What Do You Do?

Whenever I meet someone new and they ask what I do for a living, I typically respond, "I'm a high school teacher currently working as an instructional coach." Even for people in education, this doesn't really answer their question. The position of instructional coach is relatively new in the field, and differs greatly depending on the district. So, in addition to a weird look, the next question is usually, "okay, but what do you do?" And, the emphasis is often on a different word, depending on the person. Actually, many in our own district are often fuzzy on "what we do."

What Do You Do?
The "what" usually depends on the day, for me and my fellow six coaches. In addition to the more traditional one-on-one, confidential coaching with teachers, we also group coach professional learning communities (PLCs) and other teacher teams. Alongside teachers, we develop curriculum for Spanish Immersion, Chinese Immersion, our Gifted & Talented program, and K-12 Common Core alignment. We work with principals, teachers, and paraprofessionals on initiatives such as Strategic Teaching to Accelerate Reading Success (STARS), Response to Instruction (RtI), and the FHPS Literacy Framework. We work directly with students on literacy and environmental programs. We engage in professional learning with teachers in areas such as the Instructional Framework, consensus mapping, and collaborative learning labs (CLLs). We also provide ongoing support to our principals and Schools Success Teams (SSTs) in the critical work of school improvement.

What Do You Do?
The emphasis on the first "do" always reminds me of the 1982 Adam Ant "Goody Two Shoes" song: "Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do?" Any time a teacher is not actively engaged with kids on a daily basis, some people are suspect of them. As coaches, we certainly work differently than we did as classroom teachers. Some of our colleagues even refer to us now as "them," since we are housed at the Administration Building. This saddens me. First, because we are all on the same team - the team that is working hard every single day to do what is best for kids.  Second, because we still think of ourselves as teachers. Personally, if I ever stop thinking of myself as a teacher, it is time to quit.

What Do You Do?
For me, the best day is one that I am in one our high schools, interacting with kids and teachers. Any time I am blessed with an invitation to co-teach or otherwise engage with kids, I leap at the opportunity. That is the one downside to being a teacher who is an instructional coach - no regular classes of kids to teach and learn with. Generally speaking, my job is to support our high school teachers and administrators in any way that I can. When I was hired, the primary focus was on school improvement, but it has grown over the last 17 months. I continue to work with SSTs, but I now also coordinate our Advanced Placement (AP) program. We have an extraordinary cadre of teachers who offer courses in 24 different AP subjects, providing our kids with an opportunity to earn college credits.  I've also become involved with our ELA and math teachers as we engage in the important work of redesigning our curriculum in light of Michigan's adoption of the Common Core State Standards. I hope to continue facilitating CLLs and gaining new insights alongside our teachers. Finally, I am also shepherding long-term projects for both testing-out exams and backward design/common assessments.

What Do You Do?
I love what I "do." Since switching professions 12 years ago, I have never once dreaded going to school or the Instruction Office. How lucky I am that I get to live out my passion every single day. There are plenty of times I feel frustrated or even angry, but it does not diminish the love I have for teaching and learning. What do I do? I try to make a positive difference in the lives of kids, and I go to bed every night hoping I did so.

Romancing the Standards

You are committed to this relationship.  After all, most of you have been in it for your entire adult life.  In the beginning, it was new and exciting, and you were hyper-focused on every little detail.  But as time went on, life became hectic.  There were kids to help, meetings to attend, and a million other things that pulled at you. So, you told yourself it was okay, that your curriculum would understand.

Wait, what?  At a recent planning meeting, I suggested that we need to date our content standards, or maybe even take them on a weekend couples retreat.  Not because we don't care anymore, but because we've both changed over time.  We think we know each other, but like a human partner, we often  put them last because we know they will always be there. And, all of the other things we put first are really important, too.

My idea might seem too far out there, but bear with me.  Much like a couples therapist recommends intentional "us" time, reconnecting with our content standards is in the best interest of great teaching and learning for kids.  After all, the standards are the bedrock for everything we do in the classroom.  We identify them for each unit, we decide how we want to want to assess proficiency in them, they are the basis for our learning goals, and we develop instruction around them. They really do deserve more intentional attention from us.  And, as a district, we are moving into Domain 2 of Dr. Marzano's Instructional Framework this coming year.  Domain 2 focuses on planning and preparation, with one of the elements being "appropriate attention to established content standards."  It's a match made in heaven.

So, with all of the other demands on our time, how do we find and commit to intentional "us" time with our content standards?  First, try the couples retreat idea -- get a group of teachers together and work as a team.  Learn with and from each other in a more efficient use of time.  Second, invite an instructional coach along.  Not that we are therapists, but we can help plan the most effective use of time and resources, and we have experiences with others you may find useful.  Third, plan your time with the "date night" mentality.  Hold the time sacred and do not let anything else interfere with it.  Fourth, if you're really pressed for time, just flirt with the content standards for ten minutes every day.  It shows them you still care.

Watching the Grass Grow

I was sitting on the porch of my cottage the other morning, drinking coffee, and looking at my lawn, or rather, lack thereof.  More specifically, I was focused on the how the grass was coming in, having been hydroseeded a few weeks ago.  I then thought about those time-lapse science shows, where you can see a flower bloom in a few seconds, and wishing I could get my grass to grow that quickly, or at least see today’s progress. 

Now, intellectually I know the grass is actually growing, regardless of my inability to see the microscopic changes.  But my desire to see it, to make it real, persists.  Why do I need to witness immediate growth?  If I come back in a week, it will be taller, and I will see it.  Why is that not good enough for me? 

As teachers, we care and nurture our students, much as I water and fertilize my grass seeds.  We have this innate desire to know and see that what we do with our kids is making a positive difference.  By nature, we are perfectionists, and we are also our own worst critics, becoming easily frustrated.  I think that may be our disconnect between the intellectual “knowing” and the emotional need to “see” the fruits of our labor.  But we can turn this into a growing experience for ourselves.

Watching my grass grow demands patience.  Watching our students grow demands the same.  Just as certain patches of my lawn come up quicker than others, even though I initially gave equal attention to all parts, we will “see” certain kids making progress more quickly than others.  I will see stark differences across my lawn, but instead of lamenting that the whole yard doesn’t look right, I can focus on which patches need extra attention.  In that way, within a few months, I will have a nice looking lawn.  The same can be true in our classroom.  Focusing our efforts on those who need extra attention will ultimately result in growth for all students.

And in case you’re wondering how this metaphor plays out for kids who grow exponentially, I don’t advocate mowing them down, so that the grass all stays one uniform level.  Quite the opposite – continue to watch the grass grow, and nurture each individual blade.  Mowing is overrated.

The Meaning of Leadership and Influence

In our coaching office this morning, three of us had a lengthy dialogue around the meaning of “leadership,” “power,” and “authority.”  Multiple events triggered the conversation, but the central themes were school improvement and collective responsibility.  In a nutshell, many teachers have asked themselves (and others) what it means to be a school/instructional leader.

Is it about titles?  Is it about a job description?  Is it about responsibility?  Is it about vision? Is it about values and beliefs?  Is it about policy?  Is it about accountability?  Is it about fidelity?  Is it about collaboration?  I could go on and on, but the answer is both yes and no.

I found the following words on the Education Portal website:

“Remember that power is the ability to do something the specific way you want to do it by any means necessary. Leadership is painting a vision for others to follow. Authority is when a person has the right to give you an order or direction. And finally, influence is having an impact on someone's character, their development or even the way they think.”

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/differences-between-power-leadership-authority-influence.html#lesson

I like this piece, because within it, every teacher is a leader.  Certainly, within our own classrooms, we do paint the vision for our students.  But within our school, or our district, how might we paint a positive vision for others to follow?

Our School Improvement Framework tells us that school leaders can be formal or informal.  One teacher might be a member of the School Success Team, while another is not.  However, both can be leaders.  The title is not what makes the leader.  It’s about action and conviction.  For example, each time we stand up for what’s best for kids, we are painting a positive vision for others to follow.  We are leading, whether we mean to or not. 

What about leading our colleagues in other ways?  How might we paint a positive vision for others to follow?  Some ideas I have are as follows: instead of participating in negative conversations or piling on when something goes wrong, working together to construct a different way to try to achieve a goal; instead of ignoring a colleague who is struggling, offering to mentor or assist them; and instead of writing off the kids who are failing, create a one-on-one, long-term, life coaching relationship and tell your colleagues about it.

Maybe it all goes back to why we became teachers in the first place.  Certainly not for the fame, glory, or money, but because we share the fundamental belief in the inherent value of our influence – the “impact on someone’s character, their development or even the way they think.”  If we believe this about our students, why not believe this about our colleagues?

Navigating Change: Direction, Protection, and Order

“… To change before disaster demands it requires leadership. ... Many times people confuse leadership with authority, power, or influence, but true leadership involves direction, protection, and order.  Direction is the ability to have a clear and detailed vision of where the organization is going.  Protection is remaining focused on your core mission.  Order is dedicated work to achieve the common goal.”    C. Ed Massey

Direction, protection, and order.  These words resonate with me.  I found them because I was searching for quotes on the fear associated with change, and this passage by Massey is directly related to change in education.

As an Instructional Coach supporting the work that accompanies change, I am struggling to understand (and accept) resistance to change.  In this struggle, I have tried several different methods to wrap my head around it.  Sometimes I have thought of it in the five stages of grief context.  Other times, I have just lost patience and thrown my hands up.  Most of the time, I am somewhere in between those two spots.

After sitting with Massey’s words for a time, I am now thinking of resistance as a call (or maybe even a cry) for leadership.  Not in the authoritarian manner, but, as Massey writes, as a need to know and feel that there is direction (we have a clear and detailed vision of where we are going), protection (we will not get distracted), and order (we will keep working together).  Sure, we can wait until disaster strikes and change is thrust upon us, but then there will be no true leadership – just edicts.

Still, many people feel any change not of their initiation is in fact “thrust upon them.”   In educational systems, many changes are initiated at the district, rather than the building, level.  But it is vital to distinguish between those born of disaster, and those that are proactively made in the best interest of all kids. 

We are in the midst of a lot of proactive change in our district -- completing year one of the long-term implementation of the Instructional Framework, aligning curriculum to new standards and using the opportunity to make it our own, and embracing school improvement on a deeper level --  just to name a few.  The thread that binds all of our work is doing what is best for all kids.  We know that the research behind the Instructional Framework is solid and adapting our practices to align with it is best for all kids.  We know that a strong curriculum implemented with fidelity, so as to achieve college and career readiness, is best for all kids.  And, we know that school improvement is a continual cycle of goal-setting, implementation, data review, and revision, whose sole purpose is to do what is best for all kids.

So, I must continue to lead with direction, protection, and order, even when there is resistance.  The principals and teachers I support must know that we are in it for the long haul, and that I will always roll up my sleeves and join in the work, shoulder to shoulder.  Even when we feel like giving up, we have to push through.  It is what is best for all kids, and they deserve nothing less from us.

Instructional "Shift"

Our district has been working to align and reframe our ELA and math curriculum in light of the adoption of the Common Core State Standards.  While we hear or read many buzz words or phrases in the process, I think the one I see most used is “instructional shift.”

What exactly does that mean?  If you Google “instructional shift,” you will receive a very long list of articles and documents that are more than willing to explain it to you, at least from that specific author’s viewpoint.  I decided to think just about the word “shift,” which is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, in part,  as follows:

“…Move or cause to move from one place to another, especially over a small distance…Change in emphasis, direction, or focus…”

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/shift

Certainly, implementation of the CCSS with fidelity will require some degree of instructional shifting, dependent upon the starting point for each teacher, school, and district.  But when I just look at those two dictionary definitions, it strikes me that great teachers make instructional shifts all the time, and have always done so. For example, within the delivery of a given lesson, a teacher may change the direction or focus of the lesson because of an observation made while monitoring for desired effects.  Heck, just changing a student’s seat may sometimes be the best instructional shift a teacher can make in an hour.

The difference with the CCSS is that the instructional shifts are very intentional, planned, and optimally, being collaboratively learned by teachers prior to instruction.  Some teachers are embracing the shifts, some need to learn more about the shifts, and some are fearful of the shifts.  Regardless, each teacher needs to remember that “shift” happens all the time in classrooms, sometimes directed by the teacher, and sometimes directed by the students.  Sometimes “shift” happens and no one even recognizes it.

Whether you are a fan of the CCSS, withholding judgment for now, or hate it, the reality is that its adoption has given us an opportunity to reflect upon our curriculum with a different lens.  The time we are taking to be intentional is hard work, but will result in better learning for all of our kids.  We begin each curriculum meeting with a review of our working agreements, and number one is that “we are here to do what’s best for kids.”  And we need to keep that focus during implementation.  Teachers must be supported in their learning, so that they can continue to do what’s best for kids.  As long as that focus doesn’t change, we can handle all the other “shift.”

-          J. Walton

Spring Cleaning

The tradition of spring cleaning has a long history.  Back when people used wood or coal to heat their non-insulated homes, houses were closed up as tight as possible over the winter. So, the first warm day was an opportunity to empty the house of its belongings and clean.

A lesser known aspect of spring cleaning was that it was also a time to celebrate life for those who survived the winter.  Without modern day medicines and hygiene knowledge, many illnesses and deaths occurred during the winter months.  How might we use this idea in education?

I think about my own district. We’ve made it through a very tough winter.  Not only was the weather brutal (sub-zero days on end, 8 days of no school, etc.), but we navigated professional learning in our first year of work with the Instructional Framework based in The Art and Science of Teaching.  Along with this came a new teacher professional growth/evaluation tool.   The learning this year stretched us in many good ways, but it required an extraordinary amount of mental energy. 

One of the pieces we focused on this year for our students was to “celebrate success.”  While we did a great job with this as it related to our kids, I don’t think we did it nearly enough for ourselves.  As we head into our spring break, the weather is finally giving us a glimpse that the brutality of winter may be done.  With warmer temperatures and more sunshine, I think we should celebrate the success of our administrators and teachers in all of their new learning this year.  It is hard and challenging, but we know that it is best for kids. 

Every professional, no matter whether that field is business, law, or medicine (just to name a few),  must continually keep learning the new, research-based changes in their sphere.  Professional educators are no different.  To achieve and remain at a mastery level, there is always continual learning.  There is always continual risk-taking.  There is always continual growth.  At times it can feel exhausting, but there is no shortcut. 

I’m proud of my colleagues for their progress this year, and in honor of “spring cleaning,” I celebrate them.  And on a personal note, there’s always a slight chance that I might actually clean my house.  Nah….  

- J. Walton