Students First and Genuine Complements - Part 2

As Mrs. Hoover and I continue our journey through "What Great Teachers do Differently: 17 Things that Matter Most", our conversations are becoming more and more meaningful. The second part of the book focuses on putting students first. The best teachers always ask themselves, "Is this the best thing for my students?" They are likely not to move forward if the answer is no, but more likely to if the answer is yes. More mediocre teachers may be more concerned about what is best for them. Mrs. Hoover thinks this can be really easy to fall into as an FFA adviser or agricultural teacher. While you might come up with a really cool project for students in the greenhouse or classroom, it may take a lot of prep time on the teachers part. A great teacher is going to see how the students are going to benefit from the project instead of how it will affect the teacher.

It is also important to focus on colleagues second and to stay out of the so-called complainers club. While it is valuable to interact with your colleagues, do not fall into the habit of complaining to your co-workers. Both the book and Mrs. Hoover agreed - stay out of the teachers lounge! Great teachers filter out complaints instead of adding to them. Many times if you start complaining about a student, the other teacher has a problem with that student too, even if they didn't before. Mrs. Hoover said she always tries to stop the conversation when a teacher starts complaining about "Jimmy" and how bad he is by saying, "Oh, really? He doesn't give me any trouble." This will generally steer the conversation elsewhere. And she tries to avoid the teachers lounge at all costs.

The best teachers have high expectations for their students and even higher expectations for themselves; to meet their expectations they are constantly repairing their relationships. "The best teachers consistently compliment and praise students." Praising students is one way great teachers keep their relationship with their students healthy. Mrs. Hoover added how important it is to have structure in the classroom. Although you want to leave room for creativity, students like guidance and consistency. If they have that, they are often more comfortable in your classroom, know what to expect of you everyday, and in return, know what you expect of them. This structure helps to keep a healthy relationship with your students and allows you to constantly repair.

Great teachers do consistently give praise, but they use five strategies to make it work. To be effective praise must be:
1. Authentic : Praise must be genuine and true.
2. Specific : Praise must focus on a specific action, such as an effective job asking questions during class.
3. Immediate : Your praise needs to be made in a timely manner.
4. Clean : There are two parts to clean praise. First, if you are complimenting someone with the sole purpose of getting them to do something in the future, your praise is not clean. Second, it can not include the word "but". You cannot couple praise with a criticism.
5. Private : The most effective praise is done privately. It may not be cool to have high grades to some, so if you recognize students with the highest grade, they may work hard to not get the highest grade during the next quarter.

Many people may have reasons not to praise their students, but I leave you with this - Do you work harder for your employer that praised the good work you were doing or for the one that never told you how good of a job you were doing?

2017 Summer Convention!

I had a wonderful opportunity this week to go to the Pennsylvania Summer State FFA Convention! It brought back a lot of good memories while I made new ones, too. I was able to spend my days helping at the Vet Science CDE - which was a whole new experience in itself, as I never had classes in Vet Science and definitely did not compete. However, I learned a lot and gain a whole new respect for what those students went through on Tuesday and Wednesday in those contests. Moreover, I was able to spend the Tuesday evening with the West Greene FFA Chapter, who invited me to dinner with them. Then, I went to the first session with the H.G. Parkinson FFA and the McGuffey FFA. It's been about 7 years since I was a student at the state convention, so it was an awesome feeling to be back and on a new level! I cannot wait to return again as a teacher with my own group of students. Thanks to all the chapters that welcomed me this week and let me hang out with them!

 

What Great Teachers Do Differently - Part 1

Mrs. Hoover and I chose "What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most" by Todd Whitaker to read together this summer. So far we are both really enjoying it! We think that it is real. The author wrote this book on real life observations and behaviors he has noticed through his time as a teacher and principal.

In the beginning of the book, he discusses discipline a lot. He says that great teachers focus on expectations not rules. As a teacher - especially an Ag teacher - you may not always get the "cream of the crop", but great teachers will adapt to everyone and have the same expectations for everyone. These can be simple: Be respectful, be prepared, and be on time. When we focus on expectations instead of rules, we are less likely to lead students to doing something against the rules. Most students are more fearful of the unknown. If they know what will happen when they break a rule - for example detention - they will weigh they costs and benefits. If they don't know, then they are more likely to meet expectations. Maybe more importantly, the teacher needs to remember to think before they react. Is it really worth arguing with or yelling at this student? Is that an appropriate reaction? All teachers have the same "bag of tricks", but the great teachers use their bag less often and choose the right reactions at the right times. 

Mrs. Hoover said in her FFA program she expects students to behave in all school aspects to be able to go on field trips and participate in other activities. So if a student was kicked out of school or had another disciplinary action against them, they will probably not be allowed to go on a field trip with the FFA. 

Furthermore, we need to remember as teachers that we may be the problem. That we are the variable in the classroom. If students aren't paying attention in class or succeeding, we need to make a change in what we are doing. 

Lastly, one quote that stuck with me was from a teacher the author was observing. She had been teaching a long time and still had so much enthusiasm in the classroom, so the author asked her, how? She replied, "This may be my 38th year teaching 5th grade, but for these students it is their first time around." Really puts things in perspective!