Goodbye TeachingLikeAnArtist.com

 I decided I won’t renew the domain for this blog this year. For the last few years I've considered letting it go. I would decide to, but then I’d think of something on the horizon I wanted to try. I'd think maybe I could write about that when it worked out. 

But this year I looked back and I see that I wrote only once in January. That pretty much sums up how 2023 was, as far as my work in education. It was a tough year.

I wrote before about whether it’s worth telling the average story. Does anyone care to hear about mundane events and an overall plot that goes nowhere? I’ve been working in schools in one way or another for over 30 years now. Mostly what I have to tell about are good intentions, a long string of projects I was looking forward to, and then ultimately uninteresting or disappointing endings. 

I kept the blog alive in hopes that in the end the story of teaching like an artist would have an inspiring ending. My mantra at conferences was to, “inspire you, so you can inspire others”. I talked about dreaming big and sharing the work.

As it is, I can see now my whole career reached it’s peak from maybe 2014 - 2018. But at the time, I only thought I was on the fringe of something bigger. I would never have said I was close to arriving. Then in years after that, I’ve just been holding onto hope that there could still be a satisfying ending. 

I won’t go into the details of what transpired where I work. I know the past three years darkened many people’s idealistic visions for what we’re doing in school. I’ll just say there’s no hope left in me that I’ll make a significant difference in education in the amount of time I have left. 

Why did I ever have those dreams that, now, look like they could never have come true? I’ve stewed at great lengths over that question. Were the ideas really any good? Was I just too…something…to ever bring them to fruition? Or was I not enough in some way?

I probably did accomplish more than I would have had I not dreamed so big, but that’s not consoling. For all my wondering, I can only say with certainty that I have no clear answer.

Beyond my job, there’s nothing to complain about in my life. If I cared only about money and how my career helped me grow as a person, I’m good. I’m leaving so much better off than when I started. I still have goals and dreams in other areas of interest.

I just expected there was more to life than that, though. I thought I had a calling to do something in education, locally and beyond. I imagined at the end I’d have some advice for others about success. I expected personal history would back up all the things I wrote about so passionately in this blog and that I proclaimed so boldly in my conference presentations.

For now, it doesn’t look like this part of my story it ends that way. 

While I’m letting the domain go, I will keep the blog up. Every day I still go to work is a sign that I am holding on to some hope. If it all comes together someday, I’ll be thrilled to add another post to tell about it.

Pushing Through to the Other Side

I set out to publish a series of short posts over the holiday break. This is the last day of break, and only my fourth post, so we'll call it a short series.

I first thought about this post when I read this short article from Relevant about how we turn to social media to avoid boredom. The point is that maybe boredom is exactly what we need. After skimming over their referenced study, I could see it was a bigger topic. I didn't get my thoughts on it together before I started seeing the same idea showing up in more places.

In general, this (possible) problem is we avoid some things that annoy or stress us, yet healing and discovery of a true self is really on the other side of that temporary suffering.

I'm going big with this idea after only reading a bit of these source articles I've seen, yet I've found this to be true in own life. (Or more or less, I've found it. I certainly have not mastered the art.) 

Think about this. Much of the noise of our world is driven by a need for someone to sell us something quickly, and one surefire way to do that is to promise fast relief (or even better, pleasure). So we are pummeled with ads and apps to pull us away from annoying things like boredom or (maybe the most frightening) time to reflect on areas of our lives that need improvement. We have endless options for distraction and plenty of messages telling us we're good enough.

Have you seen those social media posts about marriage, where they say lasting marriage is not all glamour and fun, but sometimes holding on through the tough times? (Certainly not all ideas on social media are bad.) That's another example of what I'm getting at.

In general we know this idea of pushing through to succeed is true. We all can think of stories of artists (creators of all kinds) who pushed through hard circumstances--addiction, abuse, poverty, etc., and then they found renewed energy to create. It wasn't in spite of the trial, it was because of the trial. 

But obviously you have to move past those things, right? You're trapped until you get through.

But when it comes to something like daily boredom, a dull marriage, or maybe a sense that you should be more productive or something, we don't want to face it. We grab a quick fix from the outside. We look to move back or around it.

So many questions abound. Maybe true success is on the other side of trial, and we often don't get there because so many of the messages we hear tell us to just avoid the trials. But should we always push through pain? Probably not, but then when should we and when shouldn't we? How does one (especially as educators, as we are) lead others to answer these questions...and live the answers?

These are deeply personal questions. We'll answer them alone, or maybe with a few who are close to us. Certainly with God, if we're people of faith.

One thing I know is that if the message is true, only those who lived through it can sell it.

And if we do push through and find something better, well, that would be a story worth sharing. 

The moral of the story won't always be a popular one. Some won't want to hear it. Some will think it's dangerous. 

There will always be more resistance to push through.

Can't Stop Talking About It

 I'm doing a series of short posts during the holiday break. 

What does your conversation in and out of the classroom reveal about your passions? Students hear the one and your colleagues hear the other. What would they say you get excited about?

I remember long ago my students told me they could avoid a quiz or homework in Spanish class if they just asked their teacher about her time in Spain. She'd get so excited, she'd talk to the end of the hour.

I have never been one to spend lunch in the teachers lounge regularly. When I do find myself there, I love it when I can share a conversation with a teacher about an exciting activity she did or that she plans to do. Sure, we all need those conversations that have nothing to do with the job, but it's great to see passion for teaching spilling into what most consider work-free time.

And what conversations never come up in those settings?

Our heart's passions overflow into our words. What drives us and what's driving those around us can be heard behind the surface chatter, if we stop to listen. In a job as important as teaching, it's imperative that we as leaders (leaders of buildings, leaders of classrooms) take the time to hear hearts behind the words.

Creating Culture - New Insight

I'm doing a series of short posts during the holiday break. 

Artists create. Some paint pictures or compose music. Some (probably not thought of as artists) work on the canvas of daily life. They intentionally shape the culture of their environment.

When I'd talk with district leaders about staff or students, or my brother who pastors a church, I used to say the following when it comes to leadership and culture. 

Think of people in your organization who "get it". Don't worry too much about what it means to get it. Just think of a few of them. You know who they are. Then think of the group of people who don't get it. Maybe they're a much bigger group, maybe not.

So the big question I always posed was:  Q1:  What do people in the Don't Get It group see and hear regularly that makes them feel it's important to move to the Get It group?

The key words are see, hear, regularly and feel. Feel is probably most important. Without using the terms, this is really touching on the (possibly unspoken) core values of the organization. It addresses messaging and mission.

But lately I realized there's another side to this--another question that must be addressed. It's just as important to also consider Q2:  What do the people in the Don't Get It group see and hear regularly that makes moving to the Get It group feel like too much work?

See, a lot of people don't live up to their potential because they're convinced other people and circumstances will undo their hard work. They might not state it this way, but that feeling is a culture drain. It's drag on the vehicle in the race toward greatness. 

If you're not sure what the energy killers are in your organization, just listen to the people most comfortable in the center of the Don't Get It group. Those people love to point out what's holding everyone back. They chant them in grumbles, wrapping themselves in "why bothers" like cozy blankets. 

You will never eliminate all the possible answers to Question 2. Instead, the task is to move forward despite the resistance. In other words, make sure your answers to Question 1 are more pervasive in the organization than the forces uncovered by Question 2. Like strokes on a canvas, make it happen one small win at a time.

The Most Amazing Sound

I'm doing a series of short posts during the holiday break.

I’ve decided my favorite sound in school is that of students talking about what they've learned or what they're learning. 

Sometimes it’s just them retelling something, but it also might be them expressing an opinion or an explanation of something they discovered. For all that is said about assessment and data, there’s something undeniably powerful in just listening to a learner speaking confidently about the lesson material. 

I've heard this recently in "podcast" projects and Socratic Seminars. Here are a couple links.

• How we do "podcast" audio recording projects at our school
• A good post from John Spencer about Socratic Seminars

The Theme of Our Work

I studied math and computer science in college, not literature or writing. I have always loved  reading books of all types, though, and I have more recently tried my hand at writing fiction. 

One concept I hadn't considered much until I began writing is theme. Once I came to understand it better, I realized it was a source of most of my fascination with great stories over the years. It was a subtle, unstated message buried in every scene. It hinted at purpose beyond just the events I was reading or (in the case of my favorite movies) watching.

Here's a definition of theme from literarydevices.net. For our purposes, especially notice the sentences in bold.

"As a literary device, theme refers to the central, deeper meaning of a written work. Writers typically will convey the theme of their work, and allow the reader to perceive and interpret it, rather than overtly or directly state the theme. As readers infer, reflect, and analyze a literary theme, they develop a greater understanding of the work itself and can apply this understanding beyond the literary work as a means of grasping a better sense of the world. Theme is often what creates a memorable and significant experience of a literary work for the reader."

So I think of theme as a message the author is saying without saying it. It's the "why" woven through everything. I particularly like the idea from this definition that it can make a story memorable and give us a better sense of the world.

So when it comes to teaching like an artist, let's think about the theme of our work as educators. If you're a teacher, what is the overall theme of your classroom? If you asked your students that question, would they have the same answer as you do?

If you're a principal, what's the theme of your building? What overall message comes through the day to day routines and activities that take place through every classroom? What would your teachers and students say the theme is?

I would hope the theme of my work is that every learner (including those of us paid to be at the school) should find their passion and purpose, then do their best work from the energy they provide.

Some other questions to consider as we reflect on this:

• Should we state our theme explicitly? Or should we do our best work and let those who benefit from it find the theme with their hearts? 
• How can we know the theme we hope to convey is coming through? What indicators will we see and hear?
• Is the message of my theme for every learner I encounter in my work? Is anyone being left out?
• If the learners I work with are getting a different message from my work, how can I address that?

What Would Be Amazing?

This past spring, I asked if I could change my focus in the district where I work. For 14 years I served as the instructional tech coordinator. I wanted to emphasize instruction more, regardless whether tech was involved. I was glad to find the district administrators were open to the change.

So as I've been planning instructional coaching meetings with individuals, this question came to mind:  What would be amazing?

I have spent most of my career with "doing something amazing" as my end goal. But I learned that everyone in education has slightly to drastically different ideas of what "amazing" would look like.

What are some things that would happen in your district that would catch your attention as amazing? What would happen in your classroom that would make you say, "Wow"? What could your students do that would be labeled amazing?

I want to start conversations with that question. I want to learn if those amazing things they tell me would be done by the teacher I'm meeting with, by their principals, or by the students. Would other people think they're amazing? Would I think they're amazing?

Whatever the answer is, it won't be as important as what it reveals. Such an answer speaks volumes about things like:

• What does quality work look like?
• Who's responsible to make amazing things happen?
• Who has to (or we think has to) do their part before we will move to do ours?
• What really matters in the job we do every day?

For example, I worked with one teacher who dreamed up an impressive project last year when I challenged her to do something amazing. I fully expected to do all the dreaming myself, but she did research and came up with something that inspired another teacher from another district to do something similar. 

On the other hand, I've talked with some teachers over the years who imagine an amazing day as a classroom full of compliant students. Or maybe a test where everyone gets a high score. I'm not saying those aren't amazing things, but I'm saying a person's answer to the question speaks volumes about our starting place. 

If we don't ask, and if we don't identify these big differences in expectations, we very likely will assume we're all trying to get to the same place. We'll likely be upset with how poorly one thing is going, when others think everything is great.

So part of my reflection time this summer has been spent answering that question for myself. What would be an amazing result in the first weeks of my new position? What will be amazing at the end of first semester? Or the school year? 

Give it a try and see what list you come up with. Share it with your colleagues, and have them answer it too.