Slice of Life #27: Learning Influences

Slice of Life #27:  Learning Influences and Influencing Learning

I have been reading Cathy Toll's LEARNERSHIP:  INVEST IN TEACHERS, FOCUS ON LEARNING, AND KEEP TEST SCORES IN PERSPECTIVE.

Simultaneously, I am reading John Maxwell's 21 IRREFUTABLE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP:  FOLLOW THEM AND PEOPLE WILL FOLLOW YOU.

Both authors have a focus on influence.  I'm thinking about how we influence learning in our students, our peers, and our leaders.

Cathy Toll (p. 75) poses the following.

"I'd like to ask you, the reader, to draw on your learning experiences.  Please grab a piece of paper and jot down 10 things you know now that you didn't know when you began your career as an educator.  This is not a top-ten list, so don't try to come up with the 10 most important things you have learned.  Rather, jot down the first ten things you think of."

Okay, Cathy, here is my list of what I didn't know back then (only 10 items, eh):

1. I will never be a "master teacher."  No one can master anything so complex.
2. Teaching will always be challenging.  I will never be able to open a file or Teacher's Edition of a text and feel like my plans are ready to go.
3. I will love my students and colleagues almost as much as family; I will certainly spend more time with them.
4. I didn't dream that there would be pundits who would seek to blame teachers for virtually every ill of the world and then pay testing companies to prove themselves "correct..." and that the public would be so easily fooled.
5. The digital age was right around the corner.
6. I am responsible for my own professional growth.
7. I didn't know how to spiral curriculum or evidence learning/growth in authentic ways.
8. I didn't know how to teach reading workshop or writing workshops.
9. I needed to initiate change and cultivate it with my peers.
10. I didn't have a deep understanding of how to analyze students' work in order understand learners' needs.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming up on tomorrow's "Slice of Life" in which Cathy asks us to consider the influences we had in HOW we learned each of our "truths" (stated on the top ten list).

What do you know now that you didn't know "then?"

Slice of Life #26: Considering Core Programs

Slice of Life #26:  The Basal…ah-hem… Core Program

We are preparing to adopt a new basal reading series, now called a “core program.”  Several teachers have asked me my opinion regarding which series I prefer.

Though I am truly their colleague, I have no say in this matter.  (Since I am not a classroom teacher, per se, I do not vote for a program.)  So I refrain from giving my opinion… besides, I am not sure I really have one.

Instead, I ask our teachers to consider some things as they cast their votes into the hazy time of having 1/3 of our staff teaching the CCSS and most still using Indiana’s Academic Standards along with Indiana’s Assessment Guidance documents and our curriculum guides that also help support the transition to the CCSS.

It is hard to know what is done and done well when we have not yet fully experienced the CCSS nor its assessments, as all of the programs are supposed to be CCSS-aligned.

However, here are some questions that seem logical in guiding our thinking (and votes):

1.     How well does the program balance literary and informational texts?

2.     Does the series provide enough quality texts that you won’t feel constantly pressed to “dig” for more resources?

3.     Are the materials conducive for differentiating instruction, particularly for your student population?

4.     How well does the program assist with teaching the CCSS? 

5.     Does this program provide materials to help you monitor students’ progress/growth?

6.     Is the program student-friendly?  Will the students enjoy the texts?  Does it help students love reading?

7.     Will teachers feel like they have options in their approach to teaching this?  (Does it treat the teacher as a thoughtful professional or is it too scripted in an attempt to make it “teacher proof?”)

8.     What kinds of online supports or apps are available?  How well do they work?  Will they enhance instruction?  Do they assist the teacher in her work or complicate it?

9.     Do you know which elements of the program are included in a purchase and in what quantity?   In other words, if you believe you are getting leveled texts, are there enough for small groups? 

10.  How easy are the CDs to use?  (One teacher mentioned that her series doesn’t tell you which selection number for any of the stories on the audio CDs.)

11.     What kinds of support materials are provided?  Do you think they    are useful?

12.   Are materials accessible online for ease of planning, referencing, or even for students to use at home when needed?

Remember, Indiana’s Reading Framework says that we have to adopt a core program and use it “with fidelity.”  To me, that means we must be more thoughtful than ever with what we are voting for—our votes represent our willingness to use the program for a long time to come. 

What would you add to this list?  

Slice of Life #25: Summer Book Studies

Slice of Life #25:  Summer Professional Book Study Ideas—Suggestions, Please?

With summer vacation approaching, I have been thinking about books that

I might suggest for our summer book studies this year, and I am certainly open to suggestions—so bring them on in the “comments” section (below). 

Our summer book studies have been very successful; in my district with 6 schools, we generally have about 80 teachers who choose to participate!  I think that is amazing and is one of many ways that our wonderful staff demonstrates their professionalism.  We get together at people's homes, in cafes, or our public library and talk, collaborate, and watch videos to support our reading.  This has been a great time to get to know colleagues that we almost never see and to deepen our professional relationships as co-workers.  

I usually offer a different study group for each of these levels:  K-2, 3-5, and 6-12.   I might be willing to combine K-5 if the “right” book comes along—which really looks like a great possibility this year... or I could go with two of the titles on the K-5 list and give teachers a choice about which group to attend...  There are a lot of configurations for study groups!

Here are some ideas.  What do you think, dear reader?

Grades 6-12 (ELA):

•  BOOK LOVE:  DEVELOPING DEPTH, STAMINA, AND PASSION IN ADOLESCENT READERS by Penny Kittle
• NOTICE AND NOTE:  STRATEGIES FOR CLOSE READING by Kyleen Beers and Harvey Daniels

Grades K-5:

•  I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN, VISUAL LITERACY K-8  (2^nd Ed.) by Steve Moline
• PRACTICAL FLUENCY by Max and Gayle Brand
•  OPENING MINDS:  USING LANGUAGE TO CHANGE LIVES by Peter Johnston
•  GENRE CONNECTIONS:  LESSONS TO LAUNCH LITERARY AND NONFICTION TEXTS by Tanny McGregor
• DAY BY DAY:  REFINING WRITERS WORKSHOP THROUGH 180 DAYS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE by Ruth Ayers and Stacey Shubitz
• GUIDING READERS:  MAKING THE MOST OF THE 18-MINUTE GUIDED READING LESSON by Lori Jamison Rog

Grades K-2:

•  MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR CORE READING PROGRAM:  RESEARCH-BASED ESSENTIALS by Peter Dewitz and Jonni Wolskee

Grades 3-5:

• WHAT READERS REALLY DO  TEACHING THE PROCESS OF MEANING MAKING  by Dorothy Barnhouse and Vicki Vinton

Please comment to share your thinking about these or other texts.  If you have read any of these, I'd enjoy hearing your "review" and insights.  Of course, I am open to suggestions.  We have had a lot of book studies over the summers, across grade levels, and  school years; so if something seems to be missing, it may just be that it's already been studied.  You never know, so please suggest all you like!

Slice of Life #24: Through a Coach's Eyes: Teachers' Learnership

Slice of Life #24:  Through  the  Eyes  of  a  Coach :  Teachers’ Learnership

My current read is Cathy Toll’s book, LEARNERSHIP:  INVEST IN TEACHERS, FOCUS ON LEARNING, AND PUT TEST SCORES IN PERSPECTIVE.

As a coach, I am constantly questioning how I can help teachers build their identities as learners.  How do they see themselves?  How can they move into or sustain the teaching identities that they most desire?  What is my role?

In my post, Slice of Life #22, I discussed a variety of actions that teachers can take to continuously redefine how they see themselves and their work.  Many of these can be done with/without a coach. 

However, when teachers opt to work with the coach, how can their opportunities be maximized?  In other words,  my goal is to foster teachers’ learnership so that their teaching identities are positively impacted:  forever changing who they are as teachers and learners, adding to their sense of agency.  How can I best influence what they know, believe, and do in such a way that it supports them in fulfilling their potential, their wants, and their needs?

I recently read this amazing quote from Deb Cale: 

"Research shows that if a [teacher] doesn't have feedback or a coaching component, only about 10 percent of what they've learned in professional development will stick with them.  But if the coaches are there to support a teacher in implementing a new practice or instructional method, the learning opportunity goes up to 90 percent."   

While this is a broad statement (and I think should be worded “…can go up to 90 percent”), I wondered, “Do teachers sustain that much of their learning when they work with me?  Is it really 50, 60, or 70 percent?  How can I know?  How can I improve?  Granted, working with a coach is clearly better for the brain than not—but, again, how can coaching help the most?

At times, I have felt like this is a matter of accountability.  I have asked myself, “What do I need to do to encourage this teacher to take increased responsibility for his/her learning?  How do I build  his/her confidence/independence with this task?”

However, I wasn’t sure if those were the “correct” questions to ask myself to produce the desired outcome.  Why?  Because every time I hypothesized and experimented with a possible answer, I still felt like the outcome was less than what I was hoping for.

Cathy Toll describes this type of thinking (“What can I do as the instructor?) to be instruction-centered.  This is different from (and not as desirable as) as focus on what she calls “learnership.”  Toll contends that when we focus on instruction, we focus on just the “best practice” aspects, which can tend to lead into a “one-size-fits-all” mode of thinking about instruction.  In other words, the idea that “if we just ‘do’ best practices, our problems will be solved.”   While I don’t think I believe this about teaching, I need to find ways to question and sustain teachers as learners.

The truth is that best practices tend to work, but as professionals we must consider to what degree and with which students one might be more effective than another… and then we must consider our implementation, the learning environment, the needs of the student(s).  This is where the idea of “learnership” enters.

Learnership focuses on learning—the teacher’s and the students’—and the tools that make the difference.  Learnership requires the coach/teacher to notice when learning occurs and inquire when it does not.  Learnership requires a solid foundation about HOW we learn and how learning is influenced by others.  Learnership recognizes that each individual has a story (as a learner) and that linking new learning to what is known is essential—and that looks different for each person.  This aligns to my coaching beliefs. 

So now, I’m going back to the form that I use to hold our thinking when we plan coaching cycles.  Part of it is a checklist of expectations—defining what the teacher can expect from the coach and what the coach can expect from the teacher.  We set a SMART goal and generate ideas for how we might know if the goal has been reached—by looking at student work/achievement and through the instructional process.  We work together in a variety of ways over the allotted time.  This might include collecting and analyzing data, my conducting demonstration lessons, co-planning, co-teaching, and classroom observations.  It always includes coaching conversations and timely feedback. 

On paper and in practice, it feels almost complete, almost satisfactory… but not quite. 

I think this plan causes ME to be intentional about my work with the teacher but I’m theorizing now that it needs to be changed (along with our conversations) to cause the teacher to be intentional, as well.  I think our conversations assist with that, but perhaps they haven’t been enough—often because of lack of time in a given teacher’s schedule.  How to compensate?  As I know through my own life, written reflections (such as this piece that you’re currently reading) make a big difference in clarifying learning and in finding direction. 

We generally do a good job of redefining our instruction to meet students’ daily needs; but we might be missing something when it comes to completely articulating our teacher-coach learning and thinking.  Even though I am present for the process, I think I have been outcome-driven.  I’m thinking we need a greater focus on the teacher’s thinking and learning each and every day.  As a teacher, I know that my thinking shifts moment-by-moment.  We are continuously learning; learning is constantly in motion and changing shape—it’s dynamic.  While classroom time allows for a quick debrief (most days), perhaps this has not been sufficient to think deeply enough about the complexities of our work; when this lacks, perhaps learnership suffers… which means that the practices we are trying might not be sustainable once I depart from the teacher’s daily life.

I have been hesitant to consistently ask for written feedback because I don’t want to put “one more thing” on the teachers’ plates.  I know they are constantly pressed for time, and I want to be sure that all work that I ask of them is meaningful…  YET that’s just it.  Asking for feedback DURING and immediately after the class (perhaps in writing or even recorded and emailed digitally) is meaningful.  It causes teachers to bring agency to the work.  Even if they are observing, they should be thoughtful observers.  They can use that time to record their daily thinking so that, over time, they can see how they have evolved and more deeply understand the process we’ve gone through—and recall why.  Honestly, I think I have been hesitant to consistently ask for this, as well, because I was worried that the teachers might not work with me if it required “too much” effort.  But now I am realizing that they need to work at least as hard as I do—and that if they don’t, they will never really have agency for the work that is done via coaching.  That is not acceptable.

I have forms that I have used for teachers to complete during observations and co-teaching.  I am thinking of redesigning them to garner more specific feedback, which might prompt teachers to provide more thoughtful insights to help us in moving forward, clarifying thinking, and understanding the processes we are going through. 

I wonder, too, if I should consider how I plan to reach teachers as learners by completing a separate organizer for my thoughts.  This could help me to gauge how teachers are progressing as learners in a coaching cycle.  I am thinking that I could list the tasks that we will do together, how they will be done, what the desired outcomes will be (for each task during the learning process).  I might also include ways to assess progress and to note the teacher’s demonstrations of application of the learning.  This would build confidence/competence for independently carrying on with this work when the coaching cycle ends. 

I have also recently been thinking that I need to schedule follow-ups with teachers in a different way (after coaching cycles have ended).  Right now, I email and/or schedule meetings for  coaching conversations.  We discuss the teacher’s perceptions of his/her progress implementing the practices on which s/he has been coached. 

Oftentimes, they are telling me that “everything is fine” and even citing examples… but then months later, I hear some of them say, “Yeah, that WAS going okay but then I dropped it because…”  My heart sinks.  While I know that they have changed as learners and came away with new teaching identities that have improved their instruction across the day, I feel like I failed to sustain them at some point. 

My solution is that I think I need to expand my follow-ups—I think we need to agree to follow-up meetings in addition to some classroom observations.  Maybe we even need to consider how to link new learning to what has been tried during and practiced since a coaching cycle.  I am still thinking about ways to sustain teachers as learners.

These things seem to be part of the answer to my questions, “How am I doing as a coach?” and, “How can I improve?”

I’m still reading, thinking, and growing.  My agency for my work is changing as I consider these hard questions, hypothesize the varied outcomes, and then TRY and reflect on new strategies. 

I’ll keep you posted. 

 

  

Slice of Life #23: ROMANTIC NOVELLA ABOUT FLUENCY

I have been trying to get a teacher-friend to read a wonderful book called PRACTICAL FLUENCY by Max and Gayle Brand.  

Yesterday, she told me that she just couldn't get into it... that if it were a novel, she might be able to read it.  This is for her... and anyone else who appreciates silliness and literacy.  What a mix.

SLICE OF LIFE POST #23:  A Romantic Novella About Fluency: 

LEYENDO'S FIERY PASSION FOR FLUENCY

On a dark moonless summer night, with only occasional bolts of heat lightning to relieve the blackness, Fluency stretched her smooth legs as best as she could while driving the rented moving van.  All her favorite picture books and juvenile novels were stuffed behind her as she drove the long five hour trip. She turned left onto a gravel road, almost there now, almost to her new home in the country and to her new life in nearby Angola, Indiana.

Off in the distance, an orange, yellow, and red glow flickered on the horizon. A fire! Oh no!

Fluency made a return sweep to the left, pulling into the long winding driveway as flames leaped, dancing in the wind, while devouring the old weathered schoolhouse. With natural prowess, she jumped from the van and effortlessly toward the blaze. That schoolhouse was supposed to be an rural library and headquarters for her new job. Fluency felt like she was watching a funeral pyre for her new life. What kind of sign was this for her new beginning?

The fire, hot as the engine of her van, singed her chocolate hair as she rhythmically ran into the choking cloud of billowing black smoke. She collided into what felt like a brick wall and her knees buckled causing her to pause at just the right moment... 

"Whoa…..   little seniorita," a voice broke into the darkness.  Large gentle hands clasped her shoulders to stop her from falling upon impact, and then guided her back out of the heat.  Little did he know, but Fluency would be the best thing that ever happened to him.

Fluency's heart caught at the sound of the deep, rich baritone voice. His ebony eyes locked onto her sapphire ones then widened with surprise. Or was it appreciation?  Perhaps the scorching heat was slowing down her rate of thinking?

Something firm pressed against her chest before she realized his brawny arms were filled with books that he was rescuing from the fire! Although glistening with sweat and smudged with charcoal, too sooty to distinguish his features, he seemed like a knight in not-quite shimmering armor. "Who are you?" Fluency whispered.

"I am….  Leyendo." He remembered his manners at the same time as the heavy weights in arms. "Here."

He thrust the bundle of books into her arms before brushing a stray lock of hair from her lovely heart-shaped face. He took a giant step back, as an emergent reader might retreat from a chapter book.   Her smooth, fluid form seemed out of reach. Leyendo wondered why no one warned him he would yearn for Fluency so very much.

"You.. must be Fluency, the new reading teacher," he tossed a book over his shoulder as he again moved toward the schoolhouse to save more precious literature. He had many false starts, heading toward the building, stopping for reasons unclear, then strangely backing up and restarting.  Fluency wondered if he would ever make it; he seemed so unsure of himself.  He seemed to be relying on only one strategy in determining how approach the texts.

Fluency settled with the books on the grass, well away from the blazing schoolhouse, as fire engines roared into the driveway. Firemen hollered out directions to each other, working in harmony with hoses to blast water into flames. Leyendo hauled out Newberys and Caldecotts, handing them, along with three more classics, Fluency, before dashing back for another rescue.  He had unsteady movements, yet she sensed his desire for her.

Professionals that they were, the firemen had the inferno down to a smolder in no time. One of the fire fighters led Fluency to a large neighboring ranch house at the end of the lane and told her to store her reading materials and conduct her lessons there for a while.

Although she kept her hands busy by wiping the soot from the books, her mind zoomed from one worry to another with the speed of a reader who thinks that rate is everything.

Oh no. Would her new teaching partner want to rebuild the library?  She'd never spoken with him directly.  What did the future hold for her?

Fluency sighed deeply.  Only two hours ago she was felt like her life was going smoothly with virtually no unnecessary pauses or stops.  She thought she was finally going to get to express who she really was and finally be deeply understood.

Despite the schoolhouse in ashes down the lane, again and again, she wondered just WHO precisely was Leyendo? Where had he come from and would she see him again? He wasn't what she would call handsome, covered head to toe in grime, but there was something about him – she sensed he needed her… and she was drawn to him… perhaps she could help him develop his prosody… he seemed so  unsure of himself.  When his gaze met hers, it was as alluring as eyes on text.  If only she could put him at ease, help him build confidence.

Well, Fluency conceded, their head-on collision could have knocked her senses out of whack. She'd simply misread their physical impact. Nah. It wasn't chemistry. He just had to put in so much effort but still seemed stilted, and unsure of himself when he met her.  He had to focus all of his attention on getting the books, but he didn’t seem to comprehend the importance of their contents.  He could not infer what this meant to her life.  She saw all of that in the dewy stare of his eyes when he had dropped the firm, heavy books into her arms.  It was as if he had all of the desire and tools but just didn’t know what to do with them.  Perhaps… yes, she could teach him.  She would start out with easy things to build his confidence, gradually trying harder and harder work.

She no sooner settled the books into a make-shift bed, than she heard the smooth baritone that Fluency recalled from earlier. She turned her head toward its source and her mouth went dry. Surely this wasn't Leyendo?  This man was freshly showered, his features no longer smudged and indistinguishable. She inhaled deeply as she detected the pleasant sensation of his desire to read with a hint of the smell of a newly opened book. With his bronzed coloring, salt and pepper hair, and ebony eyes that also held a mixture of uncertainty, particularly when he saw the books spread out on the bed.  This was Leyendo-the-book-rescuer, a hero of sorts.

‘

Yet he smiled slowly at her gaping mouth and that rich deep tone rumbled, "You okay… Fluency?"

Wow! Swallowing hard, she forced her gaze away from his before her face could betray her thoughts. He looked like a modern-day gladiator with broad shoulders, corded neck, and perfectly sculpted face. He leaned over her and picked up a book. 

When she dared another glance, he stared at her for a moment. From the twitching at the corner of his mouth, Fluency guessed he was trying to read again. She wasn't sure if she wanted to slap him or kiss him now. Instead, she cleared her throat. Twice. "I'm as full of expression and accuracy as ever."

Leyendo leaned his back against the wall and stuck his hands in his belt loops, regarding her with that same forced smile and a look behind his eyes as if he knew he needed to increase his reading performance.  Disturbed, Fluency looked away.

Leyendo held out one large hand. "I'm Leyendo No-Fluidez by the way."

When her much smaller hand gripped his in a handshake, Leyendo attempted to regulate his breathing while he tried to find words for what he wanted to say.  He kept hesitating.  He would start to speak but then stop.   He'd prayed for God to smooth his way, to make his path to better reading more obvious.  Was Fluency the answer?

Now this woman was fresh-out of places to live until the schoolhouse was reconstructed as the new library. How did you invite a desirable creature like Fluency—something you have never known—into your life without sounding desperate?

He hesitated, then, "Welcome to Angola, Fluency."

She snorted, doubting his willingness to continue their relationship.

Leyendo tried to catch his breath, reminding himself of why he couldn't let himself pay so much attention to Fluency…  He had worked so hard just to decode her face, her words.  Now would he dare to get closer to her smooth, expressive body? 

Yet he reached for her toned, paper-cut fingers. Her touch was smooth, expressive. "Hmm. Start an inferno… is right."

He reluctantly released her hand when she tugged. She nibbled on her bottom lip as her sapphire eyes narrowed on him. Her honey-sweet voice seemed to pick up a little spice when she asked, "How was it that you were there at the fire so quickly?"

"I live here.  I… I have been reading… and re-reading… trying to build stamina… Fluency, you see, I am going to work here…  in the new school.  "

She swallowed hard, then practically squeaked her realization. "YOU … have been building your stamina?  Have you tried oral reading?  Cloze reading?  Partner reading?  REPEATED reading?"

It wasn't a question.  For the first time, Leyendo wondered if the attraction went both ways. She didn't sound necessarily pleased about it. In fact, her next statement sounded more like an accusation. "YOU are my new partner!" 

Leyendo nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Leyendo No-Fluidez at your service.  Don't worry.  We'll rebuild the library, while you and I build my… reading fluency.  You hold the key.”

She tossed her hands in the air before hitching a thumb back toward the lane. "I can't exactly live in that moving van while the library—and your reading fluency--are under construction."

Leyendo took a step toward her and closed the gap. He watched her breathing speed up. "You can live with me until then. There's lots of rooms to choose from. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.  We can read books together… we can cloze read, partner read, choral read, and re-read over and over again.  I promise to improve my stamina and my overall performance.”

She shook her head, flipping chocolate hair back over her shoulder, then tipped her stubborn chin in the air. "That's partnership, mister. Not relationship.  I can read you like a sight word."

"Yes," Leyendo agreed. "It takes an equal partnership for any relationship to work.  Just like reading rate and accuracy work together to build prosody.  I know that I need automaticity with sight words, too.  After you interviewed for the job, the teacher you're replacing told me you're sweet, big-hearted, and a smooth reader. He failed, however, to mention how beautiful you are and how much meaning you could bring to my… reading."

She grumbled, "He failed to mention my future partner could double for a male model if he needed a change of employment… and that he would need to put some work into understanding that he cannot just race through a text and think he will have Fluency."

She whipped her eyes off his form-fitting t-shirt toward a treasured copy of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY... she silently wondered if this text would firm up his desire for the work that needed done; but she knew she would have to provide a lot of extra tutoring.  Perhaps she'd start with having him track text with his fingers... perhaps she could even find his Lexile level.  How "lexy."

Leyendo shook his head.  Oh yes, this would be interesting.  She was definitely interested in him whether she wished it so or not. God had definitely handed Leyendo a blessing when He sent Fluency.  The schoolhouse’s burning down was like a flashing neon sign for Leyendo's life, sending Fluency into more than his business, sending her into his reading as well.

Leyendo motioned toward the hallway. "Pick a room, any room, for your stay.  Then I'll help you carry in your suitcases so you can shower away the smoke and soot from the fire. In the morning, I'll help you unload the books from the moving van."

He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Welcome home, Dr. Fluency Importante."   He seemed to accept that he needed to spend more time with Fluency.

Relieved, Fluency spun around and with a sweeping movement from left to right, headed toward the hallway.  She looked over her shoulder and smiled, “We will start tomorrow morning, first thing with Cloze reading.  I will need to cover text and keep you engaged.  It will be fun.”

Leyendo smiled after her.  Feisty.  Dang but if he didn't like that about her too. He would have to work for her.  He knew that she would never use the difference in their reading abilities to cause him embarrassment or confusion. He would learn to instantaneously recognize sight words and move into building his stamina across phrases… and longer, harder sentences.  He pictured long hours of tenderly cradling her books in his longing hands, listening to her smooth, expressive lips model prosody for him.  She might even have to direct him at first.  And then he would practice with her… over and over… until it felt natural and comfortable, which is what he desperately needed.  He would bring meaning to his work, opening up new worlds.

 And then one day, he would possess Fluency.  Yes, Fluency would be HIS.

THE END

Slice of Life #22: What is Your Teaching Identity?

Discovering Your Teaching Identity

"Read an hour every day in your chosen field.  This works out to about one book per week, fifty books per year, and will guarantee your success."

                 --Brian Tracy, Motivational Coach and Author

On occasion, I have heard teachers wonder at the extensive knowledge base of some of their peers.   For example, a teacher asked recently said, “I’ve been teaching a long time, but it seems like some teachers are way ahead of me in terms of what they know.  How did that happen?”

My reply was to consider several things that we do to learn and grow.  Had she attended workshops?  Did she read professionally either on her own or with study groups?  Did she participate in professional organizations?  Did she write reflections or collaborate with peers?  What is your “teaching identity?”

Workshops:

In my district, you may take two professional leave days per year (oftentimes, more are granted if needed).  So, let’s do the math:  if you attended just two professional events per year, over the course of 20 years, you would have accumulated knowledge from 40 workshops!  Assuming each is 6 hours in length, that’s 240 hours of professional learning, which is about the same as having nearly seven weeks of classes! 

Professional Reading:

I also thought about this quote.  If you really did read 50 books about teaching per year, in 20 years you would have read 1000 books!

ONE THOUSAND! 

Think of what that means!

On yesterday’s post, I made a list of my top 15 professional books but gave a nod to many educator-authors who just didn’t quite make the cut. 

But if I could have made a list of my top on thousand professional books, I might have actually been able to make an exhaustive list of my favorites.  I have definitely read hundreds, surely perused well over a thousand.  And then I would have to consider the professional journals and articles that I’ve read.  That must be well into the hundreds…

Professional Book Studies:

And then there are professional book studies in which you might participate (or even facilitate).  I am trying to recall the books I’ve studied with teams of teachers over the years.  I clearly recall the very first one—the one that opened up the world to me as a teacher:  INVITATIONS:  CHANGING AS TEACHERS AND LEARNERS, K-12 by Regie Routman. 

I remember a few of the participants and how I marveled at the information in that book, not to mention how empowering it was to sit down with a group of teachers to share our thinking about the text.  Suddenly, I realized that I had discovered the means to continuing my own education in one of the best ways possible—to collaborate with my peers. 

I found book after book, many of which appear on yesterday’s list or whose authors I mentioned.  Then a new principal came to my school, and she encouraged and even promoted book studies.  She shared professional articles, and we often had casual, unplanned discussions about what we had been reading and thinking. 

Professional Organizations:

Some teachers from my district (including myself) teamed with some teachers from another district to breathe new life into our local reading council (as division of the ISRA and IRA). We started sharing the expertise of some of our local teachers, eventually moving from after-school meetings in various buildings to larger dinner meetings in area restaurants.  Over the years, we have evolved from about 10 members to 80, and one county into seven, and even have a few members who have crossed the state/county line to join us.

Coaching and Collaborating

Sometime around my tenth year as a teacher, a writing coach (part-time) was added to our staff.  I had discovered my second literacy love (the first being reading):  writing—more specifically, writing workshop.  I had attended a week-long training over the summer, and I had discovered such lovely things as touchstone texts, writers’ notebooks, conferring, and the author’s chair.  I was anxious to implement everything, immediately!  RIGHT NOW.  The coach who was new and stretched very thin, helped when she could and patiently looked through artifacts from my workshop.  This was enough to sustain my work and to propel me forward, now as a reading teacher AND writing teacher. 

Teaching Identity

Over the course of a few years, I quickly moved from being (and feeling like) a novice teacher to living and seeing myself as a true professional.  As my learning grew rapidly, so did my excitement for teaching.  Teaching went from being my career choice to being part of my identity.  I felt as though I had found a large part of my purpose in teaching and in life.

And then, if you are a teacher, you need to read and know even more books.  You need to know the literature that is available (or that you want to make available or accessible) to your students. 

A natural outcome of my professional reading is the phenomenon that Brian Tracy calls “success” in his quote.  As my knowledge base increased, so did my love of learning.  In turn, I was increasingly drawn to quality literature and informational texts for children.

My own children were young, so we went to bookstores nearly every week.  They would choose a few books, and we would read, read, read.  Sometimes the books were not our favorites and would have to go back on the shelf.  Sometimes, we read and cherished them immediately.  We had to take them home, and they become part of us-- breathing their grace into our minds, whispering their secrets to us, often over and over again.

And, of course, there were trips to the school and public libraries… and to book sales at the Indianapolis Public Library (where I have purchased literally thousands of books over the years).  The first time I went into that sale, just two years after reading INVITATIONS, I remember freezing in the doorway and then trembling with exuberance at how many books were there—at my fingertips—just waiting to be lovingly taken home or to my classroom and shared with children. 

Whether a book made it to our house or classroom, our knowledge base of literature was ever increasing.  We read in the bookstores, libraries, in our home, and in the classroom.  Because of our access to such a variety of books, our tastes became increasingly impeccable; quality texts started to show themselves over other texts that were, perhaps, gimmicky or contrived.  Favorites emerged. 

Love of reading and of learning prevailed over all—this became another knowledge base in my professional life.  I loved the books and authors.  I remembered their names, their words, and could often quote text.  When I needed a book for a certain theme, topic, or moment, I could think of a title without having to search online or the card catalog. 

Guaranteed Success?

While  “guaranteed success” seems like a surprisingly ambitious word choice, I think that Brian Tracy is right.  When I think about what has led me to feel competent in my work, it’s the reading.  When I think about what helps me to align instruction to my beliefs—to even know what I believe—it’s the reading.  When I think about where I turn when I need answers or clarity—it’s the reading.  When I think about what has caused me to continue learn, grow, and flourish—YES, it’s the reading. 

Thank  goodness  for  the  reading.

Slice of Life #21: The Reading Places

The Reading Places

Home is

where books are

collected

accumulated

stored

squirreled away

piled

hoarded

stockpiled

amassed

read

loved

cherished

kept

Yearning to permeate

mind - spirit’s  core

Paradise is

Where books fill

endless libraries

brimming with favorites

Old friends all gathered

Enjoying each other’s company

Whispering secrets,

Imparting knowledge,

compassion, tenderness,

and life - truths 

collected

accumulated

stored

squirreled away

piled

hoarded

stockpiled

amassed

read

loved

cherished

kept

Just waiting for you

To set them free