 | Here is a collection of things to help every teacher. These short chapters of Move Your Bus make a lot of sense to anyone who is a lifelong learner. If not, author Ron Clark lays them out for our consideration. Taken to heart, this collection should help the learner become something better than s/he is. Say hello |
In my own book, There's No Busyness Like School Busyness, I give a few examples of the greeting. It is a pivotal part of my day - greeting students - not only because it allows them to practice their eye contact and firm handshake, but also because of the one-on-one connection it affords each of us. I make an effort to call students by their names in a positive greeting every morning, knowing that for some their names are only used, along with their middle names, when they are in trouble. Using their names in a positive manner each morning helps unravel some potentially negative feelings they may have about themselves.
Sit with the Runners
This is what tends to happen in high school: you're inclined to acquire the characteristics of the people you choose to sit with, eat lunch with, and hang around with after school.
When you have assigned seats, this one can be tough. I know because I sit in the teachers lounge to eat my own lunch. It's a very small room - not one that allows a person to distance himself from negativity - but I feel like eating with my peers is a professional thing to do. As a new teacher - even before that - I was always told to avoid the lounge. My college professors seemed to know the lounge as a den of whining and complaining, and they were right. We learners, however, must learn how to face the negativity and perhaps even turn it. When you are a fourth grader, this may require some intervention in the form of a cafeteria supervisor or a classroom teacher, but together, perhaps the positives can influence the negatives rather than the other way around.
Change the conversation to change the culture
Trust me, people will allow you to be a sponge, soaking up all their negativity...Don't be someone's sponge...A positive conversation brings positive results. It can empower everyone around you.
In general, Mr. Clark is right. I want to sit with the winners, too, but if I segregate myself and make no effort to change the conversation of negative people, have I been a part of the solution, or have I only contributed to the problem. If we want a positive culture, we have to actively participate in positively influencing the people around us.
Ask for help
Don't be afraid to ask for direction when you need it. I think sometimes employees fall into this trap of thinking they must prove themselves by demonstrating they have all the answers...
It can be hard to ask for help. I never enjoyed admitting my shortcomings. I know what it's like feeling as if I am the only person in the room who does not understand something. Perhaps my mind wandered during the instructions or perhaps I just haven't wrapped my mind around a concept. In my high school algebra course, for example, I missed a few days of instruction due to band and speech competitions. Upon returning I was entirely lost and could not seem to catch up for the rest of the year. But as much as I didn't like the feelings that brought, I still did not want to admit I didn't understand. I still have problems with this - a matter of pride, I suppose - but I keep reminding myself that if I ever want to progress, I must admit when I do not understand and when I need someone else's help. My peers and supervisors are great resources for helping me get through my problems. Naturally, if I can get fourth graders to understand that, as well, I can also bring them forward. Of course, that means I also must -
Accept criticism
If you want to improve constantly, then you must tinker with the bus on a consistent basis. There are always ways to be more efficient and effective...
Speaking of speech contests, that is the point in my life when I learned that criticism is not all negative. In fact, when the performer deals with criticism well, sorting through anything that might be insulting and getting to the constructive portions, said performer will improve. I've come to understand that even the harshest critics have something to say. Just because they are yelling or calling me names does not necessarily indicate that I should stop listening to them. Just because they lack the tact and respect does not mean there is no validity to at least part of what they tell me. I've received some very tough criticism from certain people. In retrospect, some of that criticism served as a kick in the pants to jump start a new chapter of my career. Sometimes a kick in the pants is exactly what the doctor ordered - even if it is unpleasant at the time. Now, I just need to recognize the value earlier in the process - maybe I would enjoy the ride a little more if I realized I was on it in the first place.
Listen more than you talk
When you meet with other team members, it's important to be present. You want to make eye contact with the speaker and look interested.
There's the eye contact thing again. Call if active listening if you must, but a learner's eye contact is the window to his learning. The eyes give away the true object of your attention. If you are not focused on the speaker, you will not reap the full benefits of his or her wisdom. We call it tracking the speaker, and it is an important and impressive skill for nine and ten year olds to develop. It's cool to see it working in class, but even cooler to see it outside of the classroom. I, too, must continue to work on this skill. Eye contact is difficult in one-on-one situations, as well.
Stay in your lane
Tunners fall into this trap more often than you might think, because they are so focused on moving that bus along and always trying to pick up speed. But there's a fine line between helping the organization as a whole to accelerate and meddling in someone else's job.
OK, Mr. Clark, you caught me with this one. In my efforts to keep the entire school on track, there have been times when I failed to stay in my lane. But in my defense, I don't think this lane-staying is necessarily true. If I don't wish to see my friends fail, isn't it my responsibility to help out from time to time? I don't want to watch them step off of a cliff; shouldn't I put a sign up at the edge to warn them the drop is coming? At the same time, I understand what Mr. Clark has written here - that others also have to learn from their mistakes. If that's true, I have to be willing to let them make their own mistakes. I think his last line in the quote above is the qualifier here: There's a fine line... I just need to be more alert to the placement of that line, and then strive to not cross it.
Find solutions
When you become known for offering up solutions and finding ways to get something done, you raise your worth in the organization and become the most valuable player in your supervisor's eyes...When others can't find a way, but you can, trust me, your initiative will always be recognized and rewarded.
I want my students to be creative problem solvers. I want them to look at situations from different points of views. I want them to critique others. I want them to find solutions in unlikely places. I want them to apply the skills they already have to new situations that arise. Then and only then will they contribute to society in general. Their success depends on how quickly they can think on their feet, how accurately they can identify a problem, and how precisely they solve it.
Mr. Clark covers a few other topics in this section of Move Your Bus, but these are the ones that stood out to me. Again, they are real and realistic, and they just make sense. I need to remain conscious of these important skills and ethics as I teach, and I must teach my students to do the same.
Mr. Clark covers a few other topics in this section of Move Your Bus, but these are the ones that stood out to me. Again, they are real and realistic, and they just make sense. I need to remain conscious of these important skills and ethics as I teach, and I must teach my students to do the same.
