘teachers.’
The point is that I found myself saying and doing all those ‘teacher-ish’ things my teachers did when I was a student … things I didn’t like or just expected them to because they were ‘teachers.’
And, worst of all, I found these new ‘teacher’ parts of me seeping into my out-of-school personality.
I was in the midst of a major identity tug-of-war. It was like I was in the Stanford Teacher Experiment. I felt I had to wear the hat that everyone talked about. I was becoming ‘Teacher’ and it was utterly exhausting, emotionally and mentally.
EPIPHANY
I can understand why we teachers have the reputation we do. Teachers absolutely have to set rules and enforce them if they want anything in the classroom to be accomplished. Classrooms are incubators of chaos just waiting to run rampant.
But, after months and years of soul searching, here’s the epiphany I had … and the heart of what I’m talking about:
You can set classroom rules and enforce them as yourself. You do not have to – just because everyone else has – assume the ‘teacher’ role to do this.
If you re-read my new-teacher memories, in most cases I felt I had to say and do ‘teacher-ish’ things just because. But we don’t have to, I realized. And at a certain point I got so tired of switching between roles (not to mention so weirded out by all of my ‘teacher-ish’ out-of-school behavior) that I made a promise to ensure that my ‘real’ self would not be overtaken and continually stressed by the ‘teacher’ role that was creeping in. It’s a promise that I’ve kept with joy. It’s not only reduced the stress that I believe comes with switching roles, but it’s enormously improved all of the relationships I’ve had with students, parents, and even other teachers.
The promise was this:
I will never say or do anything in the classroom that I wouldn’t say to a friend, family member, or acquaintance out of school.
And, after initially struggling to stick to this promise, I found myself enjoying the profession more. I found myself being more ‘real’ with my students and seeing them for who they really were, not just as students.
So here are some bits of advice for this coming school year that exemplify what I’m talking about:
Teachers are human. We can be human. We can talk to humanly to our students.
Teachers have feelings. Don’t be afraid to express your feelings to your students.
Everyone likes being respected. Explain why you personally like being respected to your students and ask them to do the same.
No one likes being ridiculed or picked on. Buck up and let them know – as yourself – that because you don’t tolerate disrespect in your personal life, you won’t tolerate it in the classroom. And then stop tolerating ridicule and cruelty in your personal life.
No one likes bullies. Tell them that. Share a story about a bully you’ve encountered in your personal life. Tell them how you felt. Don’t hide behind the ‘teacher’ mask and say no one likes bullies just “because.” Get real with them.
In other words, be your self!
And if who you are doesn’t match up to some of the rules that you want your students to abide by, do one of the following instead of hiding behind the ‘teacher’ hat and saying just because:
Change the rule, or
Change yourself
If you don’t, you run the risk being viewed as a hypocrite by your students.
BENEFITS
Trust me, the benefits of being yourself – instead of assuming a ‘teacher’ role that isn’t quite you – will be endless,
Your students will like you more because they’ll be able to relate to you.
When they like you they’ll work harder because they’ll want to follow your lead (i.e. not because you told them to).
You’ll start to question a lot of what you say and do as a teacher, discarding the bad and hanging onto the real and good stuff.
You’ll start becoming a better person,
You’ll start becoming more confident because your identity will be more integrated,
You’ll start inspiring your students,
You’ll begin developing real, life-mentoringrelationships with your students, not the typical ‘teacher’-student relationships,
And you’ll like it,
All of the above will, if you haven’t guessed, decrease stress and make teaching waay more satisfying and enjoyable.
So, Sanity Saver #5 for the upcoming school year is …
There’s no denying it, we are in the midst of the Information Revolution and historians will be writing about this period of time just like they’ve written about the Industrial Revolution. The rules of the game changed. The way people worked changed. People changed.
Over the past few years, lifestyle and time-management authors have been discussing how – in this brand-new Information Age – our approach to work must change dramatically if we ever hope to experience satisfaction with it. With the endless amounts of articles, videos, emails, blogs, and videos at our disposal, it’s easy to feel like there are an infinite number of ‘things’ we must do in a limited amount of time. This creates stress.
So, instead of paraphrasing what some of the experts are recommending, I’ve included three videos that will help you learn how to develop Information-Age life-skills. The gems of knowledge they’ll provide you with will help to reduce the amount reduce stress your feeling this year because they’ll give you a sense of control.
Seriously, take the two hours of time needed to watch these three videos, you won’t regret it! Enjoy.
If you’re a teacher, you’ve been through 4 years of university, if not 5 to 8 years. In other words, you’re a professional. Sadly, many teachers do not conduct themselves like the professionals that they are. They should. And when you think of how true professionals treat their time, it’s like gold, and the bills they issue to their customers reflect that. You should too.
This post is not just about marking once a week. It’s about treating your time like a professional. It’s about setting appointments with yourself so work doesn’t seep into your personal life. It’s about getting things done quickly and effectively … like a renowned lawyer, accountant, doctor, or executive would.
be your own secretary
When I think of how much time most teachers waste in a given week, it really baffles me. But the mental energy wasted is even more baffling. I really think a lot of it stems from mismanaging our non-classroom time.
This year, start viewing yourself as the professional you are and treat your time accordingly. No, you won’t have your own secretary. Instead, be your own. Seriously, for 30 minutes a week, imagine that you are your own secretary, one that’s looking for a really big promotion.
When you slip into your personal secretary mode, your job is to think of two things: managing your boss’s time and delegating his low-priority tasks.
1. TIME MANAGEMENT
manage your time like a professional
Step back and view your hours and days like highly-coveted time slots that require scheduling. Remember, only one thing can be done at a time, so if you want ‘your boss’ to get things done, you’ll need to make ‘appointments’ for each task item.
One of those task items will be marking. Your boss hates marking. He doesn’t like interruptions when he does it. You know he can never get it done when he tries marking in front of the TV. You know that he never gets it done when he’s tired because he always complains about it to you (and you hate hearing about it). And you know that it takes him 2-6 hours to do.
So, at the start of the week, do the following for your boss.
Collect an inventory of how much stuff needs to be marked by next week
Delegate or delay low-priority marking tasks (see below)
Determine how long it will take to mark high-priority tasks
Look at your weekly calendar and identify free time slots
Select one day – and one day only – where there’s enough free time to get the marking done
Ensure a good chunk of that time occurs when your boss’s energy levels are high
Select a location where few – if any – interruptions will occur. That means picking a time when your boss won’t get interrupted by Larry from the classroom – I mean office – next door.
Tell your boss that this appointment is urgent and he should get in top shape for it.
And when your boss grumbles about it, remind him that if he doesn’t finish the task in this appointment, it’s going to nag and nag and nag at him until it does. So he needs to just get it done.
2. TASK DELEGATION
There are only so many hours in a week and only so much can get done. As the world’s best secretary, you know this oh-too-well. And your boss (remember, that’s you) works for an underfunded and under-resourced company that always expects more from him that he could ever deliver on his own. He needs help. He needs you to delegate the low-priority tasks to those under him. And those people are his students.
In this case, it’s determining what he – the chief executive teacher – has to mark, and what items could be marked by his students. You know your boss has some control issues and sometimes thinks that he has to do all of the marking on his own. That means you – his secretary – must make these decisions for him.
You need to delegate as many low-priority marking tasks to one of three people/groups:
the class (i.e. mark as a class)
the student (i.e. self-evaluation)
a peer (i.e. peer evaluation)
Seriously, do you know how much learning, meta-cognition and discussion opportunities occur in class, self, or peer marking activities? Tons! So utilize them and don’t think you – I mean your boss – have to mark everything! Especially you, English/literature teachers!
And if your boss protests about the impossibility of marking only once a week, remind him of a couple of things:
marking is but one of many, many jobs a teacher has to do, so it should only occupy a fraction of your professional time
you do (believe it or not) have a personal life for which you should also reserve time for
you don’t have to be a superhero, you can only do so much, and no one’s going to give you a trophy for doing extra marking
in fact, doing extra marking likely won’t make a difference … because
it’s not as important who marks the student work as much as whether it gets checked for completion, because
what gets measured gets done, so delegate the measurements (i.e. marking) to ensure higher frequency, and
select key, unit-ending pieces of work that really demonstrate student performance and understandingto mark, and delegate the rest to the class, the student, or peers.
So, Sanity Saver #3 for the upcoming school year is …
Over the past few years, lifestyle and time-management authors have been discussing how – in this brand-new Information Age – our approach to work must change dramatically if we ever hope to experience satisfaction with it. With the endless amounts of articles, videos, emails, blogs, and videos at our disposal, it’s easy to feel like there are an infinite number of ‘things’ we must do in a limited amount of time. This creates stress.
There are only so many hours in a week and only so much can get done. As the world’s best secretary, you know this oh-too-well. And your boss (remember, that’s you) works for an underfunded and under-resourced company that always expects more from him that he could ever deliver on his own. He needs help. He needs you to delegate the low-priority tasks to those under him. And those people are his students.
