The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement

I love to share this paradox with teachers when we begin working on committees. I explain to them that, during our work on the committee, I don't want us to ever "go to Abilene" on any decision. Teachers should not just agree to something because they think it's what everyone else wants. It's important to speak up when you don't support any idea or don't feel like you can implement it with fidelity.

That July afternoon in Coleman, Texas (population 5.607), was particularly hot-104 degrees according to the Walgreen’s Rexall’s thermometer. In addition, the wind was blowing fine-grained West Texas topsoil through the house. But the afternoon was still tolerable-even potentially enjoyable. A fan was stirring the air on the back porch; there was cold lemonade; and finally, there was entertainment. Dominoes. Perfect for the conditions. The game requires little more physical exertion than an occasional mumbled comment, “Shuffle ‘em,” and an unhurried movement of the arm to place the tiles in their appropriate positions on the table. All in all, it had the makings of an agreeable Sunday afternoon in Coleman. That is, until my father in law suddenly said, “Let’s get into the car and go to Abilene and have dinner at the cafeteria.”

I thought, “What, go to Abilene? Fifty-three miles? In the dust storm and heat? And in an unairconditioned 1958 Buick?”
But my wife chimed in with, “Sounds like a great idea. I’d like to go. How about you, Jerry?” since my own preferences were obviously out of step with the rest, I replied, “Sounds good to me,” and added, “I just hope your mother wants to go.”

“Of course I want to go,” said my mother-in-law. “I haven’t been to Abilene in a long time.”

So into the car and off to Abilene we went. Mt predictions were fulfilled. The heat was brutal. Perspiration had cemented a fine layer of dust to our skin by the time we arrived. The cafeteria’s food could serve as a first-rate prop in an antacid commercial.

Some four hours and 106 miles later, we returned to Coleman, hot and exhausted. We silently sat in front of the fan for a long time. Then, to be sociable and to break the silence, I dishonestly said, “It was a great trip, wasn’t it?” No one spoke.
Finally, my mother-in-law said, with some irritation, “Well to tell the truth, I really didn’t enjoy it much and would rather have stayed here. I just went along because the three of you were so enthusiastic about going. I wouldn’t have gone if you all hadn’t pressured me into it.”

I couldn’t believe it. “What do you mean ‘you all’?” I said. “Don’t put me in the ‘you all’ group. I was delighted to be doing what we were doing. I didn’t want to go. I only went to satisfy the rest of you. You’re the culprits.”
My wife looked shocked. “Don’t call me a culprit. You and daddy and Mama were the ones who wanted to go out in heat like that.”
Her father entered the conversation with one word: “Bull.” He then expanded on what was already absolutely clear: “Listen, I never wanted to go to Abilene. I just thought you might be bored. You visit so seldom. I wanted to be sure you enjoyed it. I would have preferred to play another game of dominoes and eat the leftovers in the icebox.”

After the outburst of recrimination, we all sat back in silence. Here we were, four reasonably sensible people who-of our own volition-had just taken a 106-mile trip across a godforsaken desert in furnace-like heat and a dust storm to eat unpalatable food at a hole-in-the-wall cafeteria in Abilene, when none of us had really wanted to go. To be concise, we’d done just the opposite of what we wanted to do. The whole situation simply didn’t make sense.

*Taken from: The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management; Harvey, Terry B.; Lexington Books, 1988 (reprinted by Fossey-Bass 1996)

Feed the Teachers!

I just read the most inspiring and hilarious book ever. Neila Connors' book, If you Don't Feed the Teachers They Eat the Students, is a very easy-to-read, humorous book that uses the metaphor of food to illustrate how to be an effective school leader. I just believe that it is a must for the library of every school administrator. It offers many clever yet practical suggestions that can be implemented immediately by administrators at all levels. In the first chapter entitled, "Whetting your Appetite-the Menu Please" Connors promises a book steeped in practical experience and not research, a promise she keeps throughout. Nevertheless, it should come as no surprise that many of her suggestions parallel current educational research, especially with regard to building relationships with staff members and affecting positive change. I actually caught myself laughing out loud so many times when reading this book, but don't let the humorous easy-read mislead you: it is still very substanitive.

This book compares effective school leadership to the cooking and eating of a fine meal. From Chapter 3-"Creating the Ambiance-Preparing to Dine" to Chapter 8-"The Check, Please!" the author very cleverly organizes the sections in yummy little portions. For example, Chapter 4 discusses "Passing the P's", which describes a list of important attributes of successful administrators, all of which begin with the letter "P".

Because it's such a quick read, this book serves as a "tasty little snack" to keep you going. One of my favorite parts of the book deals with D.E.S.S.E.R.T.S. I won't ruin that for you though, just in case you want to give it a read.

Peace Makers

I found this great idea posted by Pam Hill, principal at Flory Academy of Sciences and Technology in Moorpark, California. I thought it was a great way to promote character education. Principal Hill says:

Each month, students who have been good citizens and met all classroom criteria for achievement during the month earn a colored strip of paper; each student writes his or her name and room number on the strip. Students in the class merge their colored strips to create a "class chain." Then students gather in our school's quadrangle for our monthly "Peacemaker" assembly. (At that assembly, two or three classes take a role in presenting the "Character Trait of the Month.") At the start of the assembly, classes are called forward one at a time. Students cheer for their class as a representative brings forward the chain they have created. That class chain is joined together with that month's chains from other classes. Will the chain extend across the entire length of the quadrangle? The chain for the month is then connected to the chains from previous months as they "wrap" along the wall of our cafegymatorium. Students love to watch the chain as it grows each month. They're always trying to get the chain to go the length of one more wall… Will it make it?

Friday Appreciation Cart

I was thinking today about what kinds of things I could do to boost the morale of the teachers in my building. I believe that it would be a good idea to get a rolling cart and decorate it and place various items on it for teachers to choose. I could roll the cart around every Friday and let the teachers choose something. It could have things like:

Boxes of Kleenex
POST-IT Notes
Sodas/Bottles of Water
Chocolate Bars
Baby Wipes
Markers
Pens
Highlighters
Lotion
Herbal Tea Packets
Stationary
Granola Bars

It might be possible to get parents to donate things for the cart too. The small token of appreciation is a nice gesture, but my prediction is that teachers will be much more touched by the fact that you have taken the time to walk around the entire building to say thanks in person to each teacher. A note with words of praise and appreciation placed in the teacher's box are fine, but you still need to make sure that you are providing them with face-to-face praise as well.

Recognizing Peers

I can't stand "sit and get" faculty meetings where teachers just have to listen to someone else go on and on constantly. I think it's always a good idea to let teachers have opportunities to share success stories with one another at the beginning of every faculty meeting. One great idea for a principal is to take three "Kudos" candy bars to every faculty meeting and say "Here's three kudos for the first three people who are willing to come up and share something positive that you witnessed one of your collegues do this week." The teachers who take the bars, stand up and actually give the Kudo to a peer, but the best part is that they then share something nice about their peer with the entire faculty.

Team Development

FORMING, STORMING, NORMING, PERFORMING

FORMING (Stage 1)
Why am I here? What are we doing?
Verbal members dominate.
Inability to stay on task. Little good listening.
Polite: true feelings hidden; Hidden agendas; CONFLICT SUPRESSED
Personal weaknesses covered up.
Preference for voting.


STORMING (Stage 2)
Personal attacks used; issues not confronted
Leadership may be challenged
Cliques/alliances form; Subgroups pick on each other
Power struggles; members “jockey for position”
Personal weaknesses begin to surface
Emotional reactions to the task
Outsiders blamed for problems
Members try to opt out
Sense of being stuck; frustration


NORMING (Stage 3)
Leadership issues resolved
Procedures re-established
Issues (not people) confronted
Sub-groups disappear; cohesion begins
Ability to remain focused on task
Values and assumptions are discussed
Willingness to experiment
Risks discussed in meetings
Formerly quiet people now contributing


PERFORMING (Stage 4)
Outside help and resources welcomed
Members energize each other
Much role flexibility: leadership may rotate
Members protect each other: inside and out of meetings
Sense of genuine enjoyment of working together
Lots of “ahas”.
Frequent review of process.
Objectives clear and sound
Problems handled creatively.
Decisions by consensus

Consensus Building

Fist to Five is an effective and easy conscensus-building strategy.

This is how FIST TO FIVE works: You propose an idea/initiative to the faculty. Then, you have everyone show their level of support by a show of fingers. Each person responds by showing a fist or a number of fingers that corresponds to their opinion.

5 Fingers
It’s a great idea and I will gladly take on a leadership role in implementing it.


4 Fingers
I think it’s a good idea/decision and will work for it.


3 Fingers
I’m not in total agreement, I but feel comfortable to let this decision or a proposal pass without further discussion.


2 Fingers
I would like to discuss some minor issues before committing to support this.


1 Finger
I still need to discuss quite a few issues and suggest changes that should be made.


Fist
I can't live with this. I'll fight it.


If anyone holds up fewer than three fingers, they should be given the opportunity to state their objections and the team should address their concerns. Teams continue the FIST TO FIVE process until they achieve consensus (a minimum of three fingers or higher) or determine they must move on to the next issue).

A Child's Perception

I ran into a former student of mine today and it got me thinking about this really funny thing that happened when I taught her so many years ago. It was the night of Open House and I noticed Shyniece standing at the bulletin board talking with her parents. I had not ever met them in person before so I wanted to go over and formally introduce myself. As I introduced myself and began to tell Shyniece's parents how much I enjoyed having their daughter in my class, I realized that her mom was just sort of staring at me. I began to feel a bit uncomfortable and even wondered if I had something in my teeth. Then she said, "I'm so sorry to keep staring at you, Ms. Spates. It's just that my daughter talks about you constantly and I am sure that she told me that you were black." She looked at Shyniece and asked her why she had told her that. Shyniece said, "Oh, my bad Ms. Spates. I thought you was light-skinned."

Working with Difficult Team Members

We have all served on a faculty, grade level, or committee with a difficult team member at one time or another. Here are some clever names for describing these folks:

SLUMPER- Has no enthusiasm, lazy, sighs, shrugs, but will never say that anything is wrong

DUMPER- dumps all important work on others, self-focused

JUMPER- has no scruples, takes credit for others’ work in order to gain recognition and “jump” up the ranks

GRUMPER- complains constantly about every single thing, negative attitude, impossible to please

BUMPER- takes the kudos when all goes well but is quick to blame when things go wrong, likes to find fault in others

TRUMPER- must always have the first and last word, always trying to “one up” everyone else, overly-competitive

THUMPER- bullies and intimidates others, very aggressive

These descriptions could be used with faculty members to address some of these unhealthy behaviors. Teachers can share ideas for managing working relationships with these people- but most importantly, the leader can use these descriptions as a way to bring awareness about the importance of cooperative teamwork and behavioral expectations.

Leading in High Risk Schools

I recently applied for some administrative positions in my school district. I was talking to a friend the other night and asked her what she thought might be an interview question for the positions. As I considered the possibilities, I thought, "What if they ask me what I think it takes to effectively lead in a high risk school?" What would I say? I've been thinking about what it is that I believe would be necessary in order to bring about growth and increase student achievement in such schools, and here is:

I think that the first action that needs to be taken is to establish some core values and create a common vision. What do we believe about teaching and learning? How can we promote that? I strongly believe that it takes an educator with a special skill-set to be effective in an urban school. They need to have a compelling nature in order to work with parents and resistant teachers. They must have some cultural knowledge and respect and sensitivity to the population being taught. And they need to have a capacity for empathy so that they can understand and appreciate students who are coming from backgrounds of poverty (empathy DOES NOT equal Savior mentality)! Once you have teachers with this prerequisite skill-set, you can really get down to the issue at hand. I think that the administrative team should visit the vision with the faculty constantly in order to foster a meaningful sense of what they are all going to be committed to doing together. If this is done in a thoughtful and consistent way, you can't help but develop values that are similiar.

Then, I think the number one, on-going focus needs to be on teacher empowerment. I am 100% positive that the capacity to improve things in urban schools is within each building already. Start with a small group of teacher leaders and nurture their leadership capabilities. Give me a critical mass of highly-skilled and committed teachers and I can turn a school around. I just view it as so important to let them know that you see them as capable professionals and expect exactly that from them. Provide teachers with time to collaborate, professional development opportunities, and a fair allocation of resources. We always hear these blown up horror stories about teaching in urban schools, but my experience tells me that it's not the needs of the children or the uninvolved parents that chase good teachers away from the inner city- it's the working conditions- no time to collaborate, apathetic colleagues, and the big one...LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM- These are the things that make working in urban schools so difficult. Foster professionalism by involving teachers in decision-making regarding their work and create a strong system of accountability that encourages direct dialogue about expectations and needs.

The best way to go about empowering teachers is to professionally grow them. It's in urban schools where having teaching expertise makes the biggest difference. If I have the ability to empower teachers and facilitate quality, on-going professional development, the level of poverty represented in my school becomes irrelevant because I'll have the tools needed to create a professional learning environment. Once teachers become confident in their own abilities and they are knowledgeable of best practice, they begin to feel safe enough to deprivatize their practice, which opens up all kinds of opportunities for growth (peer observations, reflective dialogue, critical friends, self awareness, etc.).

Leaders in high risk schools have got to stop accepting "the left-over teachers" that couldn't get hired anywhere else. Nobody wants to be on a losing team. Everybody wants to be associated with a high caliber faculty. It's important to recruit star teachers and offer them professional development and a sense of purpose that they will not be able to get anywhere else. Highly effective teachers in urban schools really believe that they have a responsibility to use their talents and expertise where it will make the biggest difference. They understand that it is at the high-risk schools where teacher expertise makes the biggest difference. Students in the suburban schools can have a mediocre teacher and be fine because the range of other supports can compensate for that teacher. The same cannot be said for mediocre teachers in high risk schools. Great teachers in urban schools make the critical difference so it is critical for leaders in urban schools to work diligently at getting the word out to teachers about the professional learning environment that they have created. Sell it!!! Make them want to be a part of something special- something profound and intrinsically rewarding.

It is so important for the leaders in urban schools to be excited about the work and constantly articulate that to the teachers- and utilize those teacher leaders to do the same. A few teacher leaders who have enthusiasm can cause positive change to spread like wildfire.

I know that it is much easier to say these things than to actually do them, but I believe that these are a good start.

What Multicultural Teaching is NOT

Heroes and Holidays- Foods and Festivals

When teachers take this approach, it is common for them to "celebrate" differences by integrating information or resources about famous people and the cultural artifacts of various groups into the mainstream curriculum. Bulletin boards may contain pictures of Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks, and teachers may plan special celebrations for Black History Month or Cinco de Maya. Learning about "other cultures" focuses on costumes, foods, music, and other tangible cultural items.

The positive thing about this approach is that at least the teacher is attempting to diversify the curriculum by providing materials and knowledge outside the mainstream culture. This is a pretty common approach taken by teachers because it is fairly easy to implement with little new knowledge. Still, the weaknesses heavily outweigh the strengths:

By focusing celebratory attention on non-dominant groups outside the context of the rest of the curriculum, the teacher is further defining these groups as "the other."

Curricula at this stage fail to address the real experiences of non-dominant groups instead focusing on the accomplishments of a few heroic characters. Students may learn to consider the struggles of non-dominant groups as "extra" information instead of important knowledge in their overall understanding of the world.

The special celebrations at this stage are often used for justification -- not to truly transform the curriculum.

This approach trivializes the overall experiences, contributions, struggles, and voices of non-dominant groups, fitting directly into a euro-centric and male-centric curriculum.

Preacher Teacher

“You can’t teach what you don’t know.” That’s what Mrs. Williams said to me as I vented my frustration during my first year of teaching in an inner city school. She was an older, African American woman, tall with a very strong presence. She had appointed herself my unofficial mentor. I came in eager, enthusiastic, and ready to change the world. Like so many other young, white, middle class teachers at the time, I was completely unaware of what it took to be an effective teacher in an urban school. I believed that if I knew a variety of instructional strategies and had a behavior plan in place, I would be all right. What I had not yet discovered was the impact that my cultural norms and values would have on my practices. What I hadn’t come to realize was the potentially detrimental implications of my lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity.Many urban schools have a majority population of African American students from backgrounds of poverty and a majority population of White middle class teachers.Throughout my career as an educator in urban settings, I’ve seen countless numbers of intelligent, well-educated, and well-intentioned teachers that were unable to reach their students. Although they may have a wealth of knowledge, they still struggle with transferring that knowledge to their students. Even as a new teacher, I was able to recognize that differences in language patterns, values, and culture affected my teaching and my students’ learning. A very defining moment in my teaching career came when I read the book The Dream Keepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children by Gloria Ladson-Billings. A paradigm shift took place within me, and I was able to fully comprehend what it means to be a culturally responsive teacher.Mrs. Williams told me that I could come and observe her teaching during myplanning period. As I watched her, I was amazed at how well the children listened to her and how engaged every student was. The lesson wasn’t anything elaborate. It was asimple class discussion, but the students were all sharing, asking questions, and listening. I noticed that Mrs. Williams’ speech was vibrant and animated, and the students seemed very accustomed to it. As I observed, I noted that she used lots of call and response, repetition, alliteration, and variation in pace. She seemed to have a natural talent for taking sophisticated concepts and breaking them down into simple ideas. As the discussion winded down, Mrs. Williams asked the class of first grade students if they thought they could go back to their seats and write a couple of sentences about what they had just discussed. The class enthusiastically assured her that they could. “And you better not forget to put your name on your paper!” she said in a joking manner. “Turn to your neighbor and remind them right now.” She said. Every child, without hesitation, turned to the person next to him or her and said, “You better not forget your name!” in the same joking manner that it had been said to them by the teacher. During a debriefing, I told Mrs. Williams how impressed I was with the way she captivated the students during the discussion. “It’s called preacher-style honey.” She said to me. She explained that if I was going to teach African American students, I had a professional duty to learn about their cultural norms and behaviors. She informed me that many people in the African American culture use this type of speech, and that the children are accustomed to it.The speaking patterns that were viewed as “professional” during my preparationas a teacher were quite different from “preacher-style.” I began to put some informalresearch into practice with my second grade students. Sometimes, I would make aconcentrated effort to use a “preacher-style” approach with the students. I kept a journal of notes during this time, and as I read over these and reflected, I was able to conclude that students responded to it very well. I have continued to use this “preacher-style” approach throughout the years and it has been very effective with my students.Of course, it takes more than adapting the way that one verbally delivers information to be a culturally responsive teacher. Self-awareness of teachers is crucial if one wishes to incorporate a culturally responsive and relevant practice. In the book, We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools (Published by Teachers Press in 1999), G. Howard says “We need to understand the dynamics of past and present dominance, face how we have been shaped by myths of superiority, and begin to sort out our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors relative to race and other dimensions of human diversity.” There is a pressing need for self-analysis and reflection on the part of teachers. Effective teachers are willing to examine their own beliefs and practices to ensure that they are teaching their students in the most compassionate and meaningful way.Relationships with parents and students must be built and nurtured in order to have a truly culturally responsive practice. Parents must believe that teachers respect the student’s culture. Teachers concerned with developing a culturally relevant and responsive classroom environment take the time to gain the trust of parents and appreciate the insight that parents have to offer. Culturally aware teachers put great effort into getting to know their students and families. They understand that, by learning the cultural norms and values of the students, they will be better equipped to present knowledge in a meaningful way. Students learn best when they believe that the teacher cares about them.Quality teacher preparation programs are beginning to emphasize the importance of reflective activities and dialogue with regard to cultural diversity. Universities are beginning to focus more on incorporating cultural awareness and education into the pre-service teacher curriculum. These types of programs are making a positive impact on teaching practices in urban schools. The research seems to indicate that children from homes in which the language does not closely correspond to that of the school (including African American dialect)may be at a disadvantage in the learning process. These children may become disengaged from learning. Research has shown that most African American children tend to prefer to learn in cooperation with others, as opposed to independently. Teachers must become knowledgeable of the cultures represented in their classrooms and present lessons in a way that reflects communicating and learning that is familiar to the students. For many African American students, the “preacher-style” approach for breaking down information into simple terms and using vibrant, expressive, interactive modes of conversation seems to be most effective. Children learn about themselves and the worlds around them within the context of culture so we (educators) must understand the culture ourselves in order to adequately teach them.

The Role of Culture in Literacy Development

I've been thinking a lot lately about the many ways in which culture affects teaching and learning. One specific area of interest deals with the reading and writing processes. I'm thinking that this may become a focus for dissertation, but I'm having difficulty narrowing it down and deciding on a direction to take. Here's what I know: The role of culture and language is vitally important to literacy learning. Historically, African American children who speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE) have not experienced high levels of academic success because their particular literacy needs go unaddressed, as they are encouraged, even forced, to assimilate into the mainstream. When addressing literacy needs of students who employ AAVE, cultural and linguistic differences should be recognized and respected in order to most appropriately serve them. Effective literacy instruction should build upon cultural and linguistic backgrounds, the different ways of making meaning, and prior knowledge that children bring to the classroom. Most teacher preparation programs only have one required multicultural class, if that. New teachers are often culturally unaware and insensitive to the specific needs of their students as a result. Those beginning teachers often become discouraged and discontinue working in urban schools or they leave education all together. Some of them spend their entire career with negative and inaccurate perceptions and beliefs regarding their students and what they are capable of accomplishing. Although AAVE has been clearly shown to be a systematic, rule-governed linguistic system, it appears that a number of non-AAVE speakers continue to view it as an inferior, unequally linguistic system when compared to Standard English. Teachers sometimes form negative perceptions of students as a result. This can have adverse affects on AAVE speakers' academic educational achievements. Because reading is a two-step process for these students, they are at a huge disadvantage.

Being a Multicultural Educator

20 Self-Critical Things I Will Do to Be
a Better Multicultural Educator

1. I will learn to pronounce every student's full given name correctly. No student should need to shorten or change their names to make it easier to pronounce for me or their classmates. I will practice and learn every name, regardless of how difficult it feels or how time-consuming it becomes. That is the first step in being inclusive.

2. I will sacrifice the safety of my comfort zone by building a process for continually assessing, understanding, and challenging my biases and prejudices and how they impact my expectations for, and relationships with, all students, parents, and colleagues.

3. I will center student voices, interests, and experiences in and out of my classroom. Even while I talk passionately about being inclusive and student-centered in the classroom, I rarely include or center students in conversations about school reform. I must face this contradiction and rededicate to sharing power with my students.

4. I will engage in a self-reflective process to explore the ways in which my identity development impacts the way I see and experience different people.

5. I will invite critique from colleagues and accept it openly. I accept feedback very well until someone decides to offer me feedback. Though it's easy to become defensive in the face of critique, I will thank the person for their time and courage (because it's not easy to critique a colleague). The worst possible scenario is for people to stop providing me feedback, positive and negative.

6. I will never stop being a student. If I do not grow, learn, and change at the same rate the world around me is changing, then I necessarily lose touch with the lives and contexts of my students. I must continue to educate myself—to learn from the experiences of my students and their parents, to study current events and their relationship to what I am teaching, and to be challenged by a diversity of perspectives.

7. I will understand the relationship between INTENT and IMPACT. Often, and particularly when I'm in a situation in which I experience some level of privilege, I have the luxury of referring and responding only to what I intend, no matter what impact I have on somebody. I must take responsibility for and learn from my impact because most individual-level oppression is unintentional. But unintentional oppression hurts just as much as intentional oppression.

8. I will reject the myth of color-blindness. As painful as it may be to admit, I know that I react differently when I'm in a room full of people who share many dimensions of my identity than when I'm in a room full of people who are very different from me. I have to be open and honest about that, because those shifts inevitably inform the experiences of people in my classes or workshops. In addition, color-blindness denies people validation of their whole person.

9. I will recognize my own social identity group memberships and how they may affect my students' experiences and learning processes. People do not always experience me the way I intend them to, even if I am an active advocate for all my students. A student's initial reaction to me may be based on a lifetime of experiences, so I must try not to take such reactions personally.

10. I will build coalitions with teachers who are different from me (in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, first language, disability, and other identities). These can be valuable relationships of trust and honest critique. At the same time, I must not rely on other people to identify my weaknesses. In particular, in the areas of my identity around which I experience privilege, I must not rely on people from historically underprivileged groups to teach me how to improve myself (which is, in and of itself, a practice of privilege).

11. I will improve my skills as a facilitator, so when issues of diversity and equity do arise in the classroom, I can take advantage of the resulting educational opportunities. Too often, I allow these moments to slip away, either because I am uncomfortable with the topic or because I feel unprepared to effectively facilitate my students through it. (I often try to make myself feel better by suggesting that the students “aren't ready” to talk about racism or sexism, or whatever the topic might be, when it's more honest to say that I am not ready.) I will hone these skills so that I do not cheat my students out of important conversations and learning opportunities.

12. I will invite critique from my students, and when I do, I will dedicate to listening actively and modeling a willingness to be changed by their presence to the same extent they are necessarily changed by mine.

13. I will think critically about how my preferred learning styles impact my teaching style. I am usually thoughtful about diversifying my teaching style to address the needs of students with a variety of learning styles. Still, I tend to fall back on my most comfortable teaching style most often. I will fight this temptation and work harder to engage all of my students.

14. I will affirm and model appreciation for all forms of intelligence and the wide variety of ways students illustrate understanding and mastery of skills and knowledge.

15. I will reflect on my own experiences as a student and how they inform my teaching. Research indicates that my teaching is most closely informed by my own experiences as a student (even more so than my pre-service training). The practice of drawing on these experiences, positive and negative, provides important insights regarding my teaching practice.

16. I will encourage my students to think critically and ask critical questions about all information they receive including that which they receive from me.

17. I will challenge myself to take personal responsibility before looking for fault elsewhere. For example, if I have one student who is falling behind or being disruptive, I will consider what I am doing or not doing that may be contributing to their disengagement before problematizing their behavior or effort.

18. I will acknowledge my role as a social activist. My work changes lives, conferring upon me both tremendous power and tremendous responsibility. Even though I may not identify myself as a social activist, I know that the depth of my impact on society is profound, if only by the sheer number of lives I touch. I must acknowledge and draw on that power and responsibility as a frame for guiding my efforts toward equity and social justice in my work.

19. I will fight for equity for all underrepresented or disenfranchised students. Equity is not a game of choice—if I am to advocate education equity, I do not have the luxury of choosing who does or does not have access to it. For example, I cannot effectively fight for racial equity while I fail to confront gender inequity. When I find myself justifying my inattention to any group of disenfranchised students due to the worldview or value system into which I was socialized, I know that it is time to reevaluate that worldview or value system.

20. I will celebrate myself as an educator and total person. I can, and should, also celebrate every moment I spend in self-critique, however difficult and painful, because it will make me a better educator. And that is something to celebrate!

*This list was developed by Paul Gorski.

Self Awareness in Teachers

We Have a Responsibility to Face Ourselves

Every person on this earth is socialized to perceive their culture group as superior to others. It’s just human nature. Whether the culture group is based on race, religion, gender, class, or language, it is common to form some prejudices. The longer I teach, the more concerned I become about the lack of self awareness in many educators, and what I perceive as complete obliviousness to notions of superiority. It’s hard for me to understand how anyone who has taught in an urban setting for any amount of time at all cannot easily recognize the institutional racism and the white priviledge attitudes that dominate. I am so past the point of debating this or preaching about it. I am in season of my life where I just want to make things better, but I am at a loss of how to go about doing this. The old saying, “change myself, change the world” is illustrative of my current frame of mind. I know that the best way to influence positive change is by modeling it. So I have committed to doing the following: I will thoroughly analyze my own prejudices. I will do some serious soul-searching to try and determine the origin of these prejudices and figure out how much a part of my daily life these beliefs are? I think that it will be really difficult, but I know that I am also going to have to admit how I benefit from my prejudices. In addition, I will need to understand how my prejudices may harm me too. I know that I have a professional and ethical responsibility to explore the ways in which my prejudices may be affecting my beliefs and attitudes about students, parents, and public education. Lastly, I have to use the information that I gain to make some changes. All of the self-awareness in the world does me no good if I am not able to utilize it to form some sort of growth/action plan.I think that the most frustrating thing for me is when I attempt to initiate a conversation about these types of issues with others, and they automatically say, “I don’t have any prejudices!” I just think that if a person is in denial, the likelihood of them growing is just about all but diminished and they shouldn’t be allowed to work with children.Lately, I’m thinking so much about making the transition to higher education. Over the course of my career, I’ve certainly tried to be a teacher leader and influence teachers to develop and grow in order to better serve their kids. However, I’m feeling very defeated lately. I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I feel like it’s getting harder and harder to taking the high road. I’m becoming more and more lonely and isolated and I often catch myself preaching at others (which everyone knows is a total waste of time and energy)! In a college setting, however, perhaps I would be better able to influence, motivate, encourage, develop, and mentor teachers-to-be. I just see this self awareness process as so crucial to the development of teachers, yet it is not even a focus in traditional teacher education programs.For now, all I can do is model what it means to be a multicultural educator. I will continue to strive to be culturally competent and sensitive to the needs of the children and families I serve. I will continue to regularly examine the ways in which cultural diversity affects teaching and learning.

Mentoring New Teachers

There is a new teacher at my school who was in need of assistance in the area of behavior management. She came to me asking for help so I analyzed the teacher’s discipline referrals for a period of four weeks. I observed this teacher in class. I had a conference with the teacher after observing. The following is a summary of the recommendations I gave to this teacher and the process of modeling and collaboration that took place among the two of us.

The second grade teacher that I worked with is someone with whom I had already established a relationship, and I was confident that I had earned some credibility and referent power with her. The first thing that I did was sit down with her and assure her that I was there in more of a supportive role than an evaluative one. I assured her that I would not be reporting to the principal her mistakes. I explained that because I had to get permission from the principal to clear my schedule to work with her, I was required to share with the principal what I had done to assist her. I made it very clear to the teacher that I would use “I statements” when informing the principal of any details. For example, I told her that I might report to the principal statements such as this: “I modeled how to conduct center transitions, I worked with her to create a behavior management card pulling system, I developed an individual behavior contract form to use with challenging students, etc.” It was very important to me that she didn’t view me as a nark that would go tattling back to the principal.

We agreed that I would devote three days to working with the teacher. The first day would be to observe. On the second day, I taught this teacher’s class, and I modeled various strategies while she took notes. On the third day, I observed the teacher again and made notes of her attempts to implement the modeled strategies. We conferred each afternoon.

The first day was extremely difficult for me because the situation was very chaotic, and I wanted desperately to intervene. I concluded that this teacher had not established routines and procedures in her classroom. There were no set procedures for things like turning in homework, transitioning from desks to carpet, sharpening pencils, going to the restroom, etc. It was obvious that this teacher had four or five students who were completely out of control. They cursed, “shot bird fingers” behind her back when she was reading a book to the class, left the room without permission, and refused to join the group on the carpet. It was also obvious that there was way too much “down time” and that the teacher seemed frantic as she tried to think of things to do off the top of her head. I knew that I was going to have to be very explicit when explaining and showing her how to effectively plan. That afternoon, I explained to her my sincere belief that ALL of her most challenging students could be successfully managed by developing a bond and showing them consistently that she cares for them. I also explained to her that if “she failed to plan, she could most surely plan to fail.” I took her step-by-step through the planning process for the next day. I used the Tennessee Standard Performance Indicators to plan some rigorous and engaging activities that fit in with her current unit of study (ocean habitat). She expressed concern that the students would not be able to accomplish what I was expecting. I explained to her the methods for differentiation I had planned (small group, peer tutoring, etc.).

On the second day, I stood at the door as each student entered and said “Good morning” to each child as they came in the room. I inquired about how they were feeling, I made comments about how nice they looked, and I explained that they were going to have fun today. I instructed every child sit on the carpet, and I explained to them that we were going to have “a talk”. I had used industrial tape to write each child’s name on and placed these tape strips on specific places on the carpet. They were instructed to sit on their name. I explained to them that it was very important that they keep their hands to themselves. I then shared with them a trick that I "use to help remind myself to keep my hands to myself." “Open and shut them, open and shut them, give your hands a clap, clap, clap. Open and shut them, open and shut them. Put your hands right in your lap.” I told them that they could then whisper to the person next to them, “AND KEEP UM THERE!!!!” We practiced doing this several times. After this, I explained to the class that I was a lazy teacher, and I really liked classes where the kids did the talking and working instead of me having to do it all. I asked them if they thought they could help me out with this. I went on to explain that there would be times when they were talking and working and I might need to get their attention. I told them that during these times I would simply say, “Hands on your head!” I told them this was their prompt to stop what they were doing, put their hands on their head so that I could see that they were listening, and to be absolutely silent. I informed them that they would have to pull a card from the behavior chart if they failed to do this (three cards for the day and each card represented a loss of five minutes of recess). Then I explained that since I was SO nice I would even be willing to give them an extra five seconds to get it together. We practiced talking in groups (about anything they wanted to talk about), and then I would say. “Hands on your head, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” Sometimes I would say things like “Touch your nose. Give yourself a hug. Pat your Glutious Maximus.” The first time I said this kids did not know what to do. I explained to them that this was their bottom. Because I anticipated that they would get excited, I whispered it in a very animated way. I tried to constantly utilize the strategy of calling the kids to come in close and WHISPER something if it was really important. I thought this was important since the teacher that I was working with was “a yeller”. I desperately wanted to prove to her that kids would listen more if you did not yell at them. After we had practiced this attention signal over and over, I explained that we needed to have a serious talk. I have always been a user of the “preacher-style” method of teaching. There is tons of research that indicates that this is very effective for getting and maintaining the attention of students who are users of African American Vernacular English. I explained to the students, in my preacher-style, that things were "gettin ready to change." I said something like this, “You all know that you’ve been buck wild these first few weeks of school, don’t you? Well, guess what friends? Those days are over. That’s right. It’s a new day, and you are about to turn over a new leaf. All that craziness ends TODAY! You better turn and tell somebody what I just said.” Every child then turned to the person next to him or her and repeated what I said in the same style and manner in which I had said it. I went over the expectations that they had developed with their teacher a few weeks before. Then, I went over the assignment for the day. We created our own mural of the Great Barrier Reef, and each child got to create a character to put on the reef. Some were marine biologists, some were professional divers, there were lifeguards, bathing suit models, teachers on field trips, and one student was a rapper taping his newest video at the Great Barrier Reef. We found Australia on the globe, and students shared their own prior knowledge about Australia (where the crocodile hunter lives, where Alexander wanted to go in the Horrible No Good Very Bad Day book, where dingos and kangaroos live, etc.) For language arts, they wrote biographies about their characters. For science, we went to the science lab and examined coral and documented what we saw in our science journals. For social studies, I read a book to the class about a Project that Green Peace was undergoing at the reef. I constantly paused and had the kids “turn and talk” to one another about specific things in the books and share any personal connections they may have had. I really wanted to let this teacher see the social benefits of discussion, as well as the ways in which this would improve the students’ comprehension levels and keep kids from becoming disengaged and acting out. I facilitated a Socratic Seminar about personal responsibility. We looked at an article from Time for Kids entitled Oceans: What Can You Do? What Will You Do? Throughout the day, I used various active learning strategies such as clock buddies, inner circle outer circle, and placemat to encourage students to have meaningful conversations. At the end of the day, I talked with the teacher, and she expressed that she was very surprised at how well the students behaved. I asked her if she noticed how much affection and attention I gave to the most challenging students? I really wanted her to see that, in most cases, the students that are causing the serious problems just need some extra attention and sensitivity.

The next day, I observed the teacher. She utilized the “hands on your head” and the “open and shut them” strategies constantly throughout the day. She only used the “turn and talk” strategy once. She did not use any of the specific active learning strategies that I had modeled. She still yelled, but it was not as frequent. We talked at the end of the day, and the teacher told me that she was not at all comfortable with using the “preacher-style” approach. She said something that actually made me very sad, "They can learn to talk slang at home. I think my job is to expose them to 'proper grammar'." I guess this upset me because, although I agree that it is important to model Standard English, I know that we must also appreciate the rich and expressive venacular our students already have. I also think it's so important to make connections with students and explain things to them in a way that is meaningful. I do, however, totally respect her right not to do something that is uncomfortable or unnatural to her. I guess I was just hopeful that she would recognize that "Standard English" isn't always the most natural or comfortable for them. She went on to explain that she believed that the kids were more cooperative with me because they viewed me as an administrator. I listened to her, and then I praised her for taking some risks. I let her know that I would be coming back at least once a week to read to the kids and check in on them. I offered to facilitate a Socratic Seminar anytime she wanted me to do so.

As I reflect on this experience, I realize that I learned some valuable lessons from it. I learned that change has to be taken on a bit at a time. I learned that I am very persistent when trying to get others to “see it my way.” If I could do this again, I would probably try to work it out where I could spend at least a week with the teacher. I think she was excited about what she saw at first, but then she became completely overwhelmed.

My Preferred Instructional Design Model

I subscribe to the beliefs and philosophies of the constructivist camp. Of these, I think that my teaching, as well as my own personal learning has been most greatly influenced by the theory of problem-based learning. During my teacher preparation, problem-based learning was a popular instructional design. In my methods courses, I was introduced to this design repeatedly. I think it is very interesting to consider whether or not that my passion for this design may be directly related to the fact that I was repeatedly exposed to problem-based learning during what I refer to as my “most moldable teaching years.” Although I cannot be certain of the origin of my preference of the problem-based approach, I am certain that it is the most meaningful to me as both a teacher and a student.

Even as a beginning teacher, I enjoyed presenting students with real-life problems that had meaning to them. I was able to see that this motivated even the most resistant learners to participate and contribute. When I reflect upon what I view as most important to real-life learning, I recognize that the two processes that always come to mind are inquiry and collaboration.

As a child, I was very inquisitive. This often got me into trouble and it was conveyed to me in no certain terms that inquisitive children are annoying. As an adult, I recognize that I still question everything. In working situations, I have found myself feeling just like I did as a child when it was conveyed to me that my inquisitiveness was not appreciated. I recently even had a group of colleagues say to me before a leadership meeting, “Please Jennifer, don’t analyze everything to death today. We don’t want this to take forever.” As a teacher, I really try to encourage my students to be inquisitive, especially when it comes to questioning the status quo. I tell them that it is okay to question everything and anything as long as 1) they are respectful and 2) they base there answers on principles. Because I am an urban schoolteacher and I have such strong feelings regarding social justice, I feel like I have an ethical responsibility to equip my students with the skills they will need to face social injustices head on. Through problem-based learning and Socratic Seminars, I regularly explore issues of inequity and inequality with my students and we collaborate on ways to address these issues. I do not proclaim to be an expert on problem-based learning, but I do think that I have developed some effective skills to facilitate this type of learning throughout my years as an educator. As a new teacher, I did a lot of presenting scenarios and having students discuss and write about how they might go about solving certain kinds of problems. What I have learned over the years is that this type of instructional design works best when the problems are real and the students’ actions really do matter.

I also like the collaborative component of problem-based learning. I am one of those folks who believes strongly that the most impacting learning is that which is socially constructed. When I present students with problems, I am very careful to just present the facts related to the problem because I really do want them to make their own connections, probe the issue, and explore it together rather than me offering any solution. The real-world is all about working with others, negotiating, and compromising. I want to provide my students with as much practice for doing this as I possibly can.

When I think about the units of study that I have taught where I feel like students learned the most, they typically have to do with a problem-based situation that was relevant to the students’ everyday lives. For example, when I taught in a very poor part of town, there was a creek that was considered by the people in the community to be polluted and almost all of my students had to walk along it to get to school each day. We conducted some chemical tests on samples from the creek, wrote letters to government representatives expressing our concerns and findings, and we organized a clean-up effort. Another problem that we addressed was the fact that none of the stories from our basal reader were from an African American perspective. My entire class was African American. We wrote letters to the publisher and we collaborated together to compile a list of suggested stories to be included in a future edition. Some of the things I address with my students have gotten me a stern warning from the administration not to “ruffle feathers”, but this has not changed my beliefs or my practices very much.

I do not think that all problem-based learning must always be from real-life situations. For example, I went to a workshop one time on this computer-generated problem-based learning/anchored instruction program that seemed like a very high-quality program to me. It was called The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury. It was great because all of the mathematical problems that students had to work on could be solved (in a variety of ways) using the data that was embedded in the stories presented in the software. I was not able to convince my principal to purchase that program for our school, but I did talk her into purchasing some Real-Life Mystery Detective science kits. One was a forensic investigation program where students got to be crime scene investigators. We conducted chemical tests on what we thought was blood, but determined through chemical make-up that it was red paint. We did fingerprint analysis of the items at the “crime scene”, we tested the “victim’s” soda can for traces of poison, etc. After researching the “victim’s” background, we determined that he faked his own death because he was in debt. The great thing about those particular kits was that there was no right answer.

When I was in college, I was exposed to this notion of teachers as facilitators. I view that as my role still. At the beginning of a unit, I typically provide students with some overall factual information, provide them with various forms of information in writing, and utilize a jigsaw-type approach for discussing and teaching it to one another. I am pretty much what I refer to as a “floater.” I like to “float” around and coach and confer with individual students to check for understanding and ask probing questions. I think that this is pretty much aligned with problem-based learning.

Urban School Reform

I have been reading a lot of literature dealing with urban school reform efforts lately, as well as talking to people who are going through reform or who have been through some type of reform initiative. Based on my extensive review of the research on comprehensive school wide reform and my discussions with peers, this post represents a brief overview of some of the things that I view as essential for success.

Participatory Decision Making and Facilitative Leadership

Making teachers partners in the decision-making process from the outset creates a natural accountability that positively influences the implementation of the reform efforts and is essential to achieving successful classroom-level changes; teachers who, conversely, perceive top-down decision making are more apt to resist any restructuring effort. Reform is most successful when schools have decision-making autonomy and the leadership team fosters participatory decision-making processes. In graduate school, I learned how to use processes like the Fist to Five, the Delphi, and sticky dots to make decision-making more democratic. These things typically work well and secure buy-in among the faculty and staff.

Paradigm Shifts, Increased Self Awareness, and Collaboration

Schoolwide reform requires a new vision of professionalism, where teachers assume a major role and responsibility for the school. It necessitates making fundamental changes in the way instruction is provided, and, usually, redefining roles and relationships, reconsidering allocation of control and resources, and managing conflict effectively. Implementation of the most ambitious models may extend over several years, depending on both school factors and the complexity of the model; it requires teachers to focus on multiple goals, such as governance changes, collaborative planning, and fundamental changes in curriculum and instruction.

Effective Allocation of Resources

Providing teachers with adequate resources for implementation, such as materials, professional development, and time for planning, increases their support. Districts that give more money to schools for professional development and teacher planning tend to have more success. Not only are resources important in themselves, but their allocation is a key mechanism by which teachers judge the commitment of the school's leadership to the reform. Having adequate time for all the work involved has been a consistent and primary frustration for teachers trying to implement school reforms. They need time for training, curriculum development, preparation, and planning, and for interactions with other teachers. Some teachers have, in fact, noted that time for meeting as a team was critical to the model's effectiveness.

Focus on Professional Development

Professional development is at the heart of school change efforts. The leadership team needs to be keenly aware and supportive of the fact that teachers in the same school vary significantly in what they need for growth. Teachers in restructuring schools report a preference for frequent training and the opportunity to observe other teachers who are implementing similiar initiatives. Professional development tailored to their specific needs is the most helpful, as are models that provide substantial information about implementation. I believe that on-site embedded professional development is most beneficial. I think it's also a really good idea to encourage teachers to particpate in leading the PD sesssions.

Paideia Princess

I started my teaching career at a Paideia school. Since that time, I have taught at a D.I.S.T.A.R. school, a Montessori school, and an urban school in the midst of major reform (Benwood School). I have taken what I consider to be the best of each philosophy of teaching and integrated them all into my own practice. Without a doubt, the Paideia approach has had the most impact on my teaching and my students' learning.

The Paideia philosophy celebrates the fundamental notion that to be fully educated is a lifelong adventure that only begins with an individual's formal schooling. It is based on the assumption that all human beings are by definition activist learners, capable of a fully humanistic life defined by intellectual growth. Thus, Paideia schools should ultimately be judged by how well they prepare students for a full and active life of the heart and mind.

Paideia's original thinker, philosopher Mortimer Adler, joined with a diverse cadre of educators and intellectuals to form the Paideia Group back in the early eighties. Its members charged themselves with the task of defining a list of "Paideia Principles" as a summary of ideas introduced by Adler in his seminal work on American education, The Paideia Proposal. These principles were intended to help shape future efforts to improve schools and classrooms.

As part of The Paideia Proposal, the Paideia Group outlined a comprehensive course of study that incorporates three complementary instructional techniques or columns. Known as the Three Columns of Instruction, the techniques are:

1. Didactic instruction of factual information;
2. Intellectual coaching of skills; and
3. Seminar discussion of ideas, concepts, and values (Socratic Seminars)

I LOVE utilizing this as a framework for my instruction. I just believe in it so much. I have done it. I have seen the results. I hope to have the opportunity to be at a Paideia school again some day.

To learn more about Socratic Seminar, check out my other blog www.grandconversations.blogspot.com

Sweet Treats for Teachers

Never underestimate the value of food when it comes to teachers!
I think it's a great idea to give teachers treats as a sign of appreciation for all of their hard work. Here's a few fun ideas I've tried with teachers:

Right before Fall, Winter, or Spring break, give each teacher packs of Carefree and Extra gum with a notecard that says "You deserve an Extra Carefree break for all that you do. Get some much deserved rest and relaxation!

Buy each teacher one of the gourmet Godiva mint chocolates (they come in a very nice square package) and write a little note that says, "Thanks for all of your hard work on____________. It really "mint" a lot!

Give teachers an Almond Joy and a Mounds candy bar and put a little note that says, "Thanks for the MOUNDS of JOY you bring our students everyday!"

Give each teacher a "PayDay" candy bar and a note that says "You deserve an extra Payday for all that you do."

Roll a cart around with cold cans of Coke and Diet Coke and tell each teacher to "Have a Coke and and smile (you younger teachers might not get that one).

When a teacher in your building completes an advanced degree or earns some other professional honor, buy them a bag of Smarties and give them a card that says, "You're such a Smartie. I'm so proud of you!"

There's always one teacher on the faculty that has a great sense of humor and keeps everything light-hearted. Place a Snickers candybar in that teacher's mailbox with a note that says, "I always enjoy all of our snickers. Thanks for being such a joy to be around."




Does anyone know of any more?

Management Styles & Situational Leadership

I have been reading about different management styles lately...particularly, I'm interested in learning more about Alderfer's ERG Needs Theory and McClelland's Needs Theory (MNT). These theories can assist any organization in the analysis of human behavior and employee motivation. Clayton Alderfer’s Hierarchy of Motivational Needs, also known as ERG Theory for its categorization of needs into the three categories of existence, relatedness and growth, emerged from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The three levels of needs in the ERG Theory may be described as follows: existence needs represent physiological or biological needs; relatedness needs represent the need to be in relationships with others; and growth needs represent the desires for development within one’s self.

David McClelland’s Theory of Needs (MTN), is sometimes referred to as an acquired-needs theory, due to his explanation regarding needs formation. McClelland theorizes that needs emerge as a result of one’s experiences and environmental influences. McClelland categorizes human needs into the following three categories: achievement needs, affiliation needs, and power needs. Although it is believed that all people experience needs in each of these areas, the needs are not arranged in a hierarchical manner. The fulfillment of one level is not a prerequisite for moving to a different level.

Workplace Application:

As part of the instructional leadership team at my school, I find that I am very apt to utilize ERG when working with teachers. I wasn't even aware that I was doing so until I did this assignment. In my "world" of teacher leadership this is commonly referred to as situational leadership. This form of management involves having a strong sense of situational awareness regarding those who you are managing, as well as assessing what they need in order to motivate them. This theory suggests that leaders try to identify what motivates an employee while at the same time determining what the employee's needs are and then utilizing that information to manage them in the workplace. I typically use the following situational leadership formula for managing the teachers with which I work:

If they are low ability, but very motivated I assume the role of coach.

If they are high ability, but low motivation I assume the role of supporter.

If they are both low ability and low motivation I assume the role of director.

If they are both high ability and highly motivated I assume the role of delegator.

As I read about ERG, I made several connections to the situational leadership model. The teachers that are efficacious enough to simply delegate projects and assignments to are the ones that are motivated by growth opportunities because they are high achievers who strive to be innovative change agents themselves. They are intrinsically motivated. Often times, the ones who are in need of support also fall into this category if given enough guidance and adequate resources. The teachers that I coach would typically fall into the relatedness category because they are usually most motivated by feeling like they belong in the group (often times, this is the ONLY thing that motivates them). The ones to whom I give directives are definitely in the existence stage. They are simply trying to survive. I do take a hierarchical approach with them because I fell like they need to “crawl before they can walk.” I can also see close connections to McClelland's Theory of Needs as well. The star teachers are highly motivated by achievement and sometimes authority. Depending on a variety of variables, the teachers needing support and coaching can either be motivated by authority or affiliation. More likely than not, the ones who have the capabilities but who are not very motivated respond best to affiliation.