Here's to the Grind!

Today I'm raising the proverbial glass to The Grind...the mundane, nose-to-grindstone, sometimes overlooked parts to learning, growing, and developing. There are a couple of reasons why I'm thinking about this today. First, we are in the midst of some thoughtful, analytical literature-centered writing in class. When we are in this phase, the students are constantly thinking, asking, reflecting on, and evaluating their current position and end goals. Not to mention the actual development of writing skills and growth attained by striving through struggles and hurdles. In a way, these are some of my favorite days as a teacher. Seeing the students grow this way, and develop their writing skills and voice, is incredibly rewarding. It also helps that there's a tangible product at each step --> brainstorming information, outlining and mapping of thinking, a workable rough draft, followed by thoughtful and precise revision feedback before we finally publish.

Another reason this is at the forefront of my mind today is because it's the last day and game of our 9th grade basketball season. Varsity squads continue with sections next week, but the younger squads close things out. Teaching and coaching are similar in so many ways. You establish goals, set standards and expectations, develop a culture and climate for everyone's benefit, and work all year/season to achieve your goals. Like students, players each have unique gifts, talents, and things they bring to the team. While sports tend to be more competitive in nature, collaboration is key for both areas. Another common element that I particularly enjoy is the grinding part of the season...practice! Getting in the gym daily to work on the little things; breakdown what's working well and what isn't; implement new sets, strategies, and plays; honing our team and individual skills is what it's all about. I always know it'll be a competitive, good group to work with when the majority of the guys have the attitude of appreciating The Grind. It's when the real work gets done, and when real improvement and progress are made. The end of the season always brings reflection, and it is nice to look back and see the development. Of course, the hard part of coaching (and teaching, for that matter) is you're never really satisfied and are always thinking about times you could've, should've, and would've done differently.

The Grind is the blessing...the constant reflection/evaluating/questioning is sometimes the curse 😉

Trusting the Process

No, this isn't a collection of thoughts around the Philadelphia 76ers, team rebuilding, or convoluted tanking, trading, lottery drafting strategies.

I'm not even thinking about the faith one needs to have as a fan of any sports team...even though right this moment my hope around the future and progress MN Golden Gopher Men's Basketball is a bit strained! (No breakdown of last night's events at Williams Arena...too fresh, vivid, and hurtful)

This is more about trusting the process (or processes) we put in place for the learning, growth, development, and overall furthering of our students --> and I'm sure in many instances our clients (see post last week), relationships, and personal goals.

There are so many facets and levels to the processes we work hard to establish at school. Curriculum development; state standards unpacking and alignment; technology integration; literacy and numeracy best practices; personalized learning pathways for students; culturally responsive teaching strategies; PLCs and data leveraging; development common assessments and rubrics, to name a few. And at the end of the day, knowing you and your colleagues are working hard and putting in good-faith efforts, you need to have a certain amount of trust in yourself and the process that the desired growth and learning is indeed happening.

A benefit we have is continuous checking of progress. It could be through formal means, e.g. yearly standardized tests, unit tests, etc. It could also be more informal and frequent --> formative check-ins, quizzes, student reflections, showcasing of work, and other demonstrations of knowledge (speeches, presentations, gallery walks, group projects, essays/written work, etc. Because of all these diagnostic checks, we can get steady affirmation that what we're doing is working. Or, early signals to make adjustments to the process, as things my be going astray.

Of course, the fun of dealing with middle school students is that each day can bring a different set of adventures, variables, and "instrument readings." 😉

Little Things

The concept of little things has been at the front of my mind lately. The importance of little things, their impact, the difference they can make, etc. Not only have "the little things" been on my mind, they've also been evident in different parts of life.

Most explicitly, this has been an emphasis and topic of conversation with our 9th grade basketball team. More than any other year I have ever spent coaching, this team has struggled to understand the importance of doing the little things right on a consistent basis. Even though we are wrapping up our sixteenth and final week of practice and games, we are still not working to execute and improve on the little things during practice. Time and time again, this shortcoming has shown during games. Too often, the difference between winning and losing came down to the small, mundane, "boring" plays. I'm sure this has always been the case, so this isn't to seem like Old Man "Get off my lawn!" stuff, but with all the emphasis on 3's, dunks, and highlight reel plays, it feels like the kids can take for granted all the hard work and little things that went into making those plays happen at all.

In the classroom, focusing on the little things can make or break a student's success. Kids who figure out early on how details like using their planner, staying organized, studying regularly, using class time well, and staying ahead of homework end up performing really well in school...quite often regardless of innate academic ability! These aren't casual observations made off the cuff - instead, these have almost become universal truths reinforced time and again over 19+ years of teaching and working with students.

As a professional, doing the little things matters every day: greeting those kids in the hallway as they enter the room; bringing your best to team meetings, decisions, and content discussions; taking the time to learn details about the students; striving to grow and learn new things all the time; etc. Even though it can seem incredibly tough on certain days, taking the time to interact with students and colleagues in a positive way can help build culture and relationships...deposits made that can hopefully be turned into growth and development down the road.

Being a husband and father, I know (and have definitely learned!) how much little things - gestures, acts of kindness, concessions made, achievements celebrated, slights forgiven, etc. - can make all the difference.

Whatever the area - family, work, sports, business, learning...when we focus and work on the little things, great big things usually follow!

Turning the Corner...

Many "signs of spring" these past few days around these parts...warmer temps, melting snow, a few birds chirping here and there, longer days/shorter nights. Spring Training (photo cred.) underway for MLB, with some of the first games on TV this past weekend! The feeling of winter in the rear view mirror; that we've turned a corner toward spring and that the "worst" of winter lay behind is always encouraging and uplifting in a way.

And that's just in terms of the weather. As for life here at the middle school, perennial signs of transition are percolating in the hallways and classrooms. High energy, increased chatter, more bounce in the steps, enthusiasm for friends and collaboration, heightened interest in relationships.

Actually, wait...that's just about any time of year! :)

No, the real transitions I've noticed lately have more to do with how the students are showing signs of growth academically and in their approach to learning. From the start of the year until now - especially at the 6th grade level - there is so much growth around responsibility, autonomy, initiative and involvement. By now, so many students have found their middle school footing --> finding their "people," seeing ways in which they can be more involved in the school community, made new friends that weren't at the elementary schools, and figured out navigating the academics of middle school.

Are there always students who take longer? Will some students still need extra support, TLC, and guidance even during the last week of school? Won't most of them take inevitable "steps back" when the weather gets really nice? A resounding YES would be the answer to all these questions, but that's okay! After doing this for many years (19), you can sense when the kids have turned the corner and figured a lot of this stuff out. And to be honest, it's always exciting. A kid can find out any fact they want to learn online...heck, they can go online and learn about or how to do just about whatever they're interested in at this point. That's exciting, and also serves as a good dynamic to focus me on just what my mission is...developing kids who are critical thinkers, collaborators, inquisitive, driven, and purposeful.

We've turned the corner for sure. Spring is coming, and so is growth and maturity. Of course they're still works in progress, but really, aren't we all...?

Students as Clients

Years ago, if presented with this line of thinking, I probably would've scoffed and disagreed. I might have thought it too "business-y" and not nearly centered enough on the people involved. I'm sure my perception would have been that it seems "transaction-al" and not nearly altruistic enough.

Let's just say my thinking and feeling have changed and evolved over time. Now, my approach is basically this:

Students - and everything about their learning - is exactly the (our) business. The kids are absolutely the clients. And when I lean into this thinking, it shapes and focuses my approach on multiple levels. First, it keeps the students at the center...after all, that's what this is all about --> growing and developing future thinkers, leaders, problem solvers for an increasingly complex world. This way of thinking also propels planning and instruction with the mindset acknowledging each student as an individual who learns in their own best way. This helps in creating personalized learning pathways that maximize the student experience and learning.

In many ways, the student experience is like any other client experience. Meeting them where they are, gaining trust and building relationships, and looking for ways to maximize growth, learning, and positive effects.

Caps for Sale!

50 Cents a Cap! Sometimes in this line of work I feel like the traveling hat salesman from the classic children's book...

From day to day, class to class, or even moment to moment, I seem to be wearing a 'different hat' depending on the situation. Sometimes a student may need help with an assignment; sometimes they may need life advice. Sometimes a colleague has a specific, technical question; sometimes they need coverage for two minutes for a bathroom break. Sometimes a parent asks about how they can best support their child; sometimes they're seeking advice for registering for the next grade.

Professionally, it's a constant toggle between PLC work; grade-level problem-solving; content planning; grading; attending professional workshops; looking ahead to future career possibilities; coaching the freshmen basketball team.

To really top things off, there's the parent hat that never seems to come off. While I'm helping my students at school look ahead to next year and register, I'm helping my wife as we guide our own kids with 9th grade registration. It's crazy enough that high school is on the horizon, not to mention sports, friends, social, spiritual, etc. aspects of life.

Depending on the moment, it seems as though this is the stuff that either keeps a guy young, or makes me feel old!

Here's to all of us, wearing our many hats in life...

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