I hope you are all having a wonderful summer break..relaxing, visiting extended family, reading a good book (like the Essential 55..yep there just might be a test), and recharging your batteries for a wonderful year one as the RMS Longhorns! I found this article "How I Created a Positive Classroom Environment" on Twitter and I absolutely LOVED it! Exactly the positive way to start our year off! When I first became an administrator, someone once asked me..."Would you want Sydney (my OWN kid) in that teachers classroom?" Whoaaaa! That was a turning point in my leadership career...made me really think about WHY (or WHY NOT) I would want my own two daughters in specific teachers classrooms. And here are my true and honest feelings. I have had the pleasure of working alongside and supervising some of the best teachers in the buisness. In that mix are teachers that are strong in content...teachers that are strong in relationships...and those that are strong in both! Some teachers are the BEST teacher of their content, but when it comes to relating to kids, caring, and not being afraid to SHOW that in their ACTIONS they are falling short. As much as I want my kids to recieve the BEST possible education, the relationship side will ALWAYS win out for me. Yes, that does mean that I would choose more of a novice teacher, if I feel that teacher "connects to kids." Now let me clarify that "connecting" does not mean lowering your expectations...it means that a student that builds a relationship with a teacher will be more attentive, feel safe to take academic risks for the sake of learning, and will actually care more about not disappointing their teacher. I have seen it over and over again...kids outperforming thier IQ...because the expectation and relationship they have built with the kid! I can honestly say that after watching all these rockstar teachers out there..ones that have honed in on their content and learned to build true connections to kids...I would be a much stronger teacher and would focus so much more energy on the "waggin"! What I really hope you do is reflect on this, see how it might apply to "your style" and take a minute to ponder...what would you want for your OWN child?
Below is the link to the short article that led to the loooooong email! haha Have a marvelous Monday team!
HP
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