One Word at a Time

In a conversation yesterday with a friend of mine who is our middle school softball coach, she mentioned how she handles team selection and notification. I thought it was perfect, especially for middle school and the self-discovery and differing levels of confidence. On the day that team selections are announced, the girls are gathered in the gymnasium.  A short speech is given, specifically around the idea that no matter what it says inside the envelope, that if they have a passion for the sport, and they really want to grow as a player, that they should take what is inside seriously and know that this day is not the end of the road. They specifically mention a former player, who is now a star at the high school, who was cut from the same team as a 6th grader. Then, inside the envelope are three pieces of paper. One says, "Congratulations, you've made the team" or "Unfortunately, you did not make the team." Another is a "standards-based" rep...

"But what happens if they come in and see the students drawing instead of writing? What if they ask why?" This question signified a shift in the meeting, away from student work and towards a troublesome mindset created, in my opinion, by the culture of our school. As a coach, I'm always considering the thinking behind statements or questions, wondering how I can support my teachers, learn what they know and think, and then give them the support, guidance, or resources needed to grow.  This set of questions made me think that teachers are feeling and thinking a few different things: 1) that observers expect "A", and if they don't get "A" they're going to ask why they're not seeing "A", 2) that there is an "A", and 3) that they're not sure of the why. Through probing questions and some frank conversation, we uncovered the reality of the situation. My role from here on out is to support their shift in thinking. To...

Imagine, for a moment, that you are at work.  You're sitting at your desk and your boss walks over to you and says, "This is why I don't let you do this on your own. This is how you do it. Let me do it for you." I hope you reacted, like I did, by thinking, "Well, what's the point?" This is an all to real scenario for so many of our students.  It may not be in those exact words, but time after time students are told, shown, and proven to be completely dependent on the adults in their lives.  Parents, teachers, even strangers.  So many adults create situations of dependence without even thinking about it.  Why, I'm not sure, but it's harming our students. How will they ever grow up to figure out if their body is too warm or too cold if we tell them when they have to wear a jacket and when it has to be zippered?  (I understand their are times it is a safety risk. I am addressing all times except for those.) How will they figure out which wa...