Bugle Calls

During the Revolutionary War, drums and bugles were a fixture of military operations.  This was the way in which in which orders were communicated.  Each sound from the bugle indicated a message such as “Recall” when you dropped whatever you were doing and returned to camp…kind of like a mass tweet.  Bugle calls went out for “Assembly”, “Mess Call”, “Reveille”, and “Retreat”.  The final roll call of the day was signaled at 2200 hours to the sound of “Tattoo”.  The familiar “Taps” was the final call of the day and was the signal that all unauthorized lights be extinguished.  The bugler himself was someone of high importance in the regiment because not only did he need to be incredibly dependable, but he had to be a great bugler.  He had to play the notes clearly.  He had to be exact in his note playing or the troops would be in a mess; possibly a fatal mistake.  If the bugler wanted to signal the troops to retreat, but mistakenly sounded the call to battle, then the regiment would be annililated.  The bugler had to be perfectly clear in the message that he put out.  Without an exceptional bugler, the regiment was in chaos.

Think of yourself as the bugler in your regiment (classroom).  None one else gets that position. You are the vessel from which orders are communicated.  Teachers need to be perfectly clear in the messages that they put out.  Classroom expectations need to clearly articulated.  Learning goals need to be clear to the students.  Connections between the daily goal and long-term goals need to be clearly communicated.  Scale expectations need to be crystal clear.  Everything that comes from your words and  through your actions needs to be right on the money. You have to be spot-on with your words and actions.  Miscommunication does not pay dividends in education. Heck, it doesn’t pay dividends anywhere.  Feedback is an area that needs excellent communication. Kids need to know exactly what they are doing right and exactly where they are falling short.  Be a great bugler!