Sink or Swim? The Importance of Mentorship

Our School District (SD #59 Peace River South) is taking part in the New Teacher Mentoring Project (NTMP) in partnership with UBC, the BCTF, and the BC School Superintendent’s Association.  This is an important project that involves 17 mentoring pairs in schools around our District. 

Recently I had the opportunity to take part in the first two-day gathering of the mentors and mentees.  What struck me was the energy of the pairs and the enthusiasm they shared when talking about working together throughout the next two years.

The opportunity that this project presents is especially important, as the demands on teachers and the complexities of education in general seem to be increasing exponentially.  In a recent report by the Alberta Teachers’ Association, “Teaching in the Early Years,” (2013) they point out:

“The notion that new teachers should “sink or swim” is deeply embedded in the teaching profession despite compelling evidence that such an approach drives some promising new teachers out of the profession altogether and negatively affects the careers of many who stay. “

Our role as members of the local steering committee is to ensure that the mentors and mentees have opportunities to work together over the length of the two-year project. 

My role as a principal with new teachers in our building is to make sure that they do not sink.  I need to communicate my expectations clearly, and ensure that I provide an orientation to the school’s norms, routines, rules and idiosyncrasies.  I need to provide a manageable teaching assignment and reasonable limits on extracurricular expectations, along with ample formative feedback. 

I can remember my own first year of teaching and would have benefitted immensely from having a formal mentoring relationship.  The importance of the opportunity provided here by the project can not be underestimated.  Thank you to the partner groups for helping to make this project possible.

What are you reading?

One of my guilty pleasures nowadays is sneaking a little professional reading on my iPad.  I always seem to have one or two books on the go, but I find difficulty in staying with them for the long haul.  Currently I am reading “Professional Capital,” by Michael Fullen and “Think Like a Freak, “ by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. Both books are sitting on my night table, half read.

While I recognize the importance of these longer professional readings, and hope to finish them both, I have redirected my limited time to reading shorter articles and blog posts.  I know that blogs and short articles may not have the investment in academic rigor and research that the books have.  However, I value them because of how they get me thinking about current issues in education. 

I don’t waste a lot of time browsing the internet looking for articles and blogs.  I currently have two trusted sources for my shorter reading.  The first is Twitter.  I use this Social Networking tool and follow nearly 300 people and organizations in the education community.  I follow leaders in the use of social media in education, like George Couros (@gcouros), Cale Birk (@birklearns), and Chris Wejr (@ChrisWejr), organizations like the BCPVPA (@BCPVPA), and individual leaders, principals, teachers, and friends.

The second source of reading for me is an iPad app called Zite.  Interestingly, I was reading an article on Zite, which provided a wonderful description of the app:

If you are not familiar with Zite, it is a personal news reading application that launched on the iPad in 2011. Essentially, Zite was a big recommendation engine that gives you articles based on what you like to read—based on your social feeds like Facebook and Twitter, but also based on your reading history and preferences.

Want to read more mobile news? More ReadWrite? More from a specific author specifically? You could tune your Zite to offer you those articles but also many similar articles. The beauty of Zite was never its user experience—which, to be fair, was always good but never great—but the engine that powered it.

The article refers to Zite in the past tense, because it was bought out by another great app, Flip Board.  The two are supposed to be merged in the near future.

The CEO of Zite, Mark Johnson, made what I feel is a valid comment back in an interview in March.  He said:

To me, Zite is a product that helps peoples lives get better. It finds those articles for people that are potentially life changing.

I don’t want to sit here and tell you that what I’m reading through Twitter and Zite is life changing, but what I’m reading on a regular basis because of the access provide by these two sources is life and career affirming in a lot of ways.   I stay current and connected with issues of importance to me and to my career in education. 

So what are you reading?

Resources:

http://readwrite.com/2014/03/05/why-zite-flipboard-acquisition-cnn-perfect-news-reading-experience

Images:

www.yourpchero.com

Start Off By Making Your Bed

I spend some time every few evenings reading blogs and articles on an app called Zite.  This app gathers online resources for me and creates a magazine based on my Google search preferences and my Twitter account.  I read a blog last night, posted by Nathan Barber, called “An Awesome Way to Open the Conversation About Grit at Your School.”  In the blog he references the University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address by Admiral William H.M. McRaven.  In the address, McRaven presents and inspiring plan for “meeting challenges and struggles head on.”

In this reflection I want to focus on the first of McRaven’s 10 lessons learned from basic SEAL training that will be of value as you move forward in life.

McRaven says, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

This may seem like a strange topic to focus on in a blog entitled, “180daysoflearning,” however, as we plow through the first couple of weeks of returning to school after a longer than normal break, McRaven’s words ring true. 

McRaven talks about how during his basic training for the Navy SEALs, every day started with an inspection in the barracks.  Recruits were expected to have their beds made to an impeccable standard.  Corners were to be square, the sheets pulled tight, and the pillow centered under the headboard.  This was a simple mundane task. According to McRaven, The message in this was clear,

If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day.  It will give you a sense of pride and inspire you to do another task, and another, and another.  By the end of the day, the one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed every day will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter.  If you can’t do the little things right, you will never be able to do the big things right.  And if by chance you have a less than stellar day, at least you will come home to a bed that’s made.

What does this all mean in the context of our work in schools?  We can’t ignore what appears to be day-to-day minutia.   The little things that take up so much of our time and sometimes divert our focus from the larger issues do actually matter.  And, they must be done well.  Attendance, documentation, reports, returning phone calls, responding to emails, following up on work orders and bus requests, are all important to the operation of our schools.  If we do these little things right first, then we will be able to do the big things right as well. 

In doing the little things right, we’ll continue to build a sense of accomplishment that will help us to complete the larger important work within the school. 

What a simple, but important message.

Image from: www.elevation180.com

References:

Nathan Barber, “An Awesome Way to Open the Conversation About Grit at Your School.” 

Admiral William H.M. McRaven, “University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address”

Positive Deviants:

I am relieved today that there appears to be an agreement reached in the ongoing Teachers’ Strike in this province.  Potentially, we could be back to normal early next week.  What this means is that now there is an increased sense of urgency for me and my fellow principals and vice-principals as we await the teachers, staff, and students.  We have a lot to get ready, and a short time to do it.

Amidst the rush this week, I will still be thinking about the need to improve what we are doing at our school.  We are not meeting the needs of a significant portion of our students, for one reason or another, and that must change. 

It is the need for change that drives my thinking today, and has me reflecting on some things that Seth Godin writes about in “Tribes.”  Godin’s description of, what he calls “positive deviants” has fueled my hope for the coming school year. 

Godin says, “As a general rule, managers don’t like deviants.  By definition, deviance from established standards is a failure for a manager . . . So, most of the time managers work hard to stamp out deviance (and the deviants who create it)” (p.112). 

However, deviance is really all about change.  Deviants are those who push the boundaries and try new things.  They are the innovators, and the ones who think differently, pushing themselves and others to explore new ideas, concepts and practice.

The interesting piece that Godin adds, and the part that causes me to be hopeful is, “it turns out that employees who are committed to change and engaged in making things happen are happier and more productive” (p.113).

We need more leaders, more deviants – more agents of change

Godin says that process is simple:  “find the leaders (the heretics who are doing things differently and making change), and then amplify their work, give them a platform and help them find followers – and things get better” (p. 113).

As we embark on the new school year, I am offering another commitment.  I will identify the leaders, the heretics in our building who are taking the leap and embracing new things and stretching themselves in order to improve the learning for our students.  We will look for positive evidence of the impact on student learning, and help to amplify the work by getting others on board. 

In our school, we have the programs; we have the resources; and we have a strong, dedicated staff of teachers and learning support people who care about students.  What we need is some “out of the box” thinking by some positive deviants who will lead the change needed to improve the learning for all of our students.  I know we have it within us.

What’s Important?

I tossed around a bunch of different ideas about what to write in this week’s blog.  While the focus is supposed to be on “180 days of Learning at Dawson Creek Secondary,” there are a lot of things going on right now that don’t really have much to do with learning.  And, as my principal colleagues and I work away at getting ready for the eventual return of teachers and students, the teachers’ strike continues with no end currently in site.  The lack of hustle and bustle in the building has meant that I have more uninterrupted time and therefore I am able to spend a little more time reflecting. 

What got me thinking tonight were two things: a recent conversation with a colleague who is quite ill, and a picture shared on Facebook of a courageous little girl attending her first day of kindergarten wearing a bandana to cover her bare head.  My thoughts are with both of them tonight as they continue to battle against overwhelming odds.  Their situations have prompted me to reflect less on learning and more on the power of positive relationships. 

Like us, our students are seeking connections with people who care about them.  In our recent reading of Hattie’s “Visible Learning for Teachers,” we were introduced to Mind Frames.  Mind frame 7 states that educators believe it is their role to develop positive relationships in classrooms and staffrooms.  Hattie’s research indicates that teacher student relationships have an effect size of .72, which is quite significant. 

What this all reinforces is that relationships matter.  In the end what is most important to students, parents, teachers and principals too, is the positive relationships they develop with each other.  The positive relationships foster a sense of belonging and connectivity, improved self-concept and confidence. 

At this very difficult time for everyone, despite our positions and despite politics, it is the positive relationships we have with each other that will help us through and leave a lasting positive impact.       

My Hattie’s off to you

SD #59 Principals and senior admin staff recently had the opportunity to take part in a full day workshop in Grande Prairie, AB with Dr. John Hattie, and hear in–depth about his research on “Visible Learning.”  The day was informative and enlightening, in the sense that it pulled the veil back on some things that have remained hidden from our view.

Hattie’s research is based on studying meta-analyses in numerous fields of education, looking specifically at impact on learning.  He presents eight “mind frames” or ways if thinking that should drive every decision about schools and learning.  He suggests that if teachers and leaders develop the eight mind frames, they will increase the likelihood of having significant positive impacts on their students. 

What resonated the most for me was Hattie’s reference to the role of principals.  Here is what Hattie said:

I want principals to start by thinking differently about what their role is. And the first things I would take away from them are those tasks that are not directly related to student learning in the schools. In my view as I have said earlier, their role is to be the lead adult learner in the school community, a person who is concerned about the impact that all the other adults are having on student learning in that community.

We often get bogged down in the day-to-day grind and do not get into classrooms nearly enough, despite our best intentions.  I am going to publicly state here that for me, this is about to change.  I whole-heartedly agree with Hattie, where he states,

My argument about what they should do comes back to the first mind frame which is “teachers/leaders believe that their fundamental task is to evaluate the effect of their teaching on students’ learning and achievement.”

I will be asking the key questions that drive things from a leadership point of view,

“What evidence 
do you have that you are making an impact?”
and “How do you evaluate that evidence?”

I am anxiously waiting for the current labour dispute to be over so that we can get back to what really matters.  Our students deserve the best that we can give.