Blog

Six Ways to Fight Feeling Overwhelmed

Few of us have lived through the past months without feeling overwhelmed at some point. It may have come from the uncertainty we feel. It may be the cumulative and persistent pressures we feel to protect ourselves and others while also teaching, leading, counseling, and engaging in all the other tasks and responsibilities in our lives. Of course, feeling overwhelmed sometimes comes and then passes quickly as projects are complete, events come and go, and we move on to other things. However, for many of us, feeling overwhelmed has become more frequent and persistent. Waiting until the feeling passes is not always a healthy option. When we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed with no short-term probability that circumstances alone will bring resolution, we need ways navigate our feelings and find solutions within our reach. Here are six practical options that collectively can help us to counter our feelings and move us forward in productive ways. First, we can step back and gain perspective. Sometimes stepping back can even be physically creating distance. Taking a walk, getting away for the weekend, or engaging in a hobby are good places to start. We can also gain perspective by asking ourselves. “What is at stake?” “What are potential implications?” “Who might help me see the situation better or at least differently?” When we find ourselves too close to the issue or situation, it can be difficult to accurately analyze and assess what is really happening and whether it is as big a deal as we are making it. Second, we can focus on what is most important: We often become caught up in busyness that does not move us forward. We can take some time to sort through the situation to find what really matters. Often, asking “why” questions can help us to sort what is most important. For example, we might ask ourselves, “Why is this situation bothering me so much?” Or, “Why am I finding this task so hard?” Practicing the patience to reflect can lead us to answers about what is really going on and what really matters. Once we know what is most important, we can focus our energies in that direction. Third, we can challenge our assumptions. We might think that one wrong word or step, or an overlooked implication will spell disaster. Consequently, we may be reluctant to take any action. Yet, on close examination, we are likely to find that rarely will a single action or chosen approach lead to complete failure. In fact, often taking action that is not correct will lead to discovery of what can work. We may also find that what we assume about how others think and what they feel is not correct. Assumptions by nature are unverified and untested. Until we question and test our assumptions, we risk being held captive by perceptions with no basis. Fourth, we can take one or two steps to move the situation forward. We do not always have to solve or act on the entire situation at once. We can search for one or two actions to take that might be low risk but still move the situation forward. Interestingly, when we act on one aspect of a problem, we can begin to see new options and alternatives we can consider and act on. Before long, we see progress and build the momentum necessary to keep moving forward. Fifth, we can choose to give up some control. Of course, this step means that we must trust others. When we feel overwhelmed and stressed, it can be even more difficult to let go. We may fear that others will not fully understand the nature or importance of the task, or they may not do it well enough. Yet, our unwillingness to let go may be the primary source of our stress. Letting go can be the key to having our stress subside and our being able to do what we do best in the situation. Sixth, we can reflect and practice gratitude. Gratitude can be a potent counterbalance to feeling overwhelmed. We can focus on what we are thankful for in our lives and the privilege to do the work we do. Gratitude can help us to appreciate the present and lessen our worries about the future. Connecting with people and sharing our gratitude can be uplifting and energizing and give us the nudge we need to keep moving forward. The fact is that we have faced difficult times in the past and our success in meeting those challenges have brought us to where we are. By practicing these and similar strategies and with the confidence of knowing we will measure up, we can assure ourselves with, “I’ve got this.”

December 20, 2021

Six Secrets to Maintaining a Positive Outlook–Even in Tough Times

For many of us, these are among the most challenging times we have encountered in our careers. Beliefs and issues that used to be taken for granted are now called into question. Accusations are made without basis in fact or experience. Kindness and grace seem to be in short supply. Rudeness and negativity seem to rule the day. Yet, these are not the first times we have faced confusion and controversy and we are not the first people to confront difficult challenges. In fact, we can draw much from our experiences and learn from those who came before us about how to navigate and succeed in the face of trying times. We can allow what we are experiencing to try our patience, sap our enthusiasm, and drain our energy, or we can make another choice. We can rise above what seeks to pull us down and walk a brighter, more satisfying path. Here are six secrets we can tap to lift our spirits and maintain a positive outlook. Choose to smile. This secret at first may seem too simple. Yet, research shows that the act of smiling, even when it is not completely genuine, releases chemicals in our brain that make us feel better. Additionally, when we choose to smile, people we encounter are more likely to respond positively to us and further improve our outlook. It happens that attitudes are contagious. When we choose to smile, we can “infect” others in positive ways. Associate with positive people. Our outlook also tends to be influenced by the people with whom we choose to spend time. We can choose to spend time with optimistic, caring people. In the same way that our attitudes influence others, their moods and outlook can have an impact on ours. The more time we spend with positive people, the better we tend to feel. The opposite also is true. Look for what is good. A fact of life is that what we look for is what we are most likely to find. If our attitude has us looking for what is wrong, we are likely to notice something negative in each encounter. Our words and interactions may become laced with negativity, and we can even become needlessly embroiled in arguments and controversy. On the other hand, when we look for what is good, notice what is right, and focus on things that are positive, we tend to see and experience more that reinforces our positive outlook. Own our choices. We cannot always control what happens, but we can choose how we will interpret what happens and how we will respond. We may interpret someone neglecting to respond to our question as ignoring us, or we may conclude that they did not hear us. We may interpret a sharp comment as a judgement toward us, or we may reflect on the pressures and stress the person is experiencing. We may become frustrated when our efforts are overlooked, or we may take pride in knowing what we have accomplished. Importantly, our outlook is influenced as much by how we interpret and respond to what we experience as the experience itself. Adopt a bias toward action. When we see something that needs to be addressed, experience events that are hurtful, or hear words that are untrue, we can choose to become involved. Doing nothing can have the same impact as not being able to do something. When we choose to become involved in what is important to us, we move from feeling helpless to empowered. Tap the power of “yet.” We coach students to think “not yet” rather than “cannot” when initial attempts with a learning task are not successful. We can tap the same optimism and energy when our efforts are not initially successful. Trying a new instructional practice, testing a new routine, or addressing a difficult challenge may require reflection, iteration, and persistence. Rather than give up, we can shift our focus toward what to do next. Not everything always works perfectly. The questions to ask are, what can I improve or correct, and what other strategies and approaches should I consider? Life has a way of challenging us at every stage. Yet, it is in the challenges we face that we grow and learn. What we experience may not always be pleasant, but every experience offers a lesson. What is important is that we remain ready to learn and open to what life has to offer.

December 06, 2021

Take a Minute: Three Leadership Behaviors to Prioritize This Week

Each week presents a set of issues, challenges, tasks, and responsibilities for us to address. Some are anticipated and scheduled. Others will emerge as the week unfolds. Sometimes we will be expected to anticipate what is coming. Other situations will require us to react. Some things we will be able to manage. Others will be beyond our control. Yet, regardless of what the upcoming week may present, there are three behaviors that we can practice in nearly any situation that will improve the outcome, empower those we lead, and increase the impact of our leadership. Equally important, these leadership behaviors can reduce our stress and strengthen our relationships with others. At first, these behaviors may seem obvious. We may even take them for granted. Yet, in our hurried, harried week we can forget their importance and neglect to prioritize their practice. When we do, we risk compromising the impact of our leadership and missing opportunities to help those around us. Let’s examine these behaviors and why making them a priority this week and every week is so important. The first behavior is listening. The practice of close listening can generate multiple benefits and advantages. Listening can give us access to important information, multiple perspectives, crucial insights, and an array of options to consider. Meanwhile, listening is a demonstration of engagement and caring. Listening conveys our respect and demonstrates our valuing of others. Further, just listening to someone “talk out” an issue can result in their discovering new insights and solutions beyond what we might have offered. Committing to listen may seem simple, but really listening to understand words and their meaning can make an important difference. A second leadership behavior to prioritize this week is empathizing. Empathy focuses on understanding the stresses, concerns, worries, and reactions of others from their perspective. Empathy is not sympathy. Sympathy focuses on sharing feelings, while empathy focuses on understanding feelings. The difference is important in that we may not have shared the experience of the other person, but we can seek to understand and appreciate what they are feeling and how they are perceiving a situation. By seeking to understand we can validate the perspective and feelings of the other person, while remaining positioned to help and support them. Practicing empathy can lead us to ask questions, clarify emotions, and sort responses in ways that are empowering. Empathy does not mean taking on the emotions of the other person, but it can lead to discovering actions and solutions that will make a difference. The third leadership behavior, encouraging, builds on the first two behaviors. Listening and empathizing can surface valuable information and insights to guide choices and other actions. However, people often need a nudge to take a risk or reassurance that they can succeed with the challenge they face. Our belief in their skills and commitment can be what it takes to move someone to action. Our confidence can lead others to persist until they prevail. Our encouragement may not seem like much to us, but it may be just enough to “tip the scales” in favor of taking on a new challenge, confronting a long-standing problem, or committing to a new idea or project. Of course, we may assume that listening, empathizing, and encouraging are naturally present in our daily and weekly routines. However, giving these behaviors renewed attention and committing to practice them regularly can strengthen our leadership impact, increase our work satisfaction, and improve the work and life experience of those around us.

November 01, 2021

The Innovator’s Path

Have you noticed how some people always seem to have new ideas, a creative twist on a process, or novel strategy to address a long-standing challenge? They move beyond traditional approaches and prolonged practices to find better ways to do what needs to be done. We might think that these people have a natural talent or special set of skills. However, in most cases, their ideas and creativity come from a simple but important set of actions that any of us can adopt and employ in our personal and professional lives. The innovation may be a new way to introduce a skill or teach a concept, a way to motivate and engage learners that builds ownership for learning, or a different way to leverage technology to assist learning. The application can be varied, but the general steps are often similar. Let’s explore how we can use these steps to discover opportunities and guide our efforts to innovate. The process of innovating may or may not have a clear beginning. Sometimes the need for change is clear. At other times, we may have a feeling that there is a better approach, but we need time to think and reflect. This realization is followed by intentional steps, and leads to an idea, strategy, or approach to test and build on. The process might be thought of as including four phases: orientation, exploration, innovation, and iteration. The first phase, orientation, is as much a mindset as it is a strategy. When our thinking is oriented toward wonder and curiosity, we are less likely to accept what is or has been without question. We are more prone to ask, “why not” and “what could be” than “why” and “what should be.” This orientation, or mindset, stimulates our imagination. We become more open and motivated to learn and discover. This phase is crucial. Unless we are curious, skeptical, and questioning, we can easily ignore opportunities to create and craft something new and better. The second phase, exploration, grows directly out of an orientation of curiosity and wonder. Our questions move beyond “could there be a better way” to “how can I find a better way?” We begin to interrogate why things are as they are. We investigate options and approaches others have tried to understand what has been learned and how what is known might lead to creating something new. Often, this phase leads to searching outside of our discipline, or even education, to see if there are ideas and approaches worth adapting and applying in our context. Sometimes adjacent fields of work have already solved a similar dilemma and may present a model with which to work. As this phase unfolds, we begin to form our own ideas and approaches worth trying. The third phase, innovation, moves us from questioning and exploring to design and formulation. We use what we learned during the exploration phase to imagine, tinker, and create. This phase calls for courage and willingness to risk. We cannot expect that our early efforts will be perfect. In fact, if everything works perfectly on the first attempt, we might ask ourselves whether we really are stretching and creating something new. Our goal needs to be to craft an idea worth investing time and energy to. Perfection can come later. The fourth phase, iteration, builds on the previous three phases. As noted earlier, rarely does a new strategy or approach work perfectly at first. The iteration phase invites us to observe how the innovation is working. We might test different versions of the approach. What we learn can lead to adjustments that improve on our idea and lead to even better outcomes. If we are working with a team, we might have team members try the innovation with different groups of students and collect data on results. The goal is to keep asking questions and finding ways to make the innovation ever more effective and useful, regardless of who is using it, where it is used, and with whom. Innovation is not magic, but it depends on the magic of curiosity and wonder. The more we allow ourselves to question, imagine, and dream, the more likely we will uncover an idea or concept worth exploring and creating. It is also true that times of challenge and disruption often present the best opportunities to innovate. Now may be the right time to take a risk and develop the idea and create the strategy you have been thinking about.

October 04, 2021

When Change Comes Calling: Four Choices We Can Make

The past 18 months have presented each of us with the need to adjust in our personal and professional lives. We may have confined our social interactions, modified our work arrangements, and made other accommodations in response to the pandemic. While we could not avoid the push and pull we experienced, we were able to choose how we would respond to and meet the challenges we faced and the vulnerability we experienced. The choices we have made likely had a significant influence on how we have experienced the pandemic. Depending on our choices, we may have struggled, navigated the experience, or even thrived. Interestingly, this experience offers a useful example of the importance of how we respond to changing circumstances and environments. The choices we make can determine how well we find our way forward and emerge from the uncertainty and shifting currents of life. To help us understand the choices available and the outcomes to which they might lead, we can divide our choice options into four general categories: seeking stability, practicing flexibility, embracing adaptability, and designing for agility. Let’s explore each of these responses to pressure for change and how they can support or undermine our personal and professional success. When we seek stability in response to the press for change, we focus on creating consistency and predictability. Our response to the pressure to change is to hone our current skills, reinforce our “go to” practices, and rely on “tried and true” approaches. In short, we bet that what we normally do and how we typically behave will carry us through. While this approach can carry us when the pressure to change is light and temporary, it can significantly undermine our effectiveness and compromise our success when circumstances call for significant adjustments. In fact, our inability or unwillingness to adjust can erode our competence and confidence to the point where it threatens the survival of personal relationships and viability of our professional future. A choice to practice flexibility in response to the press to change broadens our focus and leads us to consider and employ the full array of strategies, approaches, and tools we possess, including practices we may have embraced in the past, but have since neglected. The broader the array of options, resources, and strategies we have developed and adopted, the better able we are to respond to the circumstances we face. This choice challenges us to use all that we currently possess to respond and meet the demands of the situation. When we embrace adaptability, we move beyond what is familiar and has served us well in the past to ask ourselves what we need to learn and what skills will be required to respond to the press for change we are experiencing. We open ourselves to learning new strategies, creating new approaches, and adopting new tools. While often uncomfortable at first, this response to the need to change can be invigorating and growth evoking as we adapt our behavior, practices, and learning to move to a new level of success and satisfaction. Choosing to design for agility shifts our position relative to the need to change from one of reaction to proactivity. Rather than waiting for pressure to fully develop and demand a response, this choice invites us to anticipate changes that may be necessary. We explore possibilities and develop strategies, approaches, and tools that will position us for success. This choice helps us to leverage change as an opportunity rather than a demand to which we must respond. The application of the continuum of choices in the context of the pandemic may be obvious. Some people tried to ignore the need to change and cling to what used to be. Others shifted to other familiar strategies and practices hoping that they would be enough. Still others assessed the situation and embraced the learning necessary to succeed as they understood more about what was needed. Of course, there were those who saw the pandemic as an opportunity to imagine and create new strategies, invent new tools, and employ new approaches, and, as a result, thrived during uncertain and unpredictable times. Nevertheless, it is important for us to recognize that this set of choices is available to us in myriad life circumstances. We are not always able to control the need to change, but we can choose how we will respond. The choices we make will likely determine our success and happiness during and well beyond the experience.

September 27, 2021

Our Choice: Hang Together or Hang Separately

At a crucial point in our nation’s history when faced with unprecedented threats and challenges, one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, challenged his colleagues to consider their behavior and commitment to each other. He is quoted as urging, “We must, indeed, hang together or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately.” It is true that educators and educational leaders may not be facing the existential threat presented early in our nation’s history. Yet, it is difficult to deny the extraordinary circumstances and political attacks under which schools and school districts find themselves as we begin a new school year. The disruption created by COVID-19 has left many students in a kind of “learning limbo” and families frustrated and impatient for stability and predictability. Meanwhile, conflicts over masking and other virus countermeasures continue. If these issues are not enough, educational policymakers, leaders, and educators are being barraged with accusations of biased instruction and engaging in the examination of issues some constituents want to be avoided. New laws are placing greater restrictions on what can be taught and even discussed in classrooms and with students. Unfortunately, schools and school districts do not have a history of collaboration. Too often we choose to be competitive, even isolating. We focus internally and “do our own thing” rather than learning from and adapting what others have developed. In fact, sometimes a decision made in one school or school district can be the reason for making a different decision in another. This tendency can deprive us of useful ideas, creative options, and effective strategies even in stable times. However, these are far from normal, predictable times. Still, many educational leaders are trying to “go it on their own” and are not reaching out to colleagues for advice and support or to engage in collaborative efforts. It is time to put away our natural tendency and overcome our inclination go it alone. The issues facing schools now are not unique to any one school or community. In fact, some of the contentions and disruptions we are experiencing are not random, nor do they originate within any single community. Many of the conflicts and demonstrations are coordinated across communities and calculated to sow suspicion, doubt, and skepticism. Of course, each of us reports to our own school board. They will make their own decisions within the bounds of state requirements and local policy. However, school board decisions are typically made with our advice and counsel. This is the way the system works. School boards depend on staff members to keep them informed, offer insights, and present well-informed recommendations. The leadership and policy support we provide locally can benefit from the thinking, experience, and successes of others within the region and beyond. We do not need, nor should we attempt, to be in full lockstep with others who may not share cultural nuances and face circumstances different from ours. Just knowing the thinking, rationale, ideas, and options considered by others can position each of us to make wiser decisions. Knowing the issues and challenges other leaders and organizations are facing can help us to plan and prepare should they spread to our communities. This knowledge can reduce the opportunities to be played against each other and criticized for not doing what others have decided to do. Further, the connections we make and relationships we build can give us important emotional and psychological support when we find ourselves buffeted by accusations, false assumptions, and untruths. In the long term, the relationships and processes we develop to help us navigate the current circumstances can help us continue to learn and grow together when the issues we face have passed and a new set of challenges emerges. We can build a foundation of working together that reduces the likelihood that in the future we will have to consider whether we will “hang together, or hang separately.”

August 16, 2021

Share Your Tips & Stories

Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.

Send Us An Email

Three Secrets for Building and Reinforcing Staff Engagement

In just a few weeks we will be welcoming staff members back for the start of a new year. While the start of this year may not be as uncertain and stressful as a year ago, there remain myriad questions to be answered and challenges to be met in the months ahead. At the same time, many staff members have yet to fully recover from the exhaustion and frustrations they felt as the past year ended. Our leadership challenge is to find ways to re-engage and re-energize employees across our organization to serve students who need them now as much or more than ever. The fact is that we cannot improve the learning and lives of students without supporting and reconnecting adults who work with them. Fortunately, recent research from the London Business School may provide some useful hints to help us meet this challenge. Despite the context of the research in the business world, people are people. What moves and motivates us is likely to be more alike than different. The research was conducted during the height of the pandemic and focused on what led employees to be more or less engaged despite the life and work challenges they faced. The researchers were able to isolate three key leadership behaviors that appeared to make the greatest difference on the level of employee engagement over time. First, the study found that our perspective as leaders matters more than we might think. Adopting an optimistic, opportunistic attitude during times of crisis and challenge can make an important difference. If we treat the challenges we face as permission to innovate, explore, adjust, and improve, we project energy and possibility. The researchers noted something called “emotional contagion,” a phenomenon in which emotions and attitudes are psychologically contagious. The emotions and perspectives of those around us, especially people who are important to us, can lift our spirits and inspire us, or drain our energy and leave us depressed. If we want to lift the spirits of those in our organizations and inspire people to engage, we must adopt and project the attitudes and perspectives we want to see. Of course, we need to be realistic and not ignore the reality we face, but we do not have to allow ourselves to be defeated by it. A second important finding was that inquiring about and staying informed of people’s lives outside of work matters. Challenges remaining after the pandemic are not confined to what is happening at work. Staff members may still be dealing with family loss and disruption. Lingering aftereffects of the virus may be an ongoing challenge. Of course, life outside of work with its predictable challenges and pressures also influences how people feel about work, how much energy they have available to invest, and other choices they must make. The researchers found that inquiring about and remaining interested in and informed about employees’ lives outside of work makes a significant difference in the level of investment and engagement people feel in their work. Importantly, our inquiries need to be authentic and we need to avoid prying into areas that employees might feel are private. The third key finding was that we need to reinforce the importance of the work people are doing and its connection to the larger purpose of the organization. We might assume that people know and see how their work is important in the larger picture, but they also need to hear it regularly from leaders. Reminding people of the crucial difference they make in the lives of students, how they are building a future for today’s learners, and the long-term importance of having an educated public are important messages that need to be repeated and reinforced regularly. Interestingly, the researchers discovered that connections to and internalization of the purpose of the work not only better prepare people to navigate adversity and uncertainty, but they can also lead to better ideas and innovative strategies for improvement. In the coming weeks we will be “setting the stage” for the year ahead. How we start the year will have an important influence on how the year unfolds. Now is the time to think about what we can do to build energy, invite engagement, and prepare the path for a successful year. Resource: Cable, D. & Gino, F. (2021, June 22) What to do if your employees have switched off. London Business School. https://www.london.edu/think/what-to-do-if-your-employees-have-switched-off

August 02, 2021

Now Is the Time to Ramp Up Our Resilience

We stand at the threshold of a new school year. In the coming weeks, we will be getting acquainted and forming new relationships with our students. We will be starting a new journey of learning and teaching. We will watch our students grow and mature. They will build new skills, gain new knowledge, and build new confidence. These are the reasons we chose to be educators. Few other professions offer such rewards and opportunities to make a difference in the lives we touch. We also know that the coming year will bring a good measure of stress, pressure, and frustration. These, too, are predictable elements in the lives of educators. However, the impact they have on us and our well-being is within our control. We can allow these experiences to drive our emotions and control our lives, or we can develop skills, habits, and strategies to counter them. Now—before we find ourselves facing the inevitable uncertainty, complexity, and conflicting emotions ahead—is a good time to commit ourselves to becoming a more resilient person and professional. The good news is that we can learn the skills and develop the habits associated with managing difficult situations. Being resilient is not confined to those who “were born that way.” However, we need to avoid delaying this important work until we are already feeling overburdened with stress and exhaustion. Starting now before we are fully experiencing the intensity of our day-to-day work can provide the space to develop new skills, try out some new perspectives, and focus on effective strategies that work for us. Ramping up this work now can help us to be better prepared and build our resilience before we begin to feel overwhelmed. The American Psychological Association identifies four key factors that define resilience: capacity to make and carry out realistic plans, a positive view of ourselves and confidence in our strengths and abilities, communication and problem-solving skills, and capacity to manage strong feelings and impulses. Obviously, the greater our strengths in these areas, the better able we will be to protect our emotional well-being while attending to the needs of our students. So, how can we develop the resilience necessary to confront and prevail with the challenges that may lie ahead? Here are five strategies to consider. First, we can build and expand our network of trusting relationships inside and beyond our profession. The more people with whom we can confide and from whom we can receive advice and support, the more options and support we can tap. Often it’s enough just knowing we have someone who is willing to listen, understands us, and can provide us with reassurance and another perspective. Second, we can identify and set realistic goals in areas of our personal and professional lives over which we have control. When we focus our attention and efforts in areas where we control the key variables, we can build confidence in our abilities and develop a positive view of ourselves, despite what may be happening elsewhere. Third, we can develop routines to build and protect our emotional and physical health. Physical exercise can do much to counter the impact of stress and frustration. It can lead to better sleep. An exercise routine can also contribute to a sense of control and a positive view of who we are. Yoga, meditation, and even going for regular walks can also provide important benefits. The consistency of a routine can send a signal to our minds and bodies that it is time to relax, even when we are feeling pressure and stress. Fourth, we can build the habit of focusing on the gap that exists between what happens in our lives and our response or reaction to it. Obviously, we cannot always control what happens around or to us. However, we can always choose what we will think and which actions we will take in response. This insight can provide a sense of control, give us time to manage our emotions, and avoid reactions that can add to our frustrations and feelings of regret. Fifth, we can accept that we cannot control everything. Obviously, some things in our lives, personal and professional, are beyond our control and influence. Yet, our need to control can leave us frustrated and depressed. The energy we spend wishing things were different and the frustration we allow to build in us can deplete the mental and emotional resources we need to be healthy and happy. Sometimes, our best strategy is to let go and focus elsewhere. Some of us are about to begin the new year in the next few weeks. Others may have more time before students return. Regardless, the best time to develop the skills, habits, and attitudes to carry us through the coming year is right now. Consider choosing one, two, or three of the strategies and get started.

August 02, 2021

Five Questions Can Launch a Rewarding New Year

One of the unique and energizing aspects of being an educator is that each fall we can begin anew. Most of us will be meeting new groups of students. We will form new relationships. We will begin a new journey of learning. We will meet new colleagues and may join a new professional team. This is a time of excitement and opportunity. The beginning of a new year also invites us to revisit, reevaluate, and reimagine our approach and commitment to our work and the difference we want to make. We make a lasting impact when we see teaching not just as a job to do, but as a calling and mission to be fulfilled. Each of us is invited to begin our professional journey anew every year. A close look will reveal that we need to be intentional about what we want to contribute and the difference we want to make. We can quickly fall into old habits and routines without noticing our choices and seizing opportunities available to us. Shifting focus, adjusting behaviors, and increasing our impact require reflection, analysis, and clear intentions. Fortunately, five questions can help us to explore where and how to focus our attention and energy this year. First, what gifts will I bring? Each of us have gifts we can offer to enrich student experiences and conversations, provide insights, stimulate discussion, and inspire new thinking. Our gift may be to be a better listener and give more opportunities for students and colleagues to express their thoughts and concerns. We may choose to be a better reflector to help others hear themselves and discover their own solutions. It may be that our gift is finding common ground and areas of agreement to allow our team to move forward. Or we may be the one who asks the questions that need to be examined and answered. Our gift may also be exactly what is needed to unlock the gifts and contributions of others. Second, what role will I play? Is it time for me to take a more active leadership role on my team? Do I need to become a more active mentor for the talents of less experienced educators? Do I need to be a more engaged coach? Or is this the year when I become a more committed and contributing team member? Each of us have roles to play. The choices we make can make our year—and increase the impact we have on student learning. Third, who will need my support? Now more than ever, we need to support each other. The past year brought loss and grief. Tension and controversy have sapped energy and led to separation and isolation. Now is the time to reach out and be present for those who need a friend, an advocate, or someone to just listen and understand. Our availability and support can make a difference in the lives of those we touch that goes well beyond what we might think or imagine. Fourth, how will I grow? It has been said that if we are not growing, we are falling back. These are times that challenge and give countless opportunities to all of us, and growth has never been more important. Our students return to school with learning, social and emotional needs, and, in many cases, physical health and safety needs. Issues of equity and social justice demand effective responses. Every student deserves to feel they belong and the opportunity to thrive as a learner, classmate, and unique individual. Our learning can take many forms and lead us down many paths, but growth is what keeps us fresh, energized, and effective in our work and professional relationships. Fifth, what legacy do I want to leave? We might think that legacy is something about which we should be concerned as we near the end of our careers, but in truth, our legacy is built each day, each week, and each year. How do we want our students to remember their experience with us? What insights, advice, and examples do we want students to recall as they build and live their lives? How will colleagues learn and what will they recall from our time with them? How might our school be different because of our time in it? The most powerful legacies are not found in tangible objects. Rather, they exist in the lives of those we have touched. As difficult as these times are, they present us with opportunities to make a special difference. We have never been needed more. As we begin a new year, let’s commit to making it the best ever, and commit ourselves to being our best ever.

August 02, 2021

Lessons From Remote Learning for Handling Behavior

One of the key lessons presented by remote learning was that many of the behavior management tools available with in-person learning were not accessible when our students were not physically present. Moving a non-compliant student to a remote part of the room was not an option. Imposing progressive disciplinary sanctions was often impractical. And we could not send a student out of the room to see the principal. The shift to remote learning drove us to develop new strategies and approaches to gain student attention, cooperation, and engagement. It took time, repeated attempts, and more than a few missteps before many of us became adept at using commitment-based approaches and intrinsic motivational strategies. Our return to in-person learning offers the opportunity to rethink compliance-driven behavior management and progressive discipline practices before we again become reliant on these approaches. We need to examine the extent to which compliance-driven approaches undermine and interfere with our goal of developing independent, mature, self-regulating young people. Here’s why:

We risk communicating to students that their behavior should be controlled by external sources and forces rather than through their own choices, self-discipline, and sense of direction.
The causes of individual choices and drivers of behavior are complex and varied. For example, the lack of completed homework or a negative attitude early in the day may be the result of factors and forces at home or outside of school that have little to do with a student’s valuing of class rules or academic expectations.
Incentives only work if students place a reasonably high value on them. Once we reduce student behavior and academic engagement to rewards and punishment, we risk losing student compliance if they do not see the reward as compelling, or do not consider the punishment to be severe enough to drive the choice to comply.

What are some ways to leverage commitment and intrinsic motivation?

We can start by engaging students in the process of developing class rules and expectations so they feel ownership and understand the reasons for rules and expectations. We can coach and model positive, productive behaviors. Further, we can brainstorm with students strategies to use when they face situations that might lead to behaviors that are not acceptable or do not contribute to their success.
We can also pay attention to circumstances that may lead to unacceptable and non-productive behaviors. Often charting of patterns of misbehavior can offer clues to where and how we can make changes in routines, practices, and expectations to prevent poor choices and inclinations toward unacceptable behaviors. For example, we may discover that at a certain time of the day students struggle to pay attention because they are hungry, so we might schedule a snack time.
We can focus on the purpose, or the “why” of what we ask of students. Exploring why certain behaviors and limits are important to the effective and efficient operation of the class can help students see how their behavior can have an impact on their and other’s success.
We can commit to developing strong, positive relationships with our students. When students know we care about them and their success, we can have a powerful influence on how they think and feel about behaving and learning in our class.

The experience of the pandemic and remote learning, undoubtedly, has led to even more lessons about commitment-based and intrinsic-driven behavior approaches. Now is a good time to share with colleagues what you have learned and listen to their insights and strategies.

August 02, 2021

The Master Teacher Blog

Six Ways to Fight Feeling Overwhelmed

Six Secrets to Maintaining a Positive Outlook–Even in Tough Times

Take a Minute: Three Leadership Behaviors to Prioritize This Week

The Innovator’s Path

When Change Comes Calling: Four Choices We Can Make

Our Choice: Hang Together or Hang Separately

Share Your Tips & Stories

Three Secrets for Building and Reinforcing Staff Engagement

Now Is the Time to Ramp Up Our Resilience

Five Questions Can Launch a Rewarding New Year

Lessons From Remote Learning for Handling Behavior

Quick Links

Customer Service