Are you ready? This question often gets asked between teachers and administrators before students arrive for the first day of school. The exchange often goes something like this - Teacher is walking down the hallway and is approached by another teacher or staff member. The teacher approaching asks Are you ready? The second teacher responds something like as ready as I'll ever be. The two share a laugh and continue on their way. This exchange is repeated over and over again in hallways of our schools across the country. It is almost the same as asking How are you doing? It is a friendly exchange between two teachers that is meant as a hello rather than really wanting to know if someone is ready for the start of school.
When I really think about this question I end up reflecting about my hopes, dreams, and goals for the year. I think about being ready for all of the students that will be in our building. I think about the teachers and staff. I think about the parents and community. I stop thinking about my to do list and think about how we will make those all important personal connections with students. I think about how I can support teachers in order for them to grow professionally and I think about how I can build partnerships with families. I think about building a community. A place where teachers, students, and families want to be, a place that is special and unique.
At our school we worked long and hard at creating our mission and vision as we desire to become a great school. Through the process of developing these statements we realized how important community and building a sense of belonging is to all of us. This year we will focus on building positive classroom environments where students feel a sense of belonging, where they are valued, and where they believe they can make a contribution. I recently watched a video where the speaker repeated the idea that it is about the process not the product. The process of creating a community of learners and investing in our students leads to student growth and when we focus on the process not the product we stop being overwhelmed with those things that we can't change like curricular changes, mandated assessments, and increased accountability. When we spend our time and energy focusing on the things that we cannot change that becomes draining and we loose our energy to create or innovate. However when we spend time focusing on the process of improving student learning through building relationships and community then we become energized to continue to connect and create.
This year when I think about the question Are you ready? My answer is yes, you bet that I am ready.
Tim,
ReplyDeleteYou touch on something very important. The answer to the question about being ready is all about commitment, not compliance. We get more commitment when we focus on the right things. When we focus on the wrong things, we get stuck in compliance...and this has great potential to result in a spirit of being overwhelmed, being negative, etc. Compliant focused outcomes often result in us being ready right away, but that "readiness" fades as time goes by. A commitment focused outcome ensures that we are ready today, in November, in February, and through May. Thanks for sharing, I'm ready also!
Tim, this blog came at just the right time. As I'm in the midst of learning a new ELA curriculum, my mind is immersed in planning, pacing guides, data collection, and much more. But when I drove home tonight, my mind, for the first time in two days, thought about the students. I will do my best to implement the curriculum. I will. But the connections with my students must come first. The community we build together must come first. Trust, mutual respect, and a safe environment must come first. Am I ready? Yes!!! I'm ready! -Marilyn
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Tim! I think I will make a point to check in on the teachers in my building to follow up "Are you ready?" with "Anything I can do to help?" Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI love that you found a way to bump your thoughts off of your to-do list and focus on what is truly most important. I need that reminder daily! Keeping sight of the bigger picture can be challenging, but it is the only way to ensure we are focusing on what we really want & need to be doing. Ready...set...go!
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