Episode 7: Pinky Promise? - BLaST Intermediate Unit 17

Transcript

Welcome to BLaST the Airwaves with BLaST Intermediate Unit 17. Here at BLaST Intermediate Unit 17, we strive to transform lives and communities through educational services. On this podcast, we will provide you with educational solutions for all, no matter the learning environment. So teachers, administrators, caregivers, what are you waiting for?
What would happen if we started questioning, what if? What if we had a positive perspective on education? What if we flip the switch on education? What if we were the solution?
Hello listeners. We are excited to BLaST the Airwaves with you today and provide educational solutions for all. My name is Rebecca Gibboney, and I am the Curriculum and Online Learning Specialist here at BLaST Intermediate Unit 17. I am thrilled to welcome you to episode seven of BLaST the Airwaves. During this episode, we will discuss classroom expectations and how to define “done”. So, friends, it is time to blast the airwaves….
Rewind. Rewind two weeks, one week ago, a month ago. Rewind back to Day one of the 2020-2021 school year. What did you do on day one? I know, I too cannot remember what I did an hour ago, let alone a week ago; but, really let’s think about it. Did you set procedures as we discussed in this last episode? Did you set expectations? Classroom norms and agreements? If you did, kudos to you. If you did not, remember, you still have time.
Like Brené Brown describes in her book Dare to Lead, it is never too late to define ‘done’. If you have not had a chance to get your hands on this book by Brené Brown, this is another must-add to your bookshelf!
Long story short, Brené explains how she had asked her colleagues to complete a task by the next day. She delegated. We have all done that. One thing lifted off our plates, a sigh of relief, right? Well, when she received the final product, it was not “done” to what she would have expected. As a result, it caused her more stress, because she had to fix it. How many of us have been there? I hope you are raising your hand or smiling or giving me a little chuckle. We know it. We have been there! It is what makes it hard to give up control, but the real question is…have we even really defined ‘done’? Aka have we defined our expectations?
And man, it is tough, because think about it. As an educator, during present times, right now, we have expectations. But, we need to have expectations for remote learning, for blended learning, for hybrid learning. Holy Moley…expectations. And it is one thing for us to know these expectations, but do our families, our students, know these expectations.
Woah! Deep breath. Close your eyes, just like we did for procedures. Think about expectations for all of these settings. Practice them with your students and communicate with your families. Norms and agreements need to be established. I love how Fisher, Frey, and Hattie refer to rules as agreements. In their eyes, it’s a social contract of the classroom community, a community. They are not behavioral guidelines.
But, it is also refreshing to have the common reminders from Fisher, Frey, and Hattie to keep those agreements short and sweet, only about 3 or 5 agreements. Give your students voice and choice with them, state them positively, and be specific. Make them know. Post them, teach them, practice them.
It’s like Brené Brown shares, we have to teach people how to land before they jump, when she uses the example of skydiving. Like Brené I’ve never participated in this activity, skydiving, but I know friends who have. They spend time practicing upfront. They prepare before taking the leap.
Do you prepare before taking the leap?
Think about class meetings. How do you expect students to get ready for meetings now? What does it look like during a meeting? What are students expected to do at the end of a meeting?
Tough love, because that is all I really practice. Tough love.
Who is to blame? Your classroom equals 100%. You have a class that consists of 99% and you are 1%. You are that 1%. The deciding factor. A student does not submit the project in the right place. Who’s to blame? A student did not do a project correctly. Who is to blame? The list can go on and on. I’m not saying that you, you, and your whole 1%, are all to blame. Because I know as educators sometimes we explain it and sometimes students aren’t listening. You are not all to blame. This is not the time to play the blame game. What I am saying is take a step back and reflect. We need to realize, as educators, we do have a part. We have that 1% and we need to own up to it. If things are not going the way you expected, is it because students truly do not understand? Were the expectations clearly explained in more ways than one? Did we define ‘done’?
It is exhausting. I get it. I have learned over these past 6 months or so the importance of expectations and clearly explaining myself. I provide checklists, screencasts, emails…and more emails. Phone calls. We have to be explicitly clear on what we are expecting, how we define “done”, if we are expecting students to rise to the occasion.
Remember, these are all new times. New times for you, new times for students, new times for caregivers, new times for the community. Have courage. Have the courage to walk into the story, your own story, and own it, as Brené puts it. Do not let anyone else own it for you. No! Own it with expectations, because, friends, we write the ending. Like I said in episode 1, we have the chance to write the narrative. No one else. Do not let anyone else write it for you. You write the ending to this story.
What do you expect for your ending? I know I expect:
I expect courage.
I expect “done”.
I expect daring leadership.
How about we make an agreement, with one another. An agreement to define “done” from here are out. An agreement to be courageous. An agreement to be daring. How about it?
Let’s agree on it.
Pinky promise?
Check out BLaST Intermediate Unit 17’s Online Learning Hub. A FREE hub filled with professional development offerings on Wednesdays and Fridays. All are welcome! Some sessions are live, but all sessions are recorded! Check out www.iu17.org for more information.
We would like to thank you for blasting the airwaves with us today. If you like the show, please subscribe or leave a review. If you want to know more, check out www.iu17.org for further resources and show notes. As always, we want to thank you for what you do every single day. Remember, keep shining. We’ll be back next episode to provide you another educational solution for all, as we continue to transform lives and communities through educational services.