How can I make asking for help a strength, not a weakness?
It should be the easiest act in the classroom, asking for help. After all, it’s why we are there. To help. And for me, it’s the act that makes me most feel like a teacher. It’s satisfying. It’s gratifying.
So, then, one might think that I am living the dream here in my room, satisfied and gratified to the nth degree. But one would be wrong. If my happiness hinged on help alone, I would be deeply depressed, for as important as it is, the want of help is in short demand. And so the supply goes to waste, and I am left to lament the loss.
Kids don’t/won’t ask for help. For a quarter century in the classroom I have been confounded by this. Why won’t kids ask for help? Surely they need it. Surely I can provide it. But it just seems to hover there in the air among and around us, an apparition never fully materializing to its full power and potential. And for years, this has haunted me.
And over the years in moments of manic motivation, I have sought to bring the ghost to life, to animate and activate the super natural, for it should be super natural, to ask for help–as natural as breathing. So, I try–too often in vain–to breathe life into Help.
This week, now four weeks beyond the quarter-century mark in the classroom, I tried once again to breathe some life into the incorporeal.
But this wasn’t any old, off-the-shelf, ordinary help. This was help on an assessment, a Learning Check. Can we help them on assessments? Surely, we never would have expected, much less asked, for help on a test when we were in school; it was an assessment of our learning. It would skew the results. And it is this very notion that I carried with me for far too long when I entered the classroom as the help holder. I had to “hold my help” in times like this, for how could I accurately label and sort my kids if I gave them help?
But times have changed. And so have my prepositions. Fortunately, I graduated from “of” to “for,” and I began to regard learning and teaching differently, and I became less “holdy” with my help as I embraced assessment for learning. The whole idea was to give the assessment to determine the necessary help for learning. But as endearing as my new preposition was, I learned to love another: as.
Assessment as learning. I give assessments, Learning Checks, as a necessary nutrient for growth. It is in this place where we meet as teacher and learner. It is our work. And no work is the same, for no learner is the same, and for each learner, I have to become a different teacher. Teaching is responding to the needs of kids, and it is here where we–the kids and I–create the opportunity for me to respond, for me to help. So, then, are you saying you are helping kids? Yes, but I am not saying that they are asking for it. And I want them to ask for it when they need it. I don’t only want it to happen after they’ve done. I want it to happen, too, while they do. And why shouldn’t it. It’s in the active part of the process, and maybe–just maybe–it’s better placed there, where and when they need it. I am not seeking to sort and label kids with assessment. I am seeking to join them in their learning with my teaching.
And this week, on a whim, I decided to meet them there in their learning with a “live” lifeline. In Google Classroom, kids can send me private comments “live” while they are taking the assessment. I have my notifications turned on, so when they send me a comment, I get a “ding.” And I can respond immediately–to whatever they need. I didn’t restrict what they could ask. What they need should not and, in my class, will not be determined by what I am willing to offer. So, I told them to let their needs determine the ask. In the end, I am going to help them anyway with my feedback. As such, I saw no reason why I couldn’t–shouldn’t–join them earlier in the feedback/response process. And, because it’s there in the comments, we will have already begun capturing their learning stories with a record of our interactions.
Did they flood me with requests for help? Nope. Still a stigma, I’m afraid. Still a weakness, asking for help. And one crazy idea isn’t going to change that right away. But it’s early. Lots of learning ahead. Lots of opportunities to bring help to life. If nothing else, it was an important step to frame help differently, to increase the demand for what is in great supply: my help. Waiting for their want.
Happy weekend, all. Hope you are safe and sane during this crazy time. Take care.
#17-How can I better the feedback/response process?
This week I am going to discuss one of the original “Better Building” questions I posed from the Better Builder series back in August. Twenty-six years in, I am still seeking my authentic answer to this key question about learning and teaching. I am still seeking to make the feedback/response process a sacred ritual in the classroom, that place (that sweet spot) of teaching and learning where growth happens. This is how I explain that place to my kids.
I haven’t taught you anything. Yet. I have assigned a tASK. I have provided some direction. I have given a few examples. But, really, I haven’t done what I am here to do: respond to you. In short, if I haven’t given you feedback, I haven’t supported your growth. You can’t grow without the necessary nutrients found only in feedback. So, my friends, that is the table where we must meet to eat.
Second only to Smiles and Frowns, bettering the feedback/response process is the most important work I do. As such, most of what I do is for Feedback’s sake (for “F’s” sake). And the majority of that “most” is finding ways to get kids to meet me there, so we can continue there. And that begins with an invitation.
.7
What is .7 in Skyward?
I have posed this prompt to my kiddos all week. Their response:
It’s an invitation.
It’s not a 70%. It’s not a C. It’s an invitation to continue based on the feedback I have provided. It’s a signal that there’s still learning on the table; there’s still grub for growth.
Of course, though their responses are becoming rote, it will take some time for them to settle in to this space that I am trying to create for them–for us. They first heard about it in the Learning Experiences document I shared with them on day one.
Okay, some truth. Yes, I suppose–technically–it does register as a 70% C in Skyward, but I am trying to change that, too. Well, at least the mindset. Thus, the mantra.
Skyward is not my grade book. It is a tool for communicating learning
One of the major obstacles to getting kids (and parents–and educators) to think differently about learning is to get them to think differently about grading. And for that we have to sit at a different table with different food, the only food we need: feedback.
And so, this is how I attempt to set the table for my kids as I seek to better the feedback/response process in our shared experience. It’s where have to get to in our work, for it is our work.
Happy Saturday, all. Hope you are well. See ya next week.
This has become my front-and-center “Better Builder” question to which I am seeking my own authentic answer. Still seeking. But in my seeking, I am inching closer–I think. I hope.
I ended last week’s post by giving you a glimpse of what I am calling my “Levels of Learning Commitment,” which is but a part of the larger scheme for my “Select-and-Support” approach to determining a final grade. Really, this work, this idea, began last winter when I first floated the idea of not offering any grades lower than a C in my classes (C to See, Might As Well Jump, and The Table We Set).
As ever, I was seeking to minimize grading to maximize learning, and I decided to eliminate D and F grades in my classes, leaving a C as the lowest letter to name learning at the end. But it also gave rise to another name, “Commitment.” As my longtime readers know, commitment v. compliance has been an ongoing battle in the Project 180 journey. I loathe the latter (compliance). And I champion commitment as the necessary component of any authentic learning experience. So, it was with commitment on my mind that I created the “levels” below. Of course, as with all my “betters,” work remains, but at the 11th hour I had to come up with something, and just days before this year began, I settled on this approach to meet my kids in their learning this year.
I wanted “commitment” at the center. I wanted “commitment” out in front of us. But what did–does–that really mean? The answer began with a look to the evidence, the support in the “Select-and-Support” approach I take with my kids. At the end of the term, the kids write a “Learning Letter,” which I call, “My Learning, My Story.” Learning is a story. And as I thought about their learning experiences in my room–in any room (now or later), their commitment to their learning becomes central to their experience. So, I wanted to more intentionally make that our focus throughout our time together–beginning with the beginning.
As such, last week when I asked the kids to create their “Deck of Cards,” I asked them to save their “Commitment Card” for the end. I told them that we would complete that one together. And so, on Friday, I asked them to consider the levels of commitment in the larger context of their learning experiences, and then I asked them to indicate their level of commitment to me at the outset of our journey this year, so when we literally lay their cards on the table in our “Meet-Me” meetings, I know where I am joining them in an important part of their own journey. To that end, I asked them to simply write the letter of their commitment on the card. And they did. And I think we are clear on what it means. And I think that’s a good start, but if I am an honest, it’s not all good. There’s plenty I do not love about this approach.
First, the letter. I hate that I cannot fully get away from grading. Yes, I have reduced its impact significantly, and I will continue my work in this regard, but I am still not free from it. But, it’s the currency, the language of the system, so I have to conform some. So, I do, but grudgingly.
Second, the focus on effort and completion. I feel like it steers dangerously near “compliance.” But it also captures commitment. Learning is not about focusing on effort. But it’s not not about focusing on effort, either. Our work–my students’ and mine–requires work. I can’t work (teach) until they work. Thus, it is a big part of the story. And my including it was–even if it’s not obvious–about commitment and not compliance. I think how I am reconciling it in my own mind is that there is only value added by their efforts. There is no value taken away by their lack of effort (no penalty). This is what I am telling myself for now.
Of course, there are other points to make about what I don’t love, but this post is dragging on some, and I haven’t even gotten to my point: How do I leverage my kids’ levels of commitment? I will am coming to this, but first.
Their level of commitment drives my level of commitment. If a kid indicates a level of C, then that compels me to respond with a support level of A. I am not letting the C kids off the hook. On the contrary, I am using it as an opportunity to understand how far I must go to meet them where they are ( a C is far). If the goal is for all to get an A, which it is and I tell my kids as much, then a C simply means I have to “level up” my support for that kiddo. And this, essentially, is how I have sold “Commitment” to them.
And because I have framed it as such, when I engage them on their levels of commitment, I feel as if I can better come from place of honesty–that, indeed, we have all our cards on the table. That we understand each other.
To that point, last week when the kids and I were talking about effort and completion of our tASKs from the week, I reminded them of their choices: all, most, and some of the work, not none of the work. We did not agree to that, for it was not a choice. No “none” in here. And it seemed to register. There was no none. There was only all, most, and some–each wearing the size that fit.
Perfect? Nope. Better? Maybe. Time will tell, but time will also compel better. Lots of doing, reflecting, and doing better ahead. Here’s one better I created and captured last week in an effort to raise my level of support.
This is generated from my “Support Cycle” poster I presented last spring. I will write more about it later, but it is just one way I am trying to meet my kids in their learning.
Happy Sunday, all. Thank you for letting me muck around in my thinking a little bit. Long ways to go on this, but maybe it will help you consider some of your own “Better-Building” questions as you seek your own authentic answers. See you all next week.
And Project 180, Year 6 is underway. As I recently shared in “A New Path,” my posts this year will be weekly instead of daily as I devote my weekday mornings to finishing my book. So, then, on Saturday mornings this year I will publish a “week-in-review” post which focuses on two areas: Better Learning and Better Community, each introduced with a “Better-Builder” question to which I am seeking my own authentic answer.
This week, because it was such a short week and I have a lot to share about learning, I will not share about community (though community and connections are never not near when I am working on learning). And of course, my go-to play with better community always centers itself in Smiles and Frowns, which has already begun working its magic three days in. But this week, let’s talk learning.
Better Learning
How can I more authentically meet each of my kids where and as they are in their own learning journeys?
“Meet” is going to be a key word in the Project 180 work this year. It is where I will find each. As I have said in the past, I don’t have high, low, or medium kids; I have where-they-are kids. And where they are is where I have to meet them.
Above are the My Room Message and the Sappy Sy Rhyme I shared with my kids on Thursday. I compose a new message and rhyme each day (message to begin, rhyme to end) to connect with kids around the big ideas that shape our experience. Here, I wanted to connect with them around the notion of “where’s” place in our work. I want them to know that where they are is the only place we can meet. They are where they are. They are who they are. And that is where I where and how I will meet them
But to meet them, I have to know them–as students, as humans. And to that end, I am trying something new this year with “Cards on the Table.”
From here, kids made their deck of cards using the 3X5 cards I gave them. Nine total for now. We may add new cards later, but this is where we’ll begin.
And we need to begin with a bit of honesty. We, indeed, need to “put our cards on the table” if we are going to authentically meet each other in our work. I am not sure the kids have fully grasped my plan here, and I am not sure they fully trust me enough yet to let me see all their cards, but I am sure that this is an important first step towards their “where.”
Now that the cards are made, this is how they will be played. In an effort to meet kids, I will meet kids (conference with them) regularly, which means I will have a calendar with scheduled times to meet each kid in their learning. I am going to call them “Meet Me” meetings. They will be five minutes in length. And we will meet where they are by having a conversation. And each time we meet, their cards will literally be on the table–really, then, a symbol for our being there in their where.
Of course, I will “meet” kids in their work and in their worlds more frequently than the scheduled conferences, but I have learned better from my past years and mistakes that if I don’t create and stick to a schedule, time and intent get away from me, so the calendar is a commitment to stick to the plan this year (and I will ask the kids to hold me accountable).
I want this to be–to them and me–a sacred time. Our time. Where we meet. Where I find them, so I can support them. And in that sacred frame, we will create an opportunity for authentic accountability, meaning that if I am not meeting them, I am not supporting them. And whether they speak it directly or not, I will imagine their words on the wind, “Meet me, Sy. That’s where I am.”
Next week, I will talk more about the “Commitment Card” in their deck. But for now, if any are curious, I am chasing an idea around the idea of teaching and learning being a shared commitment and using that as our map and measure for making sense of learning at the end (see below).
Happy Saturday, all. So glad you are joining me again this year. See ya next weekend.
Morning, all. I wanted to share the complete list of “Better Builders” I have posted on Twitter for the month of August. Earlier, I posted 1 -15 (see post), and here I have added 16 – 31.
These are some of the key questions that will drive my better building this year. And tomorrow the building officially begins with the first day of school. Can’t wait to meet those for whom I build my betters.
Morning, all. Thought I would take a few moments to share with you my plan for Project 180 posts this year.
As many know, I am in the middle of writing a book about Project 180. I thought perhaps I would be done with it at this point, but I thought wrong. A book is a bigger bite than I thought it would be, and I have much to chew through before it’s due (December is the plan). So, with that in mind, I am going to approach the blog differently this year.
I am no longer going to do daily posts. I am instead going to use my weekday mornings (my prime productive time) for writing the book. Please know this was not a decision easily made as it’s become a ritual for me to produce daily posts for the past five years, and I feel like I am letting you and myself down for not continuing the 180 tradition. But I am not completely abandoning the journey; I am just taking a little different path this year.
I will now publish a week-in-review post on Saturday mornings, which will focus on two specific areas: Better Learning and Better Community. For each area, I will pose a “Better Builder” question to which I am seeking my own authentic answer, sharing the discoveries I am making along the way as I continue to Do, Reflect, and Do Better.
Yes, it will be a different year. But I will continue to connect with you each week. For some–maybe many–I imagine it will be a blessing to escape the daily email notifications. Sorry. I know it got old. Anyway, I am excited to continue the Project 180 journey with you.
Happy Monday, all. Thank you for being here for another year.
Better is a reasoned, reflective response from the examination of our present practice. It is the answer we seek to the question we ask. It stretches us. It energizes us. It scares us. It beckons us. It is a step beyond, a call to dare different and brave better. It’s our journey.
New year. Time to build better. Well, I think it’s always time to build better, but beginnings tend to bring better to our attention. And so, to mark the beginning that August is for many of us–that lonnnnngggg “Sunday” before our big Monday–I began a series on Twitter, sharing my “better builders” with the world in hopes that it might inspire some better building for others, too.
Here are the first fifteen.
The betters I build begin here as I endlessly examine my own present practice, daily dare my different, and boldly brave my better. It’s my journey.
Good morning, all. It’s been a busy summer. The book is progressing along nicely (should be ready by year’s end). I am starting a consulting business (tell you more about it later). And I got a recent No Grade November nudge from Wisconsin principal Jeff Sturdevant.
“I am looking to implement No Grade November at my school in some capacity. My question is from a starting point perspective and process perspective.”
(No Grade November. Eek. Oops. Kinda dropped the ball on NGN).
So, earlier this week, I picked it up again (sorry to anyone I let down), and I owe that to Jeff who was gracious enough to “play catch” with me, as I clarified and extended my own thinking about the challenge I issued way back in February.
Now we are down to 80 days (time flies when the ball drops, sorry). I issued a challenge, but I also pledged support, and Jeff–fortunately–reminded me of that, so in response to his reminder, I set to work. And I wanted to share some of that with you.
Below you will find some planning work I did in preparation for my conversation with Jeff yesterday morning. It is neither perfect nor polished, but it’s progress long overdue. I have also included this link to the working Google Doc from which I copied and pasted the bulk of this post’s content. I have also included a link to No Grade November page on this site.
Hope this helps for any considering NGN in any capacity. Please reach out if I can help. Thank you, Mr. Sturdevant for your help.
Planning for NGN
Participant Levels
No science here. Just floating an idea for what participation might look like.
Level 1: I am interested in participating in NGN, but I am not ready to dive in. I just want to get my feet wet.
Level 2: I am eager to jump into NGN, but I am not sure if I am ready to dive in too deeply.
Level 3: I have been swimming in this end of the pool for some time, and I am ready to take a deep dive into NGN.
Recommendations and a Requirement
NGN recommends making the focus “Learning about learning,” not “getting rid of grading.”
NGN recommends inviting, not requiring, staff to participate.
NGN requires reflection.
NGN recommends pausing students’ grades.
NGN recommends allowing students to improve paused grades (by various means: late work, retakes, corrections, etc.).
NGN recommends maintaining emphasis on priority standards for the term.
NGN recommends timely and detailed communication with all stakeholders.
NGN recommends adapting plans and resources to find the right fit for your school, classroom, etc.
Possible Paths
Below are some ideas, some “possible paths,” for the “how” of NGN, ranging from level-one entry to level-three and beyond. Regardless the path, there are two key factors to consider as you move ahead with your plans.
One, reflection is a requirement for any approach you take. It’s a must. I would even suggest that if you do not plan to make daily reflection a part of the process, you shouldn’t participate in NGN. Please see “Thoughts on Reflection” (below) for some more ideas around using reflection.
Two, there is no right way or wrong way to do this (with the exception of reflection). There is only your way. Your approach has to fit you. It may be one of the paths below. It may be one you adapt. It may be a combination. It may be none of the paths below. Heck, you may choose a different path for each week of month. The point is, regardless the path, the pursuit is the same: learning about learning without grading. And remember, because we are learning about learning, which involves risk taking and mistake making, the worst and best that will happen is we learn.
That said, the paths below are simply some ideas that have come to my mind as I have tried to support the work of NGN. They are neither polished nor perfect. They are just some proposed paths for those who might need a seed or two to get started. As such they are general summaries which invite adaptation.
No Count
Most online gradebooks have a “no-count” feature. Here, participants can still “grade” the same as they normally do, but they will set all entries in the grade book as no count. Kids and parents will still see how they would have done with grades, but the entries for this period of time will not impact their “paused grade.” Benefits/Opportunities: Minimal change required. Minimal disruption to the norm. Still utilizes online grade book. Limitations/Challenges: Maintains a close connection to grading, thus limiting the experience.
Report Only
This approach relies on a simplified reporting system which reports completion. The idea here is that it still communicates work/progress without the encumbrance of points and percentages. For example, a super-simple method here might be 1=Complete and 0=Incomplete/Missing. Or 2=Complete, 1=Incomplete, 0=Missing. Lots of possibilities here. Benefits/Opportunities: An intentional step away from grades. Minimal change. Adaptable. Still utilizes online grade book. Limitation/Challenges: Puts emphasis on completion. Must create a reporting system.
Pointless Practice
As the title suggests, no points for practice. Teachers will still provide daily practice opportunities but there will be no points, no record, no report. The idea here is to open the door to discovering the value of practice as a learning step towards better performance, not a means to accumulate points. Benefits/Opportunities: Allows for greater exploration of learning away from grading. Less record keeping. Limitations/Challenges: Requires “letting go” of convention. Involves “risk” and trust.
Assessment Only
Here the idea is to only report assessments, which becomes a matter of course to the “pointless-practice” approach. It reports performance. Teachers can utilize their existing system, with the grade book set to no-count. Or teachers can create a modified system. Either way, assessments are the focus, which are ideally used then to determine next steps in the learning process. Benefits/Opportunities: Places emphasis on assessments for (as) learning. Allows for use of existing approaches and online grade books. Limitations/Challenges: Traditional views/use of assessments may get in the way.
Self-Assessment
This approach invites kids to self-assess. Ideally, that would include everything–practice and assessments. The goal here is to create a space of ownership where kids come to see themselves as stewards of their learning through having the responsibility of assessing and reporting their own learning. Lots of options here. One possibility could be creating keys, scoring guides, rubrics, etc. for all practice and performance and letting kids self-determine levels of completion and performance. Benefits/Opportunities: Huge step away from traditional grading practices. Creates ample opportunities to deeply dialog about roles and responsibilities with learning. Limitations/Challenges: Huge step away from traditional grading practices.
Self-Assessment with Focused Feedback
Here the self-assessment approach includes a self-determined feedback focus. So, kids will not only self-determine completion and performance, but they will also identify a place in their performance where they need feedback. Benefits/Opportunities: Takes self-assessment to the next level by situating the kids in the driver’s seat of the feedback cycle. Again, creates ample opportunities to deeply dialog about roles and responsibilities with learning. Limitations/Challenges: Huge step away from traditional grading practices.
Feedback Focus
This approach is about making feedback the focus. No points. No marks. Only feedback as THE responsive means to progress. At its most basic, it invites the kids to do (practice or performance) so teachers can respond with forward feedback (feedback that moves the learner forward in their learning experience). It can be as big or as small as it needs to be; however, it should be tailored for each individual to match where they are in the experience. Many, many options here for exploring the power, purpose, and possibility of feedback. Benefits/Opportunities: Invites innovative approaches to the learning experience. Huge step away from traditional grading practices. Creates ample opportunities to deeply dialog about roles and responsibilities with learning. Limitations/Challenges: Huge step away from traditional grading practices. Invites innovative approaches to the learning experience.
Pursuit Project
Into the great, wide open. Here the suggestion is to take the project path for the sake of pursuing the process of learning, not just the products of learning. In fact, it may very well be that a product is never completed, just pursued. It might be best if teachers acknowledge the limited time frame and encourage kids to truly learn about learning in their journey. The options are endless here to take the grade-level priority standards and develop a project approach to learning without grades. Really, this is probably a path for those who are already swimming around in the work of de-emphasizing grades, who already have ideas for making this work. Benefits/Opportunities: It’s wide open. Limitations/Challenges: It’s wide open.
Thoughts on Reflection
Again, this is a must–a commitment. Daily, intentional reflection has to be a part of this process– for all involved. If that’s for the classroom teacher, then it’s him and his students. If that’s for the principal, then it’s for her, her teachers, and their students. All involved have to commit to learning about learning, and reflection is a powerful tool in the learning realm. That’s the “why.” Here are some thoughts on the “how.”
At its most basic, it can be a daily entry in a reflection journal of sorts in response to the overarching question, “What did I learn about learning today?”
At its more novel, it can be a journey journal full of explorations, discoveries, etc. from the daily adventure in the gradeless realm of learning.
So many practical and fanciful options. But, again, if they are going to work, then they have to fit you. As long as the experience is being consistently captured, it’s all good, but…
But capturing is not really enough. We should seek to share our discoveries, too. Here are some ideas.
Ask a few students to share entries each day. Share your own entries.
Ask students to write letters to other students, their parents, the principal, the superintendent, the school board about their experiences. It can even be as simple as turning an entry into a letter.
Have students interview each other.
Have learning summits on Fridays where everyone brings their journals as primary sources of learning from the expedition. Invite principal, superintendent, and others to participate.
Have students complete and contribute a chapter of their learning to a classroom book about the NGN experience as a culminating piece.
Many possibilities here. The key is capturing to share.
Okay, but I am a principal, how do I participate? If you are a district/school leader and your teachers are participating, then I think for the month of November, you have to make a daily commitment to connecting with those out in the field. Maybe you visit a class or two each day. Maybe you connect with a teacher or two–or a student or two. And these intentional connections become your reflection. You are learning about learning, too. How cool would it be to take your reflection journal to a Learning Summit in a classroom to share? Or what if you hosted your own Learning Summit with your participating principals, teachers, etc.?
Communication
Communication is key. And I feel like I have a responsibility to support this. So, I have begun (and will continue) to put together “templates” for communicating to different stakeholders. Here are two that are in the works.
This first one I introduced months ago as a general notification of participation. Here’s the link to the post. Dear (Blank)
Dear (Blank), I recently came across an idea on Twitter called No Grade November. It got my attention because in my work with students, I have always wondered–and worried–about grading’s impact on learning in my classroom. And so, when I came across the idea, it called to me, and I became intrigued and inspired to try something new, even if it meant taking a big scary step away from the norm. And that is why I am writing to you. I want to take that step. I want to temporarily take grading off the table so I can learn more about learning. I want to participate in No Grade November. Here’s what it will look like… (insert plan) Sincerely, A Teacher
This second one was done in consideration of how a teacher might introduce NGN to students.
(Teacher intro to Students)All right, kiddos. So, I have a proposal. It’s a little unconventional, maybe even a little crazy, but for the whole month of November, I want to stop grading in here. No grades. No points. No penalties. We will still practice every day, and we will still have performances. We will still be working, but we won’t be working to get a grade; we will be working to learn. Together. It will be different. It will be a little messy. But our focus and purpose will be clear: we are going to learn about learning without grading. We will call it No Grade November, and this is what it’s going to look like.(insert plan)
I will continue to create and share these in the coming weeks.
Other Thoughts
Make the learning about pursuing. Learning’s never done. We just run out of time. So, don’t put too much emphasis on completing the project. Put the emphasis on capturing the learning.
Some kids might not do anything. Some kids are already not doing anything. But what if kids who normally do something, do less or do nothing at all? Well, here, then, is a great opportunity for them to think about themselves as learners.
Assure others, especially the critics, that we’re pausing grading, not learning. There will be learning going on every day in our classrooms. “Please come in and join us as we learn about learning.”
Yes, it will look and feel different. It has to, doesn’t it? If it doesn’t, then why are we doing it? We have to give ourselves permission to fully immerse ourselves in the risk taking and mistake making that learning necessitates. Dare different and brave better.
As my 25th summer began and I found myself reflecting on the end of my 25th year, I decided to challenge myself to come up with 25 things I’ve learned along the way, which I tweeted out in a series on Twitter.
Here, I have presented them all. I am not sure they are necessarily in any particular order of importance. I did not plan them out. I captured them as they came to me over a series of mornings, so I am not sure any one is more important than another. Though as the list went on, I did, admittedly, plan to save “relationships” and “better” for somewhere near the end, which I would hope would not come as a surprise to those who have followed the recent years of my journey here on my blog.
Are there more? Yes. Certainly. And there are probably some lessons that should have made this list over some that did, but that’s not how it played out, so I just went with what showed up during my morning musings. And I decided to share them all here with you.
I am not sure how I feel here at this place, at this moment. I am not sure how I expected to feel at the end of a five-year journey that I never really planned to take (at least not for five years). Originally, it was a two-year plan, but at the end of year two, better still beckoned, and so I kept going, and with each passing year, I’ve just kept chasing better around the bend. And now, at this place of pause, I have still found no end to the bend. Better is still ahead.
But I know “better” better than I did, and at this place, I am going to try to capture its elusive essence in my book, Better: A Teacher’s Journey. And so no end, never an end, just a next better, which will take me from blog to book as I sit down each morning this summer to retrace my steps over the last five years–a journey into a journey.
Of course, here where I have arrived, I would like to believe I am not alone, that you, the many, who’ve supported my journey, are here along with me, beside me–as you have been and will hopefully continue to be, for I could not have gotten here without you. And for that I am deeply grateful. Thank you.
Will I continue the blog next fall? I don’t know. I don’t want to make that decision right now. I want to take the time to wipe the dust off my travel weary bones before this next significant leg in my journey. I want to fully focus on the book, and from there, we will see where my next better takes me.
And with that, I will bid you adieu. This will be the final post of year five. Thank you, again and again, for making this long trip with me. I hope I find something worthy of your attention as I set off to explore the realm of writing a book about better.
