Dear colleague,
A while ago, our colleague Katie from Des Moines wrote in the following:
Just wanted to say thank you for putting words to what I always vaguely knew to be true about teacher credibility. As I started the school year, I really focused on MGCs, mini sermons, using time well, and giving quick feedback and grades. I know these principles work, but I never dared to dream that a seventh grader would notice or appreciate them. Last night at parent/teacher conferences I had a dad tell me, “Jonah really likes your class. He says he can tell you're a good teacher and passionate about what you do because of the way you talk to students and how quickly you grade things.” Mind blown! That one comment was so motivating I even graded a few papers after conferences! 😂
Whenever I hear of a teacher compliment like the one Katie received, I always remind myself: for every one that you receive, there are dozens of others you won't. Meaning, when we're blessed to receive a thank-you from a student or a compliment from a parent, we have to remember that, commonsensically, there are dozens of other folks who also appreciate our work but haven't reached out.
It's like that time I ran into Scarlett at the grocery store. Here was a student I assumed I had failed to help, yet who, years later through a chance run-in at the grocery store, was able to tell me that my seemingly simple classroom practice had made a difference in her life.
Another way to think of it is this: is there anyone in your life who has made a difference for you recently or whose work you have respected, but you haven't yet made a point to tell them so? Unless you're well-advanced on the path to sainthood, I'd guess that there is. There certainly are folks like that for me. I've seen their craftsmanship, felt their positive impact on my development, but I haven't said anything yet.
So one takeaway here is, let's tell those folks today that we see them, we value their hard work, we've experienced the fruits of their labors.
And the other takeaway is, if we are persisting in a stubborn focus on the work that matters most, on creating classrooms where student motivation can grow naturally, we can be confident that the work is having an effect, even on days when it doesn't seem like it.
For Katie, she entered this school year determined to get better at some very basic things:
- MGCs
- Mini-sermons
- Using time well (Strategy #3 in WTL, “Gentle Urgency”)
- Giving quick feedback and grades (see T6T, pp. 199-200, 189, 164, 188-197)
It's not a newfangled list. Nothing flashy or impressive about it.
But WOW do these things ever work if we work them.
Well done, Katie from Des Moines.
Teaching right beside you,
DSJR
Leave a Reply