Impact on Students in a Trump-laden World

As this election cycle comes to a close, I am simultaneously struck with the overpowering urge to summarize my thoughts and feelings of recent months, while not at all being confident in articulating them.

And what I’ve come to realize, oddly enough, is that I actually want to thank Donald Trump.

Hear me out.

If you support him, you will not like what I’m about to say, so you should probably leave now. I just want to warn you in advance. If you continue to read this, and then take issue with me, then it’s entirely your fault.

As an educator, I have chosen to take on the challenge of creating better citizens for the world - I use math as my point of entry, but I try and teach the whole student. I did not have many teachers like that growing up in a very white and very insulated town. I am ashamed to admit that as a teen, I made a lot of the jokes about race and sexual orientation that may have been passable at the time, but I must admit it because it grounds my desire to not allow it to continue with my students today.

It wasn’t until I went to college (also very white, but with some diversity in the people I interacted with) that I learned to expand my worldview to account for others who did not experience the world in the same way that I did. This continued into my adult years. And in those years, I have surrounded myself mostly with tolerant, progressive, and open-minded friends and colleagues.  I had taken for granted that this evolution of thought was growing more and more common by the year.

Trump’s brand of hate, and the legions who follow him, were a staunch reminder that I could not be complacent in my journey to produce a new generation of forward-thinking people. His constant mangling of facts, statistics, and common sense strengthened my resolve to instill the critical thinking skills necessary for people to push back against those who depend on a soundbite or a tweet to go unchallenged. And whenever a Trump behavior would present itself as reprehensible, I had to reflect upon my own actions to make sure that I was not guilty - even accidentally - of the behaviors that I was about to loudly denounce.

As a result, I feel like I have become a better educator, and a better person, by making myself keenly aware of what I did not want to be, or what I wanted my students to be. I am constantly in a state of self-reflection when it comes to my teaching, but that usually take place in the context of a lesson, or the results of an assessment. I do not reflect enough on the overall impact I can be having on the lives of students, whether by direct instruction or indirect modeling.

Until now. Until Trump. And I don’t feel like I’m alone. I think there are a lot of people taking closer looks at themselves and how they impact others, and I believe that it will lead to an even more tolerant society. That is my hope. It’s the only thing that’s getting me through.

So thank you, Donald Trump. And now, you may go away.

Please Come Into My Classroom and Judge Me. I'm Serious.

(Originally appeared in Education Post, October 31st)

Accountability in schools is something we teachers talk about but rarely own.

More often than not, “accountability” is interpreted as “explaining why I did something wrong”. In other cases, it becomes synonymous with evaluation, which comes with a different set of red flags.

But with the right school climate, not only can accountability be seen as not scary, it can lead to the growth of teachers in practice, and students in achievement.  We have no problem asking students to be accountable for their actions or their studies, and we must model to them what it means in such a way that makes it safe for them to follow our lead.

A recent post from Robert Kaplinsky, a mathematics teacher specialist in Southern California, mentioned a teacher who had posted a sign outside of his classroom inviting anyone to observe him at any time he was teaching, and offering three points on which he would like feedback.  Kaplinsky then turned it into the #ObserveMe campaign.

I loved this idea, and immediately put one outside my own classroom.  That was three weeks ago, and do you know how many observers I have had?  Zero.

I have, however, spread the idea to a colleague in another school in my district, and her principal stopped me one day to tell me what a good idea he thought it was.  But, I’m a little disappointed.  I want that feedback.  More than that, I want my school to feel that they can give and receive feedback to one another without fear of consequence.

FEEDBACK LOOP

I’m a career-switcher.  Before becoming a teacher, I managed a record store.  Immediately upon entering education, I was taken aback by the resistance to the evaluation and self-reflection process.  In my previous field, employee reviews were common - twice a year formally, and almost bi-weekly (and unscheduled) in between those dates.  I learned to prepare every day as if someone were coming in to judge me and those who worked under me.  I continue to carry that mentality into teaching.

Many younger teachers coming in do not seem to have the same aversion to feedback as career teachers.  Still, too often, I hear teachers complain about the views of people who are not in the classroom - whether that be policymakers, parents, or administration.  Those can be valid arguments, to be sure, but my challenge to educators is to respond to that by taking matters into your own hands.  Open up your classroom to your colleagues, with three quick items of focus:

Specify What You Want Observed.  When students come in with a vague, “I need help” statement, you will naturally prompt them to be more specific.  The same applies for teachers.  Don’t have a colleague watch everything in a 45-minute period.  Give them one or two things on which to take notes and provide feedback.  For example, I know that I sometimes (OK, many times) catch myself talking to students instead of with them.  I do not have enough dialogue in my instruction.  But, I only pick up on it late into a class period.  I need someone to call me on it as it happens.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Everyone.  If your school culture doesn’t yet seem ready to make this a priority, find a group of like-minded colleagues and do it among yourselves.  Then, other conversations in faculty meetings or lunch rooms may open up more doors.  They may like the idea, but don’t want to be the first ones.

Involve the Students. When someone new comes in the room, students notice.  Be upfront with them and tell them what’s happening - even if you need to leave some details out.  When students see that a teacher is constantly trying to improve themselves, it sets the tone for them to follow suit.  If your school is one that is adopting a growth mindset, it can make a wonderful lesson and lead to many teachable moments.

If the goal is to improve your craft, then there is really no better resource than the professionals in your building.  Books, PD courses, and research can all be helpful (even the occasional blog post!), but none of those will deal with the exact set of students, staff, and circumstances that you deal with every day.  And when we allow others into our world, and we are willing to visit the worlds of others, all worlds improve.

Day In The Life - October 30th

October was a pretty busy month.  Today is a Sunday, so my day did not involve any interactions with current students.  Today is also my birthday, which provides an excellent opportunity to look back on the past year.

I started out with a quick 3-mile run, to shake out the tired legs from yesterday’s 6.66-mile race in Salem, Massachusetts.  That was actually a pretty fun race - I had looked at it the past two years but never quite made it to sign up. I wanted to have a double-race weekend, but the half marathon for Sunday through the Stone Zoo was canceled, due to low registration.  One race was good, though, and my fall running season is winding down, for which my body is thankful.  I did complete my 18th consecutive 100-mile month, and am only 20 km shy of my “2016 km in 2016” goal I set back in January.

After the run, brunch with my wife, my mother, and my brother’s family, and then back to my parents’ house to watch football with my father (who had to work during brunch) and carve pumpkins with my nieces.  The evening ended with a rock concert in Worcester, as luck had one of my favorite bands, Clutch, in town on my birthday.  Overall, it was a pretty good day, and a good way to start Year 42.

I mentioned that I did not interact with current students, but a student from my past reached out to wish me a happy birthday via text.  This young woman, now 21, means a tremendous amount to me personally, and professionally, and is the personification of how a teacher can make a difference in a student’s life in ways that you don’t realize at the time.

As for looking back on the year, I have made the largest professional growth of my life over the past 12 months.  At this time last year, I was a classroom teacher who was just learning about the avenues of teacher leadership that exist.  Since then, I have both attended and organized professional development sessions, as well as conferences involving some of the strongest teachers I have ever met, by whom I am continuously inspired.  My entire experiences surrounding the ECET2 convenings have transformed me as an educator, and I feel as though I am much more effective in my classroom with all students, and improving regularly.  Even as I sat in a dilapidated old theater, watching a rock band destroy the hearing of hundreds of people, part of my mind would wander to what I would do Monday morning.  When I reflect on that, I fully realize my growth, and appreciate it for a moment.  But only for a moment, because I’m not finished.

________________________

The next record in the series on my back wall is Johnny Cash’s “Live at San Quentin”.  This is the record I chose to represent the need for teachers (and students) to show their grit and perseverance, as well as illustrate that redemption is possible, and someone will always believe in you.  The legend of Johnny Cash is well-known, with many songs about tough main characters - characters who personify the grit and resilience that a good student (and a good teacher) should have.  This particular album was recorded behind the walls of the San Quentin State Prison in California, to an audience of convicted criminals.  Having spent some time in jail himself, Cash knew that sometimes just knowing someone had hope for you was enough to get you through.  Those may be some of our most needy students, and it is important to be mindful of them.