tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21754547590038989202024-03-05T17:13:55.471-06:00Teach. Learn. Lead. Repeat.Educational musings on my life as a Teacher, Learner, and Leader.Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-59438288818120624232020-02-29T08:36:00.000-06:002020-02-29T08:36:38.818-06:00Cultures of Excellence<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">“<i>Culture is what enables teams of people to defy the odds and achieve the remarkable.</i>” </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">from the <a href="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2851496/The%20NFX%20Company%20Culture%20Manual%20PDF%20ebook.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">NfX Company Culture Manual</span></a></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />“Culture” and “Excellence” are two words that get tossed around so frequently that, at times, I fear they are in danger of becoming meaningless. Yet, I never tire of talking about school culture and how we can create cultures of excellence because I am convinced that (as stated above) it enables us to <b>defy the odds and achieve the remarkable</b>. Students and teachers can both perform at higher levels when working at schools with positive school cultures. Moreover, I have served in schools with almost identical characteristics and demographics that perform at distinctly different levels because of the school’s culture. We must not simply talk about excellence and culture; we must act intentionally to create and maintain a culture that is truly excellent, defining along the way not only what culture is but also what excellence means to us and what it looks like in our day-to-day actions and interactions. My good friend and colleague <a href="https://www.jimmycasas.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Jimmy Casas</b></span></a> often implores us to, “Live your excellence,” rather than merely talking about it, I wholeheartedly agree and believe we must have conversations about what living our excellence sounds like and looks like.<br /><br /><br />Culture includes the norms, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, values, traditions, myths, and celebrations in place at any school. When working with educators on the topic of school culture, a good starting point is to examine shared values and explicitly create a list of core values that will guide subsequent beliefs and behaviors. I have seen this done successfully in any number of ways. I often start by suggesting that we all believe in excellence, obviously, and creating cultures of excellence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />However, the word “excellence,” as I suggested, is meaningless unless we drill down a bit deeper. I often ask teachers and administrators to fill in a simple blank, describing in single words what they would like their school’s culture to be known for. Whenever I pose this rather simple task, within seconds each person is able to share several compelling words that most everyone in attendance agrees would be laudable culture descriptors. I then share my own list on a slide (which varies regularly since there are so many enticing words to select):</span></div>
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<br />What are some other words you would choose to describe the ideal culture you would like to be known for creating and working in? I would love to hear your thoughts. It is also interesting to look at one-word cultural values shared by non-school entities. Here are just a few examples I came across recently:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.cirrus.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Cirrus Logic </b></span></a></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Continuous Improvement</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Innovation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Integrity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Communication</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Job Satisfaction</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.clifbar.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Clif Bar</b></span></a><br /><ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Connect</span></li>
<li>Organic</li>
<li>Restore</li>
<li>Ethical</li>
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<a href="https://www.adidas.com/us" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Adidas</b></span></a></div>
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<li>Performance</li>
<li>Passion</li>
<li>Integrity</li>
<li>Diversity</li>
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<b><a href="https://www.adobe.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Adobe</span></a></b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Genuine</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Exceptional</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Innovative</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Involved</span></li>
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Of course, it is not enough to simply brainstorm one-word culture values; we must turn these <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">cultural values</span></i> into <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">cultural commitments</span></i>. We must create action steps to achieve them, moving, perhaps, from <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">things we believe </span></b>to <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>things we will do</b></span>. Again, there are an infinite number of ways to create these statements. I continue to favor the idea of “We Will” statements and limiting these to five total. At one school in which I served, we spent a significant amount of time debating these and then wordsmithing the final five <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Faculty Values Statements</i></span></b>, which ultimately included the following:<br /><ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We Will promote and insist on a safe and orderly learning environment.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We Will design and deliver meaningful and relevant daily learning experiences.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We Will treat every person in our school community with dignity and respect.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We Will innovate through experimentation.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We Will recognize and celebrate our many successes.</span></li>
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<br />Once again, even these "We Will..." statements are not enough. We must then identify specific actions we can take to make each of these statements a reality. Finally, we must all hold each other accountable for adhering to these. When a person fails to uphold these core values (which will happen, not because people are bad, but because life happens and we are not perfect) another person must address it, not as an accountability “gotcha,” but simply as an <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">accountability reminder</span></b>. A reminder that we said we were going to do these things and that it is important for us to do what we say we are going to do. In addition to everyone holding each other accountable for living their excellence by adhering to core values, we must also carve out time to actually practice the culture and celebrate instances when we see the culture being lived out loud.<br /><br />Excellent school cultures <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">do not happen by chance; they happen by choice</span></b>. In schools with excellent cultures, educators choose to create shared values. They choose to practice and celebrate cultural values. They choose to reflect on the culture and measure how they are doing in the eyes of staff, students, and parents. Living our collective excellence by intentionally creating cultures of excellence is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-9369289695257056022020-01-09T06:51:00.000-06:002020-01-09T06:51:37.519-06:00Take the Hard Road<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>“What comes easy won't last long and </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>what lasts long won't come easy.”</i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />As we begin a new calendar year, many people make resolutions and set goals designed to positively impact themselves and/or others. Making such resolutions is relatively easy; sticking to them is often difficult. Some will no doubt succeed in adhering to their resolutions while others, inevitably, will fail. The difference? In many cases, those who succeed will take the hard road rather than the easy road when faced with difficult choices.<br /><br />For example, many self improvement plans center on exercise, diet, or finances. In each instance, success depends on choosing the hard road on a consistent basis. Waking up early to run five miles is taking the hard road. Sleeping in and skipping the run is the easy road. Cooking a meal with healthy food can be a hard road while ordering a pizza to be delivered is an easy road. When it comes to finances, spending $100 is an easy road; saving $100 is a hard road. Unfortunately, it seems as if we humans are generally wired to take the easy road; the default position seems to be the status quo or to create as little stress, work, or discomfit as possible. On the other hand, it takes discipline and intentionality to do what is hard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is the good news, however, that we must keep in mind: <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Easy roads eventually become hard, while hard roads eventually become easy.</span></i> That morning run, that daily meal, and the consistent saving of a few dollars? Eventually these acts become routines and these routines ultimately become habits. It no longer becomes a question of <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">whether</span></i></b> to run, save, or eat healthy; it has simply become <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">what we do</span></b></i> and <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">who we are</span></i></b>. It was hard, but over time, we simply became people who exercise, people who eat healthy foods, and people who are financially stable. It is no longer a choice of whether we do it; it simply becomes who we are. What was once a hard road has become an easy road because we are now more healthy or wealthy. Conversely, had we taken the easy road in the beginning, we would eventually be on the hard road, forced to deal with difficulties in terms of our health or finances. <br /><br />In our personal lives, there are scads of examples proving the easy road/hard road concept. I suspect this phenomenon is equally applicable in our professional lives as educators. What are some hard roads we must take now in our classrooms and schools so that our lives (and those of our students) eventually become easier and we achieve our goals? There are likely endless examples, but one that comes to mind is addressing the underperformance of a student or staff member. Perhaps a student continuously misbehaves in our classroom. Perhaps a teacher in our school is not adhering to our cultural norms. In both instances, the easy road might be to overlook the underperformance or to address it, but only in a cursory way. Perhaps we talk to the student, but fail to contact the parent who has proven difficult to deal with in the past. Maybe we mention our concerns to the staff member, yet still provide a satisfactory formal evaluation. This easy path will eventually become hard as the underperformance will continue and likely worsen. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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The hard road in these scenarios involves making the time to learn why the behavior is occurring, having potentially difficult conversations with those involved, creating a plan to change the underperformance, and continuing to monitor the situation throughout the school year, providing feedback and possibly consequences along the way. Left unchecked, the undesired behaviors will not only continue, but will likely get worse. Taking the hard road is (obviously) hard--at first. In this example, it takes a great deal of time and requires us to engage in uncomfortable conversations. However, this commitment to taking the hard road at the outset pays dividends over time as the student’s behavior improves or the staff member’s commitment deepens. In the end, because we chose the hard road, our work became easier. <br /><br />What are some other instances at our schools in which it behooves us to take the hard road now so we can enjoy the easy road further down the line and reach our ultimate destination as smoothly as possible? Do they involve grading, assessment, data, and pedagogy? Teacher evaluation, parent/community relationships, standardized testing, and implementing change? I would love to hear your thoughts. Knowing that hard roads become easy and easy roads become hard and choosing, therefore, to take the hard road is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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<br />Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-86618065240522039222019-11-22T11:49:00.000-06:002019-11-22T11:49:41.786-06:00Cultures of Accountability<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b><i>“To me, the best-run clubhouse in a lot of ways is a clubhouse where the players hold each other accountable. I think it always means so much more.”</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Joe Girardi</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, I follow the team closely and have written several blog posts relating situations with the Cubs to issues in education (e.g., <a href="https://jeffreyzoul.blogspot.com/2015/09/why-joe-maddon-should-be-school.html"><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Why Joe Maddon Should Be a School Principal</span></i></b></a>). So, I followed with great interest recently the decision to part ways with their manager Joe Maddon and the process of </span><span style="font-size: large;">selecting a new leader for the 2020-21 season and beyond. The front office eventually settled on David Ross, a hero to many Cubbie fanatics, but my personal choice was former Yankee manager, Joe Girardi, who also interviewed for the position. During the interview process, an apparent perceived negative of Girardi’s candidacy was his reputation as a strict disciplinarian. When asked about this reputation and his thoughts on holding players accountable, he responded with the above quote. </span><br />
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Having never played for Giradi, I cannot confirm his managerial style, but I certainly support his stated belief that the best clubhouse would be one in which everyone--not only the manager--holds each other accountable. Not surprisingly, the exact same sentiment holds true for schools:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><i>“To me, the best-run school in a lot of ways is a school where the educators hold each other accountable. I think it always means so much more.”</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I suspect it is not easy to create and maintain a baseball clubhouse culture in which the players hold each other accountable. I know from actual experience that it is definitely challenging to achieve this in a school. Too often, holding a staff member accountable becomes the sole responsibility of the school principal. Even when a teacher knows a colleague is not adhering to shared cultural norms and values, and even though it may upset that teacher, the response too often follows along the “I’m just a…” line, one of the most dreaded (and inaccurate) statements some educators seem to believe: “I’m just a teacher; it’s not my job…” In some schools, however, educators have worked together to establish a different type of school culture, one in which no staff member is “just a..” and one in which all staff members in the school hold each other accountable. Importantly, they hold each other accountable not as a “gotcha,” but simply as a “pick-me-up” reminder that we are all in this together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Obviously, some aspects of individual staff member performance are the domain of the principal, such as formal evaluations. But other aspects of individual performance are behaviors we should all expect from each other and for which we should each hold others accountable, regardless of our role. <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Stated simply:<i> We should all hold each other accountable for doing what we said we were going to do.</i></span></b> This requires us first, of course, to have explicit conversations about what we value and what actions we are willing to take collectively and individually to uphold these cultural values, expectations, norms, behaviors, and beliefs. Once we have such conversations and commit to specific action steps, it then becomes easier to remind each other of them throughout the year. Inevitably, staff members will at times fail to adhere to these commitments. Almost always, these instances are not due to any malicious intent or woeful incompetence but, instead, simply as a result of competing responsibilities or circumstances beyond our control. Perhaps an irate parent in the school office prevented a principal from being in the cafeteria interacting with students and staff like she said she would. Perhaps an upset student in a classroom prevented a teacher from being in the hallway during class transitions like we said all staff would do. These things happen. When they happen regularly, it is important for one colleague to remind another that we said we were going to do something and it is important for every staff member to follow through on the commitment. It may be a principal reminding a teacher, but in truly productive school cultures it also includes teachers holding each other accountable. In addition, it also includes teachers holding principals accountable--again, merely reminding each other that we said we were going to do something and that it makes a difference when everyone does what they said they were going to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I suspect the most successful baseball teams have extremely talented athletes. I also suspect their clubhouse culture is one in which these amazing athletes hold each other accountable for doing certain things consistently, whether that includes showing up on time to team events or running out a ground ball. Likewise, our most successful schools are staffed with highly effective educators, folks who also have intentionally built a school culture in which every individual has the authority--and even responsibility--to hold every one of their colleagues accountable...for doing what they said they were going to do as members of the organization. Creating a culture in which we hold each other accountable for doing what we say we will do is another way we<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"> Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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<br />Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-77522615264249513552019-10-20T07:52:00.000-05:002019-10-20T07:52:08.048-05:00Promoting Positive Student Behavior<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>“Teacher growth is closely related to pupil growth. Probably nothing within a school has more impact on students in terms of skills development, self-confidence, or classroom behavior than the personal and professional growth of their teachers.”</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Roland Barth</b></span></span></div>
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<br />This July, I took part in what has become an annual educational event and a highlight of my year. Along with nine respected friends and colleagues, I gathered in Boston prior to the National Principals’ Conference and wrote a collaborative book in just over 48 hours. This is the third year we have undertaken this project called #EdWriteNow (Officially, <i>Education Write Now</i>). This year, we wrote about educational challenges and solutions, resulting in the upcoming book: <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">E</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>ducation Write Now: Solutions to Common Challenges in Your School or Classroom</b></span></i>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />As I approached Year 3 of #EdWriteNow, I assumed there was little chance of matching the work of the inaugural team <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Education-Write-Now-Joe-Mazza/dp/1138296376/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=education+write+now&qid=1571423665&sr=8-2"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>(linked here)</b></span></a> or the Volume II team <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Education-Write-Now-Strategies-Relationships/dp/1138338974/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=education+write+now&qid=1571423723&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>(linked here)</b></span></a> but I was wrong. This year’s crew was just as awesome and I believe our final product may well be the best book yet!<br /><br />Once everyone arrived at the hotel, we met as a writing team. First on the agenda was sharing information about the <a href="https://will-to-live.org/"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Will to Live Foundation</b></span></a>, a non-profit foundation to which we donate all proceeds from book sales of each #EdWriteNow edition. Will to Live is an organization dedicated to preventing teen suicide by improving the lives and the “Will To Live” of teenagers everywhere through education about mental health and encouraging them to recognize the love and hope that exists in each other. You can learn more about their work by watching<span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nsUWnx9gwI&scrlybrkr"><span style="color: #cc0000;">this compelling video</span></a> </span></b>that our team watched to kick off our own work.</span><br />
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Our next task was to decide what to write about and how to turn ten individual 5,000 word essays on education into a single cohesive book. We quickly decided on an overarching theme of “Educational Challenges and Solutions.” Each author wrote about a specific problem, or challenge, we face in our roles as educators. My own contribution was to write a chapter about challenges we face in classrooms with student behaviors and how we can best plan for and resolve such issues when--or even before--they arise.</span></div>
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<br />Once we determined our writing topics, the rest of our time was spent writing alone, coming back together as a whole team to share our work, meeting with writing partners to provide critical feedback, and gathering after hours for great food, conversation, and much laughter. When we came together as a whole group, we actually read parts of our chapters aloud. It was a bit scary, reading our work aloud to nine friends we all respected not only as amazing educators, but also as excellent writers. However, when we did so, we were thrilled to learn that our individual efforts were coming together nicely as a unified book, with our voices sounding much more alike than different from chapter to chapter.<br /><br />For my chapter on promoting positive student behavior, I wrote that teachers who work to explicitly create a positive classroom culture at the beginning of the school year and work intentionally throughout the year to maintain, reinforce, and even practice their classroom culture tend to have less instances of student misbehavior than those who do not. Here is a short excerpt from that part of the book:<br /><br /><br /><i>“...The most effective teachers I have observed take time at the very start of each school year to establish a positive classroom culture. Each subsequent school day, they intentionally reinforce and even practice cultural norms and values. It is a culture co-created with the students they teach and lead, whether in a first grade classroom or a high school biology class. In classrooms with clearly established and consistently reinforced cultural norms, values, behaviors, and beliefs in place, students behave much better than those in classrooms in which teachers have, instead, left this vital piece of the “classroom management” puzzle to chance. In some instances, teachers create a shared culture in their classroom with fierce intention; in others, teachers insist they were not even aware they were doing this, yet it happened almost intuitively. Regardless of teachers’ self-awareness of their culture-building actions, I suspect that in classrooms with the most positive and productive cultures--resulting in much more positive and productive student behavior and much less student misbehavior--these teachers have much in common. They may teach Kindergarten or they may teach Advanced Placement Environmental Science. They may be veteran teachers with many years of experience or they may be a first year teacher. They may be gregarious, extroverted, charismatic individuals or they may be much more reserved. Yet despite the many ways in which they differ, these culture-building teachers all possess certain <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">mindsets </span></b>when it comes to promoting positive student behavior in their classrooms…”</i><br /><br /><br />Next week, please look for<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b> <a href="http://www.davidgeurin.com/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">David Geurin’s</span></a></b> </span>thoughts on our writing process, as well as an excerpt from his chapter. I was honored beyond words to partner with David and eight other amazing writers and thinkers on the Education Write Now project. Of course, we could not have hosted this education writing retreat without the support of our sponsor, Routledge, who will publish this book, due out in December. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Next year will be the fourth year of the #EdWriteNow project; after serving as co-editor for the first three versions, I will be rolling off this noble project, but Sanee Bell will continue to lead the work as co-editor and she will invite nine different educational writers to join the team next summer. Please let her know if you would like to be considered as a participant. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
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Huge thanks to the third <i>Education Write Now</i> team for donating their time and energy to this project. They are all outstanding and passionate educators. More importantly, they are just about the nicest friends a person could ever hope to have and I am humbled to have had this opportunity to work with them. Discussing real challenges we face as educators and brainstorming possible solutions is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span></div>
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-45343397338181284382019-09-28T13:39:00.001-05:002019-09-28T13:39:37.401-05:00Sometimes Things Happen<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>“When you base your life on principles, most of your decisions are made before you ever encounter them.”</b></span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Not long ago, I read that the most underlined sentence in all of Kindle is the following, from the wildly popular book, <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Book/dp/0439023483"><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Hunger Games</span></a>:</b></span><br /><br /><i>“Because sometimes things happen to people and they are not ready for it.”</i><br /><br />What might it look like to be ready? One way we can look forward proactively is by looking backward reflectively, learning from our past experiences, including both our successes and failures. Another way we can “be ready” even when we have no idea what is about to happen is by basing our lives on principles, as the above quote suggests. In our book,<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Principled-Principal-Principles-Leading-Exceptional/dp/1946444588"><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Principled Principal</span></a></span></b><span style="color: #cc0000;">, </span>Anthony McConnell and I make the case that educators, including all school leaders, are more apt to respond well to the unexpected when the way they operate professionally is guided by core values, or principles.</span><div>
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When our day-to-day actions as professional educators are grounded in core principles, it results in a kind of comfortable predictability that those we lead (whether students or colleagues) come to recognize and appreciate. We are not acting one way today and a totally different way tomorrow. We do not say yes to one person or idea in one instance and no to a different person with a similar idea in another. We also are careful to not say yes to one idea and yes again to another idea that completely contradicts the first one. Indeed, principled educators are consistent in their decision-making processes and, ultimately, their decisions, ensuring a culture in which all staff and students become aware that “this is the way we do things around here.” Such a culture dictates that we base our decisions not on whimsy, nor the flavor-of-the-month, nor on the person asking; rather, we base these decisions on what is best for our students and our school as a community. <br /><br />Spontaneity can be a good thing, especially in schools and classrooms. Over the course of a long school year, it is important for both teachers and administrators to find ways to break from routine and allow for spontaneous joy. Surprising our kids--or our staff members--with lessons, meetings, celebrations, and events that break with tradition or the daily grind is an excellent way to keep teaching and learning exciting and of reigniting passions. Yet, there is also something to be said for predictability. The word--at least in my mind--carries with it connotations of boring and dull. Yet, at least in certain ways, being a ‘predictable” teacher or administrator can be quite comforting to those we teach and lead.</span></div>
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<br />Last year, I served as an interim school administrator for a few months. Something happened on my second day working at the school that was, honestly, the most elevated situation I have come across in over 35 years of public school service. I walked into the office from morning bus duty and was confronted with a potentially explosive and dangerous situation involving a disturbed and distraught adult. To be honest, I was taken by surprise and for just a moment could not even comprehend what was happening. In a way it was like the line from <i>The Hunger Games</i>: Something was happening and I was not ready for it. Yet, in another way, I was prepared even though the situation was completely unexpected and quite unsettling. I was prepared (as were the few colleagues who were also there) because I had already adopted principles which guided the way I behaved whenever coming across such situations and we immediately acted according to these principles (de-escalate, try to connect, enact all emergency procedures, stay calm, etc.) once we realized what was happening. Although it took awhile, everyone involved behaved based on core principles and eventually the situation was resolved as smoothly as humanly possible.<br /><br />Schools, on the whole, are some of the most joyful places on Planet<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: http://bit.ly/2mFeH0S</td></tr>
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Earth. There are times, however, when our schools and classrooms are places of stressful, even tragic, situations, often when “things happen for which we are not ready.” We cannot prevent every such situation from occurring, but we can prepare for the unexpected, in part, by basing our lives on principles so that when the unexpected does happen, we can respond in the best possible way. Several years ago, clinical psychologist <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/meg_jay_why_30_is_not_the_new_20#t-99426"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Meg Jay delivered one of my favorite TED Talks</b></span></a> in which she discusses another event one can prepare for well before it happens: getting married. She makes the case that, “The best time to work on Alex’s marriage is before she has one.” Just because marriage, work, and kids are happening later in life doesn’t mean you can’t start planning now. Another example that comes to mind is the infamous incident in which pilot Chesley Sullenberger (Sully) miraculously landed an airplane on the Hudson River in New York. Although he could never have fully anticipated this situation, in actuality, he had spent a lifetime preparing for it. Sully had made the decision of what to do well in advance of the 208 seconds during which he had available to him to act. Likewise, just because we can never know when something unexpected is going to happen in our classroom or school, we must still prepare for the unexpected by basing our lives on principle. Making decisions well in advance of having to actually respond to the unexpected is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-80884650717693720382019-08-17T13:46:00.002-05:002019-08-17T13:46:58.039-05:00Learning By Doing (and Planning to Do)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>the first four sharpening the axe.” </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Abraham Lincoln</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that </i></b></span></div>
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<br />The above quotes are both important when it comes to learning. As learners, we must spend time <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">preparing to do </span></i>and also <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>engage in the actual doing</i></span>. It is popular to proclaim that we learn best by doing and I tend to agree with the spirit of this sentiment. In fact, when speaking to educators about learning, I often start by <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">defining learning as, “Doing what we can’t,”</span></i> meaning that it is not until I can do something which I previously could not do that I have learned. At its essence, learning results in a change within us; when we learn, we are changed in some way: we now think differently or we possess new knowledge or we can now do what we previously could not. As important as <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">doing</span></i> is to the learning process, we must not discount, however, the importance of <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">planning to do</span></i>. I am reminded of the importance of both learning and planning to learn when I travel and have reflected often on the differences between my travel planning today and my lesson planning when I served as a classroom teacher for nineteen years.<br /><br />I have traveled to all 50 states and 30 countries. Early on in my life as a traveler, I realized that the more I learned about a destination prior to actually traveling there, the more I would see and could do once I actually arrived. A good example is my trip to Pamplona, Spain several years ago to run with the bulls. I was a Hemingway fan as a young man and running with the bulls had been on my travel bucket list for many years. When I finally decided to make the trip, I also made the decision to learn as much as I possibly could about running with the bulls prior to actually arriving. I read several books on the topic, perused scores of online resources, watched a number of videos, and spoke with a few people who had already made the journey.</span><div>
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The background knowledge I gained from this research helped me immensely once I arrived. By acquiring this knowledge prior to my arrival, I knew where I wanted to stay, what I needed to wear, at what point along the path I wanted to start my daily run with the bulls, proper running etiquette, what would happen once we entered Plaza de Toros de Pamplona, and even what to do should I fall while running. Had I not arrived in Pamplona armed with all the knowledge I now possessed about running with the bulls, I would not have been as confident about what I would be doing and I may not have achieved my goals. <br /><br />So, how does this relate to education? I think background knowledge still matters. <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ultimately, the most enduring and impactful learning we experience comes from doing rather than knowing, yet knowing as much as possible before doing still makes sense. </span></i>When speaking to educators, I often share the following on a slide:</span><div>
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<br />Make no mistake: We need to intentionally push our students to act as the learners described on the right hand of the slide. At the same time, there remains a place in all classrooms for students to engage in the learning behaviors listed on the left side of the image. Our ultimate goal must be that students “make meaning,” “produce,” and “do” as learners. Yet, they are more likely to accomplish this when they “gain meaning,” “know more,” and “consume” what we have to offer them, so that once they begin “doing,” their chances for success in terms of enduring skills and knowledge are strengthened.</span><div>
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When traveling to any new destination, I believe that the more you know about the destination before you arrive, the more you will experience and learn about the destination once you are actually there. Ultimately, we learn by doing and, at times, it suits us--and our students--to simply jump right in and start doing. Yet, planning to do matters also and it is more often the case that <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">we will do more and do better when we are thoroughly equipped to embark upon the doing.</span></i> Empowering our students to actively "do" learning matters. Preparing them to "do" by building their background knowledge and equipping them with necessary skills also matters. Ensuring that our students are learning by doing and planning to do are two important ways we <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</b></i></span></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-44713450138361493232019-06-29T07:29:00.000-05:002019-06-29T07:51:07.372-05:00When Is It OK To Break the Rules?<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, </span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">I break them.”</span></b></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">Robert Heinlein</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The majority of educators I know tend to be rule followers by nature and there is certainly something to be said for establishing guidelines in our schools to ensure safety and optimize student and staff performance. There are other times, however, when we must serve as disruptors, recognizing that a rule we may have in place serves no legitimate purpose or is even counterproductive to what we are attempting to accomplish. Recently, I found myself reflecting on two such instances that are of a totally different nature but equally representative of rules gone awry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One instance related to school safety. At a school I visited this past year, I was walking down a busy hallway during a class change. As I turned a corner by a stairwell, a door opened suddenly and struck me. A student had come down the stairs and flung open the door, inadvertently striking me as I passed by. The school counselor, who also happened to be walking by, stopped to make sure I was OK and said, “This happens all the time. We have a sign on the door warning people to open the door carefully, but it doesn’t do much good.” In examining the area, the solution was rather obvious: keep the stairwell doors open or perhaps remove them entirely. I suggested as much to the counselor. She agreed that this was the logical thing to do and informed me that they had already tried to make that change only to be told it was against the safety code. School and local fire officials had designated the stairwell as some sort of safe haven in the event of an emergency which, for some reason, dictated that the doors remain closed. I raised the issue myself with these people and was rebuffed. I pointed out that students and staff members were getting hurt on a regular basis by following this rule. I also inquired as to whether any emergency had ever occurred in the fifty-plus years of the school’s existence which resulted in the stairwell being used as a safe haven. Not surprisingly, the answer was no, but the doors were to remain closed all the same, just in case. If not so maddening, it would have been humorous: in the name of “safety,” we followed a rule which made the school much less safe for the students and staff walking the halls of the school on a daily basis.</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-size: large;">A much different--and possibly even more important--example has to do with grade acceleration. Although it may not be a formal “rule,” I have found that allowing a child to skip a grade or subject is generally frowned upon and rarely allowed. Every student we serve, it seems, must pass through every stage of the PreK-12 journey without skipping a step in the process regardless of their social, emotional, academic, and physical status. In over thirty years of public school service, I can count on one hand how many students I came in contact with who were allowed to skip a grade. In each instance, the recommendation to do so was initially met with stern opposition; yet also in each instance, the student who was allowed to skip a grade thrived once they were moved ahead. The argument for keeping a student in, say, second grade, when all indications are that the child would be better served by moving her into third grade are no more compelling than the argument for keeping stairwell doors closed even when it means that students and staff are regularly clonked on the head by an opening door. In fact, the argument pretty much boils down to: “But, that’s the way we have always done it.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am generally not opposed to rules. In our schools, especially, it makes perfect sense to have clear rules in place to ensure student safety and to maximize student and staff performance. Yet, there must be a purpose behind the rules we establish. And the purpose must be something larger than, “That’s just the way we have always done it.” If the “way we have always done it” is getting the results we desire, we should probably keep doing it. If, instead, “the way we have always done it” is harming people or holding them back from performing at their optimal level, we must heed the words of Heinlein and break such “obnoxious’ rules. What are some other rules we should break in our schools? I am interested in your thoughts. Knowing when to follow the rules and when to be a disruptor and break the rules are important ways we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-5287050954073920992019-05-28T13:33:00.000-05:002019-05-28T13:35:10.286-05:00Teaching and Learning Contradictions<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>“We shouldn’t squander our valuable instruction time with routine management tasks. Immediately upon arrival, students should be engaged in some form of review of learning </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>or preparation for learning.”</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Rick Wormeli</b></span></span></div>
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<br />In a<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://jeffreyzoul.blogspot.com/2018/11/doing-things-better-is-good.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">post I wrote last year about leadership contradictions</span></a>,</span></span></b> I suggested the following:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> “...leadership is a venture filled with contradictions. At times, I find myself believing in what can seem like completely opposing ideas.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Upon reflection, I discovered that I also view the concept of learning as a venture rife with contradictions. In fact, there are scads of examples, including the quote above from one of my favorite educators of all time, <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://www.rickwormeli.com/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rick Wormeli</span></a>.</span></b> I agree with Rick 100% that valuable teaching and learning time should be reserved for, well, teaching and learning. At the same time, I also believe that--at least at the beginning of any course or school year--we can actually maximize learning time if we invest time spent on “routine management tasks” that we will encounter throughout the year, so that we need not waste time on these tasks subsequently as the year progresses. Here are three other contradictions I wrestle with when it comes to learning:<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Contradiction #1:</b></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>We must teach to mastery</b></span></span></li>
<li><b>We need to keep pushing forward through the curriculum</b></li>
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</b></span>When I was principal of a middle school, a teacher asked me, “Do you want me to make sure every student has learned the material or do you want me to keep up with the curriculum map?” My unhelpful answer was, “Yes.” Like virtually every educator I know, I believe that one of our primary responsibilities is to ensure that all students master grade level learning standards. Unfortunately, not every student will master each learning target, objective, or standard in the same way or on the same day. And the fact remains that there are many other standards awaiting to be taught and learned. We cannot wait until every child in every class proves mastery of a learning standard before moving to new learning. It does not mean, of course, that we do not find ways to circle back with students who need additional support on previous standards. </span><br />
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This is challenging to say the least, but we must do it. As an educator, I believe: We must do everything we can--individually and with our colleagues--to ensure all students master grade level standards. We must also keep up with pacing guides/curriculum maps to ensure that we teach all grade level standards during the course of a school year.</span><b style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">Contradiction #2:</span></b></div>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>We need to focus on innovation</b></span></li>
<li><b>All students must master basic skills</b></li>
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</b></span>We can never settle for the status quo in education; our customers (students) are too important. We must give our very best each day, but when we learn new and better ways to “do school” we must do so. We cannot simply keep adding more of what is familiar or merely improving upon the familiar. Today’s best practices will not be tomorrow’s; we must innovate, continuously creating new and better practices. Innovation does not mean we overlook basic skills, however. Every student must be fully literate, in particular, mastering reading early in their educational journeys. New, bright shiny toys and bells and whistles must not (and need not) replace direct, explicit, intentional instruction in the areas of reading, writing, mathematical computation, and scientific inquiry, to name but a few “basic” areas we must always emphasize in our schools. As an educator, I believe: We must continue teaching basic skills, particularly at the primary grade levels, and we must constantly and actively pursue new and better ways to ensure we are motivating and inspiring all students to learn all that they can.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Contradiction #3:</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>It’s all about the kids</b></span></span></li>
<li><b>It’s all about the teachers</b></li>
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</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">Something I say often--and look for in others when hiring staff--is that every important decision we make must be based on what is best for students. I believe that to my core. Yet, I also believe that the most important variable affecting student academic achievement is the quality of the teacher in every classroom at every school. Every educator I know would probably agree with the statement that “it is all about the kids,” but it will never be “all about the kids” unless we are also “all about their teachers.” We </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">must support them, coach them, celebrate them, inspire them. Kids may well be #1 in our schools, but teachers are--at a minimum-- #1A. Without honoring teachers and making sure that we are all about teachers, we will never be all about kids. As an educator, I believe: Schools should be places at which we are all about kids. Schools should also be places at which we are all about the teachers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I could list many other learning contradictions, including the fact that I believe students are much different today than they were many years ago, while I also believe that students in our schools today are pretty much the same as they have always been. What learning contradictions have you noticed in your experiences? I would love to hear what you would add to the list. Education and learning are challenging undertakings, in part, because so little is black and white and so much is gray; learning is rarely an “either/or” proposition. At the same time, the contradictions that make teaching and learning so challenging are also what make our efforts so rewarding. What we do is more art than science. At times, that can be discomfiting</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">. Yet, it is a productive struggle and one we must recognize, embrace, and learn from. How can we thrive in an atmosphere where there are so many contradictions and so few obvious answers? Recognizing these contradictions and understanding that there is seldom one right way to act are important ways we </span><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span></div>
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-8604049413774501602019-04-27T13:43:00.000-05:002019-04-30T20:09:21.877-05:00School Culture Essentials: Help. Thanks. Wow. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">"The culture of a workplace--an organization's values, norms, and practices--has a huge impact on our </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">happiness and success."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Adam Grant</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I first became aware of Anne Lamott when I was teaching writing <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zagZcP2Vw9RjmyZ2RTNrGLkGcQAJhU56i20Abl2yjazipuTZmmCTtGcQ6_GUUNAA74ufILnWFfkdzaKDnUZRlsWOIz08uuo1dQ7qlkKm7XfVEmrj3md1xsOiA2r_XcKQRv4lFDC5jYE/s1600/Bird+By+Bird+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zagZcP2Vw9RjmyZ2RTNrGLkGcQAJhU56i20Abl2yjazipuTZmmCTtGcQ6_GUUNAA74ufILnWFfkdzaKDnUZRlsWOIz08uuo1dQ7qlkKm7XfVEmrj3md1xsOiA2r_XcKQRv4lFDC5jYE/s320/Bird+By+Bird+new.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: https://amzn.to/2J5U1rs</td></tr>
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and came across her 1994 book, <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bird+by+bird&qid=1556388504&s=gateway&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Bird By Bird</span></a>,</b></span> a thoroughly enjoyable book with helpful </span><span style="font-size: large;">tips on writing and living. Recently, I read her 2012 book, </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Help-Thanks-Wow-Essential-Prayers/dp/1594631298/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Z0GT73D4BW3Q&keywords=help+thanks+wow+anne+lamott&qid=1556388557&s=gateway&sprefix=help+th%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers.</b></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Although I enjoyed the book immensely, my takeaway for the purposes of this blog post has little to do with the content of this book--other than the title itself, and how that remarkable title might apply to education, specifically school culture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />At a recent <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://connectedd.org/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">What Great Educators Do Differently</span></a></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></i></b>conference, Jimmy Casas and I were leading a session on "Building Culture and Leading Learning." During the session, I asked school leaders to reflect on what they would like others to say about their school culture, filling in the following blank with five different words:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I would like our school to be noted for its Culture of _________________ .</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We brainstormed a wealth of inspiring ideas, including the hope that our schools might be marked by cultures of: </span><span style="font-size: large;">Learning, <i>Compassion</i>, <i>Caring</i>, <i>Results</i>, <i>Commitment</i>, <i>Innovation</i>, <i>Risk-Taking</i>, <i>Safety</i>, and <i>Excellence</i>, to name but a few. Rather spontaneously, I thought of Lamott’s book I had recently finished and shared with the audience that I would also like to work in a school known for a culture in which Help, Thanks, and Wow were interwoven in the daily teaching, learning, leading, and living at the school. What if our schools were filled with students and staff who continuously sought help and offered it to others? Who consistently expressed gratitude for all the blessings in existence within the school community? Who never failed to express awe and wonder at the amazing things happening each day at the school? So many things are in play when we talk about "school culture." It includes the norms, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, values, practices, celebrations, traditions, and myths that exist. Perhaps it also includes what Lamott identifies as her three simple prayers: Help. Thanks. Wow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Essential Culture Characteristic #1: "Help":</span></b> In the session we were leading recently, Jimmy made a statement I have heard him suggest on countless occasions. The four most powerful words in leadership are: “I need your help.” In a school marked by a culture of helping, we must not only embrace this sentiment, but expand upon it. Every staff member in the school and every student in the school must be comfortable seeking help from everyone else in the schoolhouse. Teachers must ask for and provide help to each other. Principals must ask for help from students and staff and provide help in return. Students must be assured that asking for help is normal and part of the school’s culture. I remember when I began my first year of teaching many years ago. I was very nervous and unsure of how to actually teach, including designing lesson plans for my first graders. During my first week of working at the school, I asked a veteran teacher if I could look at her lesson plan book so I could get some ideas for my own classroom. Although this person became a close friend who I grew to respect, I will never forget her answer. She flat out refused, telling me she had to figure it out for herself and I would have to as well. In 2019, I desperately hope this is no longer the case. No matter what your role is in a school--administrator, teacher, teacher assistant, or student--your job is tough--and made only more challenging if forced to do it alone. We must create school cultures in which asking for assistance on a regular basis without fear of repercussions is a way of life. Cultivate your “Help” culture today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Essential Culture Characteristic #2: "Thanks": </span></b>Schools with strong cultures are populated with people who genuinely appreciate all the good that is occurring therein. They take time to notice when a student helps another student, when a colleague comforts a student who is hurting, when a principal goes out of her way to celebrate staff members. They do not take these small kindnesses for granted, but, instead, take a moment to reflect on how thankful they are to be working in a school, where so much good happens so often. Moreover, they heed the advice of Gladys Bronwyn Stern’s “Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone" admonition and share their gratitude with others. We must create school cultures in which appreciating the good we witness throughout the daily grind becomes a way of life. Cultivate your “Thanks” culture today. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Essential Culture Characteristic #3: "Wow":</span></b> In schools, we are fortunate to experience hundreds of of daily incidents for which we can be thankful. Perhaps even more remarkable, we work in places where awe-inspiring and legitimately wonderful things take place regularly. Things that not only make us thankful, but leave us awestruck. A student who has struggled for years to read suddenly cracks the code and becomes a voracious reader. A dedicated school nurse prevents a tragedy by acting quickly when a student experiences a medical emergency. An entire school donates their time, money, and resources to improving some aspect of the community in which they live. A student designs a product that is subsequently used in a local business. A student singing the national anthem before a basketball game brings tears to everyone in attendance. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1ezVvB697E"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>An entire school makes time to recognize the contributions of the school custodian</b></span></a>. Things are happening in our schools every single day which make me stop what I am doing and simply say (silently or aloud), “Wow!” We must create school cultures in which feeling awe at the amazing things happening in our schools regularly becomes a way of life. Cultivate your “Wow” culture today.<br /><br />I want to express my T<b>hanks</b> to Anne Lamott for inspiring this blog post. Her writing always H<b>elps</b> me and leaves me with a sense of W<b>ow</b>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">School culture is comprised of many things and, as Adam Grant suggests, has a huge impact on our happiness and success. We can behave in certain (and oftentimes simple) ways to create a culture in which that impact is profoundly positive. Three simple (and essential) ways are to follow Lamott’s advice, ensuring that we ask for assistance, appreciate the good, and recognize the awe surrounding us each day. Creating school cultures in which we seek help, express gratitude and feel awe are important ways we <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</i></span></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-85819253871931509192019-03-23T12:39:00.001-05:002019-03-23T12:39:42.854-05:00Creating Cultures of Empathy<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.”</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Oprah Winfrey</b></span></span></div>
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<br /><br />Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is almost here and I am already beginning to worry whether my beloved Cubbies will win this year’s World Series in 4, 5, 6, or 7 games. I suppose as long as they win it all, it matters not whether they pull off a sweep or need the entire seven games. One reason the Cubs will win the World Series again this year (after magnanimously allowing the Astros and Red Sox to enjoy a brief moment in the sun the past two seasons) is the <i><u>talent</u></i> they will have on the field during the games. Another reason, however, is the clubhouse <i><u>culture</u></i> they have established. <a href="http://jeffreyzoul.blogspot.com/2015/09/why-joe-maddon-should-be-school.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>In my 2015 post suggesting Joe Maddon could be an awesome school principal,</b></span></a> I wrote that a team’s culture is nearly as important a variable to their winning as is their talent. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And the Chicago Cubs have clearly established a strong clubhouse culture.<br /><br />One reason the Cubs’ clubhouse culture is so strong is due to the organization’s strong leadership, specifically manager Joe Maddon and President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. Their leadership sets the culture tone for the rest of the team. Serving together in Chicago since 2015, these two leaders have continuously worked to improve the talent on their roster as well as the atmosphere in the clubhouse. In reflecting on what it is that sets the Cubbies culture above most other teams, a few words come to mind, including:<br /><ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Empathy</span></li>
<li>Work Ethic</li>
<li>Joy</li>
<li>Caring</li>
<li>Results</li>
<li>Continuous Improvement</li>
<li>Priorities</li>
</ul>
These are all important attributes of any organizational culture, but I was reminded specifically of the impact empathy has upon Cubs' culture when reading <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-joe-maddon-millennials-20190220-story.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>a recent story in the Chicago Tribune</b></span></a> highlighting how Epstein and Maddon endeavor to see the world through the lens of those whom they are leading.</span><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/GPkcwG</td></tr>
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<b>According to Epstein:</b><br /><br />“It’s incumbent on us not to just sit there and say, ‘Players have changed; they don’t get it, they don’t listen, they don’t care.’ or ‘We don’t understand them.’ We have to learn the lens from which they view the world and learn the best way of communicating with them because they’ve grown up with a totally different upbringing than we did and with devices that are omnipresent.”<br /><br />All the above components of a strong baseball clubhouse culture are also foundational pillars of a strong school culture. In schools with positive cultures, <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">all staff members</span></i></b> are focused on results and continuous improvement. <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">All staff members</span></b></i> take their professional responsibilities seriously and work hard each day, yet they intentionally find the joy in the day-to-day routines of the school. <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">All staff members</span></i></b> sincerely care--about the students they serve, of course, but also about each other. <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">All staff members</span></i></b> recognize that everyone in the school is important and everything each person does at the school is important and they are masters at scheduling their priorities rather than prioritizing their schedules. As important as each of these culture builders is, however, the ability of <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">all staff members</span></b></i> to empathize with others in the school with whom they interact cannot be underestimated. Let’s revisit Epstein’s quote, making two small changes: replacing “players” with “students” and substituting “teaching” for “communicating with”:<br /><br />“It’s incumbent on us not to just sit there and say, ‘<i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Students</span></b></i> have changed; they don’t get it, they don’t listen, they don’t care.’ or ‘We don’t understand them.’ We have to learn the lens from which they view the world and learn the best way of <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">teaching</span></i></b> them because they’ve grown up with a totally different upbringing than we did and with devices that are omnipresent.”<br /><br />In some ways, students (and baseball players) today are not unlike <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/BZJa3U</td></tr>
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students (and baseball players) 10, 20, or even 50 years ago. In other ways, they are altogether different. It is incumbent upon us to not only embrace what remains the same about our learners, but also embrace how they have changed over time. Each of us will always have our own lens through which we view the world, but we must also stand in the shoes of our students and picture the classroom, school, community, and world from their lens. Devices <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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are omnipresent not only for baseball players but for students--including those as young as preschool. We can pine for “the good ol' days” from now until the cows come home--or until the White Sox win another World Series, perhaps--but those days: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1) Were not always so good and 2) Are gone forever. <br /><br />Many things have stayed the same in baseball and in schools over the years. In the upcoming baseball season, players will hit home runs, pitchers will strike batters out, and runners will steal bases--much like they did when the National League was formed in 1876. In our schools this year, students have been reading, writing, and studying history--much like they have done in our country's schools since the colonial era. At the same time, both baseball and schools are dramatically different than they were at their inception, with many of these changes due to advances in technology. As the Cubs embark upon another World Series season, I am reminded how much their success is based on their culture, including <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">embracing change</span></i></b> and <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">practicing empathy.</span></i></b> These are pillars of school success as well. How we approach change can significantly impact how successful we will be as educators. Creating cultures in which such changes are embraced as opportunities and in which staff members learn the lens through which their students see the world while learning the best approaches for teaching them are more ways we <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></b></i></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-24830868513721464242019-02-16T11:01:00.000-06:002019-02-16T11:01:12.525-06:00Leadership Priorities<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”</span></i></b> </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Stephen Covey</span></b></div>
<br />Since “retiring” from full time public education service in 2017, I have had the privilege to co-author several books, speak to thousands of educators around the country, and work in several schools as a coach. In addition, I have served as a short-term interim administrator. These experiences as an interim principal have been richly rewarding; being back in a school every day--albeit on a temporary basis--rejuvenated me and reminded me just how challenging (and rewarding) it is to serve as an educator in any role. My last full time principal assignment was a decade ago; taking on this leadership role again, I found myself doing many of the same things I did years ago. On the other hand, I found myself doing some of these things quite differently. How I behaved was directly related to my priorities in this new role. I was determined to <i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>be intentional about scheduling my priorities as opposed to prioritizing what was on my schedule.</b></span></i><br /><br />On my first day as an interim principal, I decided to do what I had always done as a full time principal: I went outside to the car rider line and shook the hand of every student arriving to the school between 7:45 - 8:15. As a principal, I always prioritized this on my schedule for several reasons, including:</span><div>
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<li>Students and parents seem to appreciate it;</li>
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<li>It helped me get to know students and their families better;</li>
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<li>I believed that students were more likely to behave better when I looked them in the eye each morning, shook their hand, and told them to have an awesome day;</li>
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<li>I believe it is a way to model for other adults in the building what I expect in terms of presence and visibility in the common areas of the school;</li>
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<li>Somewhat selfishly, I found it to be a fun, positive, and energizing way to start my day.</li>
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<br />I am well aware of the many reasons why it is difficult to do this every single day as a school administrator, but I encourage all principals to simply prioritize greeting students each morning into their daily routine in spite of the many competing demands on their time. When I started doing this as an interim principal, several parents actually took the time to get out of their car to thank me for doing this. I had others take photos of me shaking their child’s hand in the morning. One morning, a parent walking into the school told me, “What you do out here every morning is the talk on the streets of our town.” I am convinced that this simple daily routine is a difference maker for school leaders and we must schedule it as a daily priority.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I was a full time principal, I also met with students who misbehaved, were chronically tardy/absent, or were underperforming academically. On my first day as an interim principal, several teachers immediately asked me to do this, too, indicating a particular student about whom they were concerned. I decided to approach the situation much differently than I had when I was a full-time principal. When I was a principal, I was often so “busy,” that I failed to prioritize an adequate amount of time to these situations, instead merely checking them off my to-do list. Upon reflection, I am not proud of this, but often I would simply call the student in, quickly “address” the issue, and send the student on his/her way. As an interim principal, I decided to take a different approach. Instead of merely checking the task off my list, I decided to make it a priority to actually work with the child to resolve the problem. I spoke with the student for almost fifteen minutes, mostly serving as an active listener. I then called the student's mother and spoke with her for another fifteen minutes, again listening very carefully. Then, I turned back to the student and spoke with him for another ten minutes. Together, we came up with a goal, a plan, and a mutual commitment to follow through. I checked in with this student almost daily to reinforce expectations, see how he was doing, and celebrate success when appropriate. Although meeting with students who were struggling in different areas was something I did as a full-time principal as well as an interim principal, the way in which I did this changed dramatically--and for the better. The difference? As an interim principal, <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">I prioritized doing whatever I could to actually solve the problem, instead of approaching it as a task to be completed</span></i></b>.<br /><br /><br />Many of the things we must do as school leaders should change over time; we must constantly be on the lookout to innovate as leaders <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">not by merely doing things better, but by doing better things.</span></i></b> At the same time, there are certain things we must do as school leaders that we will likely be doing as long as we have schools. For these things, we should continue to strive for improvement, doing what we do tomorrow better than we do it today. Being visible during school arrival time is an example of doing a better thing (if, instead, we currently devote that time to attending meetings or catching up on work in our office). Meeting with students to actively listen and then design a plan for success when they are struggling (rather than simply meeting with them to assign a consequence) is an example of doing things better. In each instance, the key--as Covey reminds us--is not to prioritize our schedules, but to schedule our priorities. In our book, <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Principled-Principal-Principles-Leading-Exceptional/dp/1946444588"><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Principled Principal</span></a>,</span></b> Anthony McConnell and I make the case that how we manage many competing responsibilities is not only a challenge, but an opportunity. How we approach this challenge can significantly impact how successful we will be as school leaders. Scheduling our priorities is a key to success and another way we <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</b></i></span></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-3351394286213272772019-01-05T13:22:00.002-06:002019-01-05T13:34:49.593-06:00Gratitude for Expectations<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ever since I first became an educator many years ago, one of my <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/z8fqkT</td></tr>
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core principles has been related to expectations, specifically establishing high expectations first and foremost for myself and then for every student and staff member I served as a classroom teacher and administrator. Having high expectations for myself and others with whom I interact remains a core value. Having said that, it is inevitable that, at times, we (or others with whom we have a relationship) do not meet our expectations. What happens when we fail to realize such dreams? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Recently, I attended a concert at City Winery in Chicago featuring someone I consider among the greatest living songwriters in the world, </span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://michael-mcdermott.com/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Michael McDermott</span></a>. </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;">In addition to being an outstanding singer, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter, McDermott is also a gifted storyteller. Halfway through the concert, he began telling a story about his initial meteoric rise in the music industry. He was a very </span><span style="font-size: large;">young man represented at the time by the top agent and top manager in the entire industry. His first album was a huge success </span><span style="font-size: large;">and his manager told him he would be playing the United Center (where the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks play) within five years. Well, things did not exactly turn out as planned for Michael and these lofty career expectations were never met. But McDermott spoke that night about how grateful he was for the way things <b><i>did</i></b> turn out for him. He self deprecatingly said he did indeed make it to the United Center periodically--to catch big name music acts. As for himself, looking around the 300-seat venue we were in, he laughed and said, “This is my F***ing United Center!” We cheered him on and then he said something along the lines of, “You know, if we would only trade gratitude for expectations, we would all be better off” before launching into his next song. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />I will never stop having high expectations for myself, for my family and friends, and for any students or educators with whom I work. I will continue to set lofty goals and encourage others to do the same. In fact, I hope we all dream such big dreams that not realizing all our dreams becomes not only possible, but inevitable, at some point along our respective journeys. And when that happens, I hope we will reflect on the dreams we <b><i>have</i></b> realized and all the good in our current situations, choosing to be sincerely grateful for all that we <b><i>do have</i></b> without bemoaning that which we <i><b>do not</b></i>. <i>If we focus on what we do not have, we will never have enough; on the other hand, gratitude turns what we do have into enough.</i> <br /><br />I respect McDermott and so many others for making the conscious decision to choose gratitude for what one has, as opposed to focusing on expectations not met. In the end, things most always turn out for the better in any case. I recently had a friend interview for an administrative position she desperately was hoping to get only to be told the job went to someone else. It reminded me of how disappointed I have been each time I failed to land a position I, too, desperately wanted--at least at the time. Upon reflection, in each such instance, I now look back with gratitude that I was not offered those jobs; for me, life has had a way of working out perhaps not exactly as planned, but precisely the way it should have for my ultimate happiness. Although it is painful right now and of little comfort, I suspect that my friend, too, will look back five years hence with gratitude that she did not get this position and thankful for the position she does have at that time.<br /><br />Expectations can be tricky things. Of course we should have high expectations, yet we must realize that unmet expectations can cause conflict, if we allow them to gnaw at us. In fact, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/POWER-PRINCIPLE-INFLUENCE-HONOR/dp/0684846160"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Blaine Lee</span></b></a> suggested that almost all conflict is the result of violated expectations. But we can also make the choice to not allow unrealized dreams to get us down and, in fact, to express gratitude for what we do have, rejoicing in future possibilities whenever one door closes.</span></div>
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I will likely never see Michael McDermott performing at the United Center, but I am grateful to have seen him play at dozens of small venues in several states the past few years. Although most folks reading this blog post have likely never heard of him, I am not alone in my opinion that McDermott is one of our greatest living musicians. <a href="https://www.stephenking.com/"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Bestselling author Stephen King</b></span></a> has said of him: "Michael McDermott is one of the best songwriters in the world and possibly the greatest undiscovered rock n roll talent of the last 20 years.” (Speaking of Stephen King and unmet expectations, when I published my first book, one of my colleagues said, “Jeff, you are going to be on Oprah with this book!” Needless to say, I never did make a guest appearance on Oprah. However, I am extremely grateful that, together, books written by Stephen King and me have sold over 350 million copies!). Despite King’s (and mine, for what it is worth) high praise of Michael’s songwriting skills, he appears destined to continue playing small venues in his career, rather than large stadiums. Although some might resent this, I am glad that McDermott chooses gratitude, not bitterness. And I can guarantee him that the 300 people who heard him at City Winery in December appreciate him as much as--if not more than--the 20,000 people who heard Josh Groban recently at the United Center.<br /><br />As we begin another new year, I hope everyone continues to dream big dreams and insist on high expectations for themselves as well as others with whom they serve. As important as this is, however, I hope even more that 2019 finds you choosing gratitude throughout the year for everything you have, everything you accomplish, everything that comes your way, and, even, for the inevitable disappointments you are sure to face while pursuing your dreams. Having high expectations--yet trading gratitude for disappointment when such expectations are violated--is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-61319859776205865762018-11-21T10:35:00.001-06:002018-11-21T18:08:18.358-06:00Leadership Contradictions<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">“Doing things better is good. </span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Doing better things is even better.”</span></b></i></span></div>
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<br />The more I serve as a leader and study the world of leadership, the more I believe that leadership is a venture filled with contradictions. At times, I find myself believing in what can seem like completely opposing ideas. Even the quote above is an example. Although I believe we should be doing the things we currently do in schools better tomorrow than we are today, I also believe this is no longer enough and that we should, in fact, be doing better things tomorrow than we are doing today. Here are four other contradictions I wrestle with when it comes to school leadership:<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Contradiction #1: </span></b></span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Test scores matter.</b></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>We should not focus on test scores.</b></span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/F4Ru2V</td></tr>
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Although not everyone reading this will agree, I actually believe that test scores do matter. We are public servants paid by taxpayers and we should be accountable to these taxpayers in many ways, including student achievement on accountability tests. Whether it is fair and whether we like it, many parents use test scores as a primary reason for moving (or not) into a certain school district. Test scores matter. They may not matter to every educator, but they should, if only because they matter to many of our students and parents. At the same time, I believe we should not focus on test scores on a daily basis. Instead, we should focus on providing meaningful and engaging learning experiences throughout each school day that are aligned to specific learning standards and targets. If we do this intentionally and consistently, our students will learn and grow and show evidence of this on any test they must take. As a leader, I believe: Test scores do matter and we should not focus on test scores.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Contradiction #2: </b></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>If everything is important, then nothing is important. (Patrick Lencioni)</b></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>It’s all important. (Steve Jobs)</b></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For many years as a school leader at the school and district level, I invoked Lencioni’s well-known adage often, suggesting we should not try to do it all and that less is more and that we must focus on what is most important. Over time, my thinking has evolved on this. I now believe that everything we do in a school is important and we must give it 100%. If it is not important, of course, we should stop doing it. But if we are doing it, we must give it our all. Here is the thing, though: Although we must consider every single thing we do in a school equally important in terms of our commitment to it, not everything we do in school is equally important in terms of how much time we should devote to it. As an example, I happen to believe that advisory programs are important components of any school. As leaders, we must ensure that every staff member in place implement any advisory plans with 100% commitment and fidelity. However, reading is even more important than advisory programs, in my opinion--not in terms of our commitment to it (in both cases, the commitment must be 100%), but in terms of time. We should dedicate significantly more time to reading each day than we do to advisory programs. As a leader, I believe: If everything is important, then nothing is important and everything is actually important. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Contradiction #3: </span></b></span><br />
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<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Trust in the process.</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Trust your instincts.</span></b></li>
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This leadership contradiction rears its head in a number of school areas, in particular when it comes to the hiring process. It is important to have a process in place when selecting talent for any school staffing position. There must be procedures in place for recruiting candidates, screening candidates, interviewing candidates, and contacting references. Having said that, we cannot rely solely on the process or any associated quantitative measures about each candidate’s qualifications and probability for success. As leaders, we are not houseplants; we were hired because we are smart, qualified, insightful, experienced, and we exhibit sound judgment. Although a clear process for recruiting and selecting new employees can help guide us in making the best possible hiring decisions, we cannot be afraid to trust our instincts. We know our school community, we know what we need in every hiring decision we make, and we can typically discern which candidate among several seemingly similar candidates is the best fit for the school or district at any given time. As a leader, I believe: We must trust the process and we must trust our instincts.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Contradiction #4: </span></b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/BZJa3U</td></tr>
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<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Education is constantly changing.</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Schools today are largely the same as they were decades ago.</span></b></li>
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This fourth contradiction is interesting. So many things have, indeed, changed over the years in our schools. Yet, so much remains the same. I could list hundreds of things that were different about my daughter’s high school experience from 2008 - 2012 compared to mine. However, I could list just as many things about her experience that were not at all unlike my own some thirty years earlier. We have made significant improvements to our schools, yet we have miles to go before we sleep. After all, here we sit in 2018 and we still have a 180-day student school year with an extended summer vacation in virtually every school in the land. Doing things because we have always done them can be a stubborn thing to overcome. As a leader, I believe: Education is constantly changing and schools are largely the same as they were decades ago.<br /><br />Here is a final contradiction for now: Education and leadership are challenging undertakings in part because there is so little that is black and white and so much that is gray. At the same time, this very fact that makes these endeavors so challenging is precisely the reason they are also so rewarding. What we do is more art than science. At times, that can be discomfiting. Yet, it is a productive struggle and one we must recognize, embrace, and learn from. How can we thrive in an atmosphere where there are so many contradictions and so few obvious answers? Recognizing these contradictions and understanding that there is seldom one right way to act is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-9036010001279951832018-09-28T11:46:00.000-05:002018-09-29T10:30:57.512-05:00Being Great: Choosing the Down Escalator<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“If you are not successful, then I fail.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">Johnetta Wiley</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Last Sunday during our church service, the pastor began her sermon with the following question: “Why do you work so hard?” What an apt question to ask of so many educators I know around the world, who are among the hardest working people on the planet. She went on to spend much of her remaining time exploring the question, suggesting that the answer for many is that they wish to become great. She then devoted the bulk of her remaining time exploring what greatness really looks like. Frankly, much of what follows is taken from her sermon along with my own thoughts on how this applies to educators and leaders. <br /><br />So what is greatness, or success? Too often we hear the term, “Climbing the ladder of success.” Rather than think of greatness as <b><u>ascending the ladder of success</u></b>, we should, in fact, think of it as </span><br />
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<b><u>descending the ladder of service</u></b>. The truly great and successful people I have encountered across the nation in hundreds of schools and thousands of classrooms epitomize this concept, consistently focusing on the latter and not worrying much about the former. Somewhat ironically, but not surprisingly, these same great people who are keenly focused on others, rather than their own success, are the ones we most often look up to as truly great. They embody the spirit suggested in Wiley’s quote above, worrying less about their own success and more about the success of those they teach and lead. Moreover, they understand that no matter how “successful” they become, they ultimately fail if they have not helped others to become great. <br /><br />An overriding trait of truly great and successful people is a focus on service and serving others, not themselves. Such service is displayed through many actions and by many character traits. Servant educators share with others, they care about others, and they love what they do and with whom they serve. They create environments marked by joy and belonging and they model vulnerability. They treat others with dignity and respect and practice authentic empathy. They are present in the moment and assume the best of others. They give--without expecting anything in return. By serving in these and other ways, they often, in time, become recognized by those who know them as truly great educators yet that is never their “why” behind what they do. Their “why” is to ensure that those they are serving become great. They ascend by descending the ladder of servanthood.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/jmkRUd</td></tr>
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“Great” is a word employed so frequently in our society that we risk rendering it meaningless. But my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/Dwight_Carter?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Dwight Carter</b></span></a>--an educator I consider not only a “great” educator but a “great” person--took the time to define it, partly, in fact, because he, too, feared that telling others to “Be Great” held no real meaning over time. Dwight has written and spoken extensively about his model for greatness, using the following acronym to describe what it means to “Be Great”:<br /><br />Be <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>G</b></span>rateful</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Be <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>R</b></span>elational<br /><br />Be <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>E</b></span>nthusiastic<br /><br />Be <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>A</b></span>uthentic<br /><br />Be <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>T</b></span>eachable<br /><br />Obviously, Dwight expands on each of these at some length when discussing the topic, but simply put, being <i>grateful</i>, <i>relational</i>, <i>enthusiastic</i>, <i>authentic</i>, and <i>teachable</i> are indeed characteristics of great educators. They are also characteristics of <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>servant educators</b></span>. Great teachers and great school leaders know that it is not about them. Instead, great teachers know it is about helping their students become great and great school administrators know it is about doing everything in their power to help their teachers become great. Rather than focus on themselves and climbing up, their laser focus is always on how they can best serve others, right here, down on the ground all around them.</span></div>
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<br />So why do you work so hard? I suspect that for many of you reading this, the answer is you want to be great and you want to achieve such greatness through service to others. It seems that we throw the terms “great” and “successful” around pretty loosely in all areas of society, including in our schools. The truth is, in all likelihood, that Jim Collins is correct in suggesting we have a whole lot of really “good,” but not that many truly “great,” organizations. Those that are truly great achieve their success because they are staffed by individuals who choose the down escalator of service rather than always looking up to the next rung on the “ladder of success.” These people know--as the Ditka quote above suggests--that success is not about having, but about being, including being a servant educator, eschewing the climb up the ladder in favor of the journey down to servanthood. Choosing the down escalator to serve our students and each other in our schools is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span></div>
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-64390531434080285422018-08-19T12:05:00.000-05:002018-08-19T12:05:37.108-05:00Strategies for Improving Relationships and Culture<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“To inspire meaningful change, you must make a connection to the heart before you can make a connection to the mind.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">via <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>George Couros</b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#EdWriteNow 2018</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">This July, I took part in what has become an annual educational event and a highlight of my year. Along with nine respected friends and colleagues, I gathered in Chicago prior to the </span><a href="http://www.principalsconference.org/" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">National Principals’ Conference</span></b></a><span style="font-size: large;"> and wrote a collaborative book in just over 48 hours. This is the second year we have undertaken this project called #EdWriteNow (Officially, Education Write Now). This year, we wrote about connections, relationships, and school culture, </span><span style="font-size: large;">resulting in the upcoming book: </span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i><b>Education Write Now: Top Strategies for Improving Relationships and Culture</b></i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />As I approached Year 2 of #EdWriteNow, I assumed there was little chance of matching the work (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Education-Write-Now-Joe-Mazza/dp/1138296376/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534629511&sr=8-1&keywords=education+write+now"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Here is a link to that book</span></a>) of the inaugural team, which included <i>Tony Sinanis, Thomas C. Murray, Sanee Bell, Kayla Delzer, Joe Sanfelippo, Bob Dillon, Amber Teamann, Starr Sackstein, and Joe Mazza </i>as contributing authors. I was wrong. This year’s crew was just as awesome and I believe our final product <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#EdWriteNow 2017</td></tr>
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will be a book that stands as a positive contribution to the education community.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Once everyone arrived at the hotel, we met as a writing team. First on the agenda was sharing information about the <a href="https://will-to-live.org/"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Will to Live Foundation</span></b></a>, a non-profit foundation to which we donate all proceeds from book sales of each #EdWriteNow edition. Will to Live is an organization dedicated to preventing teen suicide by improving the lives and the “Will To Live” of teenagers everywhere through education about mental health and encouraging them to recognize the love and hope that exists in each other. You can learn more about their work by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86zSCN_pDAQ"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>watching this compelling video</b></span></a> that our team watched to kick off our own work.</span></div>
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<br />Our next task was to decide what to write about and how to turn ten individual 5,000 word essays on education into a single cohesive book. We quickly decided on an overarching theme of “Relationships.” As we began writing, we realized we were focusing on the connections we make within the schoolhouse as well as overall school culture and how relationships and connections impact the culture. Each author wrote about a specific topic related to these broad themes. My own contribution was to write the opening chapter, a piece focusing on how we can create “cultures of connectedness” in our schools that I titled, “Connecting the Dots,” a nod to something <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Seth Godin mentioned several years ago</span></b></a> that has always stuck with me. Each subsequent chapter focuses on a specific aspect of education and how we can impact it in a positive way through relationship building. For example, Dr. Randy Ziegenfuss authored the second chapter titled, “Relationships: The Foundation of Learner-Centered Environments.” Learn about Randy’s insights in his own blog post next week (access Randy’s blog, <a href="http://workingattheedge.org/"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Working at the Edge, here</span></b></a>).<br /><br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sXpbONjV1Jc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sXpbONjV1Jc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Once we determined our writing topics, the rest of our time was spent writing alone, coming back together as a whole team to share our work, meeting with writing partners to provide critical feedback, and gathering "after hours" for great food, conversation, and much laughter. When we came together as a whole group, we actually read parts of our chapters aloud. It was a bit scary, reading our work aloud to nine friends we all respected not only as amazing educators, but also as excellent writers. However, when we did so, we were thrilled to learn that our individual efforts were coming together nicely as a unified book, with our voices sounding much more alike than different from chapter to chapter.<br /><br />For my chapter on connections, I wrote that the more we can do to get our students to connect to school and investing in their own learning, the more likely it is that we will fulfill our purpose of creating schools that are for students. Here is a short excerpt from that part of the book:<br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><b>“...Students, teachers, and administrators who not only have, but are on, a mission are invested, committed, and future focused. They are also connected: to the school, to each other, to networks of people on social media, and to the world around them. School connection increases when those in the school believe that others in the school care about about them as individuals. Students are more likely to succeed when they feel connected to school. As educators, perhaps our top priority today should be to ensure that our students feel connected to our schools. Our students follow the lead of their teachers in so many things, even when we suspect they have tuned us out. And, teachers often follow the lead of their administrators. If administrators feel they are truly connected to the school community and, especially, the teachers they lead, teachers, in turn, will feel more connected to the school. In schools where teachers feel authentically connected to the school, including their administrators and their students, students will also feel more connected to the school. </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b> Schools in which students and staff feel connected are schools that succeed. They succeed by connecting what they are doing today to something they will do tomorrow. They aspire to something grand and connect with others who can help them achieve their goals and dreams. They connect what they are learning to what they are doing. They connect academic learning to a purpose. They connect attendance and behavior expectations to group norms and citizenship. They connect social emotional learning to lifelong learning. They connect students and staff members to other students and staff members, both within the school and schools around the world. They connect science, literature, fine arts, physical education, mathematics, and history to current world events. Educators connect with the parents whose children attend the schools--not because they see it as their duty, but because they know connecting with parents increases the likelihood that students will feel connected.”</b></span><br /><br />Next week, please look for Randy Ziegenfuss’s thoughts on our writing process, as well as an excerpt from his chapter. I was honored beyond words to partner with Randy and eight other amazing writers and thinkers on the <i>Education Write Now</i> project. Of course, we could not have hosted this education writing retreat without the support of our sponsor, Routledge, who will publish this book, due out in December. <br /><br />I am already looking forward to next year’s retreat, which will be Year 3; Sanee Bell and I will continue to lead the work as co-editors and we will invite eight different educational writers to join us next summer. Please let me know if you would like to be considered as a participant. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As <i>Onica Mayers</i> often reminds us, "Relationships matter, People!" Writing about education issues that matter right now is another way w<span style="background-color: white;">e <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></b></i></span><br /><br /><u><i>Final Note</i></u>: Huge thanks to the second <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Education Write Now</span></b></i> team for donating their time and energy to this project. They are all outstanding and passionate educators. More importantly, they are just about the nicest friends a person could ever hope to have and I am humbled to have had this opportunity to work with them:<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Sanee Bell<br />Randy Ziegenfuss<br />Rosa Isiah<br />Elisabeth Bostwick<br />Laura Gilchrist<br />Onica Mayers<br />Winston Sakurai<br />Sean Gaillard<br />Danny Bauer</span></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-58348392670421505602018-07-25T13:47:00.000-05:002018-07-26T09:40:58.803-05:00Learning By...Watching?<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“I am always doing that which I cannot do, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">in order that I may learn how to do it.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Pablo Picasso</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />My father was an amazing man and taught me much about life. He was a successful businessman, working for forty-three years as an executive with a major corporation. Although he was quite successful in his career, his true passions were his family and working on all kinds of projects around our home. We had quite a large home with five acres of land and I do not recall a time when Dad was not taking on a new project, whether it was building a gazebo, new decks, and stone walls outside during the summer or adding a playroom, remodeling a bathroom, and finishing our basement inside during the winter months. I realize I am biased because I loved my dad so much, but, honestly, he could build anything and fix anything. He worked hard all week at his “real <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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job” wearing a three-piece suit every day and driving many miles into the city, but he may have worked even harder every evening and every weekend around our house.<br /><br />As I mentioned, my dad taught me a great deal about many aspects of life, lessons I will never forget and lessons which molded me into the person I am today. One might think that he would have also taught me a lot about flooring, wallpapering, installing drywall, building stone walls, woodworking, and automotive repair since he was a master at all these (and more) trades. Alas, I am not now, nor have I ever been, very handy at any type of manual labor endeavor. I actually learned very little about such skills from my father, but it was not because he did not try to teach me; in fact, he was a stern taskmaster who insisted I take part in his home improvement projects. Unfortunately, his teaching technique in this area was far less successful than the many lessons he taught me about life in general. As soon as we finished dinner in the evening or woke up on the weekends, my dad launched into project mode and summoned me to join the fun. However, my role was a passive one and consisted primarily of watching him do the real work. If I did anything at all, it was mainly to hand him a tool, clean up some mess, or run out to our barn to get him another tool or supply. I recall one time when he was laboring on a stone wall outside on a sweltering summer day with his shirt off that my sole job was to swat flies and mosquitoes off his back so he could focus on the wall he was building. In each of these projects, it was astounding to see what my dad could accomplish. It actually looked like fun, too. My role, however, was far from fun and I eventually began to resent these father-son projects. I left home after college, having acquired no significant home improvement skills from my father even though I most certainly spent more time watching such tasks being done than any other childhood friend I knew. <br /><br />I fear that school lessons are oftentimes not unlike my childhood home improvement lessons in which my dad did all the real work while I sat by passively. Much like my experiences, too often students in classrooms (and teachers in professional learning settings) are expected to “learn by watching.” Sadly, no matter how attentive we are when watching others, there are definite limits to how much we can possibly learn while doing so. <i>To truly learn, we must apply what we are learning. We must <b><u>not only watch, but do</u></b>.</i><br /><br />Like so many educators around the world, my professional practice has been deeply influenced by Rick and Becky DuFour and I remain shocked and saddened that they are no longer with us. I devoured every book they worked on, but none more so than <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Doing-Handbook-Professional-Communities/dp/1932127933"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Learning By Doing</span></b></a>. This handbook is a practical roadmap filled <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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with action steps and resources for actually <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">doing</span></b></i>--not just learning about--Professional Learning Communities in our schools. At one PLC institute I attended, I even recall Rick gently chiding attendees, suggesting they stop attending the institutes and actually go back to their schools and <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">just do</span></b> PLCs. <i>Learning By Doing</i> is their handbook designed to help educators actually act upon what they learned. <br /><br />As important as it is for educators to learn by doing in professional learning experiences, it is even more important for students to learn by doing in our classrooms. Although our profession gets better every year, I worry that students are still <i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>watching</b></span></i> more than <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">doing</span></b></i>. Modeling can be an important teaching technique, but it only takes us so far. We need to release control of the learning to our students, ensuring they are doing the real heavy lifting involved in acquiring any new knowledge or skill in any grade level or subject area.<br /><br />My dad was a brilliant man and an incredible father. But in his </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying a few words about Dad at his 80th. <br />
He died a few weeks later.</td></tr>
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quest to teach me all he knew about home improvement and auto mechanics, he took the wrong approach. Picasso, on the other hand, had it right. To truly learn how to do something we currently cannot do, <i><b>we simply must start doing it</b></i>. It goes without saying that we need to be taught some fundamental skills, whether those skills relate to installing drywall, writing a persuasive essay, shooting a basketball, or painting a portrait. But then we must pivot, moving from direct instruction to <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/q6bXZk</td></tr>
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guided practice, providing targeted feedback, ongoing support, and consistent encouragement every step of the way. Moving from <i>Learning By Watching</i> activities to <i>Learning By Doing</i> activities in our schools is another way we <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></b></i></span></div>
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-11432868518703668542018-06-15T11:06:00.001-05:002018-06-15T11:06:46.062-05:00The Most Important Relationship Word<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Stephen Covey</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Almost every time I speak to a group of educators, I ask the question, “What is the most important relationship word?” Although several viable answers are offered, almost immediately, someone will suggest the word, “Trust.” Like most things in our noble profession, I am not sure there is a <span style="color: #cc0000;">right</span> answer, but I am sure that “Trust” is <span style="color: #cc0000;">my</span> answer. Whether we are talking about superintendent-principal, principal-teacher, teacher-student, husband-wife, parent-child, or friend-friend, the “essential ingredient” in the relationship, as Covey suggests, is trust. The people I have most admired and respected in my personal and professional lives have been people in whom I have complete trust.<br /><br />This trust comes in many forms, but at its core is a calm and confident response of, “Yes” to the question, “Can I trust you?” This broad question can be broken down further, of course, when deciding whether we trust our colleagues. Here are but a few examples:<br /><ul>
<li>Can I trust you to do what you say you will do?</li>
<li>Can I trust that the decision you are making is based on what is best for kids?</li>
<li>Can I trust you when you say something will or will not work?</li>
<li>Can I trust you when you recommend someone to me for a position in our school or district?</li>
<li>Can I trust the feedback you are providing me?</li>
<li>Can I trust that the answer you are giving me is the same answer you are giving someone else?</li>
<li>Can I trust that you have the knowledge, skills, and capabilities to do what is needed in your role?</li>
<li>Can I trust your work ethic?</li>
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As educators, we are in the trust business. Our parents send us their most precious gifts and trust us to do what is right by them. Our students, in turn, trust that we have their best interests at heart. Our school culture is strengthened or weakened by the level of trust each staff member has in each other. What are some things we can do to create and maintain a community of trust? Many years ago, in our book, <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/4-CORE-Factors-School-Success/dp/1596670908/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529078159&sr=8-2&keywords=4+core+factors+of+school+success&dpID=51hawJ8GRIL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch"><span style="color: #cc0000;">The 4 CORE Factors for School Success</span></a></i></b>, Todd Whitaker and I shared the “Top 10 Trust Traits.” When teachers and administrators engage in these behaviors, those with whom we interact will more likely place their trust in us:<br /><br />1. Be There<br /><br />2. Show You Care<br /><br />3. Provide Resources<br /><br />4. Communicate Regularly<br /><br />5. Involve Others<br /><br />6. Celebrate Success<br /><br />7. Value Diversity and Dissent<br /><br />8. Support Innovation<br /><br />9. Address Underperformance<br /><br />10. Demonstrate Personal Integrity</span></div>
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<br />I believe these traits hold true whether you are a classroom teacher or a school or district administrator. Which of the ten resonate most with you? Obviously, I consider each of these to be critically, and perhaps equally, important, but one of the ten seems a just a bit different than the other nine. Many of these seem like positive and even “fun” things to do. Number 9, however, is not so fun, yet if we fail to do it, the students and staff we lead will no longer trust that what we said was important was really all that important. We must hold everyone--starting with ourselves--accountable for doing what we said we would do.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/X6Rvp1</td></tr>
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Many years ago at a small church I attended, I was charged with leading the children’s message each Sunday morning during the early service. There were typically only a few children at this service, one of whom was always my daughter, who was 3 or 4 years old at the time. One Sunday, in trying to drive home the point that we should trust in God, I told my daughter we would start the message with me throwing her through the air about 6 or 7 feet to Danny, a high school student I had taught and coached for several years, who would then catch her. Then and now, there is no one I love as dearly as I love my daughter, and I would never do anything to place her in harm’s way. Although this feat was not exactly a dangerous act, Danny was probably the only student I knew who I would have trusted to catch her. Everything I knew about him from years of working with him told me I could trust him to do the right thing in any instance--including catching my daughter when I tossed her his way. My daughter, however, had no such trust in Danny. When I told her what we were going to do, she was a bit nervous, but she agreed--not because she trusted Danny, but because she trusted me when I told her not to worry and assured her that Danny would catch her. Our little performance went off without a hitch, leading to the larger message we were trying to convey during the children’s message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />In our schools, trust can be contagious in a similar way. When principals trust superintendents, they, in turn, behave in ways that lead teachers to trust in them. When teachers trust their building administrators, they behave in ways that lead students to trust in them. Trust is indeed “the glue of life.” When we truly believe in each other, we ignite a culture of trust in our school communities, and nothing can stop us then. Behaving in ways that make others trust us and, in turn, trusting in others to do the same, is another way we <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></b></i></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-46310862210988838092018-05-12T12:26:00.001-05:002018-05-12T12:26:35.527-05:00The Confident Leader<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“One definition of leadership: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">the character which inspires confidence.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Bernard Montgomery</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Many years ago, I heard Todd Whitaker suggest that the greatest gift teachers can give their students is the gift of confidence. The same holds true, perhaps, throughout the school community: the greatest gift principals can give teachers and the greatest gift superintendents can give principals is also the gift of “confidence.” Successful students, teachers, and principals are, indeed, confident people. Moreover, I do not know a single successful leader who I would not describe as a confident leader. At the same time, these very same successful leaders are also extremely humble people. At first glance, being noted as “confident” and “humble” might strike some as just a bit of a contradiction, but the more I ponder on this apparent contradiction, the more I believe they often go hand-in-hand. <br /><br />The difference lies in the subtle distinction between <span style="color: #cc0000;">confidence</span> and <span style="color: #cc0000;">self confidence</span>. I know many outstanding leaders who are confident leaders and who also experience moments of self doubt, nervousness, and uncertainty about their leadership capabilities or decision making. This is not only normal, but also a laudable characteristic of leaders. These are real human beings who struggle with real problems and reflect on these problems continuously as well as their own abilities to work through them along with the help of those they lead. Ultimately, of course, such leaders push through these moments of self doubt and project an aura of confidence when leading others. What helps them push through these inevitable bouts of questioning is not so much <span style="color: #cc0000;">self confidence</span>, but their <span style="color: #cc0000;">confidence in the work</span> itself, or their mission as a leader. The very best leaders I know may experience moments of self doubt, but they never question the importance of the mission or their confidence in achieving the vision of the classroom, school, or district they are leading. This sense of confidence they project to others comes across not so much as self confidence, but, rather, confidence in their belief that--with everyone pushing in the same direction--the mission <span style="color: #cc0000;">must be</span> fulfilled and the vision <span style="color: #cc0000;">will be</span> achieved. We admire--and follow--leaders who are confident about the mission more than they are about themselves. Of course, deep down, many of these same leaders who regularly question themselves do indeed possess a great deal of self confidence and do firmly believe they can help others grow and help the organization succeed. As leaders, however, they subordinate in importance any confidence in their own abilities to their confidence in the work and the ability of others to achieve great things.</span></div>
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In <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Companies-Leap-Others-ebook/dp/B0058DRUV6"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Good To Great</b></span></a>, Jim Collins describes varying levels of leadership proficiency culminating in “Level 5” leaders. An important characteristic of such leaders is what he terms the Yin and Yang of personal humility and professional will. These are leaders who are modest, channeling their ambition into the organization rather than themselves, yet who demonstrate an unwavering resolve to do whatever necessary to produce the desired results. In today’s Chicago Tribune, I <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-white-sox-gap-haugh-20180511-story.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">noted an article</span></a> </b></span>by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Haugh"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>David Haugh</b></span></a> in which he shares the five stages of being a major-league baseball player according to Joe Maddon, manager of my</span></div>
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beloved Chicago Cubs. Although perhaps not as familiar as the work of Jim Collins, there are parallels to leaders of companies as well as leaders in schools. In Maddon’s hierarchy, "Level 1" players are just happy to be in the major leagues. Perhaps Level 1 school leaders are also simply happy to have earned their first teaching or administrative position. At Level 5, however, all these players want to do, according to Maddon, is win. It is no longer about money, fame, mere survival, or themselves; it is simply about winning. Confident school leaders are similarly laser-focused on “winning,” i.e., fulfilling the classroom, school, or district mission and achieving the vision by producing the best possible results for the students they serve. Confident leaders know it is never about them, but never lose sight of the end goal and always project an aura of confidence in the abilities of those they lead to get there.</span></div>
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When I served as principal of a middle school in Georgia, many teachers throughout the school displayed and regularly reiterated what we called our three critical messages that we first learned about from <a href="https://www.rbteach.com/blogs/ten-basics-high-expertise-teaching"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Jon Saphier</b></span></a>: <i>1. The work we are doing is important. 2. You can do it. 3. I will not give up on you.</i> Confident leaders believe passinately in the work they are doing. Confident leaders instill in others a sense that, together, the work can and will be accomplished. Confident leaders never give up on themselves or others in striving to fulfill the mission and achieve the vision. Leading with confidence--in the work, rather than ourselves--is another way we <i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</b></span></i></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-35728537879559394282018-04-07T17:10:00.000-05:002018-04-07T17:11:24.929-05:00We Create the Culture and The Culture Creates Us<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Our success is driven by such an incredible culture with this team—culture on the floor, preparing, attention to detail, how we conduct ourselves off the court.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Bill Behrns, Loyola (Chicago) Assistant Athletic Director</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />March Madness may be over, but I am still reveling in the Cinderella run of the <a href="http://www.loyolaramblers.com/index.aspx?path=mbball"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Loyola University Ramblers</b></span></a>. The performance of this team, led not only by Coach Porter Moser, but also team leaders, inspired everyone in the Chicago area, if not the entire nation, throughout their miraculous season. As one who lives a mere three miles from campus, I took a special interest in watching these young men compete on the court. I was equally impressed by their words and actions off the court. A great deal of the team’s success can be attributed to the culture they created and, in turn, what they became by that culture. In fact, if you watched any of their tourney games, you likely noticed the team’s “Created By Culture” T-shirts. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe5_uk-OcyI18N0To8cgo-yM6cXLLrvhwegmKEWhVxktbqgmu_Y6oGYz4xVWqpIhOXwrErnn7_wsD0c2QSWNRnxgkxmWZ7qALsGZLbjMIrMNZYY1maefaGwKXaUHt7pLSO-4iUnl1gZ0/s1600/Loyola+Shirts+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="630" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe5_uk-OcyI18N0To8cgo-yM6cXLLrvhwegmKEWhVxktbqgmu_Y6oGYz4xVWqpIhOXwrErnn7_wsD0c2QSWNRnxgkxmWZ7qALsGZLbjMIrMNZYY1maefaGwKXaUHt7pLSO-4iUnl1gZ0/s320/Loyola+Shirts+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/cT67iz</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What they became, as individuals and as a team, was created by the culture that they created. <i><u>We first create the culture and the culture creates us</u></i>, influencing our attitudes, behaviors, commitments, and overall level of success. The more I watched and read about this team, the more I realized that the culture needed for success as a basketball team is not unlike the culture necessary for success in the schoolhouse. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ixpvVgm3CKusEkIfHo5QnCs-whcP4hhZqdZjtNNCC0HmiTadOaalQdoLy3RHb5OQhJEA-6xAPj0qb4R-ZxXjyvoDOQa4DAdaBbni8ECFXgnH9LiD2V5aEU1Q5tcdrDYZhWfSmxpuUoE/s1600/Loyola+Culture.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1414" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ixpvVgm3CKusEkIfHo5QnCs-whcP4hhZqdZjtNNCC0HmiTadOaalQdoLy3RHb5OQhJEA-6xAPj0qb4R-ZxXjyvoDOQa4DAdaBbni8ECFXgnH9LiD2V5aEU1Q5tcdrDYZhWfSmxpuUoE/s320/Loyola+Culture.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/VPfhGi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To keep the team’s culture constantly in the forefront of the minds of team members, Moser installed a “Wall of Culture” in the locker room with dozens of words and phrases that are cornerstones of the team’s philosophy. These ever-present textual reminders are not only posted prominently, but also reviewed regularly by coaches and team members as a way to reinforce the daily habits, techniques, and mindsets that lead to the team’s long-term success. <br /><br />Successful schools are similar, organizations with a strong culture in place, and led by individuals who regularly remind each other what is important, why it matters, and how they must behave to fulfill the school’s mission and achieve the school’s vision. Such schools even make the time to prominently display the school’s values throughout the school and in each individual classroom. During meetings, team members hold each other accountable for group norms and adhering to commonly shared values while always keeping their eye on the prize: student success. <br /><br />During Loyola’s magical run, I would wake up every morning and read the latest features on the team in my morning <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Chicago Tribune</b></span></a>. After their buzzer-beating victory over Miami in the opening round, columnist David Haugh mentioned that this was no accident, stating that, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-loyola-donte-ingram-winner-haugh-20180315-story.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>“At Loyola, they rehearse success.”</b></span></a> When I coached high school basketball years ago, we also rehearsed success--in every aspect of the game. Prior to our opening game each season, we even practiced how we handled time outs during games. Many teams we competed against would simply call time out, whereupon players would saunter over to the bench and gather somewhat haphazardly to discuss strategy. On our team, we actually practiced each step of the process, including what a player should say if they needed a time out, how they should protect the ball if they were in possession of it when calling a timeout, how fast they should move to the bench (faster than other teams), where players in the game should sit (facing me, away from the stands), and where players not in the game should stand (behind me, facing the stands). There was a reason for everything we did as team, including small details like how we ran timeouts. At the end of the practice, one parent commented, “Wow, I have never seen a team practice timeouts before. You guys are really ready for everything.” The observation was gratifying and validated how important it was as coaches to prepare our athletes for every single event that occurs in a game. I suspect part of Loyola’s “rehearsing for success” includes practicing every possible event that can arise during an actual game.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/muxT5M</td></tr>
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Successful schools rehearse for success also and there is a reason for everything they do and a way they go about doing it as they prepare for every classroom lesson and every staff meeting. Every administrator paints a vivid picture of what success for the school looks like for every staff member and outlines actions steps for achieving the vision. In the classroom, every teacher does the same, pointing and guiding students to an ultimate outcome while celebrating small wins along the way. Both invest intentional time to consistently getting better by reviewing where they are going, where they are now, and what they need to do next to close the gap while often reminding those they lead about cultural keys to success, holding all individuals on the “team”--in this case, staff members at the school or students in the classroom--accountable for adhering to commonly-shared values, norms, and behaviors necessary for achieving the vision.<br /><br />Whether talking about successful schools or successful basketball teams, a critical key to success is creating an incredible culture. First, we create the culture and, if we maintain and reinforce it consistently, eventually the culture creates us. By creating a successful culture, we ensure that our culture will create success--for athletes on our basketball teams or for the students at our schools. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have someone like Sister Jean <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0tykx1eZORAMYmTsNTUWz0asTSAVRskpnoFOCvgvMHt65hYq6UzAA7c9dFVFyPn9Gx5XylZhssX04dkLL1VzZ_odsGCPS4S6j5Mf_ux_FF8TWaF1-lpEYwnDWGTlT7W_1MzbQJcu3Fk/s1600/Loyola+Shirts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0tykx1eZORAMYmTsNTUWz0asTSAVRskpnoFOCvgvMHt65hYq6UzAA7c9dFVFyPn9Gx5XylZhssX04dkLL1VzZ_odsGCPS4S6j5Mf_ux_FF8TWaF1-lpEYwnDWGTlT7W_1MzbQJcu3Fk/s320/Loyola+Shirts.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/LKhGzQ<br />
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watching over you and cheering you on! Paying attention to the many small details that make up a school or classroom culture is another way we <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-74022804267006370292018-03-17T15:44:00.000-05:002018-03-17T15:51:56.374-05:00Is This Really Important?<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“If everything is important, than nothing is.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><i><b>Patrick Lencioni</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Everything is important. That success is in the details.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b><i>Steve Jobs</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />When I served as principal at a middle school several years ago, our leadership team was discussing time, specifically, the lack thereof and a perception that we allowed too many interruptions to instructional time during a typical school day. We were brainstorming ways to maximize instructional minutes and minimize class interruptions of any kind. It was my first year as</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBandBMWKwydJTiOLjkV1UA-3DiYDuijDhARPWZE4vpYvsn58jKSiSm6_gwbe-NMNWQacNaiSr_xO5MsKDT406oq0YShlkqe-b1v85HqJQ2stgT1J-DsPPgG8e5N33iGf2e2H66Q1TPts/s1600/Important+Lencioni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBandBMWKwydJTiOLjkV1UA-3DiYDuijDhARPWZE4vpYvsn58jKSiSm6_gwbe-NMNWQacNaiSr_xO5MsKDT406oq0YShlkqe-b1v85HqJQ2stgT1J-DsPPgG8e5N33iGf2e2H66Q1TPts/s320/Important+Lencioni.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/eaX6pe</td></tr>
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principal and (following the practice of the previous principal) I had been making morning announcements a few minutes after the school day started and afternoon announcements a few minutes before the school day ended. After the leadership team meeting, I met with the assistant principals and our school secretary (who, as a true leader in our school, also served on the school’s leadership team) and we decided we would stop making afternoon announcements--unless it was an announcement that was extremely important.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/rxnqPP</td></tr>
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At the next school leadership team meeting, we all shared ideas for maximizing instructional time gathered from our respective teams. I shared the idea to cease afternoon announcements, with the caveat that we would still make an announcement if it were of true import. Everyone seemed pleased and lauded the idea, which would likely save five minutes of instructional time most days. Then, one team member had an epiphany, suggesting, “Umm...shouldn’t that actually be the bar for any announcement we make at anytime?” His point was that if it were important enough for the entire school to hear at a certain time, we should go ahead and make the announcement. On the other hand, it it was not truly important that the entire school hear an announcement, we probably should not waste instructional time to deliver it, whether it was in the morning, afternoon, or any other time. <br /><br /><br />This story is a simple, but real, example of something my friend and colleague Anthony McConnell and I write about in our book, <a href="https://theprincipledprincipal.com/"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Principled Principal: 10 Principles for Leading Exemplary Schools</span></b></a>. The first principle we examine is what we term, “The Priority Principle” and, frankly, this remains a conundrum as</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u5PZ-pP_wgZBpHyYX4W6wO2pFS-TXu23KBeoMKKFAO2dI96TKPRN-0KyOVpKFxRyOvYq0aa-0Y7Wfs6IyUYcMFhX_xgGfNdbZgQep_6X2EZFdZV25rISUQ9jdq7fjYCepK6xTGbbB0w/s1600/10+Principles.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u5PZ-pP_wgZBpHyYX4W6wO2pFS-TXu23KBeoMKKFAO2dI96TKPRN-0KyOVpKFxRyOvYq0aa-0Y7Wfs6IyUYcMFhX_xgGfNdbZgQep_6X2EZFdZV25rISUQ9jdq7fjYCepK6xTGbbB0w/s320/10+Principles.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Meredith Johnson <complete id="goog_922121789">@mjohnson1216</complete></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">evidenced by the two seemingly contradictory quotes at the top of this post from two men whose leadership insights are beyond reproach. On the one hand, if everything is important, nothing is important, meaning that there can only be so many things we do that are truly important to our core work. On the other hand, if we are actually spending our most precious commodity--time--devoted to something, then that “something” ought to be important or we ought not be wasting our time doing it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />As school leaders, we obviously need to prioritize our time. What we cannot do, however, is send the message that something we are doing at our school is not important or less important than something else we do. We should prioritize how much time we devote to every important thing we do, but we should not say one is more important than the other. School safety and crisis planning is extremely important, perhaps now more than ever. Is it more important than academics? Nope, but guess what? Academics are not more important than school safety and crisis planning either. They are equally important and we must do each to the very best of our abilities as educators. Although they are both important, it is foolhardy to debate whether one is more important than the other, What <b>is</b> appropriate is prioritizing how much time we devote to each. Although school safety is every bit as important as academic learning, over the course of a full school year we need not dedicate nearly as much time to crisis planning as we do to academic learning. So many things we do in schools are like this, yet we fall into the trap of saying <i>this</i> is more important than <i>that</i>. <i>There exists a subtle, yet important, distinction between prioritizing something’s importance versus prioritizing the time we dedicate to something that is important. </i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/iusFuQ</td></tr>
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When faced with the false dilemma of devoting time in the school day to competing demands upon that time, the answer might be, “Lets do A,” or “Let’s do B.” However, if they are both important, the answer must be, “Let’s do both--and do them with 100% commitment from every staff member.” Although we may not dedicate the exact same amount of time to everything we do in schools, everything we do in schools must be considered equally important, from academic learning to innovative instructional practices, to social emotional learning, to school safety, and even to standardized testing. Yes, even that. If we are investing time in the school year to administer these assessments, we should commit to ensuring our students perform to their highest potential. <br /><br /><br />So, Lencioni and Jobs were both right. Everything we do in schools is important, yet not everything merits the same amount of time devoted to it in order for us to ensure we have given it our best. A final challenge, though: I suspect we should periodically audit how we spend our time in schools, to make sure that everything we are doing is, indeed, important. I suspect we will discover some things that, upon reflection, are not important. When that is the case--as it was with the announcements we were making at one middle school years ago--we should stop devoting a single moment to them. There are too many things we must do each day that are “all-important” to the kids we serve. Prioritizing what is important--and eliminating what is not--is another way we <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</i></b></span></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-59637341155947985292018-02-23T10:10:00.000-06:002018-02-24T11:10:59.109-06:00They are Always Watching Us<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“If we don’t model what we teach, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">then we are teaching something else.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Several years ago, I worked with two middle schools that were nearly identical in every way. Now, I believe that every school is a unique learning community with unique learners, unique educators, and a unique school culture, but these two schools were about as similar as two schools can be. They were about a mile apart and had nearly the exact same number of students enrolled. Moreover, the demographics at these two schools were almost identical in terms of race, gender, economic status, limited English proficiency, and students with disabilities. The schools had the exact same level of staffing and program resources. The parent community at both schools was equally similar. In short, these two schools were way more alike than different.<br /><br />Interestingly, however, one of these schools had what some deemed a student bullying problem. The other middle school seemed to have very little in the way of student bullying incidents. At first, I was puzzled by this and could not determine why two schools whose students were so similar could have discrepant instances of student bullying. The more I observed in these two schools, the more the answer became evident: the school with significant student bullying issues also had a significant amount of teacher bullying occurring. The vast majority of staff at both schools was comprised of dedicated and passionate professional educators. Yet, at one school, there were a few powerful teachers who bullied certain colleagues. For anyone who thinks professional bullying does not exist, I encourage you to read <i><b><span style="color: #990000;">“</span><a href="https://pernillesripp.com/2014/06/29/when-teachers-bully-teachers/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">When Teachers Bully Teachers</span></a></b></i><span style="color: #990000;"><i><b>”</b></i> </span>and <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>“<a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_leader_voices/2017/09/lets_be_honest_professional_bu.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Let's Be Honest: Professional Bullying in Schools Is a Thing</span></a>.”</b></i></span> Sadly, although it may not be as common, teachers bullying other teachers is just as real as students bullying other students.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/Sfu4vo</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, in the very places where students most need to see adults modeling and promoting acceptance, support, encouragement, connection, empathy, and sincerity, in some schools a few teachers do the opposite. In some cases, these teachers may actually do a fine job of promoting anti-bullying in their own classrooms with their students, yet when it comes to interacting with colleagues, they inexplicably engage in the behavior they profess to detest. Why does this happen and what can we do about it?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/gG1Akg</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Some teachers who bully other teachers do so because they feel threatened. They see a colleague taking risks in the classroom, going above and beyond in their work habits, working closely with the school’s administration, and building such positive relationships with students that they become the “favorite” teacher of many. Although working hard, taking risks, working closely with administration, and having kids genuinely like their teachers are all things I want to see happening in schools, unfortunately, teacher bullies view these differently. It threatens their status and challenges the status quo. Perhaps one teacher had been the students’ “favorite” until another teacher came on board and students started gravitating toward this teacher. Maybe another teacher is resistant to change and views a colleague who is willing to change and try new things as a threat to them. Yet another may resent the fact that a colleague arrives early and stays late each day, thinking this makes her look like a slacker. Student bullies behave the way they do for a number of reasons, many of which we fail to understand. Sadly, teacher bullies are no different.<br /><br />So what can we do? </span><br />
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<li>If we are the victim of bullying by a colleague, it may behoove us to first try to understand why the person is behaving as they are. Determining the “Why?” behind the behaviors might drive our subsequent actions, including standing up to the bully. One approach, <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_leader_voices/2017/09/lets_be_honest_professional_bu.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>suggested by Angie Miller</b></span></a>, is simply sharing the following: "<i>My feelings were hurt today when you did this. Can you tell me what I've done to upset you?</i>" Of course, confronting a bully may be no easier for an adult than it is for a child. Sometimes we simply need to recognize the behavior for what it is, ignore what we can, and stay positive at all times. George Couros often states, “<i>We need to make the positive so loud that the negatives are almost impossible to hear.</i>” No matter how we are treated by staff members who bully us, we must take the high road and not fall into the trap of becoming negative or acting in kind. This is difficult. Being bullied hurts, whether we are 12 or 42. </li>
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<li>Another thing we must do when we experience professional bullying is realize that the issue is about the bully and not about us. Moreover, we must remember that the bully is the exception, not the rule. Find your tribe, remembering that “<i>Your vibe attracts your tribe.</i>” Find those colleagues both within your own school community and educators around the world who are equally passionate and energized about students and our profession and who refuse to be distracted by the vocal few who behave otherwise. Connect with like-minded colleagues who will help you stay the course.</li>
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<li>Finally, if we are not the target of adult bullying but recognize it happening in our school, we need to speak up and call out our colleagues who bully--respectfully, privately, professionally. In schools with the most productive and positive cultures in place, all staff members--not just principals--hold each other accountable for adhering to group norms and modeling for students what we expect of them. If we cannot muster the courage to approach a bullying colleague about their behavior, we can at least do something almost as effective: don’t join in any conversation in which one staff member is making fun of another. Remain stone faced silent. Walk away. Do not laugh or play along. Let it be known by your actions, if not your words, that this is something you do not support.</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via: goo.gl/vZ78qX</td></tr>
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It strains credulity that a few adults in some schools exhibit the very behaviors we try to eliminate when we see them displayed by students, but the problem is real. As bad as the problem is by itself, here is what makes it even worse: when staff members bully staff members, it does not go unnoticed by students. They are always watching us and listening to us. Kids are ridiculously smart and observant and possess an uncanny capacity for picking up on things lurking just below the surface. At the middle school level, especially, when many children are at their most impressionable stage, students are likely to follow our lead. If we send the message in any way, however subtle, that bullying is something <b>we</b> <b>do</b>, you can rest assured that for some students it will be something <b>they do</b>, too. Be the teacher students look up to for all the right reasons by modeling respectful, professional, collegial behavior at all times. It is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-86171866970281667952018-02-02T16:55:00.000-06:002018-02-22T12:17:48.078-06:00The Things They Remember<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Students will remember how we treated them long after they forget </span><span style="font-size: large;">what we taught them.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This January I spent most of the month on St. Simons Island, Georgia, partly to get away from the Chicago cold for a bit, and partly to begin work on a new book. I lived on St. Simons from 1995 - 2002 and it remains one of my favorite places on earth. When living there, I taught middle school language arts, high school English, and coached a number of sports. I have many fond memories of many awesome students I taught and coached during those years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One weekend while on St. Simons during my visit, my entire family also joined me there to celebrate my mother's 85th birthday (she had me when she was 50 or so). When my sister and I got off an elevator to enter a rooftop restaurant where we would be celebrating, a young man waiting to take the elevator down exclaimed, “Coach Zoul!” Although I vaguely recognized the face, I had to ask his name. When he told me, I immediately remembered him from my English class and high school baseball team. I asked him how old he was now and he let me know he was 34 (Yes, it made me feel quite ancient). We hugged and he told me a rather interesting story. It went something like this: “Coach, you were the best! My cousin and I still talk about you all the time. Just the other day, we were talking about the time you slid down a pole into the classroom from the ceiling when we did not even know you were up there.” This former student-athlete and I reminisced a bit more, hugged again, and I went about my my business with my sister, who asked somewhat incredulously, “You slid down a pole into your classroom from the ceiling??!” Well, I suppose I did since this young man seemed to have it etched into his memory, but here’s the kicker: I have no recollection of this event whatsoever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, it certainly sounds like something I would do. And, I taught in an ancient <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Works Project Administration</span></b></a> building classroom that had several supporting poles throughout and ceiling tiles I </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via: goo.gl/B8oRQR</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">suppose could have easily been removed. As a teacher, I always loved teaching my content, but I loved playing practical jokes and having fun with my students even more, so his anecdote certainly rings true, but I just don’t remember it. Yet, this now 34-year-old former student did and was still talking about it with his cousin 17 years after the fact. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To be honest, I have had similar encounters with a number of former students over the years. They always seem to remember something crazy we did during class that had nothing to do with the curriculum. A former first grade student reminded me once of the time that we squeezed my entire class of 24 first graders into my 1975 Ford Thunderbird as a reward for perfect behavior. I have mixed feelings about the things my former students remember actually. On the one hand, I sincerely believe that learning is the ultimate purpose--or “Why?”--of any school and I expect all teachers (including myself during my 18-year teaching career) to actually be teaching a guaranteed and viable curriculum each day. At the same time, I also realize that kids need to know we care about them as people first and students second and they need to not only work hard but also have fun in our classrooms. Dylan William suggests that pedagogy trumps curriculum--or rather <b><i>is</i></b> curriculum--because what matters is <i>how</i> things are taught, not <i>what</i> is taught. And I would suggest that sometimes pedagogy includes the zany things we do as teachers that have nothing to do with learning standards.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via: @RossCoops31 on Facebook</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although I am a firm believer that we must ensure what we are teaching includes actual grade level (or above) learning standards, the “how” is even more important and this "how" can include all the non-academic things we do just for fun. I suspect that sliding from the ceiling down into the classroom took no more than three minutes away from my instructional time on this particular day and I suspect it was three minutes well spent. Even though my former student did not mention any of the works of literature we were reading that year or papers that we wrote, maybe on that particular day he was just a little more engaged in reading <b><i>Julius Caesar</i></b> after starting class with the teacher making a surprising entrance from the ceiling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One never knows what the students sitting in front of us today will remember many years hence; my hunch, though, is that it will more often than not be something completely unrelated to the curriculum. Take time to ensure that the non-academic memories our children retain many years down the road are memories of fun, laughter, caring, and even silliness. I believe our very best teachers--even those focused like a laser beam on standards--make time for pure fun each and every day in their classrooms. Indeed, it is another way we <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-50962412243871071772018-01-04T11:33:00.000-06:002018-01-04T11:33:26.774-06:00Stop Making Assumptions<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Don’t make assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b><i>Don Miguel Ruiz</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />It was a humbling--if not humiliating--moment. I was listening to one end of a phone conversation between two of my best friends and two of the most passionate educators I know. I heard the friend who I was with consoling the other friend and letting her know it was fine that she was going to have to back out of a commitment she had made to us. I became visibly agitated and even started making comments to my friend while he was still speaking with her that he should insist she honor her commitment. My friend, clearly agitated with me, waved away my comments and finished his conversation. When he hung up, he turned to me and said, “Would you <i>please </i>stop making assumptions?”</span><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via: goo.gl/JZyJ7Z</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He then explained why our mutual friend was calling to cancel her commitment to us. Her reason for canceling, of course, was not a small matter and something about which she had agonized over. When I learned the other side of the story, I frankly wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. I had assumed the worst about someone. To make matters even more egregious, the person I assumed the worst about was someone who I like and respect a great deal, yet I still assumed I knew what she was saying on the other end of the phone and why she was doing what she was doing. I based my assumptions on limited information after listening to one side of a conversation. When I learned the truth about this situation, I was devastated, embarrassed, and filled with remorse. How could I have assumed this about someone I consider a friend?<br /><br /><br />Too often in my life, I have been guilty of making assumptions instead of truly trying to understand another person’s motives, perspectives, and actions. I need to get better at this and stop making assumptions. In education, I suspect that others may fall prey to this trap as well. We are so busy and stressed that we simply begin making assumptions about why people act the way they do, whether it is about a student who misbehaves, a parent who gets upset with us, or a colleague who lets us down in some way. One of the best things we can do in any such situation is to stop making assumptions about why the person did what they did. Of course, another way we could approach such situations is to go ahead and make an assumption, but only if that is to assume the best about the other person. Maybe we can assume that the student wants to please us and is trying to find a way to let us know she needs our help. Maybe the parent has been working two jobs to make ends meet and wants the very best for his child. Perhaps the colleague we are upset with really respects us and wants to help, but is unsure about his own capabilities and is afraid he will let us down. <br /><br /><br />We can never know everything there is to know about ourselves, let alone others. One thing we can do, however, to know others better is to stop making assumptions about them or, when we do, to assume the best about them. Jumping to conclusions never helps anyone or any situation and only increases the likelihood that misunderstandings, sadness, and drama will occur among us. As we approach another new year, I, for one, need to do a much better job in this area. I am impatient by nature and prone to acting quickly on limited information. Making assumptions is bad enough in our daily personal lives, but when we do so in our schools and classrooms--especially when interacting with the students we serve--we are failing in a critically important arena that can have long-lasting repercussions. <br /><br /><br />Let’s stop making assumptions based on limited information this year. When we must make an assumption, let’s assume the best--about our students, our parents, and each other. I make so many <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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unintentional mistakes on a daily basis, that I certainly hope others will give me the benefit of the doubt and assume my intentions are good, even when my words or actions fall short of my expectations for myself. I, in turn, need to do the same. One year ago, Todd Whitaker, Jimmy Casas, and I wrote a book called <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Start-Right-Now-Teach-Excellence/dp/0996989684/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515086268&sr=8-1&keywords=start+right+now"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Start. Right. Now</span></a>.</span></b> in which we share some ideas about things we need to start doing in education. Making assumptions based on limited information, on the other hand, is something we need to Stop. Right. Now. in education. As Ruiz suggests in the quote above, when we agree to stop making assumptions, it can completely transform our lives. It can also help those with whom we interact. Assuming the best of others and not making the assumption that we know why people are acting the way they are is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-42541280301007987322017-11-29T15:03:00.001-06:002017-11-29T15:03:09.255-06:00The Humble Leader<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Level 5 leaders embody a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will. They are ambitious, to be sure, but ambitious first and foremost for the company, not themselves.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><i><b>Jim Collins</b></i></span></div>
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<br />For many years, I attended church services every Sunday in Lake Forest, Illinois, where the pastor was possibly one of the most intelligent people I have known and certainly one of the best teachers from whom I have ever learned. His sermons were masterful and he often opened with a bit of humor. One Sunday, he let us know that the topic of his sermon was going to be “humility.” He went on to explain that he had spoken on the topic many times, written about the topic often, and researched the topic at great length. Then, after an appropriate dramatic pause, he added, “In fact, you might say I’m an <i>expert</i> on the topic of humility.” After an appreciative chuckle from those of us in attendance, he added, “I’m even thinking of calling my next book: ‘Humility--and How I Achieved It,’” eliciting another collective laugh. After this humorous opening, he went on to extol the virtues of living a humble life and I was reminded that the very best educational leaders I know--whether they are district superintendents, school principals, or classroom teachers--all exhibit this admirable trait known as personal humility. They are able to lead the children and colleagues with whom they interact, in part, because of what Jim Collins calls their “professional will,” but even more importantly, it seems, because of their genuine and consistent displays of personal <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/BBbWUo</td></tr>
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humility.<br /><br />By now, I suspect that almost anyone reading this blog post has also read Collins’s book, <i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Good To Great</span></a></b></i> and is familiar with his characteristics of the very best leaders in the corporate world, people he labels, “Level 5 Leaders.” A key characteristic of such leaders is their somewhat paradoxical blend of professional will and personal humility. In reflecting on the best and most successful teachers and administrators with whom I have worked over the past few decades, I am struck by how true this is in the world of education as well as the business world. The very best teachers and administrators I know are humble people. Because they are consistently excellent, they are often recognized for their successes, yet they never seek such recognition nor wallow in it for very long, if at all. One specific behavior these excellent leaders <b><u>do</u></b> exhibit consistently is aligned to what Collins calls, <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Window and the Mirror</span></i>:<br /><br />When things go well, our best educators point out the window, <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/5UCQBi</td></tr>
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giving credit to factors other than themselves; they shine a light on other people (including students, parents, and colleagues) who contributed to success and take little credit themselves. Yet when things go awry, they do not blame circumstances or other people for setbacks and failures; they point in the mirror and say, “I’m responsible; that’s on me.” If they cannot find a specific event or person to give credit to when they succeed, they credit good luck, yet they never cite “bad luck” or external factors when things go poorly.<br /><br />Can you think of any educators you perceive to be humble leaders who practice--knowingly or not--the window and the mirror model of leadership? I immediately thought of three excellent leaders who I consider exemplars in this area. One is a superintendent, another is a principal, and a third is a classroom teacher:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.jsanfelippo.com/"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Joe Sanfelippo</span></b></a> is a superintendent in Fall Creek, Wisconsin. Although the district is tiny, he has put it on the national map through his outstanding work the past few years. Of course, he will never take any credit himself for the district's many successes. I have never been around Joe without hearing him rave about the amazing students, teachers, parents, and board members in his district. However, when problems arise in Fall Creek--which, like everywhere else in the world, they do--that is when you will hear Joe step up and take responsibility.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://saneebell.com/"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Sanee Bell</span></b></a> is a principal in Katy, Texas. I have yet to meet a person who knows Sanee who has not also told me what a fantastic leader she is. Her work ethic, personal integrity, intellect, and genuine compassion have earned her the respect and affection of all who know her and success in every role in which she has served. Of course, when you ask Sanee what her secret sauce of success is, be prepared for her to start pointing out the window and crediting any number of people, yet taking no credit herself.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://kirkhumphreys.net/"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Kirk Humphreys</span></b></a> is a middle grades math teacher in Deerfield, Illinois, whose students consistently perform well above grade level and consistently credit him for serving as an inspiring, caring, energetic, and fun mentor. Of course, if you ever ask Kirk the secret to his success, he will simply talk about his amazing kids and unbelievable parent support.</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />I admire these three leaders for many reasons, including their personal humility; humble leaders like them make me want to be a better--and more humble--leader myself. Although I am confident you can think of others who immediately come to mind as examples of humble educators/leaders, I also fear you can just as quickly think of those who fall into the exact opposite category: leaders who are quick to take credit for every successful outcome they had a connection to, but who, at the first sign of trouble, are even quicker at assigning blame to any and everyone involved – except themselves, of course. Working with leaders who behave thusly is simply deflating and crushes the culture of the school.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/7RQAms</td></tr>
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It is natural to want to receive praise and avoid blame. Although it may be natural, it is also wrong and counterproductive to our success as leaders. The concept of the window and the mirror is simple to understand, but may not be natural and, therefore, may even require practice. Fortunately, in schools we have plenty of opportunities to practice our skills in this area, giving credit where credit is due--to students, staff, parents, and community members--while also holding ourselves accountable for negative outcomes, which are, unfortunately, every bit as inevitable as our successes. Serving as a strong leader while consistently exhibiting personal humility helps build trust within your team and builds credibility for yourself as a leader as well as your classroom, school, or district. It is also another way we <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></b></i></span><br />
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2175454759003898920.post-28115165497051830332017-10-12T17:54:00.001-05:002017-10-12T17:54:48.069-05:00Teaching Should Be More Like Coaching<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“In the end, it's about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the tournaments, not the alumni stuff. But teaching the players during practice was what coaching was all about to me.”</span></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">John Wooden</span></b></i></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Prior to becoming a school administrator, I served as a classroom teacher for eighteen years. My very first job was teaching 1st grade; my final teaching assignment was 12th grade English. During those eighteen years, I also served as a coach; although I coached football, baseball, and golf, my true coaching passion was basketball. Although I loved serving as a classroom teacher at all levels, I must admit that near the end of my teaching career, there were many days that my basketball practices seemed to go much more smoothly and were much more productive than my English lessons. I sensed that my basketball players were learning more about basketball than my English students were learning about reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills. Unfortunately, when things are not going as well as we wish, it is sometimes difficult to discern exactly why when we are in the moment. However, after time passes, it often becomes much easier to look back and learn why. As I sit here today, I realize my English lessons would have been much more productive if they were a whole lot more like my basketball practices. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/GckMFg</td></tr>
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<br /> This is somewhat embarrassing to admit now that I know better, but at the time, my English class was more about me, than it was about my students. I did most of the talking, students either learned or did not, and, truth be told, I wasted a fair amount of time during my allotted instructional minutes. As soon as my last class of the day ended, I would quickly change clothes and head straight to the gym for practice. Suddenly, everyone was engaged. Moreover, these athletes were working harder than me and learning a great deal in the process. What made the difference? I could probably list quite a few answers, but these five really stand out to me more than 15 years later as difference makers:<br /><br /><ul>
<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Planning:</span></b> As a basketball coach, to say I was a meticulous planner would be an understatement. I only had 90 minutes of time before the next team needed the gym and I needed 120 minutes. As a result, I planned each practice from minute 1 to minute 90. We never practiced for 89 minutes; we always used all 90. It was not unusual to run certain activities for precisely 3 minutes and 21 seconds or 7 minutes and 49 seconds. I literally used every second of the 90 minutes for purposeful activities designed to help my players become better at the game of basketbal. My English classes, on the other hand, were a tad more random and it was not unusual for me to simply “wing it.” I was known to get sidetracked with stories and might even end class a bit early, allowing students to “do their homework.” I wish I had planned my English lessons as intentionally as I planned each basketball practice.</li>
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<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Practice:</span></b> During my 90 minute basketball practices, there was a great deal of time devoted to….practice. Kids on my teams actually practiced skills I was teaching them. There was not a single aspect of a game situation that we did not practice, from the opening tip, to the crossover dribble, to the way we sat on the bench during a timeout, to the way we wore our uniforms. We practiced everything. Meanwhile, in my English classes, there was not a lot of in-class time devoted to practicing any skills I was teaching. Although we would read regularly and there was some time devoted to actual writing, little of this was deliberate practice, designed for the students to improve as readers and writers in specific areas. I wish I had designed opportunities for students in my English classes to deliberately practice skills they needed to become better. </li>
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</span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5UkFiqepktHgascP76QpNKr_d_gHFFJGwOZ7WTcJl188wL2j3OGTZM3S5gCdcYJ6p9V7wdQ__9azVKQ_TxYZPyLAx01lK82BzqTFMOKSnDKyyyW7Sc8yZPnqvDBx0NBoDIZQgxEFyKY/s1600/Bball+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1024" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5UkFiqepktHgascP76QpNKr_d_gHFFJGwOZ7WTcJl188wL2j3OGTZM3S5gCdcYJ6p9V7wdQ__9azVKQ_TxYZPyLAx01lK82BzqTFMOKSnDKyyyW7Sc8yZPnqvDBx0NBoDIZQgxEFyKY/s400/Bball+3.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><ul>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Feedback:</b></span> During my basketball practices, I provided loads of feedback. What’s more, it was timely and specific feedback. I might watch a player shoot a few free throws, then stop him to share specific things I noticed, suggesting he try changing one small part of his free throw routine or technique. Then, he would shoot again and I would provide additional feedback. In my classroom, I provided little in the way of useful feedback, rarely moving beyond, “Good job.” Moreover, my feedback on student writing often came days after an assignment was turned in and well after it would do the student writer any good. I wish I had focused more on providing feedback in my English classes and less on grades.</li>
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Mini lessons:</b></span> At times during basketball practices, I led direct, whole group instruction. Whenever I was introducing a new inbounds play, for instance, I would take over and explain the play, showing the team where each person should move and when. These lessons tended to be only as long as necessary in order to get the kids started practicing the play themselves, at which point, we would be back to the practice - feedback - practice loop. In my English classes, however, there were days when I spent the entire period teaching a lesson on grammar, poetry, or the research process. I wish I had started each class off with no more than a 15- or 20-minute mini lesson and then allowing students to dig in and start working on the mini lesson skills.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: goo.gl/8tSB7a</td></tr>
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<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Spiraling:</span></b> In basketball practice, we never truly mastered any skill. When long term planning, I always made sure to schedule times to spiral back to drills related to shooting, dribbling, passing, and defense so as to continue getting better at these foundational skills. On the other hand, in my English classes, once we finished a unit on any topic, I rarely, if ever returned to those concepts. Students either got it the first time or we moved on without them getting it. I wish I had planned on circling back to big ideas in my English curriculum throughout the school year to ensure that students truly learned and retained essential content and skills.</li>
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</span><span style="font-size: large;">I worked really, really hard as a classroom teacher. I worked really hard as a basketball coach, too, but during practices, my athletes were working a whole lot harder than I. Moreover, they were learning and growing more as basketball players than my students were growing as English students. It seem so obvious to me now, but at the time I was doing the best I knew how as a teacher. I honestly think I could do much better today--and I would start by <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">“coaching”</span></b> more and <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">“teaching”</span></b> less in my classroom. As John Wooden suggests, coaching is actually all about teaching. Teaching the students we serve by coaching them in our classrooms is another way we <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Teach, Learn, and Lead with Passion!</span></i></b></span><div>
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Jeff Zoulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04184942884454977644noreply@blogger.com10