So You're an Educator and You're Not Reading?

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With the amount of information available for teachers, it is just unacceptable to continue making uninformed decisions about what works in the classroom. Never before has so much information been available to improve your practice. 

Take your pick. There are articles, blogs, books, social media, and more. You can connect with other educators all across the globe to discuss ideas and learn from one another. And you can do it all from the comfort of your sofa.

And yet, there are still educators who are not growing and learning. They are still doing it the way it was when they were in school. Teaching as they were taught. They rest in their longstanding beliefs without testing them against research and new ideas.

In a recent Seth Godin post, Did you do the reading?, he suggested that the more professional your field, the more vital it is to read, think, and understand--to stay caught up. To stay current. We want teaching to have increased professionalism, right? We want to our field to be respected. We want our profession to shine.

So we need to make sure we are contributing to the profession. We need to behave like professionals. That means we are reading the important books in our field. It means connecting with other professionals who can push us and test our ideas. And it means reflecting on how our practices align with our beliefs.

It doesn't mean you're going to agree with everything you read. But if you aren't reading material that offers a viewpoint different than your own, how can you be sure of what you believe? My ideas are stronger when they are tested and hold true for me.

I realize if you are reading this post, you are probably among those who are growing and learning and moving our profession forward. You are doing the reading. You are connecting and seeking and innovating. I applaud you.

But teaching gets a bad wrap. Educators are under fire. And if that is going to change, we need to do everything we can to increase the professionalism among our ranks. I urge you to share what you're reading with other teachers in your school. Use your influence to lift others up and strengthen the profession. 

I believe ours is the most important profession. We need to treat it as such.

Question? How can we get more educators taking ownership for their professional growth? What should teachers be reading? I want to hear from you. Share your answer on or .

A few books on my reading list...

Book Love by Penny Kittle @pennykittle 

The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros @gcouros

Uncommon Learning by Eric Sheninger @E_Sheninger

What Connected Educators Do Differently by Todd Whitaker, Jeff Zoul, and Jimmy Casas

Some of my favorite blogs...

Connected Principals

Starr Sackstein

Ditch That Textbook

The Principal of Change

Ten Things Every Educator Should Say More Often

In a previous post, I shared eight things a successful educator should never say. Admittedly, that is a negative way to think about the impact of words on teaching and learning. Why not consider what we should be saying more, I thought? So here goes.


1. "I believe in you."

One of the most powerful things you can communicate is your belief and confidence in your students, and your colleagues for that matter. Sadly, too many students (and adults) struggle to believe in their own worth and ability. Above any curriculum outcome, we should strive to show our students their own worth and genius. Say to your students, "I believe in you. You are capable. You are important."

via @AnnetteBreaux @ToddWhitaker

2. "I won't give up on you."

When things are really tough, we all need someone to pick us up and be there for us. You can be that person for your students. Every kid needs an adult to fill the gap, a person who is older and wiser, someone they can borrow strength from until they have more of their own. You can be that person when you tell your students, "I won't give up on you."

https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?language=en

3. "I'm here to help."

I strongly believe leaders are servants too. It doesn't matter what your position is in your school, if you have a desire to help others succeed, you can have great influence and make a huge impact. Clearly, you should stand ready to help each student in your classroom. But the most successful educators are ready to help every student in the building. And they use their influence to make the entire school a better place.

4. "I have time."

Anyone feel pressed for time? Yes! We all do, and that's what makes this phrase so important. There are so many demands on our time we become conditioned to protect against anything taking an extra minute. Principals, protect your teachers' time. They need some margin so they feel like they can help each other or their students or a community cause. You can show what you value when you say, "I have time."

5. "Not yet."

Help your students develop a growth mindset by using these two words. When a students says, "I can't" show them how everything changes when you think "I can't, yet." Instead of putting a grade on that paper filled with mistakes, simply write "not yet" and have your students keep working and revising. Remind your students that the expert in anything was once a beginner. Even Luke Skywalker struggled to become a Jedi. He had the force within him, just like our students have it in themselves to succeed.

Thanks for sharing Steven Weber @curriculumblog

6. "Let's work together."

When teachers, and parents, and students, community leaders work together it is powerful. No one ever accomplished anything completely on their own. Someone else always invested, even when it's not evident. When we build partnerships, everyone benefits. When teachers learn together, it has the power to improve teaching and as a result, improve student learning.

7. "Thank you."

Two simple little words. Say them over and again. Be grateful. Our schools will be a better place. Our world will be a better place.

8. "I'm listening."

Show them you are listening. Lean in. You can learn so much. Students have so much to say, so much to share, and they are waiting for someone to truly listen. Seek to understand and not just to reply. Say "I'm listening. Go on." Ask questions. Show the patience and the empathy you know they need.

9. "What if?"

We need more innovative thinking in classrooms and schools. 'What if' is the language of the dreamers and the disrupters. We don't have to do it the way it's always been done. What if we tried something different?

10. "What is best for kids?"

As we make tough decisions, we should always be asking this question. Schools exist to serve students and should do their best to always put the best of interest of students first. It's a simple question, but we need to hear it more. It's too easy for other things to distract us from the most important thing in our schools, serving our students best.

Question: What else should educators be saying more often? Leave a comment or share on  and .

Eight Things Successful Educators Never Say

Words matter. They carry incredible power and reveal our underlying attitudes and assumptions. The words you choose each day can serve to lift others up or tear them down. Your words will build stronger relationships or they will push people away. Your words will inspire more commitment and dedication or they will find excuses or shift blame.

The most successful educators are intentional with their words. They strive for the greatest impact for their students and for their entire school through what they say and do. They speak from the heart and express a desire to serve and help in every situation. They make people and learning top priorities, in that order. They care deeply about students and their success.

Being a teacher is a difficult job. It's a calling. Your work is valuable, far too valuable to jeopardize by using any of the phrases below. You can't afford to allow negativity to creep in. There are too many challenges and only with a positive mindset will you be able to find success.

1. "That's not my job."

In education, our bottom line does not involve profits or increased sales. Our bottom line is helping kids succeed. So when there is something that might technically be outside of your job description, remember that you entered the profession to make an impact and making an impact can involve serving in many ways. You are a powerful example when you step up and take on whatever challenge comes your way. So your job is anything that helps students and learning.

If you have legitimate concerns about your role, you should talk with your principal about those things. There should be strong support systems around teachers. And teachers need to advocate for what they need. But when you wield this phrase, it just makes you look like you're not a team player.

2. "Those aren't my kids."

If you could pick and choose the students in your classes, of course your job would be easier. But successful teachers are advocates for ALL kids, even the ones who are difficult, demanding, or disrespectful. Some teachers think special needs students are not their responsibility. They shrug their shoulders thinking how the special education teacher or the ELL instructor should be the ones to support any struggling learners. This phrase really doesn't show the kind of compassion or empathy all great teachers display.

3. "There's not enough time."

You may feel like you don't have enough time. Everyone feels that way sometimes. But the truth is we all have the same amount of time in each day. Your hours and minutes are the same as every other human on the planet. So when you say you don't have enough time, you are really just saying it's not a priority. The things you don't have time for are not high enough priority for you to give it your time.

4. "It's not fair."

Life is definitely not fair. But it doesn't do any good to use this phrase. Usually, it's just a way of blaming or complaining and that doesn't help anyone. When something doesn't seem fair, don't use this phrase. Tell yourself the truth. You can only control you. Do something to work around the issue. Be grateful for when things do work out your way. When we are grateful, even difficult things seem to work back in our favor eventually.

Sometimes this phrase is used by teachers as a reason not to differentiate or modify instruction for students. But we shouldn't confuse fairness and equality. We need to give students what they need, not treat a student exactly like another who may have completely different needs.

5. "I taught it, but they didn't learn it."

Just because you taught it doesn't mean they learned, and it's not okay to shift the blame to your students. Maybe you need to reflect on your methods and consider what you can do differently to create better learning. If you want to change student learning, you have to be willing to change yourself first. This phrase shows a desire to do things "my way" regardless of whether it's working for students or not.

6. "We've always done it this way."

This has been coined the most dangerous phrase in the language. When you use this phrase, it shows you to be closed minded, inflexible, and possibly even stuck in the past. We can't think creatively or make progress with new ideas if we are so stuck in our paradigms we can't see the possibilities in something new. It's rare to actually here a teacher say this, but I wonder how often this type of thinking is just under the surface. We can get really comfortable doing things the way we've always done them. The most successful educators are willing to step out and take risks.

7. "But that won't work with these students."

When presented with a new idea or possibility, some educators think right away, "But that won't work with our students." Our students are different. They are impoverished, apathetic, troubled, uncooperative, etc. But how do you know what will or won't work unless you try? And trying with a positive attitude is much more likely to result in success than assuming your students are going to fail. If teachers don't believe in their students, who will? The best educators make students feel like they are better than what they ever believed. They are inspirational.

8. "I don't need any help."

No one ever accomplished anything without help for others. We always need help and also benefit from giving help to those around us. This cavalier attitude works against positive relationships and sharing, and quite frankly it works against learning. Learning is a social enterprise. We learn better when we test ideas and gain feedback. To have the best school, we need to have the best teachers and leaders. If you think you can do it all on your own, you are not going to grow and be as successful as possible.