Slow Llamas Part 5 -

Fast Llamas!  

We are back for our final part in our 5 part series on how to be and act like a slow llama!  I hope that you have gained some insight and reflected on yourself.  Sometimes we see ourselves and we are like, "yes, I am doing it right!" and sometimes, we feel that twinged of doubt and we know we can work on getting better.  Doug Curry says, "your classroom will be whatever you want it to be", but it takes courage and effort.  Be willing to ask for help too.

Here's Doug:

Inconsistency and Lack of Follow Through 

I bet that on the first day of school your class was great. Now that we are about 100 days in, are they a little less than great? Gee, I wonder who changed! Y

our classroom will be whatever you want it to be. 

Do you have exceptional systems and routines in place? 

Do you want these fabulous systems and routines to continue? Then it is 100% your responsibility to make it happen, which means that no matter what happens, you still expect students to follow your routines and procedures. 

One big trap that a lot of slow llamas fall into is the thinking that once they teach their classroom management plan, that the students will automatically remember it without any prompting.  Don't fall into the trap that your classroom management plan is no longer working simply because you have to keep using it.  It's called classroom MANAGEMENT, for a reason.  You manage the class culture, the students behavior, the content delivery and the learning that is happening.  You are in control.  

When you do a classroom visit and see a fast llama in action (I highly recommend this), you may think, "wait, they didn't have to nag and the kids were complying!"  Don't think that the teacher is ignoring behavior or that they just got all the "good kids".  Behind the curtain, that teacher has been working on training and teaching those kids their expectations, routines, procedures and agreements.  Also, probably, the teacher has taken time to do two things:

1. get to know their students 

2. works hard at finding meaning, relevance and authenticity to their lessons

Just like recapping content 10/24/7 (every 10 minutes, 24 hours and 7 days), we recap our classroom procedures and management plans often too.  

Warning:  Say you go into another teachers classroom and you like what you see.  That teacher put on a "recap hat" when they did their recap, she stood on a chair when she wanted the kids attention.  They clapped to a song at the beginning of class, you loved her "call to attention - Holy Mole - Guacamole" and when the kids left they said a mantra.  This was amazing, so fun, the kids engaged!  She did get all the good kids!

The best teachers think about their classroom, what they want it to sound like, look like and feel like.  You need to do that too.  An important aspect of this is authenticity.  You have to be willing to do something with fidelity, and that aligns heavily with it being strongly tied to your willingness to do it in the first place.

I have always thought mantras are really cool.  The more you say and hear something, the more you believe it.   Sounded good to me!  However, I am quite shy about certain things, and I just couldn't get out of it what I wanted.  I didn't have my heart in it and failed.  By November, I wasn't asking the kids to participate anymore.  I guess I just didn't own it as it needed to be.  While trying something out and it not working and needing tweaking is a normal part of our job, the bad part of this story is some kids asked me why we didn't say the mantra anymore.  They called me out!  It made me think of the message I was sending and the importance of my follow through.  So, choose your procedures, traditions, systems and agreements with care.  

This wraps up our discussion from Doug Curry's free resources page.  But, we are not done with being a fast llama!   Until next time!

Slow Llama's Part 4

Fast Llamas,

Are you here for part 4 of our series?  It's a good one this week!  We continue to pull from Doug Curry's website and free resources found at http://www.fastllama.com/free-resources

Today we talk about a clear beginning to each lesson. I won't spoil it too much more... here's Doug...

Not Having a Clear Cut Beginning to Each Lesson 

Sometimes when I observe teachers who are a bit slow in the llama department, it seems like there is never a time in which the teachers gets the attention of all students and maintains it. Often this is the result of not having a powerful beginning. 

What does this mean? Picture this: The kids enter your class. You take care of a few administrative tasks. The students are noisy and talkative. When you are ready to start, you kind of take them on one by one, but after a few minutes it is impossible to determine if there is really a lesson going on. It looks the same as when they came in. 

The answer? When you are ready to begin, make sure that you are totally prepared. 

Hey, every lesson you teach is not going to be the greatest lesson in the history of mankind. Do a thorough job of planning lessons, but also, have a life! 

The type of preparation to which I am referring is this: Once you begin, everything you need is right in reach. This goes for your supplies, papers, pen, etc. You can’t be turning around looking for stuff once you get the attention of 25 tigers in your 3rd period class. 

When you are ready to begin, get right in front of them. Center yourself. 

Use whatever call to attention you use. 

Be confident and powerful, and get their attention. Keep it by using your fast llama presence. If the students begin group work or independent work, and then you need to speak to them again, guess what? You have to be just as powerful again! 

Slow llamas are weak. They allow students to talk and goof off while they are speaking to the class. Listen to me: No one talks when you talk. Focus on that one task, and you will develop fast llama skills.

There is a lot to unpack here, but did you notice that Curry's advice had little to do with content but everything to do with delivery?  The bad news is teaching well is challenging, fast llamas only make it look easy.  However, the good news is, if you put forth the effort, you can use the above advice and get faster. You just need to aware of your actions and practice getting better (and thus getting faster) at putting them into play.  Other llamas in the building are counting on you to get faster and stay fast.  Because, little tiger behavior carries from one class to another.  If your kids have a chaotic 4th period, then, guess what?  That chaotic energy carries over into their 5th period.  Our kids deserve to have consistency in their day,  they need it, heck, their brains crave it.

The first thing Curry speaks about is a Clean Beginning.  Our brains crave clean beginnings and clean endings.  Have you ever had a song in your brain, playing all day long?  Well, that earworm is probably due to the song not finishing before you stopped listening to it.  So, one morning, A Horse With No Name is playing when you shut off your car and go into the building.  Now, incredulously, that horse is running through the desert that is your brain!  You didn't have a clean beginning or ending.  

So, what can you do?  Well, establish a systems for starting class.  When students enter you room, you have practiced and normalized what students are to do once they enter.  These routines are consistent and celebrated each day.  

 I knew I was consistent with my opening tradition, when on days when this didn't happen (like a test day) the students remarked that class "felt weird".  

The second thing Curry discusses is getting kids to listen to you.  So, what can you do?  Get an attention getter and stick with it.  Hold kids accountable for getting quiet and still when you call them to attention.  Look to see that everyone is successful.  Then, start talking.  Call to attention can be fun and quirky... Learning is hard work, but, it can be fun too.  Also, one last thing, don't think your kids are too old to participate, or that it won't work. With consistency and positive reinforcement you can get kids to anything you ask them to do. This requires love and respect, and it is doable. 

Curry added to have everything ready once you start talking.  This is why I wore a server apron.  Everything I needed was in the pockets and I didn't have to dig around for it.  I wanted to send a message that my students were important enough for me to be prepared.  What is the lab demo didn't work or technology failed?  This happens, its doesn't mean you aren't prepared, and it certainly teaches kids what to do when things don't go your way.  And, things will not always go your way.

Finally, Curry speaks of confidence.  Be careful here.  There is a difference between confidence and being authoritarian. Confidence means you are strong, secure and want to lead students to success.  Because that what this really is all about.  Students being successful.  Students need you to take control of the class, there is a natural craving to learn... it is your job to maintain a calm, consistent learning environment, where meaningful learning experiences occur daily.  These are the classrooms students remember for the rest of their lives.  

Slow Llama's Part 3

 Fellow Fast Llamas,

We are back for part 3 of our series,  using Doug Curry's free resources on his website.  This article, "How to Become a Slow Llama", can be found at http://www.fastllama.com/llama-lessons-for-the-whole-year

Here's our friend Doug Curry -

Words You Can’t Take Back 

I have the wonderful privilege of presenting with Tina Schuler, author of the book, Bridge Builders. Tina and I do a two-day training called, I Just Want to Teach. Tina speaks about what she refers to as “natural language.” This is the language that we want to use that best describes exactly how we are feeling at the moment. Hit your thumb with a hammer? Probably some natural language is going to occur. Student makes you really mad? Well……..certainly we all get mad. We all get frustrated. Students are challenging. However, professionals refrain from using natural language when working with students. 100% of the time. Yeah, that’s right. 100% of the time. 

Professionals use “professional language.” 

 Why is professional language so important? Professional language is essential as it is the only language that will enable you to truly help students. The obvious reason is that the world expects you to speak and act as a professional. But the reality is, that when you give in to that worst part of you and use hateful, mean, sarcastic, and judgmental language with a student, the relationship is pretty much over. 

Ask yourself: Do you like to hang out with people who treat you poorly and say hateful things about you? Don’t think so. The other reality about the need for professional language is that students with emotional difficulties can only be helped by a loving and caring person who does not “react” emotionally to anything that the child does. 

The adult cares, but maintains the role of a dispassionate observer. Only then do you have anything to offer a child experiencing difficulty. 

Since we are all so ridiculously imperfect, and we all have feelings, how do we avoid natural language? It’s simply a commitment, which is another way of saying, “FAKE IT!” 

This speaks to me (no pun intended).  Remember, Everything Speaks!  Everything you do or say or even wear is sending a message to the world around you.  That's the bad news, because you might not be intentionally sending out a negative message, or the message is only in part of who you are.  The good news is, you do have control over how you respond and the message you send out to the world.  Especially when things don't go your way. How you respond in adversity speaks volumes. Your kids are watching!

One time, I had a group of student council kids leave for a field trip in the morning.  When they came back to campus, their sponsor let them go to some core classes for makeup during what would have been their STUCO class period.  When the class was over, one STUCO student said to me, "you talk differently to this class, than you do to ours".  

I was floored.  Because I knew he was correct.  I did speak to that class in short tempered bursts and exasperated sentences.   I could feel it... and I was ashamed.  

I was doing a great job in making sure the students knew I didn't like them...  I was an expert at it.

This was an important moment for me and though it hurt, the reflection it caused created a shift in me that I have not forgotten.  

So, here is something think about.  

Let's say it's test day.  You have a full class and it is after lunch, which you didn't have time to eat,  The kids are getting ready to test. 

It looks and sounds like this...

Students are handing in their Brain Dumps, putting away backpacks, you are reminding them about phones, bubble scan sheets are being picked up, calculators are being picked up & kids are sharpening pencils.  The room is BUSY.  2 kids are out today, 2 kids were out yesterday and want to know if they have to take the test.  There is a lot going on.  Time is ticking, because the test is taking the whole class time for most students, and you still want to get them to their Alpha State before they begin.  Tick, Tick, Tick...  

Then, one kid asks...

"How many questions are on the test?"

How you respond is what we are talking about today. Will you answer in a snarky, "you are about to find out!", a sarcastic, "divide 1000 by 40!", an exasperated, "oh my gosh, it doesn't matter!"

Or

You can simply smile and say, "25."

                                                                                                                       Shift happens

Speaking With Good Purpose

One of the 8 Keys of Excellence focuses on our speech.  The way we speak and our intentions with the words  - matters.  It all starts with awareness.  

Your words have power... they can cut others down or lift up their spirits.  These words are also the words you hear in your head... be careful to choose those words wisely too.

I'll finish today with Haim Ginott.  The famous educator and author.  He asserted that children learned how their teachers felt about them by how the spoke to them... that "if you want children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others." 

He added...

And most famously, this quote:

Until next week!  

Ginott, H. G. (1993). Teacher and child: A book for parents and teachers. New York: Collier.

Slow Llama's Part 2

Fast Llama's,  

We are picking up from last week, using Doug Curry's free resources on his website.  This article, "How to Become a Slow Llama", can be found at http://www.fastllama.com/llama-lessons-for-the-whole-year

Here is Doug Curry:

Bad Body Language, Expressions, and other Signals 

What is the figure that you read sometimes? You know, the one that says that something like 1,000% of all communication from one person to another is nonverbal? Well, that might not be the exact figure, but the truth is that students learn a whole lot about your “llamahood” from the way you carry yourself, the look on your face, and your perceived energy level (or lack thereof). 

Do you appear to be “low energy?” Get ready to be devoured. 

Do you appear to be cranky most of the time? Get ready to be the subject of a student’s private video and become an instant social media viral star! 

Do you appear easily frustrated? Do you appear to take things personally? Get ready to be sucked into the emotional morass of every young person’s internal conflicts. 

Do you look afraid to be the person in charge? It’s kind of like a pack of dogs. One dog usually steps up to be the “dominant” one in charge. Nature abhors a vacuum. Someone is going to be in charge of your classroom, and it had better be you! 

Even when you are giving a compliment, does your face betray how you really feel? You say that you believe in the student, but your face says, “Charles Manson!” 

When a student returns to your room from ISS or detention, are you welcoming? Or does your demeanor tell another story? 

Kids know. They know if you like them. They know if you care about them. They know if you believe in them. They know if you are holding some past offense against them. It doesn’t matter if you say a word or not. They can tell by your tone, your body language, and the look on your face. 

Kids will rise as high as you expect them to rise. They will sink as low as you expect the sink. It’s amazing how good they can be for the teachers who believe them and expect the best of them. 

In Quantum Learning we say that "Everything Speaks".  Everything you do, or wear or say sends a message about who you are.  It may not be the entire message, but it is still a message.  The good news is that you have control over this message.  You have control on how you respond both verbally and physically especially when things don't go your way.  I was once told that I perform a huge heavy sigh right before I presented the "path of learning and memory".  You know what?  I find presenting this piece quite challenging... internally I dread it... see the message I was sending?  Be aware of your own response and the response of others.  But, don't be too judgy, if my arms are crossed, I could just be cold... 

Ways that you can share the message that you believe in your students is to use three communication moves. Demonstrating them in your actions and in your words.  Remember, everything that occurs in your classroom is under your orchestration.

1. This is important.

2. You can do this.

3. I will not give up on you.

These communication moves can help upgrade student performance.  A lot of times, students carry with them the feelings and emotions of negative experiences that they tie to learning.  If we are aware of our body language, words and signals, we can change these negative feelings students may be bringing to your classroom.  By sharing the communication moves overtly, clearly and consistently we can change student perceptions of themselves and of their academic abilities.  One of the best things you can tell a kid is that the effort they put into their work paid off, especially when the work is challenging.  

Here's a graphic to help solidify this idea:

As students gain more and more positive experiences, they begin to align these positive learning experiences with your classroom and begin to change their perceptions of themselves.  All because you believed in them and believed in the impact you have on their lives.  What message will you send them next week?

Slow Llama Behaviors and How to Avoid Them

Fast Llamas,

Today, I am going to share with you Doug Curry's free resource, titled "How to Become a Slow Llama". 

Free Llama Training resources can be found at: http://www.fastllama.com/free-resources

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be breaking down this piece into chunks.  My hope is a variety of resources and a source of reflection for you.  I like to build on strengths rather than on deficits, so, as you read, you will see a lot os what you are already succeeding at, so accept them and benefit from the affirmation.  However, I don't know about you, but, I am always looking for ways to "level up" and get better.  Lot's of "oh yeah, I do that! but, I could do it better!" moments today.

I will interject with Quantum Learning practices as well. 

Here is Doug Curry -

At your school right now, no matter how difficult you think it is, there are teachers who have    command of their classrooms and are teaching with very few, if any, disruptions. The students in these classrooms respect the teacher. The students appear eager to learn. The classroom environment is conducive to learning. 

When you are a teacher, you rarely have the opportunity to watch others in action. If you are struggling with classroom management, you begin to think that everyone else must be struggling as well, or at least you kind of hope that they are so that you can feel a bit better about yourself. I’m sorry to tell you, but here goes: There are fast llamas in your school! Many times these fast llamas are very quiet about their success. They don’t want others believing that they think too highly of themselves. You weren’t born a slow llama! What is it that you have done that has caused you to be limping so badly? 

Let’s examine what possibly caused this to happen. 

 What Makes Llamas Slow 

1. Easily Defeated 

It is in the nature of children to “test the limits” of the person in charge. They want to find out if you really mean what you say and if you are committed to being the person in charge of the classroom. It’s not personal. It’s just what they do, and they have been doing it since the beginning of mankind. You cheat them when you don’t accept your role of being the person in charge of the classroom. Kids, from KG to high school, in fact CRAVE the teacher being in charge. I know that this point sounds crazy, but it’s true. When the teacher is in command of the classroom, kids feel safe, both physically and emotionally. When the classroom is out of control and chaos occurs, they suffer. 

This is true even when they are the ones causing the chaos! 

• Is it hard to be the person in charge? ——Of course! 

• Shouldn’t they just be nice and accept that the teacher is the authority in the classroom? ——-Sounds good but it’s not the way things work. 

• Isn’t it their responsibility to act right as students and allow you to teach? ———Maybe on some other planet, but on ours it is in the nature of children to test you out. 

• Shouldn’t they just test me one time and know that I mean it? ———Sorry, doesn’t work that way. 

• So are you saying I just have to be mean all the time? ———-No, mean has nothing to do with it. Fast llamas are very nice and engaging. But you had better be STRONG, DETERMINED, AND NEVER GIVE UP. 

 Slow llamas are easily defeated. 

This happens for a number of reasons, but ultimately, the reasons don’t matter. 

The kids just know that if they keep on pushing, the teacher will give up, surrender, and be overrun by enemy troops. Have you ever gone to the local dollar store and observed this scenario? You know, the one where a parent (llama) goes in to buy something and brings along their cute but strong-willed 3 year-old child (tiger). 

Tiger: “BUY ME SOMETHING!”

 Llama: “I’m not going to buy you something every time we go into a store. I just need to get some new pens, and then we are going home.” 

Tiger: “BUY ME SOMETHING!” 

Llama: “No, just sit in the cart and be a good little tiger.” 

Tiger: “BUY ME SOMETHING!” 

Llama: “Shhhhhhh!” 

Tiger: (now jumping up and down in the cart and causing others to look on in horror) “BUY ME SOMETHING!” 

Llama: “Sit down!” 

Tiger: (now causing every other 3 year-old in the store to join in, creating an event worthy of TV news) “BUY ME SOMETHING!” 

Llama: “Okay, okay. I’ll buy you something.” 

And the beat goes on. So………………what is the answer if you are a teacher who is easily defeated? 

We need you to realize something. You represent everything that is good and hopeful in the lives of the students in front of you. It is not a mistake that you were chosen for this position. Your district and your state completely vetted you before they chose you to teach their children. You have the right to tell kids what to do and to expect them to do it. 

You can’t be a jerk about it. You do have to learn to use all of your engaging and persuasive skills, but the truth is you do have the right to stand in front of them and alongside them and to ultimately be in charge of your classroom. 

Education is the key to their future. What you are doing matters. Teaching is a real opportunity to influence young persons in positive ways. 

Let this sink in. When you stand in front of them, consider these truths. 

Is teaching hard? Definitely! Are some students going to be difficult? For sure! HOWEVER, BE DETERMINED THAT THE SIDE YOU REPRESENT IS GOING TO WIN IN THIS CLASSROOM——not by being hateful, not by being sarcastic, not by being rigid and uncompromising, but by being the loving authority that the students need at all times. Someone is going to be in charge in the classroom. It needs to be you! 

Remember being nice changes lives and you can still be firm, in fact, students want consistency... bucking up against it is a natural part of growing up.  I like this graphic from Kristen Wiens.  

My takeaway is the alignment of consistent systems and procedures with expectations of behavior.  This alignment give students the power they need to learn to self correct their behavior.

When something is not working in the classroom, then, put it through a filter -

1. What do you observe?

2. What do you want to observe?

3. What needs to be adjusted in the classroom - is it...:

• a foundational issue? does everyone know what is expected and how to interact with one another
• is the problem with the atmosphere?  do students have feelings of safety, support and belonging?  are they willing to take educational risks?
• how about the environment?  is your classroom pleasant?  does the physical space make students feel comfortable?  is it free of chaos?
• how about the design and delivery of content?  is instruction purposefully created to ignite creativity, autonomy, critical thinking and reflection?  are you just going through the motions, or do kids see how excited you are to teach your subject

4. Create your plan and put it into place

5. Celebrate the success of the students adhering to the new plan

I have never been one to wait, if something wasn't working in my classroom, I would have a heart to heart with students and introduce a new way of doing things.  

It might of sounded like this...

"Hey students, I have noticed that you are entering the classroom, haphazardly and there is a bit of chaos.  This behavior is causing us to start class later that we need.  We need all of the time we have together to  be focused!  So, starting tomorrow we.."

The change might be a better system and expectation of what they are to do when they come into class.  Creating a "warm-up booklet" (pre-Covid mind you) helped focus kids to start their warm-ups when they walked in, the booklet was filled with questions, quotes, jokes and puzzles.  Kids loved them.  Having music playing when kids walk in can create a sense of wonder, especially when the songs tie into the lesson.  Colleagues, Emily Smith and Denise Aaron, ask students content questions at the door.  This engaging activity is so good and the kids really like the challenge, it's fun and gets kids focused on science as they enter the room.  Game changer.  You could institute a class song or mantra too. Anything that gets the kids excited to be there!

Shampoo and repeat whenever you observe something happening in the classroom that you want to see change.  In other words, the things that make you crazy, the things you want to take command of...

turning in work, getting your attention, answering questions, leaving the room, managing supplies, how to get help, what to do when the teacher is talking...

Lastly, do not ever say to kids, "you should know this".  

Maybe they don't or maybe they forgot... remember, their brains are different than yours.  Heck, I forget policies too sometimes and need a reminder.  Think about the message you send when you say this...(one, they forgot and they should of remembered, two, they are dumb because they don't know - shame game, three, he/she only calls out what I don't know, etc. etc. etc.) Shaming kids does not change behavior. Let that sink in... Shaming does not change behavior.

You can remind them in ways that give them the power they need to do the right thing.   It starts with you.  

Don't be defeated.  The thing I like best about education is the challenge of it... you can get command of your classroom, the kids are craving it!  Don't ever think that a classroom is a lost cause. Start with your reflection of it and get to action!   There are fast llamas here at Labay (ahh, the collective!), seek them out, let them show you their ways.  

Stay tuned for next week - How to Become a Slow Llama - #2 Bad Body Language

Fast Llama's and a Fresh Start

Fast Llama's

I am sharing this free resource from Doug Curry today.  His writing is so good, I can just hear his voice.  Doug Curry has tons of free resources that I am beginning to share with you, coupled with the OTFD session we had with Jenny, there is a lot of good things happening for our students at Labay!

Here is one of the free resources Doug wrote about the greatest gift teachers have; a Christmas Break RESET! 

Enjoy!

Your Christmas Gift: A Fresh Start

Have you been such a slow llama this year that it has been months since you have even seen the pack?

Are you so slow that the pack conspires to avoid you?

Are you now doubting that the pack in fact even exists?

Has this year caused you to seriously question your career choice?

Do you have one wall of your classroom dedicated to marking off the days as if you are awaiting parole?

You are not alone!  This is particularly true if you are new to this profession or new to your unique circumstance.

There are very few jobs in the world that allow for an opportunity to completely start over and thus correct all of the mistakes that one has made.  The world of sports comes to mind.  As long as a football player has not yet been run out of the league, each new year offers a chance for redemption.  You see this all the time in sports.  A player who last year basically stunk now turns into this year’s hottest superstar.

Fortunately for us, teaching is one of these professions that offers the opportunity for, shall we say, “rebirth.”  Every year, unless you loop with the same kids (and thus bring along all of your mistakes in the same way that we carry viruses with us from room to room), you have a completely new opportunity to start over and correct all of your mistakes from the previous year.

Why are we talking about starting over when only half of the year is completing?  Fair question.  

However, never underestimate the power of the holiday break!

Granted, it is not summertime.  We don’t have the opportunity for complete redemption.

If done right, your two weeks off along with the return of your students in January offers you the opportunity to hit a very important button:

That’s right!  You can definitely hit the reset button. 

When the kids come back in January, they can be met with the “new you!”

How do you make this happen?  Here are the steps:

1.    Be quick to forgive yourself for whatever mess you may have created during this first semester.  

In any type of leadership position, which of course includes teaching, leaders inevitably make mistakes.  Great leaders take responsibility for their mistakes, but they don’t dwell on them.  They learn from their mistakes, adjust, and move on.  Picture a great quarterback who throws an interception early in a game.  Did he mean to throw it?  Of course not.  If he dwells on the mistake, he may become reluctant to do all of the things that come with being the leader of the team, which in this case means:  Throw the ball!  It takes real courage to continue to lead after you have made a mistake.  Guess what?  No matter how good you become at this job, you will still make mistakes.

2.    While forgiving yourself for the mistakes you made the first semester, own them.  They are yours.  You did it.  Your classroom will be whatever you want it or allow it to be.  If it has been terrible, you did it.

When we fail, we will do everything we can to justify our failure.  It’s human nature, but it’s a losing strategy.

You can try and convince yourself and others that everyone else in your school is failing at classroom management, but I’m sorry.  It’s not true.  Folks like me who get to visit all different classrooms can tell you.  There are teachers on your campus who are succeeding.  They are succeeding with the same students who seem to enjoy seeing you suffer.

It’s you.

Have courage and accept it.  It’s the first step in overcoming any problem.

 

3.    Make a list of all that has gone wrong related to your classroom management during this first semester.  Here is a resource that will help:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rgdxyqY6O-Xx_ShcUPW6Q0CJHNNhT89_  

4.    Now make a list of what you are going to do to make it better.

Does it involve your:

•   Classroom Systems?    https://drive.google.com/open? id=14MWj0f3dE08GUdXKOVc32a-7E9FHQlnN  

•   Teacher Presence?   https://drive.google.com/open? id=1bFv52GUPY0nICrHpB_NV20LRntOECJK1  

•   Your Beliefs?   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnEpFoh9gnI

•   Your Relationships with your Students?

5.  Prioritize.  You won’t be able to do everything.

Pick the most important things.  

•   Your room arrangement • How you have your materials stored.

•   How students enter.

•   How you dismiss.

•   How you gain and keep their attention.

•   How they respond in class.

Your classroom will be whatever you want it to be.

If it is great, it is because of you.

If it is terrible, you allowed it.

Kids will rise to whatever level you expect.

They will also sink as low as you let them go.

The new year is a gift!  Take advantage of this opportunity!

Thank you for what you do!  - Doug

Have a wonderful break!  We have just 5 days to make a difference to the life of a kid.  Make them miss us! Make them look forward to coming back in January! Make them and each other believe there is no better place to be than to be together at school!

-Tracy

Staying on the Side of Hope for All Students

 Fast Llama's,

There are many reasons for the attraction I hold for Doug Curry and his "How to Train Llama's" protocols and ideals.  But, the one thing that hooked me was his treatise on hope, and more specifically staying on side of hope.  When I first read his words in 2013, I was 900 miles away from my home base and I was struggling physically and emotionally.  I didn't realise (or give myself time to process) how difficult is was to move across the state.  My husband had gotten a great job and I had landed in a school with warm and friendly teachers who welcomed me and my son into their circle quickly.  I had however, focused on the physical part of moving, getting my house ready to put on the market, applying and getting an interview, getting my school age son enrolled and of course the physical packing and unpacking involved.  But, I did not reflect on the emotional toll moving would have on me and my classroom culture.  

*side note - switching schools in the middle of the year is challenging even if you have been teaching for 20 years! My new principal let me in the building the Sunday before the students returned on Monday.  The class had had a sub for 6 weeks and it looked that way! The goggle cabinet alone... oof 

In many ways, unpacking my classroom decor helped get me settled back in, but, have you ever moved and an old item doesn't quite fit in your new space?  That's how I was feeling. I had lost my identity somewhat of who I "was".  I kept trying and trying to instill my traditions into a new place without really thinking about "why" I was instilling them in the first place.   I was spinning, trying so hard to be who I thought I needed to be, do ALL the things I thought I needed to do, but, somehow couldn't.  And there was a constant barrage of trainings, paperwork (including mistakes) and updates that needed to get done. I perceived nothing as working and I just felt miserable and most importantly, ineffective at teaching.  

When I read Doug's words, it was the food my soul needed at a time when I was mourning my old life and it gave me the words and phrases I needed to activate a part of my brain that needed to hear it for my new life.  You have to understand, my new home was lovely, my kids were flourishing, my husband and my careers were solid, but something was missing.   I had lost my "why", the meaning behind why I was a teacher and what impact I could have on the next generation. I often blame the "big move" as me feeling this way, but, some small part of me thinks that Doug's message would of impacted me even if I had never moved.  Proof that we are forever learning new things and when we open our hearts and let the light in, it can change us in ways that we could never imagine, even after 20 years of classroom teaching.

Here is his message, I hope it inspires you to reflect on your "why" and the impact you can have on your students.  

Hope or Hopelessness-

The Deciding Factor in your School Two Sides 

When you enter any school as a teacher, in particular a school with special challenges, which by the way, all schools have, there will always be a struggle as to which you side you take. There is the side of hope and the side of hopelessness. There is the side where you look at a child who comes from difficult circumstances. He may not have a mother or a father. He may have been abused. He may just now be learning the language. He has lived in generational poverty forever, and both he and his family really don’t know any other way to live. He may have siblings already incarcerated. His parents may be in and out of jail. Perhaps neither of them wants him anymore. He may come from a family that only sends him to school because it is the law. Education is not a priority. It is not seen as the way to anything. The family may be hungry, and so is the student. It may be all the family knows. Coming from this situation, the student may express, “I don’t care about this stuff” when faced with any educational task you lay before him. The student may appear to be hostile. The student won’t read in class because he never did learn to read, yet somehow he is in your 8th grade Language Arts class. When faced with this student and others like him, which side are you on? There is one side that thinks, “You know, this student only gets one chance at life. He may have been dealt a lousy hand of cards. 

But you know what? Our school is the answer for him! Give him to me! I will help him see what his future can be! I will help him learn to work hard and experience success! If he doesn’t know how to read, our school will teach him. If he is hostile, we will win him over. We will love him. We will show him the first light he may have ever seen in a life of darkness. If we love him unconditionally, and we refuse to ever give up on him, all of the bad things that have happened to him will become his strengths in the future. Collectively, as a school we can do that! 

We have that power to influence kids. He will be successful! We won’t have it any other way!” The other side thinks, “What do you expect me to do with him? I can’t change what he’s been through. I can’t make him care. I have no power to make his life better.” Which side? In every school you will find folks representing both sides. 

Most teachers begin the profession on the side of hope. However, teaching is hard, and challenges occur. Many teachers, when faced with adversity, slowly start moving to the other side. If they don’t choose to leave the profession, they believe that the only way they can survive is to stay on the side of hopelessness. This way they won’t get their feelings hurt. This way they won’t feel like a failure. There’s kind of a protection that comes with being on the side of hopelessness. When you stand on the side of hope, you risk failing. You risk failing and having everybody know it, because you were out there on a limb for everyone to see. Sometimes young teachers leave the side of hope because there is pressure from their coworkers to join the side of hopelessness. These are the grizzled veterans who can’t wait to tell the rookie “the way things really are” in this school. These grizzled veterans have a real stake in bringing others to the side of hopelessness. Deep down these veterans hate themselves for having abandoned the side of hope. It soothes the pain a bit when they successfully recruit someone else to come to their side. 

Many teachers enter the profession at an age where they are far from complete in their own personal growth. They are still learning who they are and what they want from life. They may have never even learned how to be assertive and stand up for themselves in their own lives. Now they stand in front of 30 high school students every day during 3rd period. 

Being able to successfully manage a classroom is often about how you view yourself. Are you confident in yourself? Are you able to acknowledge your weaknesses and faults? Are you comfortable when you realize that others know all too well your imperfections? If you are not comfortable, you are in danger of going from the side of hope to the other side very quickly. You are in danger of feeling personally attacked every time a student makes a bad decision or challenges your authority. 

That normal little game that occurs in every classroom now becomes something much bigger to you. It becomes more about you and protecting who you are. When this happens, the side of hopelessness beckons you. If you don’t care, it’s much safer. You won’t get hurt. If your expectations are low or nonexistent, they are much easier to reach. Some young teachers end up on the side of hopelessness because they have a series of bad experiences due to poor administrators. Maybe they are thrown in a rowdy class of 7th graders and offered no help or support. Instead they are blamed for the chaos that ensues. 

The choice now becomes one of leaving the profession or going to the side of hopelessness. Many teachers enter the profession burdened by warped or unrealistic expectations. They are weighed down by the “shoulds” such as “kids should act this way” or “things shouldn’t be this way.” “Kids should come to school knowing how to act.” “We shouldn’t have to teach kids how to act—I am a history teacher.” Teachers like this either leave or move to the hopeless side. As you read this, do you find that you are on the hopeless side? (Is this beginning to sound like the concluding moments of a church service?) I am not here to judge you for being on the side of hopelessness. You may have a very good reason that you went there, and it may very well have happened because of classroom management. 

Keep going. We may get you to change sides. 

Until Next Time...

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