CHOP & CARRY

Joshua Medcalf CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great

“The only thing that is truly significant about today, or any other day, is who you become in the process” (p. 6). Becoming, putting one foot in front of the other with purpose and stride takes time and a lot of practice. Joshua Medcalf’s book, Chop Wood Carry Water, reminds the reader, “greatness isn’t for the chosen few. Greatness is for the few who choose” (p. 10).

Medcalf’s shares the process of becoming great through one young man’s long struggle to becoming a highly skilled and wise samurai warrior. “People who get average results persist until things get uncomfortable, then they quit. People who get good results persist until things get painful, then they quit. People who get world-class results have trained themselves to become comfortable when it’s painful and uncomfortable” (p. 28). 

The young man’s sensei illuminates lesson by lesson that to be truly great takes more than energy; it requires you to “fuel your heart with six things….If you owned a Lamborghini, would you ever put water into the gas tank?... If you put the wrong fuel into your gas tank, it is very easy to get discouraged and break down as you go through the journey of life” (p. 35). What you do, who you do it with, and how you go about it have the potential to be your fuel towards being great or not.

Although to be truly great, Medcalf reminds us we must focus and choose. “Chopping wood and carrying water is the price of admission for the opportunity to reach sustained excellence…For many years it may feel as if nothing is happening, but you must trust the process and continue to chop wood and carry water, day in day out, regardless of what is happening around you” (p. 65).

Medcalf recommends being mindful of  the road signs that provide the driver with instructions and warnings. “Remember that the next time you are struggling and you need a perspective shift! It’s not just what you do, but it is also the heart posture you have while doing it” (p. 77). “But we weren't created to sit still and learn the ‘right’ answer. We were created to explore, create, to love and to learn (p. 102). It’s not meant to be easy and the obstacles are real, but what you choose to do towards your destinations has the potential to make the challenge worth it.

Our path to become great requires us to chop a lot of wood and carry a lot of water consistently. Adhering to Medcalf’s road signs and fuel recommendations has the potential to be a guide towards our choices to become our best version of being great!

And the Stories Continue...Because of a Teacher

 Written & Curated By George Couros Because of a Teacher Stories of the Past to Inspire the Future of Education 

I finished Because of a Teacher, written and curated by George Couros the day before students returned to school this year. Each chapter in the first two sections of the book framed a compelling story from an educator’s point of view on the lasting impact a teacher or administrator had on them. In the book’s final section, the reader read the wisdom of “What advice would you give to your first-year teacher self.”  All of the individual author’s stories in each part made you either laugh, brought back memories, or helped you remember to pursue what is truly important in whatever role you follow as an educator.

Finishing Couros’s books was a monumental moment for me as a principal for so many reasons. The following day would be the first time all of our students would return to campus, and digital distance learning would be a verifiable experience recorded in future history books yet written. Our staff included first-year teachers, veteran teachers, and everything in between. What we would do together would be new stories told for years to come.

During the past year and a half, as we navigated a pandemic, educators learned lessons not even previously imagined through steadfast perseverance, ongoing commitment, and emotional exhaustion. One element that came out loud and clear was a new respect and, yes, even admiration for teachers. Parents and families experienced firsthand the energy and knowledge it took to teach our kids as they now had front-row seats in the performance. 

There were a lot of thank you’s, and I couldn’t do what you do in multiple conversations with those responsible for connecting students with their teachers remotely. It was a challenge and a gift. We learned more about ourselves as educators and more about what our kids genuinely needed before academic instruction even got started.

We had so many of our own ‘because of a teacher’ stories that inspired us as a school community and propelled us to connect with our kids through a complicated reality..These stories included teachers showing vulnerability as they learned where and how the mute button worked. More stories had hesitant teachers taking the leap and diving into creating content videos with technology tools previously housed in cupboards and closets. We laughed as teachers developed new norms and routines to decrease the background noises and visuals as students displayed and shared their pets, toys, and unmentionables. 

Our specialized teachers had their own ‘because of a teacher’ stories that left us wanting more. Our toes and hands continued to tap as music teachers became a one-person choir and symphonic band extraordinaire in their home basements that left us wanting more. Our physical education teachers created antics that would elevate our heart rates and keep us laughing as we pulled out items from our pantry for aerobic routines and dances. Our instructional coaches also became our resourceful cheerleaders as they shared and learned alongside us. 

It is also important to mention the educators in the front office who also quickly became Jedi Masters in the art of navigating the use of an iPad or Chromebook with parents who were at the end of their rope. The phone calls were steady and sometimes abundant as new crises arose, disrupting the day. Their tones were kind, the actions generous, and their intent was to listen with an empathetic mindset to the stories of parents now taking on the ‘because of a teacher’ role.

As the principal leading the ‘charge or change’ depending on the day and watching it all unfold was more than awe-inspiring. Admittedly I, too, was frazzled beyond what was even believable.  As I leaned in and listened to the multiple ‘because of teacher’ stories, I was humbled and proud of the community we are creating one student-centered story at a time. Fear wasn’t an option. It became our fuel to do and be better in our new normal.

Moving Forward with Disruptive Thinking

 Eric Sheninger DISRUPTIVE THINKING—In Our Classrooms Preparing Learners for Their Future

Leading during a pandemic has brought nearly unimaginable ongoing challenges for school leaders. The disruption to our familiar teaching and learning routines is extensive and genuinely exhausting. However, an unexpected opportunity has arisen that can challenge us to become something different, disrupt our standard path, and blaze a new and better way for each of the students and staff we serve.

Sheniger published Disruptive Thinking at the height of this interruption. His new book has the recommendations and mindset needed for getting back to what is most important as we move forward with the necessary changes for our kids. Here are of few of my favorite takeaways that I will continue to revisit and share.

It’s A Bold New World

“By employing disruptive strategies, we can begin the process of creating a more relevant learn culture for our students” (p. 9). 

“There is always a starting point for development. It begins with understanding that all kids can learn” (p. 13). 

Challenging The Status Quo

“You are only limited by the barriers you develop for yourself. If we want kids to think disruptively, then we must do the same” (p. 23).

“Achieving success is rarely easy. The same goes for learning. If it is easy, then it probably isn’t learning” (p. 29). 

Instruction That Works

“Rigorous learning is for all students” (p. 54).

“By evaluation our practice we can determine where we are, but more importantly, where we actually want and need to be for our students” (p. 73).

Sticky Learning

“It’s time to shift our focus and energy to developing and assessing core and innovative competencies that will serve students their whole lives” (p. 78).

“Curiosity and passion reside in all learners. Inquiry can be used to tap into both of these elements and, in the process, students will be empowered to own their own learning” (p. 88). 

Adding A Personal Touch

“Schools need to work for our students, not the other way around” (p. 116).

“Disruptive thinking requires us to disrupt our practice in the classroom for more equitable and enhanced student outcomes” (p. 136).

Environments That Cultivate Thinking

“We need to move away from classroom design that is ‘Pinterest pretty’ and use research, design thinking, and innovative pedagogy to guide the work” (p. 149).

“Now is the time to embrace the upside of this moment. Let go of some of the old baggage and self-imposed limitations around what we think school really is, and expand our idea of what teaching and learning can become” (p. 159). 

Outlier Practices 

“Feedback should be a dialog, not a monologue” (p. 177).

“A conversation that incorporates the art of listening will go a long way to creating a classroom and school culture in which feedback is not only sought and invited but acted upon” (p. 177)

Sustaining a Culture of Disruptive Thinking

“Without trust, there is no relationship. If there is no relationship, no real learning or change will occur” (p. 187).

“Disruptive thinking in the classroom will only become a reality, however, when priceless relationships are in place. With these in place, your impact will be felt for generations as the learners you influence today disrupt the bold new world in what that change it—and us—for the better” (p. 194).

PLC-Data Teams, The Tool for Our Why

 Polly Patrick & Angela Peery, PLC-POWERED DATA TEAMS—A guide to Effective Collaboration and Learning

As a building administrator, you are always on the lookout for that one go-to evidence-informed resource to share with instructional staff to ensure equitable outcomes for each student. Polly Patrick’s and Angela Peery’s PLC-Powered Data Teams, A Guide to Effective Collaboration and Learning is that resource. John Hattie, a well-known author, researcher, and professor shared his thoughts on their new book. “The messages, the examples of the big ideas in action, and the focus on collectively interpreting data to help educators further enhance the learning lives of students—this is the gift you will receive reading PLC-Powered Data Teams” (p. xvii). 

Patrick and Peery get right to the ‘why’ behind PLC-Data teams by addressing educators’ mindsets and attitudes on approaching student learning and the willingness to grow as teachers and leaders. “Why examine our attitudes? There is the strong possibility that if teachers go to work and refuse to grow, then that is what students may do as well” (p. 11). Do we believe all students can improve and grow? Do we believe in the value and importance of collaboration with colleagues? Can we hold up that mirror and examine the impact our actions have on student learning. These are hard questions but critical to provide equitable outcomes needed in our schools and classrooms. 

How do we build these teams to not just speed through the process but “to go far, together”? One of my favorite features of Patrick’s and Peery’s book is the excerpts from educators across the country who share how they are implementing PLC-Data teams—moving their learning forward, not in isolation but purposefully by building collective teacher efficacy together. Their stories are powerful examples for those getting started or revisiting the process. Teachers, principals, and district leaders share their missteps, tentative steps, and next steps towards positive academic outcomes for students. 

Here are two examples of teacher leaders pursuing greater effectiveness with their teaching and learning practices. Matt Wallace and Kathryn Girard, fifth-grade teachers at East Gresham Elementary, share their reflections on the PLC-Data Team process’s impact on their professional learning and student growth. 

Patrick & Peery remind us, “Learning and thinking moving to mastery is the why we do this work...Our advice to teachers is to think beyond the tyranny of the urgent task being in the classroom, pacing guides, and curriculum guides. Instead, work collaboratively with the excitement of how it fees when we are part of successful student learning! When more students than ever master what you want them to master, this is what you as a ‘lead learner’ in the classroom want….Can you think of anything better than that?” (p. 91). 

Infinite MIndset

 Simon Sinek THE INFINITE GAME

Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why changed how we move forward with our shared leadership framework at our school. We have learned to begin our decision-making conversations with the relevancy of why they positively impact students. We then proceed to the how and what that would look like and feel like for students. It has been an incredible component of our turnaround school improvement initiative. Leaning into Sinek’s newest findings in The Infinite Game, the goal was to continue to refine our pursuit of equitable outcomes for students. Balancing our accountability for student achievement as we plan forward with a relentless vision of each child being and becoming a learner who reads is an agreed-upon worthy pursuit for our team. 

“If there are at least two players, a game exists,” and Sinek defines and describes these two types of games, a Finite Game and Infinite Game. The Finite Game celebrates the end by declaring a winner who followed the rules, earned the most points, thus winning the game. The Infinite Game never stops as rules continue to evolve with no declared winner as they build a legacy together. While reading, I envisioned my role as a school leader with the reality of the tug and pull of having to play both games. The Finite Game includes being accountable for student achievement of the summative end-of-year state testing. At the same time participating in the never-ending Infinite Game of developing students who read well and often (p.3). 

When considering our mindset in each game, Sinek offers these insights. We don’t always get to choose whether a game is finite or infinite, and we get to decide if we want to join the game. If we do decide to join, we can always choose a finite or invite mindset. A leader who wants to adopt an infinite mindset must advance a just cause, build a trusting team, study your worthy rivals, prepare for existential flexibility, and demonstrate the courage to lead (p. 24-25). 

I could rewrite Sinek’s statement to reflect my role as a school leader. 

“A finite minder leader used the company’s performance to demonstrate the value of their own career. 

An infinite indeed leader uses their career to enhance the long-term value of the company” (p. 19).

to

A finite minder leader used the school’s performance to demonstrate the value of their achievement. 

An infinite-minded leader uses their achievement to enhance the long-term value of each student. 

A school leader who wants to adopt an infinite mindset can advance their just cause of each student becoming a skilled reader by; 

building trusting instructional teams, 

studying worthy school rivals (You kids are doing better than mine. What are you doing?”),

demonstrate flexibility as you continue to learn how to meet each of your learner’s needs,

and be vulnerable by showing the courage to lead. 

Great school leaders set up their school communities to succeed beyond their lifetimes, and when they do, the benefits to students (and staff)—are extraordinary. 

Most Powerful Question in Education

 Karin Chenoweth districts that succeed—breaking the correlation between race, poverty, and achievement  

It’s happening in school districts across our country, and it’s inspiring. District and school leaders are breaking “the correlation between students’ backgrounds and achievement. That is to say, they all serve students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, and they are all high achieving or rapidly improving” (p. 129). In Karin Chenoweth’s book, districts that succeed, breaking the correlation between race, poverty, and achievement, she revisits the school improvement stories of districts in Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, Delaware, and New York featured in her previous publications. Chenoweth follows up with these districts with even greater detail on “what about them makes them more effective than other similar districts” (p. 129).  

Their stories often begin with a district leader’s relentless focus and belief in making all of ‘our kids’ smarter. Chenoweth recognizes the value of these passionate educators and describes what distinguishes their successful districts from other communities. She references American educator, author, and pioneer of successful school research, Ronald Edmonds. To create a school and district culture where “it is incumbent on all personnel to be instructional and effective for all pupils” (p. 130). In other words, all school and district staff has a collective responsibility aligned with accountability to provide implicit instruction to each of the students they serve. Not as an individual effort, but collectively and collaboratively, their mission moves forward in tandem with a belief mindset. 

Chenoweth’s reference to relevant research on school improvement requires strategic leadership, decision-making processes, and secure systems as critical components to get each of our kids smarter (p. 140). In the story of Chicago, Illinois, Chenoweth shared the findings of the UChicago Consortium’s ten-year study of school improvement. The results list five essential elements, including partnering with families, creating a supportive learning environment with high academic expectations, engaging and challenging instruction, influential leaders, and collaborative teachers (p. 45-46). It is essential to note the Consortium research also emphasized principals as the “drivers of school improvement” and how they“played a key role for improving student learning outcomes” (p. 46-67). 

These stories can be a reminder and example of what is needed to ensure equitable outcomes for each student in our school’s communities for district and school leaders. 

“Kids can get smarter.
We can all get smarter.
We just have to muster the will to do so.”

(p. 152)

We can all improve by continually seeking out each other’s areas of strength and asking what Chenoweth refers to as the most powerful question in education.

 

“Your kids are doing better than mine; what are you doing?”

Equity And A Coach

 Elena Aguilar COACHING FOR EQUITY—Conversations That Change Practice

Confession. Usually, towards the end of a book, no matter how fabulous and informative it may be, my attention wanes, and my copious note-taking diminishes. Not this time! Author Elena Aguilar shares perspective and insights of one educator’s understanding with a thoughtful yet persistent equity coach at their side in the last few chapters of Coaching For Equity. This example of an equity-focused conversation demonstrates each of the phases of transformational coaching. It is a gripping, and unfortunately, sometimes a familiar account of the inequities a child of color can experience while attending school. The coach and teacher dialog is inspiring as you follow the steps they purposefully and, yes, sometimes painstakingly take to change their instructional practices to ensure equitable outcomes for each student. Your heart aches, hides, and then soars knowing the equity dialog with both the sender and receiver takes bravery, commitment, and determination.

Going back to the book’s initial chapters, Aguilar shares, “Every conversation Is a conversation about equity….regardless of the demographics of the school” (p. 9). “Who we are matters tremendously in our ability to coach and lead for equity. How we show up is a critical variable in our ability to transform schools. And how we show up, is most closely within our sphere of control, which is why it’s worth focusing on if we aspire to contribute to equity in schools” (p. 4). Each student matters and each student needs a teacher as an advocate in their ability to grow as learners. Aguilar’s coaching for equity framework guides educators on how to “focus on and prioritize changing actions and behaviors” (p. 37) with transformational coaching conversations. 

Aguilar states, “In order to coach for equity, there is an expansive set of abilities that you need. These abilities include a set of knowledge. Amongst other things, you need to know how to work with adult learners, how to recognize inequities in the classroom, and how to understand emotions. You also need a set of skills, including how to use a wide array of Transformative Coaching tools, how to coach around belief, and how to coach using the four Phases of transformation coaching. You need will: a deep commitment to interrupting inequities and a profound sense of purpose. Capacity is necessary to coach for equity--time and resources. You need cultural competence; a set of skills and knowledge to understand your own identity and the identities of others, and to navigate difference. Finally, you need emotional intelligence; self-awareness, the ability to navigate your own emotions, as well as an ability to recognize the emotions of others and to navigate their emotions'' (p. 10-11). 

Coaching for equity is an art. Aguilar’s book provides four phases of Transformational Coaching. “These four phases describe the process regardless of what lane of Transformational Coaching we’re in--whether we’re coaching teams, coaching for emotional resilience, focusing on coaching for equity, or providing prescriptive instructional coaching” (p. 40). W

Coaching with compassion to “center the humanity of others,” with curiosity, “suspending our judgments and opinions,” to make connections, and “face our fears” with courage” and with purpose “to create a world characterized by justice, equity, and liberation. “The journey is the destination” (p. 45-46). 

I Am My Story

Trudy T. Arriaga, Stacie L. Stanley & Delores B. Lindsey LEADING WHILE FEMALE—A Culturally Proficient Response for Gender Equity

I read Leading While Female by Arriaga, Stanley, and Lindsey with a group of women leaders from all over the county. They offered personal takeaways from the book, including their work and life experiences that propelled them forward in their careers as educators. Each of their diverse educational pathways was an excellent reminder of, “My story is myself, and I am my story.”

The authors shared their educational journeys in the book. “Our intention is to tell stories of women educators who have confronted barriers and are continuing to confront and overcome them today to fill the talent and gender gap created by systemwide inequities” (p. 21). “Discovering and exposing inequities must be the critical first steps in devising equitable educational practices...Rather than responding with anger or defensiveness, we must realize that although we educators today didn’t cause the inequities, the historical societal and educational forces deliver these inequities to our doorsteps to be addressed now. (Lindsey, 2018, p. 36). Remember, our children are watching and learning from us as leaders.

The authors offer a Conceptual Framework for Culturally Proficient Practices for Gender Equity,  “To ensure equitable opportunities, access, and inclusion for all demographic groups into an education environment” (p. 38). The framework was developed as a tool to “provide an equity lens for examining the work of female and male education leaders within the educational environment they work” (p. 40) to inform and improve teaching and learning practices. 

The framework includes identifying and assessing Cultural Proficiency barriers or negative social constructs and institutional impediments to inform guiding principles or positive core values of equity. To manage the continuum of unhealthy and healthy practices and adapt essential elements of cultural competence or professional values and behaviors towards cultural proficiency as we institutionalize develop our organization’s equity plans.

It was helpful for me to study intersectionality as a way to “understand that women as a group are not monocultural” (p. 83). We all hold multiple identities, and woven together makes us who we are and essential in our story. “Yet intersectionality serves to impede the attainment and success of women of color and all women in executive leadership roles due to intersectionality of race and gender as well as aspects of language, social class, and faith” (p. 84). 

The authors offer questions for women in education with leadership positions. Do my actions reflect my values? Am I responsive to stereotypes? Am I mentoring other women for leadership positions? Am I stepping on or holding up their ‘crowns’? Leading While Female is a wealth of “resources for breaking down the barriers and leading the way for future generations of women leaders” (back cover). “Let’s invite one another in” (Michele Obama). 

#WeGotThis

 Cornelius Minor WE GOT THIS—Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be 

When a teacher you wholeheartedly respect because of their consistent student-focused approach to learning you continue to glean from them has a request...you figure out a way to make it happen. This was how I was introduced to Cornelius Minor, author of We Got This. Minor was featured as the keynote speaker at our state literacy association conference that was to be held virtually as we all continued to navigate the teaching restrictions due to the COVID19 health crises.

After registering this teacher, another enthusiastic teacher, and myself to attend the conference, I found funds to purchase Minor’s book for all three of us. Diving into what draws and interests teachers is a responsibility, in my opinion, of a learning school principal. As I begin to research and discover more about Minor, I found this two-minute youtube introductory video that held my immediate attention. The clip introduced the first chapter in his book, “Begin by Listening.” 

Minor’s message on listening to our kids is simple yet incredibly profound and sadly often missing in schools. He outlines in chapter one what to pay attention to and what to listen for to better understanding what students are really communicating to us. His recommendations on how teachers can then respond to what they are saying with tips for creating purposeful lessons that truly speak to your student’s needs. Brilliantly he made a Listening to Kids Organizer template for teachers (and I’ll add leaders) because “how we listen, and what we do with what we hear matter” (p. 22). 

Each of his proceeding chapters relentlessly focuses on disrupting the status quo and creating an inclusive classroom culture by thinking deeply about the students in front of you and identifying what’s working for them and what you need to change or approach differently, and how to do your homework to make a plan for that change to come to life. Showing kids, you hear them, and “Creating a space where kids feel safe means that we must create a space where we share power. One can let go of power without letting go of control” (p. 75). 

I am excited about the plans the teacher I referenced is already putting into action AND sharing with his grade-level colleagues. In an email, he stated, “I found it very helpful to complete and process figure 2.2: Thinking About the Kids in My Classroom...I plan on sharing figure 2.2 with X and X and start some grade-level work around it.” Later in the ongoing email thread, he wrote, “I just finished chapter 3 and am starting to work on figure 3.1 (Questions That Help Guide Change), then onto figures 3.2 (An Informal Research Template) and 3.3 (A Guide for Planning Change Quickly). A learner, a teacher-leader, an advocate on a “quest” for who his students need him to be. Just beyond inspiring...

In his epilogue, Minor closed with the following that left me feeling optimistic about our work. 

“The work can be hard, but the steps are simple.

We set our goals, we learn, and we put that learning to use.

We stop regularly to reflect.

Knowing that big things don’t change overnight, we take inventory of the small things that have changed. We name them, and we celebrate them.

Then we make the necessary adjustments so that the work can continue. This will require effective study and teaching to drive us. This will require imagination to guide us. This will require love to keep us.

We got this.”

Agree, for, with, because of each of our unique, powerful, and courageous students.