Friday, April 11, 2014

What's the WHY?

“Your purpose is your why.” Deborah Day

Getting back to WHY
Why do we come to work everyday? When you think about that question, what comes to mind first? I don’t think I’ve ever met a teacher who came to work for the paycheck. Not for the benefits, either. 
So why do you come to work everyday?

We watched Simon Sinek’s TedTalk about the Why at our last PD day. His video speaks to the reasons people develop loyalty, that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” As we work our own 7 Habits and help our accountability partners work theirs, creating an awareness of the real WHY helps us all see that we have our own purposes, real purposes for our work. Realizing the WHY encourages our own gratitude for each other and for the work we do.

Knowing the WHY also helps us place the proper emphasis each week in scheduling for the roles that enable us to reach our goals. The WHAT and the HOW seem so planned and dictated to us, but no one can take away our WHY without our permission. We choose the WHY. Once we know the WHY, we can work on the WHAT and the HOW that support our WHY.

With the various departments of education and Title I people, as well as our own curriculum department, enforcing edicts that aren’t supported by research, not supported by the bulk of our experience as educators, we are losing our WHY.

So often lately I lose mine. I raised my voice at a friend and staff member here at Cooper. That’s just not okay, no matter the stress or the concerns. I am so embarrassed and angry with myself. I can make lots of excuses why it happened: the long winter, the late spring break, all the evaluations coming up, and more. None of those are good enough. I need to find my WHY and make it my focus.

Next week we have Leadership Day. It’s a time to celebrate the good work the students have accomplished, and gives them a chance to shine! Part of the WHY we are missing is the great work the kids will show us on Leadership Day. The WHY is the learning and the opportunities we give students to become what they can be. We are a leadership school, so we provide leadership opportunities. Cooper is a great place with lots of wonderful students who will show us next week that our hard work is appreciated, that we are making a huge difference in the lives of these children. They will lead us back to our WHY.

Then it will be spring break at long last.

We have a chance to consider our WHY, to renew and sharpen the saw, to come back ready to pack up, evaluate, camp, orient new students, enjoy the Variety Show, create a wonderful Field Day experience, final field trips, send off the sixth grade, and more. These events are all about the WHY. Our focus can be all the wonderful students who make this job so rewarding.

If we don’t, what is the alternative? What will be the result for us? If we don’t take back our purpose, what will we become? If Sinek is correct and people don’t care what we do but why we do it, then we need to articulate our why.

The 7 Habits can help us achieve the goal of finding the WHY. We can choose to be proactive, begin with the end in mind, and then put first things first. That will help us be ready to help each other think win-win, seek first to understand, and synergize. Of course we need to sharpen the saw, and we need to help each other take care of ourselves.

There is no better place than Cooper to fight this fight, to grow and heal. This is the best staff anywhere, and we can help each other find our WHY.

What do you think?

“The only purpose of our lives consists in waking each other up and being there for each other.” Johanna Paungger, Moon Time: The Art of Harmony with Nature and Lunar Cycles

Evaluations are coming up fast!
You can look at your evaluation guidebook that you got during the first PD day of this school year. Look at pages 8-11 to see what we are looking for. What evidence would you like us to consider? Where do you think you rate on the measures outlined there? We will be asking for your opinions, your self-assessment for your evaluation. Let us know if you have questions.

At the end of the evaluation for teachers, we need to set two goals for each person. It’s not too soon to start thinking of goals. We are not looking for SMART goals, just instructional goals such as creating effective learning targets or creating more effective lesson plans. Think of these as “growth goals” rather than operational goals. The goals will be part of next year’s evaluation, and will give your evaluator a starting place to observe in the fall.

Renovations issues:
Our friends are continuing their night work to prepare the building for renovations this summer. They sometimes make a bit of racket at night. If you have a parent meeting after school, please let the office know. We can help find a place for you to meet if your room will not work that night.
 It’s not too early to being packing your room, even though we still have a great deal of learning to go. As you pack boxes, remember to label them and to create a list of what’s in which boxes. If you need more labels, please let me (Terry) know.

Big Rocks:
Leadership Day practice is Tuesday morning. We will be trying our new schedule for Leadership Day. As you see or experience the practice, let us know what’s not working in your area. Our teams have all synergized so well that this Leadership Day is sure to be a success. Thanks to the Lighthouse Team and all the committees that contributed to our students showing their best form. We really can be proud of all we do that makes Cooper so special!

Our schedule for the week of April 14, 2014 includes:

Monday:           Breakfast with Randy, 7:00, Terry

Tuesday:           TAX DAY
IST 8:00 (Many of us will be working on Leadership Day practice)
Leadership Day Practice begins at 8:45. Many parents will be here early. We expect to be finished by 11:30
                           After School Clubs, 3:45

 Wednesday:    LLL Meeting at Brimingham (Terry), 8-10 am
Center EPT 8:00
Planning Team, 3:45
LPS PTSA Meeting at Cooper! 6:00 in LMC (Terry)
                       
 Thursday:        LEADERSHIP DAY!!!
 Friday:             Spring Break Begins!


2 comments:

  1. Great post Terry and Sarah! It's a good reminder that we are ALL human and make mistakes, but can get back on track when we remember our WHY:)

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  2. This break was good timing for me because it gave me pause to think of "why" I teach. I have been so preoccupied with curriculum coverage, misguided assessments and inauthentic data collecting, that my "why" took a split. I gave myself some time to refocus and think about why I teach, hoping to rekindle my passion. I teach so that students can see the love of learning. I teach because I want to help students see their own power, their own gifts, their own passions. I teach to see those "shining eyes." Yet, I have gotten sidetracked with politicians edicts, district mandates and concerns of my "effectiveness" status that I misplaced what I know in my gut to be right and true. I spend more time disciplining students than I do learning their stories. From my own experience when I trust someone, I work hard to keep that relationship strong. Are students any different? We have all been asked about what we remember about our favorite teacher. In most cases we remember how they made us feel, or the belief they had in us, or their passion for teaching. I want that. While participating in the EMU summer writing project and sitting among talented English teachers, I felt grossly misplaced in their presence. Although I didn't see myself with adequate ability to be there, Bill Tucker, the professor did. Because of him, I started to believe that perhaps, I too, could consider myself a writer. He made all the difference. I want that for my students. I want them to believe in themselves, to see their leadership potential. I want them to smile and be happy and excited about school. Our gut tells us the right thing to do as teachers and we need to follow our gut.

    Terry and Sarah, I feel fortunate to work alongside you because I feel you allow teachers to go with their gut and do what is right for students. Thank you for the thoughtful post.

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