Jockeys

There are but a few racetracks left in the Chicagoland area where horses race.  There used to be quite a few.  Now, horse racing in this area is on the verge of extinction. Balmoral Park in Crete is the closest track and I believe that is closing.  The granddaddy of all horse races is the Kentucky Derby.  Big event. Big money. Big hats. Big prices. I find no thrill in watching a horse race; probably because I have not bet on a horse race.  Truth be told, I have never been to a horse race.  Thus, my knowledge of horse racing is not deep. However, there are a few things about horse racing that I understand.  I understand that there are horses that are placed in a starting gate.  I understand that there are jockeys who ride, guide, and whip the horses during the race. I understand that jockeys wear colorful clothing during the race and are small in stature. I understand that billions of dollars are bet on horse races.  I understand that the horses run fast and that the first one across the line wins. Here is what is true in every single horse race – you never see a jockey carry a horse across the finish line. 

As we move to the first round of ISTEP next week, I am reminded of this fact.  As we never see jockeys carry their horse across the finish line, the opposite may be true in teaching.  Kids don’t carry their teachers across the ISTEP line.  They do not.  Teachers carry their students across this ISTEP line.  Actually, we carry them to the starting line back in August, keep guiding them throughout the race, and stay with them throughout.   In late November, we received our scores from last year’s state test.  A school that has been a perpetual “A” school was now suddenly a “D” school.  A middle school that has been the top-performing middle school in the four counties (Lake, Porter, Newton, and Jasper) that compose “Da Region” was suddenly in the middle of the pack.  That caught my attention.  How about you?  Our Math staff has regrouped and bound together in a team effort in resetting the scope and sequence of standards to be taught.  They feel the sense of urgency.  We have offered after-school tutoring for all grade levels in Math.  Our RtI Period focus shifted.  Our English staff has worked hard to make certain that we are aligned with what is to be assessed. Encore teachers have infused more LA and Math skills in their teaching. We all sat in a meeting on December 18^th and watched a segment from the movie, Miracle (This past week marked the 36^th anniversary of that great victory over the Soviets…hmmm…). We determined that what happened on last year’s state test will not happen again. WE MADE A DETERMINATION TO NOT BE “DEFINED” BY THOSE SCORES, BUT TO BE “REFINED” BY IT.  We adopted the slogan of “NOT THIS TIME..NOT TODAY”.  You need to take that chip on your shoulder in to these two rounds of ISTEP. You need to impress upon your kids that this is all business.  You need to encourage them, stand with them, support them and let them know continually that you believe in them.  We have to be the ones that carry our kids across the finish line.  Bring your game face – it’s go time.  NOT THIS TIME…NOT TUESDAY…NOT WEDNESDAY…NOT THURSDAY.

Traffic Lights

The first electric traffic light system was installed at the intersection of 105^th Street and Euclid Avenue in 1914.  Which city?  Here it comes – yep, it is Cleveland, Ohio.  You know, where the Browns play.  You may have heard me speak about Cleveland before.  Some people refer to traffic lights as “Stop Lights” …talk about negativity and a glass half-full mentality.  Traffic lights are not just illuminated in red nor are they always green or yellow. Thank you, Captain Obvious.  Traffic lights are essential to control conflicting flows of traffic.  That is their real purpose although some would argue that traffic lights are really a conspiracy by governmental authorities to increase revenue or by local retailers who want the lights to stay red longer so that people will notice their businesses and stop in for a purchase.  Just for giggles, let’s review what the colors of traffic lights mean to drivers.  Green = it is safe to proceed in the direction indicated.  Yellow = the most confusing light…should I proceed with caution?...should I just “gun it” because green and yellow are in the spectrum?...or should I proceed if I am already in the intersection?  Well, that depends on who is writing the tickets that day.  Red = means to stop in any continent.  Not doing so will cause accidents, bodily damage, or an appearance in traffic court.

What do traffic lights look like in a classroom?  First of all, this ties directly to using informative and formative assessment data to inform your instruction.  Yes, it does read, “Using” the data.  At the end of class, you provide some type of exit slip or confidence check and the vast majority of the kids are only not in the ballpark, they are playing another sport.  So, this is indicative of a red light = STOP!  You need to back the truck up.  Reteach until the light changes.  The yellow light indicates that you should proceed with caution = continue expounding on the concept being taught, use guided instruction before moving to independent work, and review previously learned material in an infusion manner.  The green light indicates that all of your kids are ready to move on in the direction (long-term goals) that you are trying to take them.  The signals need to be the assessments; whether they are informal or formal, as to when to drive forward.  Those not utilizing this data will be creating hazardous road conditions.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is considered by many to be the greatest President in the history of the United States.  There is good reason for such thinking.  Lincoln “saved” the union through his efforts during the Civil War citing that “A house divided cannot stand.”  He endured military leaders who weren’t up to the task, threats on his own life, a cabinet that argued almost daily, the loss of one son to disease, much public opposition to the war itself and great loss of life. He wrote the Emancipation Proclamation “Four score and seven years ago…” that was the forerunner to the 13^th amendment which provided freedom to slaves. He had many famous quotes, but he was much more than words – he was a man of action.  He was the driving force behind the Homestead Act, which allowed poor people in the East to claim land in the West for a chance at a better life. He signed legislation that began agricultural and mechanical colleges (A&M) in each state. He established a network of national banks.  He started the first transcontinental railroad. His speech at Gettysburg is considered one of the greatest speeches of all time in which he calls on Americans to not simply remember those who lost their lives on that battlefield, but to carry on and finish the task.  The purpose was to save a nation.  He did that.  Of all of the famous Lincoln quotes, this one hits home – “At every step, we must be true to the main purpose.” (1859) He exemplified this through his actions.  We, as a nation, are forever in debt to him.

At every step, we must be true to the main purpose.  Just what is the main purpose of what we do in schools?  It is easy to cite things like getting the kids ready for the state test as the main purpose.  That would be the wrong answer.  Maybe you believe that the main purpose is to get kids ready for the next grade level.  Maybe you believe that the main purpose is to get high scores on the quarterly exams or the big summative assessments.  Maybe some think it is all about the ACT sequence or the attainment of high grades.  Maybe it’s all about mastering standards.  None of these are the main purpose!  These measures are all RESULTS of staying true to the main purpose.  Our main purpose, as educators, is to make a difference is the lives of kids every day.  Does that sound ridiculous? To some people, it is ridiculous in this “data point society” that so many embrace as the gospel truth without ever looking at the vast number of variables that need to be factored in.  Look at it this way – can you point to one single thing that makes the overall difference in why, in broad terms, we are a really good school.  Sure you want to teach well using the most effective techniques you can muster. You also want to use formative assessments to inform your instruction. You want to engage kids in their lessons and a hundred other things about the “science” of teaching.  Often, it is the affective side of this student/teacher relationship that causes the biggest change.  Are you a cheerleader for your students?  Do they know that you have their best interests in mind?  Do they know that you care?  Do you talk with them?  Did you ever ask them how things are going?  Did you ever get that shovel out and dig a little bit into what they are going through. Were you an encourager this week, last week, last semester, the whole year?  These things all go into this huge equation that many on the outside call “success.”  I know this – when I hang it up, I will not spend much time sticking my chest out about high state test scores.  Nope, I will be remembering those “silent victories” that caused great results in areas that may not be included in a newspaper article.  Most will never know about these, but I will.  Be true to the main purpose – making a difference in the life of every kid that comes your way.

Zero Miles to the Gallon

There are several ways to save money on gasoline costs.  First, consider walking.  There are no gasoline costs associated with that.  If you must drive, consider the following advice.  Lighten your load.  Remove some of those things that are stored in your trunk.  For every 250 extra pounds in your vehicle, you lose one mile per gallon.  Inflate your tires.  Don’t wait for a flat to check your tire pressure.  Underinflated tires cause more road friction, which causes more resistance, which causes your engine to work harder, which results in decreased gas mileage.  Clean you fuel system.  Running your engine causes deposits to be made in the form of carbon.  Without a good cleaning, your fuel system is like blocked arteries. Those aren’t fun, trust me.  Quit idling.  We’ve all been there – waiting for a long train to pass, bumper-to-bumper traffic, or sitting in the drive-thru.  If your engine is running at these times, then you are getting zero miles per gallon AND you are not going anywhere!  Good advice – except to those in an oil cartel.

Poor teaching strategies get zero miles per gallon academically speaking.  Throughout the school year, you have had opportunities to join sessions on high-yield teaching strategies.  If you have invested your time in learning some of these and are utilizing them in your classroom, then you have noticed the upswing in your LPG (Learning Per Gallon).  Dave has presented many good things for your toolkit.  I will not duplicate them here.  My point is this – if you want zero miles to the gallon in your teaching, then try the following= lecture day after day after day, lower your expectations, expect your students to fix themselves, keep your students in their seats the entire class period, never review previously learned material,  do not attempt to establish rapport with your students, do not break concepts up in digestible bites, answer more questions and ask fewer, never make your examples and assignments relevant to the needs of your students, never provide exemplars, never model proper behavior, never challenge your kids academically, assign independent work before guided instruction, always assign “busy work”, never check for student understanding, use RtI period as a “free” period, never use formative data to inform your instruction, never provide academic supports, never list or refer to the daily goal, never connect the daily goal with long-term goals, never have your students revise their learning, never engage your kids…use these and your academic vehicle will be perpetually in park and your kids will not be going anywhere.  Strive for increased LPG!

Do They See the Benefits?

Have you ever sat through a sales presentation?  If you answered in the negative, you are incorrect (see second paragraph).  I recall a sales presentation that I sat through.  The rep rambled on about all of the advantages to the product he was touting.  None of those “advantages” has any use in my life. I amused myself by wondering why the salesman never bothered to gauge his audience.  You see, the features of his product had no relevance as to my needs.  I just could not see the benefits.  If he could have shown me how those features would benefit my needs or my future, then I would have been much more apt to stay focused. Instead I was counting the carpet squares and ceiling tiles.  He missed using transition phrases like “…so that you can…” and “…in order for you to…” There was no personalization.  There was no personal relevance.  There was no connection to my life. Neither viewpoint, interests, nor future goals were brought into the presentation.  I could not see the value. I did not see the benefits.  Better communicators are better sellers. He lost out. By the way, there were 288 carpet squares and 76 ceiling tiles.

To a student, every class period is a sales presentation.  You were a student too, so you remember the sales.  Okay, read this carefully – not every concept that you teach, every text that you read, every story problem that you compute, every project that you require, and every fitness session that you prescribe is not necessarily and inherently heart- stirring to a student.  Just because you personally like to work out linear equations, enjoy sweating like Mike Tyson at a Spelling Bee with a good workout, can paint and draw like Rembrandt, can push nouns and verbs together like Hemingway, see the Periodic Table as a topic for a game night, or your heart rate increases when the History Channel has a special on the making of the Constitution, don’t expect your students to share in your excitement.  You have to be the one to set the table. You teach the subject you do partly because you love that subject.  The kids may or may not share that passion. Some kids end up loving the subject because they love the teacher – think that one through.  Thus, we have to set the table to engage them. First and foremost, YOU have to be excited about what you teaching!    Kids have to see the relevance and you have to be the one to provide it.  However, you will not know how to make it relevant unless you understand the needs of your students.  You can find that out by establishing a great relationship with them and here’s the kicker – actually talking with them!  They may never see the benefits if you don’t provide it for them.  Just another hat for the highly effective teacher = salesmanship.  Don’t lose out.  Besides, you don’t want anyone counting the carpet squares or ceiling tiles.

When Culmination Comes First

When I was coaching varsity Track & Field at Lake Central, we began training for the spring season right after Thanksgiving. We trained right through the snow and cold with a “Winter Warrior” mindset.  The workouts I planned began with the preparation for the week of the state meet in June that was six months away, followed by the workouts for the conference and tournament series in May, then April, March, and so forth. This was a true backward design approach (you may have heard me mention this 5-10,000 times as the teaching game plan.) It is important to plan with the culminating goal first in mind.  It is even more important to plan that you will be there, in this case, the state championships, when that day arrives.  That is the mindset issue.  If your athletes do not believe they will reach the goal, they never will; plain and simple.  You can’t just make it up as you go.  BUT, you CAN make adjustments along the way based on how the training is resulting in performance.  Sure, there were days when weather conditions may not have allowed us to conquer a training session like I had envisioned.  That is where Plan B or C or D were utilized..  We trained in some fairly miserable conditions.  Our practices were never cancelled.  Along the way to the ultimate long-term goal, short-term goals were also set to assess progress.  The data will show that this approach worked as we never failed to reach our goals in my tenure.  Along with reaching team goals, the vast majority reached their personal goals and 56 of them earned “All-State” status.  The backwards approach really works moving forward.

Creating goals has to be meshed with a plan of action.  If you don’t know how you are going to get there, well, you never will.  As you establish long-term goals for your classes, you need to understand what goes into the achievement of reaching that goal.  Along the way toward reaching that culminating goal, a series of assessments is vital. The assessments should tell you if the kids are on “track” and should be used to inform your instruction.  Utilize RtI period and Resource period to intervene.  These are the daily goals that I see in every classroom that I visit…  BUT, if those daily goals do not come with some sort of measurement/assessment, then that goal is nothing more than words written in dry erase marker.  Know that the long-term goals will require a large investment of time with intentional, prescriptive, deliberate, and diagnostic teaching. because if not, the goal will never be reached.  That investment is to be shared by the teacher, students, and parents…BUT understand that does not mean that that the investment will be shared in equal 33.33% shares.  In a perfect word sure, BUT…this is not a perfect world and never will be.  It takes a reality assessment to determine whether or not you are on track.  That also dictates that you have to accept the real possibility that you may have to go back a few steps before you can move forward.  It will be great when we reach our school goal this year.  Won’t it be great when your team reaches its goal and even better when individual students reach theirs?  The backwards approach really works moving forward.

Changes

Rock legend David Bowie passed away this week after an 18 month battle with cancer.  He broke into the limelight in 1969 with his Ziggy Stardust album and had many hits during his career. One of his biggest hits came in 1971 with  Changes. This song is about the changes that many make in their formative years and then later, as a grown-up, they make fun of the changes kids make when they try to invent or reinvent themselves even though they did the same thing themselves. The ultimate in the “pot calling the kettle black” mindset.  Change doesn’t happen at A Time; it happens Over Time.  It’s like sowing grass seed over a vacant space. You won’t be walking on a beautiful carpet of green in a day or two.  It takes time.  The shore line doesn’t erode in a day even though it is constantly occurring little by little. It takes time.  Communities grow from a vacant space to roads, stores, homes, and other buildings. It takes time.  The city of Chicago wasn’t always a sea of skyscrapers. It took time.  People don’t change their persona in a few hours; it takes time.  Change takes time. 

Like a tulip bulb planted in the fall only to be one of the first to bloom in the spring, students take time as well.  What does that mean to us?  It means that, while our expectations should remain high, our reality meter must be employed.  As you progress through the year, it will become vividly apparent that some kids progress faster academically than others.  That’s okay because we shouldn’t expect them to be the same…or do we?  The “whole class” instruction method must be coupled with small group and even one on one instruction.  Just because a student doesn’t get it on day one of a presentation of new material, don’t lose heart.  The task for you is not to let that small fissure grow into a huge skill or conceptual gap.  That is where the beauty of our schedule comes in.  Our RtI period is one of the best things that we created here.  It gives us a chance, an opportunity, to capture kids DURING the school day for remediation that is current and on the spot.  It also gives us that same opportunity to accelerate those kids who not only “get” what you are teaching, they are ready to take it much farther.  We have to be honest enough and courageous enough to move them forward.  I have said and written many times to make the most of every  opportunity.  That’s all these days are folks – opportunities.  You need to choose what you are going to do with them.  Be that catalyst that causes change for your students over time.