Hosting your Own "Bring a Legislator to School Day"

As educators, most of us pursued a career in education because we love our students, we love learning and sharing knowledge, we love seeing our learners' growth and empowering them with the skills necessary to make a difference in the world. In my experience, most educators love the world of teaching and leave politics to others. While politics and policy writing is a totally different world, it is one that can greatly impact the work that we do with students. It is crucial that we, as the educational experts, reach out to policymakers to build long-term relationships built on respect and educate them on the reality of today's classrooms and schools.

In previous posts, I've recommended inviting elected officials and community leaders to participate in school events or as volunteer readers. However, have you ever thought about hosting an entire day where these officials could actually participate in a typical school day to gain firsthand experience of the life of a student in today's schools? This year, my colleague, Laren Hammonds (@_clayr_), and I did just that. Honestly, it wasn't that much work (even with both of us being full-time classroom teachers), but it had a huge impact on both our students and all of our invited guests.

Here are some of the most asked questions about setting up a day like this:

• When do you host "Bring a Legislator to School Day?" Timing is crucial. If you want legislators to attend, you need to know when they are in session as they won't be available during this time period. When do they hold committee meetings; this impacts the availability of school board members, city council and chamber of commerce. While there is a national "Bring a Legislator to School Day," the timing didn't align with our needs. We knew there were a couple of key players we wanted to attend. We confirmed a day with them and then set that as our date.
• Who do you invite? How do you invite them? Invite anyone who writes, frames, or makes decisions regarding education. We decided to cast a wide net. We sent out emails customized for each group: local school board members, state board members, district-level administrators, city council members, our mayor, and all state legislators in our region (and a little beyond).
• How do you know who is coming? We created a Google Form and requested that each individual respond there. It was very quick and simple: name, email address, and time slot (we included two-hour time slots and they could click on as many as they wanted). For planning purposes, we found it very helpful to include a deadline for their response so that we could plan the schedule of that day.
• How do you advertise your day? We contacted our district's public relations department who reached out to local media. In addition, we sent out a similar invitation to well-known education writers and bloggers in our state. For some elected officials, this can make the difference in them attending or not. Our tech coach took the time to find the Twitter and Instagram accounts for each of guests and the counselor posted photos on our school's social media accounts throughout the day.
• What was going on at school during "Bring a Legislator to School Day?" For us, it was important that our guests saw a real school day. We stressed that we were not putting on a dog and pony show. That will not help them reframe their ideas about education. Laren and I believe that by participating alongside students, our elected officials gain a new perspective of what education is like today....not when they were students. On our "Bring a Legislator to School Day," they participated in Socratic circles, dissected frogs, solved complex math problems, composed solid argument based on credible evidence, designed and tested roller coasters, and debated the credibility of urban legends (plus much more). 
• How were the students involved? We both really wanted as much of this day to be student owned and student-run. Our student council with students who have served in a variety of leadership roles, met together to discuss the day and the expectations we all wanted from the day. They volunteered to fulfill different roles. Some served in our hospitality suite while others greeted our elected officials when they arrived and took them to visit classrooms. These students also took candid photos to be posted via social media. When a guest arrived in a classroom, a student in that classroom, greeted him/her, gave an explanation of what was taking place and encouraged them to actively participate in the learning. Also, I had my students write letters to each of our elected officials, thanking them for visiting our school and participating in learning with them. They also shared some of their ideas on ways they could help them make changes in our communities and continue to support their education. (Personally, this part had an incredible impact on my students. Our conversations about advocacy and their experience in having their eleven-year-old voices heard were so powerful. Talk about authentic learning!)
• How did you get faculty "buy-in?"We started by getting support from our building administrator. She gave us the opportunity to speak briefly at our faculty meeting about "Bring a Legislator to School Day." We gave teachers the opportunity to volunteer to have visitors join their class on that day. We had more teachers volunteer than we could actually use. I attribute that to the fact that it was completely voluntary. They knew it was important to open their classroom door to guests, but they were just going to have a "regular" school day with a couple of extra participants.

This day was overwhelmingly successful. Our guests thanked us and continue to have conversations with us about teaching, learning, and growing accomplished teaching in our area and beyond. Although I had spoken with many of these elected officials many times before this day, we saw that there is a big difference between hearing about it from a teacher and actually living it alongside students. Will we host another "Bring a Legislator to School Day?" Without a doubt! Are you interested in hosting one yourself? Let us know! We are happy to answer questions and share our resources with you!

Here is a piece written about our "Bring a Legislator to School Day:"

• A Surprise at Rock Quarry Middle School

Here are a few other pieces that I've written on the importance of using our voice:

• Your Words and Your Silence Speak Volumes
• Superheroes Don't Exist, But You Do
• It's OUR Table
• Lead with the Learning

How will you Be the One?

This last weekend, I had the enormous pleasure of participating in the Alabama NBCT Network Conference; the theme was Be the One. I listened to brilliant people share their thoughts, formally and informally, on ways we, as accomplished teachers, could be the one...the one for our profession, our colleagues, our communities, but most importantly, how we can be the one for our students. In an effort to capture many of these simple ideas and pass them along to others, here are some ways we can each Be the One.

• Tell a colleague that you see the hardwork and dedication they put into their students each day. Teachers typically are not looking for praise, but some acknowledgement for their work really goes a long way, especially when they face challenges.
• Get to know your students. Really know them by learning their strengths, challenges, background, learning preferences, hopes, fears, and dreams. Look for the untapped potential. See all the opportunities where you can empower each of your unique learners. 
• Continue to sharpen your teaching practice so you can provide students with the level of support and challenge that each one needs. This can be done formally and informally through conferences, Twitter chats, book studies, webinars, or workshops. Living in the digital age, there are more opportunities than ever to connect and learn from others. Learning is often more fun when done with others. Grab a colleague and ask them to join you.  That gives you a sounding board as you work to make big ideas work for our specific students.
• Share your professional learning with others. Did you read a great article? Watch a compelling video? See an inspirational speaker? Share that with others, face-to-face or on social media. Have you had an epiphany with a change you've made in your teaching practice? Write a blog post for an educational organization (they are always looking for great "in the trenches" content). Go to your school or district administrator and volunteer to share what you've discovered that works well for your students. Submit a proposal to formally present at a local, state or international conference. This is an opportunity to pay the professional learning forward for all those people who have shared their learning with you. 
  
• Connect with your elected officials. This can be done informally by tweeting, posting or emailing a picture or story of something great going on in your classroom or school. Invite them to be guest readers or an extra set of hands during a hands-on learning activity. When you have Family Literacy/Math Night, student concerts, parent workshops, or special tournaments send them an invitation. Hand write them a note sharing your appreciation for the support that have shown. You can even formally host a Bring a Legislator to School Day and have elected officials spend the day (or a couple of hours) working along side students and forming a firsthand view of what learning looks like in today's classrooms.
• Look at what areas you are passionate about: literacy, math development, teacher retention, STEAM, educational technology. Seek out opportunities where you can join committees and drive decisions that impact the lives of our students.
• Join professional organizations. Through these orgainizations you connect with other similarly-minded individuals who can push your thinking. In turn, you can provide your unique insight as you work to grow our profession and positively impact student learning.
• Volunteer to coach new teachers in your school or district. Offer your classroom to preservice teachers. The reality of a classroom can be overwhelming to preservice or early career teachers. This is a powerful way to provide them support, guidance and encouragement as these are the ones who will be taking the reigns of our profession in a few years. 

These are the ideas I walked away with this past weekend. What are some other ways that we can be the one?

Your Words and Silence Speak Volumes

Yesterday, I spent the day at a brilliant conference, the Alabama NBCT Network Conference, where we explored ways to "be the one." While I learned much and connected with so many phenomenal educators, there is one thought that continues to resonate in my head. It was spoken by one of the opening ignite speakers, Tammy Dunn (@tammydunn01). She said that not only are we responsible for our words but also our silence. Reflecting on this idea, it occurred to me that while I have been a long time advocate for teacher-voice and student-voice and the power of one to make a difference in the world, I had never contemplated the times when I remained silent.

Sometimes remaining silent needs to be intentional. All you have to do is spend a little time online to see that staying out of conversations is what is best for ourselves, our colleagues, and our profession. If a situation is one where there is only griping without a mindset to find a solution, sharpen our teaching practice, or improve our communities, it is best to not be pulled into the mire. There are other arenas where our voices will have an impact without being drawn into rants with those who have closed-minds and no desire to divert from their current mindset. Experience has taught me that there are always going to be individuals who are going to try to pick a fight with anyone over anything.

However, the silence that caused me to pause is the one where we choose not to speak up when it is imperative that we do. As educators, we know our students, their families and the communities in which we teach. We are passionate about our content and know the strategies to provide each of our students with the best possible learning experiences. I truly believe that a majority of teachers pursue this career because they want to do what's best for students and positively impact their future. (See NBPTS What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do)

As accomplished teachers, we know what works and doesn't work for our learners, our colleagues, our schools, and our districts, yet when we are at the grocery store, airport, or ballpark and we hear people maligning education, often we remain silent. We receive policy or practice change, and even though we know it is not what is best for students, we hold our tongues. We see non-educators telling negative stories about schools, but we don't take the time to share one of the many success stories we witness unfolding every single day in our own classrooms or schools.

It is scary when we are in a situation and we find ourselves at the crossroads between being the voice for our students or remaining silent. Reaching out to those writing policy and making decisions for our students can be intimidating. However, if we want our students to believe that they each have the power to make the world better place for someone, shouldn't we each be doing the same? If we want to empower our students, we must break the silence and lead the way to a brighter future. Our learners deserve it!

Here are a few other pieces that I've written on the importance of using our voice:

• Superheroes Don't Exist, But You Do
• It's OUR Table
• Lead with the Learning

Alabama NBCT Week: Alabama Statistics

This week has officially been declared Alabama NBCT Week by Governor Bentley. This week has been filled activities and events that recognize the teachers in Alabama who have earned their board certification. I found the following statistic very interesting.

• ·       There are 47,723 public school teachers in AL including 2,313 NBCTs – 4.8% of AL teachers are NBCTs.
• ·       In Alabama, 744,621 public school students are served by 47,723 teachers including 2,313 NBCTs.
• ·       Alabama ranks 15^th in the nation with its # of NBCTs. The states with the most NBCTs are NC (20,611) FL (13,637) SC (8,820) WA (8,196) and CA (6,249). MS has 3,740 NBCTs.
• Alabama has 133 school districts –
• o   School districts with highest # of NBCTs: Jefferson County - 236; Hoover City - 185; Birmingham City – 152
• o   12 Alabama school districts have 0 NBCTs – I have the school district names if we want to include that info
• o   86 Alabama school districts have 5 or less NBCTs
• o   102 Alabama school districts have 10 or less NBCTs
• ·       Research shows that students taught by NBCTs gain an extra 1 – 2 months of learning each school year. That adds up to an incredible amount of learning time for our students!
• ·       The positive impact of having an NBCT is even greater for minority and low-income students.
• ·       There are 110,428 NBCTs in the US.
• ·       Alabama NBCTs receive an annual $5000 stipend for 10 yrs and can recertify; if you are an NBCT for 20 yrs, you can earn an extra $100,000 during your career.
• ·       Over 4,100 educators nationwide achieved NB cert in 2014; in Alabama 62 educators earned their NB cert in 2014. MS had over 200 new NBCTs in 2014 and over 500 of their educators have achieved in the last 5 yrs.
• ·       The Alabama NBCT Network currently has 280 members. We would like to double that number by the end of 2015.
• Compiled by Valerie Johnson (@JohnsonValAL)

Personally, I can say that earning my certification in 2007 proved to be the most challenging and rewarding professional development that I have ever done. It helped me to sharpen my practice and become highly reflective on the choices that I make and how they positively impact student learning. NBPTS has now revamped the process, lowering the cost and extending the time frame that one has to complete the process. If you are considering board certification and you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will be completely transparent and honest with you.

Lead with the Learning

In the last month, I have met with legislators and policy makers in both D.C. and Montgomery, Alabama. I have spent much time in reflection on what we as educators can do to make a difference for our students (See Can One Person Make a Difference?) In all the (mostly) ups and (rather few) downs, I have emerged with one thought that was shared by State Superintendent, Dr. Tommy Bice: Always lead with the learning. He shared this in the context of speaking with non-educators, policy makers, and legislators, but I believe that this phrase has much greater ramifications on the mission and vision of an educator.

As educators, all decisions that we make must always be focused on positively impacting student learning whether we are discussing instructional practice, professional development, or logistical planning within a school or district. Everything needs to be focused on student learning.

It is human nature to become creatures of habit. We find a lesson, strategy, or management technique that works and we tend to stick with it for years even when it proves unproductive. Many times we want to make a square peg into an ever-shrinking round whole. What we really need to do is pause and evaluate if that practice is not only effective, but also supports students in their academic and personal goals. Are we leading with the learning?

My intern (who has been doing a fantastic job) often asked me how to adjust her management techniques to support certain students. I asked her to explain her rationale behind the choices she had been making. Once she reflected on it, she realized that she was simply imitating something she had observed rather than thinking about how her choices would impact student learning. I recommended she speak with the students to see what they suggested. What she discovered was that students knew what would help hold them accountable for making good choices and getting the most learning out of each of the opportunities that she provided. She began leading with the learning.

In our PLG meetings, are we making choices about our practice based on what's easiest for us or best for student learning? Taking the time to plan hands-on, cross-curricular activities or experiential learning experiences off campus or supporting student-created and driven learning activities all take time, planning, and resources. But, are we making decisions based on the learning or some less important factors. We must always lead with the learning at the forefront of all decision making processes.

In my aforementioned post, I wondered if I was accurately teaching my students that one voice can make a difference. To the best of my abilities, I try to lead by example. Following Dr. Bice's advice, I try to always lead with the learning when speaking with our policy makers and legislators. This week, I was fortunate to see a how leading with the learning intrigued legislators we spoke with last year. Several of these legislators had spent time seeking out the National Board Certified Teachers in their districts. They spoke with these teachers and visited their classrooms. They were able to see how accomplished teachers lead with the learning and the positive impact it truly has on each individual student's learning. These legislators have embraced the powerful learning that is possible and they have been actively seeking new ways to support it within their districts.

Lead with the learning is a mantra that educators can embrace in all aspects of their professions; one that can greatly impact not only the students directly in one's classroom, but have far reaching ramifications. So next time we each have a choice to make, whether big or small, let's take a moment to ask ourselves, are we leading with learning? If not, maybe it's time to stop forcing that square peg to fit that round hole and step out of our comfort zones and try something new.


photo credit: paul bica via photopin cc

Finding Your Fortress of Solitude

In my last post, What's Your Superpower? Lessons Learned from Superheroes, I drew some comparisons between superheroes and educators. There is one additional lesson I feel like we can learn from superheroes that needs to be a separate post.

As a general population, I think we can easily identify with superheroes because they are seemingly ordinary people who do extraordinary things. They come through in a time of need and bring hope to those whose lives they touch. As teachers, we want to do the same for our students.

However, often, and especially at the beginning of the school year, it is easy to become overwhelmed. There are so many things to accomplish, many of which don't actually have anything to do with the actual teaching of our students. Then as school gets under way, we have data meetings, content area meetings, IEPs, grade level meetings...the list could go on and on. With each of these, there is usually a pile of work to be accomplished in addition to our classroom repsonsiblities.

For me, I tend to think in to-do lists. But the lists seems to grow so long, and then they jumble up with all of the plans and ideas I have for my students (even though I diligently use many productivity and time management tools). For many of us, it becomes a jumbled mess inside of our brains. What are we to do with all this scary gibberish inside of our heads? (If you find yourself struggling to stay organized and effectively manage your time, be sure to check out Frank Buck's website and blog...he's an educator's organizational guru.)

Let's take a cue from our favorite superheroes. After all, Superman has his Fortress of Solitude and Batman has his Bat Cave. They realize the importance of taking time away from the ensuing chaos to regroup, analyze, and strategize. Don't we deserve the same? If all we are doing is jumping from one fire to the next instead of stopping to clear the our minds, we aren't doing anyone any good...including ourselves.

I feel strongly that for us to become the most powerful and effective educators that we can be, we must take time to become a reflective practitioner. Our success with our students depends upon us taking time each day to analyze what we did in class and how it impacted student learning. If something went well, we need to be able to identify what we did that caused that success so that we can recreate it and adapt for other lessons and learning activities that we lead. If what we did was unsuccessful and didn't positively impact students and learning, we need to identify the causing factor and strategize how we can make improvements in the future.

The thing about reflecting is that we each need to be transparent and honest with ourselves. No one, not even a superhero, is always successful. Situations changes, students come in with different life challenges and even disasters happen. The only way we can help each of our students every day is to diligently reflect and refine our teaching practice. This is how we learn and grow as educators.

This time may be while your are driving home at the end of a school day, when you are taking a shower, or through writing a blog. For me, this blog is serving as a reminder that in spite of all the deadlines and demands on my time, my primary focus must be how I use my time with my students. It's the choices I make with them that will impact them in the long run...not all the chaos filling up my mind.

Set aside some time to find your Fortress of Solitude. Become a reflective practitioner. Be strong and teach on!

What does good teaching look like?

This is a question that I have been pondering a lot lately. What does good teaching really look like? Does it look like what we see on television, movies and commercials? Is it a teacher standing at the front of the room in front of a board lecturing students who are sitting in rows passively listening? Is it assigning students to watch lectures at home and then have them come to school to complete digital worksheets?

These are questions that all teachers need to ask themselves. One thing that I learned by going through the National Boards process and becoming a Candidate Support Provider is that there isn't just one right answer. However, there are some constants that you can find in the classrooms of each amazing teacher.

In these classrooms, students always come first. We cannot continue teaching in the same way that we've always taught because our students have changed. Just because it's easy for us, doesn't mean that it's what is best for our learners. Whatever their individual needs are, it is our responsibility to identify them and help them grow. Every decision we make, must focus on them and what they need to accomplish. We must get to know our students and have conversations with them. We need to let them design their learning environment, set their classroom norms, design their own assessment, and set their own goals for learning. Amazing teachers listen to their students and let them create solutions to academic and personal challenges.

Learning has to be meaningful and engaging. With technology, students are the masters of their own universe. They have a 24/7 constant flow of information and connection to those around the world. Everything in which they engage themselves is meaningful and purposeful to them. Students, no matter the age, need to find the relevance to what they are learning and how it improves them and the world around them.No longer are students enthusiastic about digging into a subject matter because it's going to be on a  test.  "About" presentations aren't engaging or meaningful as students are just spitting out facts that don't relate to their lives.They want to know how they will use the content standards now. They must have a reason to connect with their learning.

In these classrooms, the teacher is the facilitator learning, not the sole disseminator of information.We are the content specialists and the strategists. We need to guide our students in making important discoveries and reaching their academic and personal goals. Can this be done if the teacher is in the front of the room lecturing for the entire class without active student participation? No. It doesn't matter if we give the best lecture of our lives if we don't know what each student is thinking, processing, and applying  from the content into meaningful context for them. Our students need an opportunity to share their voices and their thoughts. They need to communicate with one another and with those around the world to share their learning and ideas.  With our guidance, they need to make choices about what they will learn, how they will learn it, and how they will share their learning with others.

Because none of us has the exact group of learners, the appearance of  good teaching will differ from classroom to classroom. However, outstanding teachers know that their students must come first and that they must be engaged in active, meaningful learning. It is important for us to reflect and make sure that we are doing everything we can to positively impact student learning. Without it, we've lost our lost our kids and ultimately...our future.