Better Than Carrots or Sticks: A Slow Twitter Chat Bookstudy

I am an Assistant Principal at an elementary school which means one of my many responsibilities is discipline. After 6 years of pretty much following the same procedure (discipline referral leads to consequence such as time out, detention, ISS (In School Suspension) or OSS (Out of School Suspension), I began to feel an unrest and knew that we could not continue to do what we have always done because we would continue to get what we always got. What we have gotten every year is an increasing number of ISS and OSS days. Neither of which options were making an impact in the lives of our students as most of them were going on to the middle and high school receiving the same consequences because there was no behavior change. I am not satisfied with the status quo.

Then one morning while at Starbucks I participated in the #LeadLAP twitter chat when the words "Restorative Practices/Discipline" caught my eye and caused many thoughts to start firing through my synapses.

What is Restorative Practices?

The restorative approach to discipline incorporates principles of the SWPBIS approach to focus on prevention through relationship building by drawing on the collective strengths of the community to help individuals in trouble regain their footing in a nurturing environment with consistent classroom practices and high expectations. Most of all, restorative practices draw their strength from communication tools: adults use language that builds agency and identity and facilitate class discussion in a way that encourages affiliation and resolves problems. Restorative practices represent a positive step forward in helping all students learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behavior, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness (Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management, Smith, Fisher, Frey). 

As I have decided to take the plunge this year I would like to learn from other experts around the world. Twitter is an amazing place in which to do this. So, I am going to facilitate a bookstudy on Better Than Carrots and Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management, by Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey. You can pick up your copy at amazon.com.

I will post the discussion questions on Twitter using the usual Q1, Q2, Q3 format. Participants will respond to the questions using the A1, A2, A3 format. I will post one question per day, Monday-Friday. This will hopefully give you plenty of time to read and thoughtfully respond to the questions as well as to others' posts. (Thanks to Mr. Hills' blog for providing me with a format).

I have created a hashtag for our bookstudy. Please use it when discussing anything related to the book.

#btcsbookstudy

Here is the schedule:
October 2-6, 2017 Chapter 1
October 9-13 Chapter 2
October 16-20 Chapter 3
October 23-27 Chapter 4
October 30-November 3 Chapter 5
November 6-10 Chapter 6
November 13-17 Wrap up discussions

I am just beginning to learn about Restorative Practices and how it can impact the students in my building. I am hopeful that if we can begin implementing some of the practices we can teach our students to "learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behavior, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness."

Our Debt to the this Generation

What am I doing to make a difference?

I am troubled by all the violence in the world. It is weighing heavy on my heart.

I am sure you have heard about the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia (unless you live under a rock). Charlottesville is not an isolated incident; it is one of many that we have witnessed just this year alone. It almost seems that you can't turn on the news without hearing about violence occurring somewhere in our nation. I have found myself wanting to boycott the news, not watch it anymore, as if that is the solution to the problems our nation is facing. While that is sometimes what I feel like doing I know it will not solve anything.

What will? How do we begin to move away from all of this violence? Is it even possible anymore or has it gone too far? Can one person make a difference?

YES! One person can make a difference. As educators we can make a tremendous difference in the lives of the students we are charged with educating.

There are so many things we can do to impact the lives of children, no matter their age. Two ideas to embrace:
1. As adults we must cultivate a growth mindset. We have to stop saying, "This is how it was done in my day and it worked for me." In case you haven't noticed this generation is different, we can't make them who we were. Be open to who they are.

2. It is our job to serve this generation. We all came into this world owing everything to everybody. When we die we should leave this world in such a way that they are indebted to us. A.W. Tozer said: "You cannot serve the last generation, because it is gone. In addition, you can only indirectly serve the next generation, but you can serve this present generation."

Embracing these two ideas (among others) can create a synergy that can be the catalyst to the change needed to grow a generation of kids ready to make a positive difference in the world.

I want to make a difference. I want to serve this generation.

I am an Assistant Principal at an elementary school which means one of my many responsibilities is discipline. After 6 years of pretty much following the same procedure (discipline referral leads to consequence such as time out, detention, ISS (In School Suspension) or OSS (Out of School Suspension), I began to feel an unrest and knew that we could not continue to do what we have always done because we would continue to get what we always got. What we have gotten every year is an increasing number of ISS and OSS days. Neither of which options were making an impact in the lives of our students as most of them were going on to the middle and high school receiving the same consequences because there was no behavior change. I am not satisfied with the status quo.

Then one morning while at Starbucks I participated in the #LeadLAP twitter chat when the words "Restorative Practices/Discipline" caught my eye and caused many thoughts to start firing through my synapses.

What is Restorative Practices?

The restorative approach to discipline incorporates principles of the SWPBIS approach to focus on prevention through relationship building by drawing on the collective strengths of the community to help individuals in trouble regain their footing in a nurturing environment with consistent classroom practices and high expectations. Most of all, restorative practices draw their strength from communication tools: adults use language that builds agency and identity and facilitate class discussion in a way that encourages affiliation and resolves problems. Restorative practices represent a positive step forward in helping all students learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behavior, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness (Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management, Smith, Fisher, Frey). 

I am just beginning to learn about Restorative Practices and how it can impact the students in my building. I am hopeful that if we can begin implementing some of the practices we can teach our students to "learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behavior, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness."

Is it grasping at straws to think this could help this generation handle conflict in a peaceful way so that we have fewer incidences like what happened in Charlottesville, Va? Don't we owe it to this generation to try?

It's a Journey Part 2: The First Idea to Put in Our Mind-case

IT'S A JOURNEY

In this journey the first idea that we need to pack in our mind-case is the idea that ALL really does mean ALL.



Go to dictionary.com if you wonder what the definition of "all" really is and this is what you will find:

So, now that you have a firm understanding of what ALL means take just a moment to check your mission statement. Go ahead...leave this blog for just a moment (just make sure you come back) and check your mission statement. I will wait...

So, did you see words in your mission statement like:

ALL       EVERY     COMPLETE      ENTIRE

I am not saying that we should take these words out, but that we need to align our actions with the words we put in our mission statements. According to Mike Mattos, our mission statement is our "northstar." He shares the following ideas about our mission statement: 

• states our organizations fundamental purpose
• guides our decisions and actions
• provides a path, framework, and context for which strategies are formulated
• illustrates what the organization wants to do for the world. 

So, look at your mission statement again and imagine having a conversation with other educators in your organization about the specific words they chose to be a part of the statement. Imagine asking them this question: 

Chances are you will hear some variation of the following answer: 

"YES, BUT...

Have you heard any of these answers? Have you expressed any of these answers? I know I have at some point in time. If so, let me suggest that the first idea that must go into your mind-case is that "all means all." We have to stop making excuses. If all really means all, then we have to do whatever it takes to ensure that ALL students learn at high levels. This will undoubtedly be a paradigm shift for many of us. But remember that the ideas we allow into our mind-case have the potential to change our attitudes which will cause us to behave and react in a certain way. 

Believing that ALL means ALL will allow us to see our students as they can be, not as they are now.

Mike Mattos shared in his keynote at the PLC Work Institute in Atlanta, "If we collectively commit to each other and publicly profess that our mission is to ensure that all students learn at high levels, then don't we have an obligation to align our actions to this outcome?" I don't know of any true educator who would not answer that question with a resounding, "YES!" 

This work is not going to be easy; but nothing worth doing well is easy. It is going to take a mindset change and when the work gets too hard, remember your why. My good friend Teri Pendley stressed the importance of knowing your "why" in her blog, "My First Blog Post-Why?"

Remember, becoming a PLC is a journey, not a destination. Let's make sure we are packing the right ideas into our mind-case, roll up our sleeves and get ready for a wild ride. Our students deserve it. 

(Click here to read It's a Journey Part 1: Our Mind-Case) 

It is a Journey Part 1: Our Mind-Case

IT IS A JOURNEY

I had the privilege of attending the PLC at Work Institute in Atlanta, Georgia this week. Before attending this conference I thought I had a good idea of what a Professional Learning Community was; however, while some of what I knew was confirmed, much of what I learned was new information.

The biggest AHA* I had throughout the 2 1/2 days is that implementing a PLC is a journey, not a destination. What is the difference? Well, a destination has an end point in mind. You know where you are going, and you know when you have arrived. There is a definite beginning and ending. A journey is not the same.

Dictionary.com defines journey as: "passage or progress from one stage to another." If we are to have PLCs that work, we have to envision our work as journey. We will always be progressing from one stage to another. We will never "arrive."

So, understanding that we are on a journey and not just setting out for a destination, let's be intentional about the ideas and concepts we allow to become a part of our mindset. This is essential if we are going to successfully implement a PLC in the way it is truly intended to be implemented. The ideas we give credence to will be the ideas that shape our understanding and change our thinking. So, just as we are thoughtful about what we pack in our suitcase when going on a journey, we need to be thoughtful and intentional about the ideas we pack into our "mind-case**."

Definition of "mind-case": the place in our brains where we allow ideas/information to enter that has the potential to change our attitudes which will cause us to react and behave in a certain way.

I am devoting the next several blogs to the concepts and ideas I have learned from the experts*** on what a true PLC looks like. Once we begin truly believing what a PLC is and what it takes to create and sustain it, our minds will change and student learning will mean more than ANYTHING else we do.

*I am paraphrasing my definition of AHA from Kyle Idelman. It is a 3-step process and all 3 steps are necessary. There is an Awakening to a new truth or idea. Then there is Honesty in which you evaluate what you already know with the new information you are learning. Finally, there is Action in which you DO something with the new information. 

**Mind-case is a term that I came up with when writing this blog. When I typed the term into dictionary.com to see if it had a definition all that came up was, "Did you mean 'nut-case'," so i think it is safe to take credit for this term. 

***The ideas presented in this blog are an attempt to synthesize what I am packing into my "mind-case" from what I am learning from great minds, such as the DuFours, Tim Brown, Mike Mattos, and others. 

Creating Natural Habitats in Education

Lately the same message keeps coming at me from different directions and I think it all boils down to which school of thought we subscribe to: do we design lessons based on the curriculum and assume that students will (or should) adapt or do we design lessons that fit our students' individual needs in a way that will create an environment in which they will flourish?

It all began while I was reading George Couros' book, The Innovator's Mindset in which he succinctly and explicitly sends the message that teaching is not about the teachers. It's not even about teaching...it's all about the learning. For some of us that is/will be a powerful paradigm shift. It's not all about me (Sorry Toby Keith). It's all about the students. And not only are students different today than in the past, the environment and tools are drastically different.

I am sure you would all agree with this statement: "Kids walk into schools full of wonder and questions, yet we often ask them to hold their questions for later so we can "get through" the curriculum," (Couros, 4). And that is just one of his many statements that express that our focus is not where it needs to be. We can and do need to change.

As I was processing this and reading George's book, I came across the following statement in the book, The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman and caused a powerful connection in my brain...neurons began to fire. Let me set the context. Zoo Directors had two main schools of thought when it came to how to keep exotic animals.

One believed in creating natural habitats, the landscape and climate each animal would find in its homeland. The zealous proponents of this view were Professor Ludwig Heck of the Berlin Zoo and his older son, Lutz Heck. The opposing view held that, left to their own devices, exotic animals would adapt to a new environment, regardless of where the zoo was located. The leader of this opposing camp was Professor Lutz's younger son, Heinz, director of the Munich Zoo. Influenced by the Hecks, the Warsaw Zoo was designed to help animals acclimatize, and it also provided inviting habitats. It was the first Polish zoo that didn't cramp animals into small cages; instead, Jan tried to fit each enclosure to the animal, and as much as possible reproduce how it would live in the wild. 

So, basically even in the zoo world there is debate about doing what is easiest for the zookeepers and makes it easier for visitors to see the animals versus doing what is best for the animals.

Which camp do you subscribe to? It is best to put the animals in enclosures of our choosing and assuming they will adapt or putting them in an environment that best suits their needs?

In relation to our students: Do we continue to teach the same curriculum day in and day out with the ideology that, "left to their own devices" our students will adapt or do we look at our students and try to fit the student to the curriculum and as much as possible reproduce how they (each one individually) naturally learn?

I believe and my belief has been validated as I have read George's book that it is time to begin creating habitats, or learning environments that best fit our students. And on that same note, building level and system level administrators need to be willing to do the same. I dare say there are things we as leaders are asking our teachers to do that are best suited to meet our needs rather than fitting their needs. If we want them to consider their students first, then we need to be willing and receptive to considering their needs first.

Empower Teachers to Empower Students

So, I am new at this blogging thing. In the past few weeks I have subscribed to several blogs, one of which is the Connected Principals blog. Reading blogs has opened up a whole new world for me and has me excited about learning. A friend told me last year that I needed to get a journal where I could have a place to put my ideas and the ideas I have learned from others. This is a very wise friend. I love to go back and read the compilation of ideas that seem very different at first, but come together perfectly to help me become a better learner and leader.

Tonight I read a blog by George Couros (@gcouros) titled "Empower" is Not a Bad Word where he discussed the word "empower". Here is what I wrote in my journal from his blog:

One element of the word "empowerment" is that it denotes servant leadership. "Giving" and "Making" are ways we can honor these people that we serve. Focus on making an environment where people can be their best selves. Help them become strong and confident. Do what you can to push and support people to bring out something in them that unleashes more than what they would even expect of themselves. He also gives the definition of empower as "to give power to (someone); to make (someone) stronger and more confident. 

Next I read a blog by Dan Kerr (@DanKerr1) titled Developing Entrepreneurs. He states: Young people can be empowered to change our world for the better when given the opportunity.

So I began reflecting on these two blogs and how they impact me as an educator. I read George's blog with my leadership hat on and began contemplating how I could make opportunities to empower teachers. Then I read Dan's blog and wondered how I could make opportunities that would empower students. So I think the question for leaders becomes (or the question I am asking myself):

How can I, as a leader, make opportunities for teachers to make opportunities for young people to change our world for the better? 

BE A MODEL...I must model for teachers what it is that I want them to do for their students. If I want them to give their students autonomy, then I must be willing to give them autonomy. When I am modeling this, it is not about what would work best for me or is most convenient for me, but knowing my staff well enough, their realities and their viewpoints, that I can create an environment in which they feel safe and accepted to design powerful experiences for their learners.

BE WILLING TO LOSE CONTROL...Okay, that may be a tough one to do, lose control? Well, Covey (1991) makes it clear that one person can't empower another person. We, as empowering leaders, set conditions for empowerment. One of those conditions is that we lose control...to gain influence. Not just haphazardly and without thought, but with a laser like focus on results (I have my own thoughts about how and what results we decide matter, but that is a topic for another blog).

As I close this first blog I am interested in what your thoughts are on my question. If you are a teacher, how do you make opportunities for your students to change our world? If you are a leader, how do you make opportunities for teachers to change our world for the better?

Look for a young person to empower this week; I promise you will be the one who is blessed.