If you have not gotten a chance to read my blog about my #oneword for 2016, check out Enjoy the Moment.
As I mentioned in my blog, my #oneword is a call to action for me to be mindful of the moments that make up my day. The moments at home, the moments at work and the moments that happen in between.
Grades! To be honest, I am not a huge fan. A lot of the work we do with students in grades 3rd-5th on my campus is done in a small group setting. The work is done following an I Do, We Do, You Do model and grades quite frankly do not always tell the story of how successful students are or are not being. I say that, yet out the other side of my mouth, I will tell you that I still print out a "honor roll/failure" list at the end of each nine weeks to see which students are "making the grade" and which students are not. Yes, it provides an opportunity to have conversations with teachers about who is doing well and who is not doing so well, but shouldn't I be having those conversations already? Of course we should be; and we do. You know who I need to be talking to about the grades? The students. I do not do that enough.
Today I did. I took a #moment. I took my reports and made my way around the campus today talking with students about their grades. What you need to know, is my conversation was not near as much about the number as it was about the effort. The effort! Isn't that was really gets the grade to begin with? It is not about how much you know or how little you know, it is about the effort you put forth, how much you learn in the process and then how you can apply that learning in a new way.
Through the conversations today, students would openly admit. "I was not doing my best." "I need to focus more on my homework." "I have already talked with my teacher and parents about this and we have a plan." I was not worried about the number on the page or the grade it represents, I could careless. I want to know that students are giving their best. I want their best each day. I want them to work hard, I want them to overcome and I want them to understand, whatever obstacles they face, the minute they walk in the school doors, those obstacles stay outside. While they are at school, they are safe, they are able to succeed and when they give us their best...THEY WILL.
Educators around the country spend hundreds of thousands of dollars attending conferences, listening to speakers share stories of triumph. Listening to speakers share personal struggles they faced as a child and share how they were able to overcome those struggles and find success. I want my students to realize they can be the ones on the stage. They can be the ones sharing their stories of triumph. They can be the ones inspiring us all, because they did it. They refused to let their story, become their excuse. Their story, became their success.
That's my #moment. I spent the day letting our students know their story can be worth sharing...if they want it to be.
What was your #moment today?
Labels: #oneword, 2016, leadership, listen, Moment
