What makes them smile

Today, we made them smile...

A few weeks ago, I asked our teachers to nominate students for the district Character Counts Program. As part of this program, each school would recognize one student who demonstrates tremendous character.  Each principal would read a few testimonials about each student and then present that student with a certificate at the Board of Education meeting.

After I asked our staff for the nominees, the district decided it was time for a change and they replaced the Character Counts Program with another opportunity to showcase the amazing learning experiences occurring in each school.  But I had already received nominees for the Character Counts.  So what was I to do?

I created certificates for each nominee that included their name, the reason for the award, and then both the teacher's signature and my signature.  I could have announced their names over the announcements or even called home with the great news about their child.  However, I decided to try something a bit different.

I drove to each of the student's home and presented them with their certificate at their house, with their families and neighbors witnessing it all.  I wanted them to know how proud of them we are and how much it means to be a student full of great character.  I wanted them to know we are glad they are a part of our school family.  I wanted them to know they deserved the extra bit of praise.

What I will never forget is the smiles on their faces when they opened the door and saw their principal there to present an award to them.  The smiles on their faces were full of surprise, excitement, joy, and pride.  Our school community was able to make them see their great choices do not go unnoticed; rather, their good choices are celebrated!

My challenge to you is simple - what will you do as a teacher, administrator, or coach that will make your students smile this year?  I would love to hear how you plan to bring smiles to your students' faces in the comments below.

25 Questions that can Transform Schools

Is continuous improvement a checklist or do we ask questions which lead to growth?

Start the school year with a question and watch how reflection from students, parents, community leaders, teachers, counselors, principals, and other key stakeholders allows you to transform your vision into reality.  Questions hold us accountable and they force us to focus on a few things, rather than multiple priorities.  When school improvement becomes a checklist, it is easy to focus on the list and not the students or the instructional strategies. When used appropriately, questions allow for individuals to engage in reflective practice.  As Argyris and Schön describe, “Reflection is essential to educators’ capacity to think not only about their practice but about how they think, their implicit theories, and the sense they make of their experiences.”

Questions allow individuals to examine not only their own practice but see ideas and practices through the lens of others.  Questions allow educators the opportunity to gain perspective and understanding of others as we work to enhance our craft and ensure learning is occurring.  The questions we ask determine our priorities.  Mark Sanborn wrote, “In the past, leaders were those who knew the right answers. Today, leaders are those who know the right questions.” What questions are guiding the work of your school? How can questions support teaching and learning?

Questions For Superintendents

• What are the district’s priorities?
• How will we measure student understanding, in addition to high-stakes testing?
• What is our school district doing to grow future leaders?
• How are we designing personalized professional learning for adults?
• How do we communicate our message of learning for all to our community and key stakeholders?

Questions For Administrators

• How does our district work to ensure we have a ‘guaranteed curriculum’ for each student?
• How is our curriculum aligned (Vertically and Horizontally)?
• How do teachers communicate the strengths and weaknesses of the ‘guaranteed curriculum’?
• When teachers develop common formative assessments, how do they use the district’s curriculum as a guide for developing assessments?
• How are teachers reflecting on the written, taught, and assessed curricula?
  

Questions For Teachers

• What are the key skills and concepts we will address in this course/grade level?
• What is the role of formative assessment in measuring the written, taught, and understood curricula?
• What is our plan for when students don’t learn?
• How does our learning space support student understanding of the key skills, concepts, and soft skills that our staff has identified as important?
• How does our school support the whole child?
  

Questions For Students

• What are my goals this week?
• What can I do to contribute in my class and outside of class?
• Who is a family member, teacher, friend, or community member who I admire and can learn from?
• Why is it important to become a lifelong learner and to continue to learn new things?
• How can I make a positive impact in the world using my strengths and abilities?

Questions For Parents

• What are the key skills and concepts that my child will learn this year?
• How can I support my child at home?
• What are the strengths of my child’s school?
• How could my child’s school be better for my child and all children?
• How often do I talk with my child about school and about what he/she is learning?

Pursuing answers to questions will drive the work of the team.  A lack of clarity is a barrier to growth and continuous improvement in schools.  “If you want to make discoveries, if you want to disrupt the status quo, if you want to make progress and find new ways of thinking and doing, you need to ask questions” (Maxwell, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, 2014).  Each day, educators have the chance to make a difference and have an impact on the learning that occurs within the classrooms, in the hallways, and on the playgrounds.  What questions will you reflect upon that will allow you to have an impact on learning with your students, staff, and community

Dr. Matt Wachel is an elementary principal with the Gardner-Edgerton School District in Kansas. He is a 2015 ASCD Emerging Leader and a coauthor of the book Having an Impact on Learning. Connect with Wachel on ASCD EDge or on Twitter @mattwachel.

Dr. Steven Weber is the associate superintendent for Fayetteville Public Schools in Arkansas. Connect with Weber on ASCD EDge or on Twitter @curriculumblog.

*This blog post was originally published on ASCD InService