Sunday, August 27, 2017

Collaboration? Cooperation?

Crossfit competitions always have a way of opening my eyes to the human capacity around me. I competed in an "End of Summer Throwdown" this weekend with three of my fellow gymmates. I train alongside them all the time at our gym, but for whatever reason, the thought of competing with these three that I respect so much was freaking me out! I stressed out over being able to keep up with their pace during the workouts, lifting as much weight as they could or as I needed to so I could hold up my end of the partnership, wondering if I'd be able to stick with the strategy we'd developed together.....    And then it was "go time." As the first workout ended, I felt relieved. Did I put up as much weight as the others? No. But did they encourage me and correct my form while I lifted? YES. Were they ready for me to tag them in when I couldn't lift anymore? Absolutely.   Then the second workout...a sprint relay. We don't run that often at the gym, but we run enough to know each other's strengths so we plotted who would take each distance of the relay and hit the pavement. No biggie. Workouts 3 and 4 were lung busters!!! Too much jumping, lifting, throwing to name but what resonates with me the most is that each time I jumped off the pull-up bar, my teammate didn't miss a beat before getting up to knock out 20more reps. Or when my quads weren't going to let me squat, another teammate swooped in without hesitation.

How did they know!? How were our transitions so flawless?! How did we manage to support each other when we were all SO EXHAUSTED!?!?  I'll tell you how:

  • We have spent time (pre-competition) getting to know one another's strengths and areas of weakness
  • We never ONCE hesitated to say "This isn't my strongpoint, can you back me up?"
  • We intentionally spent time before the workouts to talk about the process...the strategy... that would get us through each workout
  • We took on the responsibility of picking each other up when we needed support 
  • We celebrated together...during and after each workout. And left each workout developing a plan for any modifications to our previously mapped out strategy based on strengths shown in the moment. 
That's COLLABORATION, my friends!!!! We weren't just cooperating by moving through the work together then expecting each of us individually to figure out our own next steps.  But that didn't happen overnight. Years ago...we were cooperating...figuring each other out and how to best support one another. With a challenge in front of us though, that required all of our input to solve...we finally found ourselves collaborating. 

In your classrooms, do students sit together and learn alongside one another only to complete their own "pieces" of the project (cooperating)? or are they actively working together to create a solution to a problem (collaborating)?  What environment do you aspire for them to operate in?  How are you/have you supported them in cooperating with one another so they are able to have a culture strong enough to support their learning in service of a common mission?   ...which begs the question, how are you operating among your staff? Are you still working in isolation or are you at least cooperating by leaning into the learning? Perhaps you've already begun collaborating by thinking and learning with your colleagues in service of a common dilemma.   Here's a little visual from OnPointClassroom.com that might help you think through both:

Peace, love, and intentional teamwork,
Sarah

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Game day

The student section is roaring, the parents are cheering for their kids on the field, the coach's spouses (like myself) are proud of the hard work their husbands have put in to prepping for the big game.... ahhh yes, 'tis football season, my friends!  I have to tell you...one of my favorite things about watching football games is waiting to see how well the opposing team did their homework and if they're ready (or not) to respond to each play. This week, at the Lawrenceburg Tiger's season opener, I had a chance to witness one of these moments, and it. Was. BEAUTIFUL!


Offense stood at the line, the quarterback got the ball, faked the pass by quickly moving & keeping it behind his back, and ran at least 5 yards before the opposing team's defense realized he still had the ball... and he was within 6 feet of those lineman! From the bleachers, you can't help but wonder how in the world they missed that (even though I was glad they did)! He was clearly running without the use of one arm (since it was behind his back) and the running back obviously wasn't carrying anything as he ran for the end zone.... how could Defense not see it?!   Well, let me tell you why... because on the field, when you're in the thick of the game, you see helmets blurring in front of you, arms moving as if throwing something and another guy who seems to be catching something, and you see your teammates executing the defensive movements you prepped for, sweat running down your face, guys grunting all around you....(you get the picture).

Unfortunately, this happens far too often off of the football field too. We find ourselves feeling scattered, overwhelmed, way off course, longing for "peace and quiet"...for our time on the bleachers. While other times, we feel capable of offering others advice because we've allowed ourselves to step away from the center of the action...off of the field...to clear our heads, make sense of the bigger picture, then re-enter the situation with a better view of the end goal.

I know what you're thinking...."You're right, Sarah, but I'm way too busy during a day to stop doing my work to just reflect on things."   Well, you're wrong. I mean...I know you're busy...you're right there. But if part of your "busy schedule" doesn't include 30-45min to go park your butt up in the bleachers, to get a larger perspective of what's happening around you and with those you're supporting, then I promise you're always going to be chasing a guy running really fast who isn't even carrying a football! DON'T BE THAT GUY/GAL!!!

For my educator friends, try this... use ONE prep period this week...just one (or for my administrators and instructional coaches... build in a "leadership prep period" for yourself...thank me later) to go sit on the bleachers. Use this time away from doing your work to watch the game film, to get a better sense of what's happening around you. Time for reflection and processing IS part of your work! Need some help figuring out how to use this time? Try one of these:

  • Walk down the Ladder of Inference - identify the action you took that's causing you stress, which is based on some belief you hold even if you don't express it, in order to figure out the meaning your head/heart gave to data you observed so you can then determine what other data was around you that you weren't paying attention too (like the QB running 5yds with only one arm swinging)
  • Gain perspective with the Circle of Viewpoints - you work with a whole lot of people every day that all have different and diverse perspectives. Those perspectives are undoubtedly pushing on the work you do, so why not create space to put yourself in their shoes for awhile?
I'll be anxiously awaiting the results of your time analyzing the action on the field...

Peace, love, and Friday Night Lights,
Sarah

Sunday, August 13, 2017

New year, new you!

With the beginning of a new school year, we often find ourselves settling in a bit, yet still slightly anxious and overwhelmed about one thing or another. The design of our curriculum is different than what it was before, our student's personalities are different than last year, we have a new team teaching partner, new administration (or perhaps new faces on our leadership team), etc. And amidst the changes, we often find ourselves waiting for x,y, or z outcome to happen with little to no progress. Why? Because many of us (myself included) are doing just that... going through the motions and WAITING for something to happen.

Here... let's try a little experiment.  When you cross your arms, which way do you fold them? Go on... cross them. Then look down at them. Which one's on the top? Which is on the bottom? Which hand(s) is(are) tucked under your arm? Which hand(s) is(are) resting on your bulging biceps?

Ok... shake them loose. (Seriously...do it!)

Now cross the again, only this time in the way opposite of what you naturally do. Tuck the hand you didn't before and keep the one on top of your bicep that you might have tucked the first time.    (AHHH... had to stop and think about it for a minute, didn't ya?)   Ok... shake them loose.

Now try crossing them that same way (the "new" way) one more time.   ....I'll wait....

Easier? My guess is yes. It probably still took a second to think about what you were doing, but certainly easier than the first go around when you were paying attention to every detail.  Why? Because you're building a new habit.  (Wait until you try it tomorrow morning... gets even easier the more you try it out!)

We're creatures of habit, my friends. If we aren't paying attention to outcome while actively trying new routines and repeating the new behaviors long enough for them to BECOME a habit, then you might as well accept the unproductive waiting game.

So I ask you, what you are feeling about "antsy" about? What's the first item of "frustration" you share with a friend/family member when you go home at night?  There are probably things within that issue that are out of your control, but certainly plenty of things you do have control over.... THOSE are places to begin building new habits! Maybe it's ways to use your prep period more effectively, or a communication strategy that needs some tweaking with a colleague, or the way you think about "homework" so you aren't grading so many papers EVERY night, or ________.

With the new school year in full swing, this is the time to establish new habits, new culture, new areas of productivity!

Peace, love, and criss cross applesauce,
Sarah

Sunday, August 6, 2017

The DEEP end!?!?

Really, July!? It was just too hot out and you couldn't handle it anymore, huh? Fine... we'll see your departure and raise you 180ish days of inspiration and learning! #winning

Welcome back, my friends to what I anticipate will be an amazing 2017-2018 school year! I do hope you prioritized some down-time for yourself this summer! While the Leiker's didn't take as much time off as we would have liked, I definitely found some time to soak in the summer sun at the pool... unfortunately, it was for Owen's swim lessons, so it wasn't always as relaxing as one would hope. We had him in the pool last year for lessons at 6 months old and things went very well, but THIS year... as an 18 month old... not quite the same experience. While he was screaming "Mommy!!!" from the top of his lungs, mid-back float, I was off to the side wondering why his swim instructor took him straight into the deep end and didn't let him waddle his way in so he could get comfortable with the water first (thinking that would have helped). I was talking to one of my colleagues about this, whose son is a swimmer, and she quickly said, "Getting in the pool at the deep end will feel the same to him as getting in at the shallow end. He's either going to feel water on his legs with the safety of running out of the shallow water, or he's going to feel water on his legs knowing he has to swim to get out. You do want him to swim, don't you?"

Ughhh... she got me! And that made so much sense! It's the same "sandwich effect" I often despise as school years unfold. (I'm guilty of this myself.) You know, where you ease your students into your learning environment & talk about how they'll learn, watch them problem solve their hearts out the bulk of the year by actually using those learning strategies, then ease them out with "standardized test prep" the last month or so. If PBL, or any good inquiry-based learning experience, is so impactful with our students... why do we ease them in and out of it instead of just making that the place where they swim all the time?!?

The start of the school year is crucial. To acclimate students in your class to you, to one another, to the school....to a culture of learning and engagement! So why not start the year in the deep end and begin with a project where they're learning the "standards" of your school culture and applying them as they begin to navigate your class, subject area, hallways, cafeteria, parking lot, etc.!?  Have an open house coming up in the first few weeks? WHAT A GREAT PRESENTATION FORUM! Have students investigate your syllabus, essence of collaboration, importance of the PBL process, etc. in the first week or so and prepare a presentation where they can showcase these "standards" to their parents? (THEIR FIRST PRESENTATION! Awwww..how impressed will those parents be, huh!?)

Yes, your students will need support from you in this process. That swim instructor didn't throw my little Owen into the pool without being their to catch him and support him as he learned the skills needed to go under water and kick his way to the wall.  You can't open the doors to your school/class and say "PBL TIME!!! GOOD LUCK, LITTLE ONES!!!" without having a floatation device off to the side at the ready to support them through their learning and experience.  But if you expect to ease them into new learning.... know that it will be easier for them to run out of the pool screaming for the familiarity of what they know from worksheets and direct instruction every day and having you answer all their questions instead of getting them to think for themselves. Instead, I challenge you to take them to the deep end so it becomes necessary for them to learn to problem solve (swim) their way to new conclusions.  I will also say... "brace yourself." They will probably 'scream' a little in the process because it's new and uncomfortable. But, it's in the supported discomfort that real learning happens.


Peace, love, and pool time,

Sarah

P.S. Now, after this summer's swim lessons, Owen DID learn to come up from under water, turn to face the wall and kick his legs to propel him forward. Despite the screaming, he really WAS learning and now enjoys jumping in from the wall all by himself!