Well 2020 is finally behind us! May 2021 get us back to all that was good about the normal routine of our lives (small business back open, families reunited, fans in the stands at sporting events, and, most of all, students back in our class). I hope too that 2021 allows us to utilize all that we learned as a result of the pandemic (that maybe school doesn’t have to be an 8:30 to 3:01 ordeal for students, that maybe asynchronous learning is the way to go for some of our students, that we keep some of the simple pleasures in our lives – going for walks, dinner as a family, and playing games).
Inside this week’s Teaching Thoughts, you’ll find –
Book of the Week – Seth Godin’s This Is Marketing.
I know it’s a marketing book, but teaching and marketing have so much in common. Plus, the best innovations/breakthroughs come when you cross pollinate ideas from one area (in this case marketing) with a different area (teaching).
One of my favorite lines is - “People don’t want what you make. They want what it will do for them. They want the way it will make them feel. And there aren’t many feelings to choose from.”
For my money, that is teaching. Students don’t (really) want a correctly formatted MLA paper. I would submit to you that they don’t even (really) want that precious A grade. What they (really) want is the feeling of accomplishment from writing deeply about something personal or important to them, the joy of discovering something new that they never really knew before. They want the satisfaction of sharing a personal revelation via a personal narrative with their teacher, knowing they are sharing it in a safe, supporting environment. They want the thrill of sharing a story or a moment that resonates with others. They want to see what we think of their thinking. If we aren’t putting those emotions first – and if you’re just focusing on standards – then we’re a glorified infomercial. And we all know how we really feel about those!
Teaching Thoughts – Check out #70 and the concept of a “velvet brick.” I stole that idea from one of my favorite people in education, Tim Elmore and his Habitudes.
Podcast of the Week – Part 2 of “Look Under the Hood” from The Focus Three Podcast. This podcast delves in to how to get the most out of your class, team, or group. Really, there are only two ways: elimination (the easiest but ruins culture) or development (the hardest but what is best for the organization). You have to check out what Urban Meyer has to say about how to develop individuals.
I also picked up a great quote from this podcast: “Winning has a price . . . so does leadership.”
Now ask yourself this, is YOUR leader paying that price? If you’re a leader, are YOU paying that price. Or are you just along for the ride? If you aren’t paying the price, then you aren’t really developing your own talent or the talent of your team. What are you waiting for?
Finally, check out the video f the week, which the greatest 9th grade teacher in the world, Amy Christianson, sent me a few weeks ago. It’s the story of a boy whose life could very well be that of Auggie from Wonder. This is amazing. Don’t miss it.
Have a great week! The new year is finally here, let’s not waste it. Our work matters. Every. Single. Day.
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