Leadership

3 Inspiring Quotes and a Video to Start the School Year!

Check out this inspiration…

Early in my career as a fourth grade teacher, whenever I got my new class roster, I inevitably inspected each and every name, hoping I didn’t get any of “the problem students.” But, as I gained more experience, rather than looking at these students as an inconvenience, I started to view them as opportunities. (After all, we’re here to serve our students, not the other way around.)

For me, the above quote definitely hits home because often times I was one of the problem students. And, it has never been difficult for me to differentiate between the teachers who shuddered when they saw my name on their list, and those who embraced my strengths while working with me to improve upon my areas of growth.

via David Geurin

This quote jumped out at me when I initially saw it on Twitter. And, while the word attitude can potentially come with negative connotations, in the context of this quote I believe it’s entirely appropriate; it’s a word that encompasses the manner in which we carry ourselves and how others may feel as a result of interacting with us.

On a more personal note, the quote forces me to reflect upon my attitude, and what my district would be like if everyone’s attitude mimicked my own. At the same time, I wonder – Across an organization, are discrepancies in attitudes necessary to maintain a balanced workplace?

via Tom Murray

Yes, as a central office administrator, scrutinizing what takes place in faculty rooms can feel like a low blow. But, without hesitation, I can say that this quote easily applies to any space, room, or place of work. (However, I did hear one principal say he was going to hang it up on the door to his faculty room.)

Interestingly enough, as a teacher, I rarely ate in the faculty room. I usually preferred to eat in my classroom so I could get work done and/or be with students who wanted to have lunch with the teacher.

via John Spencer

Check out this video and read what John has to say about it! Seriously. No words can do the video justice. Just watch it.

What are your favorite quotes and videos?

Connect with Ross on Twitter.

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Book Review: Learning Transformed #LT8Keys

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

It was about a year ago when I was first told that Eric Sheninger and Tom Murray were writing a book for ASCD, based on eight specific ways to make our schools current and relevant. (Eric is a former High School Principal, now a senior fellow with the International Center for Leadership in Education. Tom is a former Director of Technology and Cyber Education, now the Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools.)

Since this announcement, (1) the book was named Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow’s Schools, Today, and (2) and it has been endorsed by educators and influencers that include: Sir Ken Robinson, Arne Duncan, Linda Darling-Hammond, Daniel Pink, Robert Marzano, Michael Fullan, Andy Hargreaves, and Heidi Hayes Jacobs.

When Learning Transformed came out about a month ago, I was able to get my hands on a copy, and it immediately moved to the top of my pile of books to read (given the reputations of its two authors, as well as the endorsements).

Yesterday I finished the book, and here are some of my initial thoughts.

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3 Tips For Progressive Educators

By Ross Cooper 6 Comments

Over the past month or so I’ve had a handful of conversations with different teachers (from districts other than my own) who deem themselves to be progressive, and they expressed frustration in working with teachers who most would classify as traditional.

This type of friction between progressive and traditional (which I’m sure also exists in other professions) is nothing new, as I was first made aware of it when I started to attend educational conferences around 2011. Through private exchanges with some of the more forward thinking educators with whom I came into contact, I started to uncover a pattern; many of these educators weren’t put up on a pedestal in their respective school districts. And, in many instances they struggled to fit in, get along with others, and/or “win” administrative support. (Of course, there were/are most definitely exceptions.)

As a progressive fourth grade teacher of six years, I had administrative support. But, I can also say with confidence that I didn’t exactly fit in with all other teachers (including my fourth grade teammates), and often times I grew frustrated with the ways in which I believed students in other classrooms were being taught.

Looking back (albeit briefly, because we don’t want to obsess over the past), these experiences, some of which were painful, have taught me lessons that have helped me to grow as both an educator and a person. At the same time, as an administrator, I can empathize with progressive teachers who are frustrated with traditional coworkers, and I can also cite my mistakes so others can learn from some of the problems that I helped to bring upon myself.

That being said, here are three tips for progressive educators.

What’s Your Mantra?

By Ross Cooper 4 Comments

Not too long ago I headed to Chicago to present on project based learning at two conferences, iEngage Berwyn and the Midwest Summit for 21st Century Learning. And yes, this was my first visit to the Windy City, and it was long overdue.

Of course, as a pizza enthusiast (and probably, elitist), during some downtime I decided to make the trip from my hotel, Chicago Athletic Association, to Lou Malnati’s for some Chicago-style deep dish pizza. While we can debate Chicago-style vs. New York-style pizza (which is a waste of time since deep dish pizza should really be classified as a casserole), the Uber ride to Lou Malnati’s was one of the more memorable moments of the day.

After some small talk, my driver, Robert, told me about his journal (pictured) in which he asks all passengers to record the day’s date and their mantra. What followed was an unexpected yet intriguing conversation during which Robert explained the significance of the journal – documenting his legacy while establishing relationships – and the fact that he was already in possession of four journals that had been completely filled by previous passengers.

Without any hesitation, I knew what mantra to include (pictured) as these are words by which I’ve always tried to live (but admittedly, at times I have fallen short):

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How Do You Define Sticky Systemic?

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

In the last post we explored the importance of professional development leading to change that is sticky systemic:

When a topic is the primary focus of professional development, the goal should be for change that is sticky systemic. That is, the change should be (1) sustainable and (2) prevalent across the district/school(s).

Since the post was published, there’s been a lot of love for sticky systemic, which is a term I coined when planning for this upcoming year’s professional development in the Salisbury Township School District.

That being said, let’s dive a bit deeper into the meaning of the term.

4 Ways to Make Professional Development Sticky Systemic

By Ross Cooper 5 Comments

4 Ways to Make Professional Development Sticky Systemic

This past year at the elementary level we spent the entire year familiarizing ourselves with Writing Workshop, with the idea all teachers will hit the ground running with this framework in 2016-2017. Formal professional development included: three three-hour sessions, a six-hour consultant workshop, an all-day site visit to a school in New Jersey, optional planning time, and an optional book study…That being said, it would be a shame (and nonsensical) if all of this time and effort didn’t result in noticeable, pedagogical shifts in regards to the way our students engage in writing.

Nonetheless, from what I have experienced…Far too often, professional development involves throwing a bunch of loosely related ideas at a wall, crossing our fingers, and hoping something will stick and the necessary instructional shifts will be made.

When a topic is the primary focus of professional development, the goal should be for change that is sticky systemic. That is, the change should be (1) sustainable and (2) prevalent across the district/school(s).

With these thoughts in mind, here are four ways to make professional development sticky systemic.

Should practitioners ignore researchers?

By Ross Cooper 4 Comments

Since the start of my career in 2007, I have witnessed some form of educational debate take place on almost a daily basis. And, with the rise of social media – in particular, Facebook and Twitter – these types of conversations are now that much easier to create, engage in, and/or find.

The Problem

Overall, the majority of this communication does ultimately benefit our students, but at the same time I believe we owe it to our profession to not just interact when we’re “in the know,” but also when there is a lot to be learned…And, furthermore, we should be willing to admit to ourselves and others that we just might not know everything.

Over the past month I have witnessed a few arguments unfold on Twitter in which a couple of educators from other districts were justifying their actions by declaring, “Those ideas [proposed by others in the district] wouldn’t work with my students,” and at the same time they discounted the work of highly respected researchers because “They aren’t in the classroom!” In general, these situations were your typical resistance to change.

Reimagining Classroom Walkthroughs

By Ross Cooper 3 Comments

This post was originally published on Edutopia.

In a recent post for Education Week, Peter DeWitt details some of the problems with classroom observations. This got me thinking about the ways in which a school’s or district’s walkthrough tool could be reimagined from the ground up for the benefit of all parties involved.

Asking the Right Question

At their worst, walkthroughs are viewed as compliance checks with administrators strutting around schools and classrooms to enforce top-down initiatives. There’s not much progress when teachers generally wonder, “How can I avoid getting in trouble?” rather than, “How can I collaborate with my administrators to improve things for students?” At their best, walkthroughs are viewed as a part of an ongoing formative assessment process that finds teachers and administrators engaged in a system of reciprocal accountability. They work together to improve students’ results, their own professional development, and each other as people.