January 2017 – Tavia Clark

Defining Roles

I’ve been lucky to be asked to design and facilitate professional development opportunities for Media Coordinators. Since I served in this role up until a few months ago, I believe in the transformative power that MC’s have in their respective buildings and districts. When you think about change agents, the people serving in this role have amazing opportunities to impact an entire community. Serving everyone in their building, Media Coordinators are vital to student success and building a culture that is not only positive, welcoming and warm, but one that is driven by good lesson design and innovative practices.

While most MC’s will tell you that their goal is to impact students and effect change, this isn’t always easily done. Many feel like an island on their own – with little connection to anyone else in the building, since they are the only person who does their specific job. Many feel stripped of time, resources and the ability to design learning experiences due to the plethora of other tasks that they are handed to complete. Many feel powerless, being seen as a babysitter, and only considered a “teacher” when it’s time to administer tests.

My question is this – How much does our view of our role play in creating these restraints?

Thinking about our role begins with being honest about what we want not only for ourselves and our libraries, but for our kids. What do we envision the library doing to impact student learning? How do we make the 4C’s a priority in our teaching and in creating our environment? How do we encourage collaboration and good lesson design so that our students are getting the best possible opportunities to learn, share and grow?

We also have to consider what our kids need – thinking about data, both quantitative and qualitative. It’s important for us to be at the forefront of embracing data and using it to impact teaching and learning. Data tells so many stories and we have to figure out how these stories can help us work towards implementing change that results in student success. Data is meant to help us grow, not to hold us back or break us down. And we have to remember that not all data is numerical. There’s so much to be gained from asking students how they feel and how something impacted them. Give your students a chance to tell their stories. This can be powerful in changing our practice.

When thinking about our role, it is very important to determine what things are already in place that will help us reach our vision, create transformation or effect impactful change. What systems are working? What supports already exist within our buildings and districts that help us to be impactful within our roles? Sometimes these things aren’t obvious and we have to hunt, but if we look hard enough we will find them. And if there are things missing that are crucial for transforming our role, we have to figure out how to make them happen, whether this something is as simple as asking for resources or more involved like making a solid case for moving from fixed to flexible scheduling.

The way that we see ourselves in the context of our role goes far in determining how others will not only view us, but how they will utilize the knowledge, skills and creativity we bring to the table. If we chose to remain complacent and comfortable, we leave little room for growth. Our role will continue to evolve, with or without us. It’s our choice whether we redefine it, or let it be defined by others.

Lately I’ve Read

Since coming back to work from the holiday break, I’ve been moving non-stop. There’s so much I want to write about; professional development I’ve been doing in districts, NCDLCN and how amazing this year’s coaching cadre is, the wonderful work I’ve seen while shadowing my colleagues, but I just haven’t had time this week to focus my thoughts in a way that would justify any of those experiences.

Instead of focusing on one, single thing this week, I am going to share some of the awesome things I’ve been reading – things that have caused me to take notice, reflect on my practice and, ultimately, continue to learn and grow.

“Great Artists Write” by Paul Jun

This piece tackles the idea of self reflection through writing. Since I’ve been personally writing and reflecting on my new experiences at FI, I was instantly drawn into this. I love the idea of using writing as a way to champion our creativity, critical thinking and clarity. And, as someone who taught writing to high school students for most of her career, I believe in its power to transform people. This post also offers practical ideas for kickstarting your own reflective writing – all of which are super accessible.

“You’re working hard. But are you heading towards the right life goals?” by Jessica Abel

I came across Jessica Abel’s site by accident through someone else’s tweet. But I am so glad that I did. I have loved all of her posts I’ve read so far. This one, challenges our ideas of goals and setting goals that are not only attainable, but goals that we are passionate about – simply put, the right ones. I love her assertion that creative success is mostly about defining success for yourself, envisioning not just your future projects or productivity, but your actual, future self. I enjoyed her advice for setting goals and the candor with which she tells her own story of failed attempts.

“Hate PD? Try Voluntary Piloting.” by Krista Taylor

Without giving too much away, this is a piece that all educators should read. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard complaints about professional development – it’s too long, too short, doesn’t apply, boring, confusing, not enough tools featured, and the list goes on and on. This model of PD is different though. It’s small, grass roots and asserts that even a small, passionate group of educators can spark transformational change. This one will inspire you to act.

“How I Come Up With 20 New Ideas a Day” by Rodd Chant

This post offers such a great idea for being creative each day! He gives a few, simple ways to come up with new ideas, whether they turn into to larger projects or not. As someone who works around brilliant, creative people, I feel pressure to constantly be innovative, even though this isn’t always easy. I love his advice that you have to let your ideas flow without editing yourself, since, at the end of the day, idea creation is all for you. Whether an idea is good or bad doesn’t matter, all that matters is that it happens.

“Man on the Moon” by Jonathon Wennstrom

I was drawn to this post for two reason. First, it’s written by an educator, someone in the trenches. Second, it’s simple and all about impacting students. He gives us a siren call to check our egos at the door so that we can simply focus on doing impactful, transformational work. While the post is short, it reminds me of why I love being a part of the PLLC team at FI – we are about the work, not about the accolades. We come together to focus on creating learning experiences that lead to impacting students. It really is that easy. We don’t compete, compare or criticize, we just do good work.

“A Class Where Students Create the Curriculum” by Natalie Orenstein

I wish all students were able to have learning experiences like the ones described in this post. I wish that it didn’t take an act of Congress to enable these conditions (thanks Greg) and I wish that this story was the norm, not the exception and was reproducible in every district. Even if it takes baby steps to create these types of experiences for kids, it’s worth dreaming and working towards.

“We Ask Our Kids What They Learn Each Day. Why Don’t We Ask Ourselves?” by Rupa Chandra Gupta

I love this post (and most of the things published on EdSurge). It will make you reflect and consider the difference between reactive and proactive learning. As a true believer in the importance of lifelong learning, and as someone who is always looking for opportunities to learn, I think it’s worth the time it takes to read this if it makes someone consider being more proactive and seeking out opportunities for growth.

“32 Productivity Tips from the World’s Top Designers” by John Brownlee

This article is exactly what it says, tips on how to be more productive this year. While the tips are from people in the design world, the suggestions are very relevant to anyone – and have many applications in education. I enjoyed reading this and will be using some of what I read to help myself be more productive. Besides, shouldn’t we be working smarter, not necessarily harder?

Coaching

Before joining The Friday Institute, my experience with coaching was limited – or so I thought. As a classroom teacher, I rarely saw myself as a coach to anyone. It was all I could do to keep up with my own thoughts and ideas for designing amazing learning experiences for my kids. When I moved into the school library, my position afforded me the opportunity to work more closely with classroom teachers, pushing me into a role that made me feel more like an instructional coach. While my colleagues earnestly sought my help and eagerly collaborated with me, I was missing the point of being a coach. I viewed coaching as solving people’s problems – leading them to an answer.

Then I was selected to be a part of the second cohort of the NC Digital Leaders Coaching Network. When I began my journey with NCDLCN, I had no idea that a year later I’d be working at FI, facilitating the very experiences I was participating in. NCDLCN helped me to gain a deeper understanding for coaching – not just what a coach is, but the actual act of coaching someone. I left the cohort in June realizing that coaching is participatory, not just for the teacher, but for the coach as well. More than solving problems, a coach helps someone find new understandings about him or herself, and in the case of education, transform teaching and learning as a result of this.

“The art of coaching is doing, thinking, and being: doing a set of actions, holding a set of beliefs, and being in a way that results in those actions leading to change. These are the three things that can make coaching transformational.” (Aguilar, 2013, Location No. 848).

In her book, The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation, Aguilar stresses that coaching leads to transformation. My idea of coaching has redefined itself – my new reality (and the experiences it has afforded me) has led to deeper understanding. Coaching is not evaluative. It is not fixing someone or simply solving a problem. This is very one sided and not often participatory. Coaching is about building relationships, which are vital. And while listening is important and oftentimes necessary, true coaching focuses on teaching and learning, considering what’s best for kids and transforming pedagogy in order to lead to transformation.

A few weeks ago, I read a post by Seth Godin about shared reality and goals. He asserts that in order to get buy in (which is important with any coaching experience), you must be able to sell what you’re actually selling. In order to do this, all parties must agree on the goals, the reality and the measurement. After reading this super short post, I immediately thought about my experiences with coaching, especially those that I’ve recently had through my work at FI.

The Goals
In November, I “met” three teachers who I will be coaching this school year. I spent time contacting them to begin to build a relationship that I hoped would make the coaching process more beneficial. Through a Google Hangout video call, I introduced myself to each of them and explained what the coaching process is in relation to their district vision and mission. And then, I asked each of them about their goals – the things they felt passionately about for their kids and their classroom. Once they were done sharing their goals, I asked them what opportunities they currently have that would further facilitate that transformation? I was amazed by their reflections. Our conversation could have easily focused on outputs – simply what they will do, but through a few simple questions, we moved to outcomes – the difference that they want to make.

The Reality
In coaching, it is so important that their is shared understanding of the reality. Facts are in the evidence, so it’s vital to be able to have a clear understanding of what’s really going on. In building relationships with these three teachers, I simply asked about their reality – prior to stepping foot in their classrooms. I need context, I need to understand what they’re up against everyday and the struggles that they face. And all of this needs to happen before I can start helping them toward their ultimate goal – transforming teaching and learning in their classrooms. In my case, I get very limited time with each of these teachers, so shared reality becomes that much more important.

The Measurement
When working with these teachers, my goal has been to have them define success and for us to work together to get there. After discussing their goals, I asked each of them to define what they think success would look like in relation to that goal. Coaching should be non evaluative, which means it’s important that they participate fully in the idea of measuring success. These conversations will evolve over time as I am able to offer more actionable feedback.

Without a doubt, I am still learning and growing as a coach. But one thing remains, there’s nothing quite like being a tiny part of someone’s journey of transforming teaching in learning for her students.

Aguilar, E. (2013). The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation [Kindle Version]. Retreived from Amazon.com.

Godin, S. (2016, December 28). Shared Reality, Shared Goals [blog post]. Retrieved from http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2016/12/shared-reality-shared-goals.html

Words

Words are important to me – there is so much power in what we chose to say and how we decide to say it. I agonize over words, whether I’m writing a book review or a thank you card to a friend, and often create multiple drafts to make sure I get it just right. In short, as much as I love words, I often have a hard time using them to express myself. I write a lot, more than anyone would know because I don’t often share it. I’ve tried blogging, but it has always felt forced. So, I’ve just settled for writing for myself as a way to reflect and react to things.

In September, I was offered a position at The Friday Institute at NC State. This is the kind of job that I’ve dreamt about – doing work that is both impactful and fulfilling, working with people all over. When I accepted the position, so many things in my life changed. In over the course of one month, I left a school that I love, said goodbye to some of my favorite colleagues and students who I will always hold dear and moved from Norfolk, VA to Raleigh, NC. With my life turning upside down, I made a commitment to myself to document this journey by capturing my thoughts as often as I could. I didn’t want to forget any part of it.

In addition to writing about the work I’ve been able to witness and be a part of, I have been writing about all of the kindness, support and inspiration my new colleagues have offered me. Like I said, I don’t want to forget any part of this thing. This reflection came in handy during the holidays as I wrote each of my colleagues a very personalized holiday card saying thank you for all of the things they have done for me to welcome me to the team. The words just felt necessary.

When I think about words, I am reminded of one of my newest obsessions. A good friend introduced me to West Wing – why I never watched this show when it originally aired is a mystery to me. I was immediately entranced. The dialogue literally leaves me floored, because, well, words. These characters speak with so much eloquence and passion, and I’m left wishing I could say it that way. I know they’re fictional, but I’m envious because again, I love words.

As 2016 started to come to a close, I looked back on the writing I had done for the past few months. It was purely for reflection – I wanted to try to remember the opportunities I’ve had so far at FI, how I’ve worked with other members of the team and reactions to articles and books I’ve been reading recently. My first thought was that I had successfully created an organized set of ramblings. But then something hit me, a thread that I noticed running through what I wrote – almost as important as the words we chose to share, is the absence of words; what we don’t share. Even in my case, when I’m only sharing with myself.

This wasn’t a lightbulb moment, exactly, but it did help me realize something about myself. I am a rule follower, an organizer, a helper, a fixer. If you need a situation over-analyzed, I’m your girl. Unfortunately, this often leaves me quiet in situations where I should use my voice (words). Sure I have documented things I’ve been able to do and experience, but I am not sure I’m saying the things about them that I believe and know. Part of this is probably due to the fact that I’m only writing for myself – since I know no one else will ever see this, why bother actually being reflective.

Then I read this article from Harvard Business Review about setting goals that we are actually invested in and care about. Saunders discusses the idea of shifting our thinking from should do’s – things that we believe we are supposed to be focusing on for professional growth, to must do’s – things that really matter to us. I am no longer required to do a Professional Development Plan for the state, but I am a lifelong learner and value growth and my opportunity for it through the work I am so lucky to get to do. I’m not a new year’s resolutions kind of person, since so often these become things we obsess over for a week and then forget about when life actually happens, but I do set goals. In considering, as Saunders suggests, my must do’s, I am brought back to the importance of words, and in my case, pushing myself to share them.

I want to focus more on sharing my own words, whether that means writing about the amazing learning and coaching experiences my position at FI affords me or my thoughts on education, our world, or what I’m reading and how it applies. I also want to challenge myself to think about sharing my words as it deals with the relationships I have with people around me. Oftentimes, I leave things unsaid out of fear of mis-articulating what I mean, not sounding intelligent enough or well read enough or simply saying too much.

Words matter to me, and sharing them is becoming a must do, so I am committing to articulating these things and putting them out there. I’m lucky to be surrounded by amazing colleagues; people who share their words with little to no apology and write eloquent and passion filled things for others to read. These people are my inspiration to bite the bullet and do things that make me uncomfortable – like learning how to build out my very first professional website as a platform for sharing. It is my hope that my words will not only help me to be more reflective, grow professionally and take better advantage of the opportunities afforded me, but they will also go a long way in helping me build and foster deeper relationships with the people around me.