I get asked a lot of times "what's the best instructional strategy?" or "what was your favorite instructional strategy?" This question makes me more uncomfortable than just about any other question I have been asked. Not because I don't know any good strategies, but because I may not know you and what you're trying to accomplish.
One of my pet peeves in education is when we, as educators, go out and want to instantly latch on with the latest shiny object because we've seen it work for someone else. Don't get me wrong, that's a great way to find an inspiration, a curiosity or a spark to start the journey. It's not a good reason to sell out wholeheartedly and commit yourself to that thing, system, protocol or anything else. Going back to my initial point, the question makes me uncomfortable because I need to get to know you and what you are about as an educator. The best strategies are the ones that work for you. Guess what? Just because they work for you doesn't mean that they will work for someone else and just because they work for someone else doesn't mean they will work for you. You have to ask yourself questions like what am I comfortable with? What are things you know you just can't manage within your classroom? Does it require a specific knowledge? Are you willing to commit to it long-term? In my opinion, one of the best things you can do is continue to seek out those new strategies. Attend training, seminars, conferences and the like. When you do, be honest with yourself about what this strategy is going to entail in your classroom. If you leave the training thinking "that's not for me" then that is awesome. Somehow we've been engrained to think that if we attend the training that we should walk away from it all systems go and begin implementation immediately. It shouldn't be that way. If a strategy won't work for you it's not a bad strategy, it's just not the one for you. If we invoke a comparison to the Frayer Model, one of my personal favorites, then strategies that don't work for us can fill in our non-example box; and if you know anything about Frayer Models, the non-example can be the hardest one to fill in. As you go through your learning and growth as an educator, remember strategies that don't work for you are a step in your process of growing as an educator. As Thomas Edison once said about his journey toward inventing the light bulb: "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."
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I was participating in the #tlap (Teach Like a Pirate) chat on Twitter last night and I came across the following tweet from @The_Groffice: "Modeling a 'glass half-full' approach to problem solving changes mindsets. Yes, there are challenges, but we overcome them positively facing challenges as opportunities." It's a great point and a point that got me thinking, which is why I love Twitter chats as a form of professional learning, they really make you think.
She got me thinking that if we use the metaphor of the glass, and we view challenges as opportunities, then life truly has free refills. Think about a problem, obstacle or anything you've overcome in life. Do you remember the feeling you felt when you reached that pinnacle of success? It's euphoric. It's that feeling of being able to do anything no matter what gets in your way. That's life giving you a refill. Your glass is no longer half empty or half full. It's full and in many cases it's overflowing. In some ways the best part is that more challenges will come. While that may seem like a dreary outlook to some, think about it. Overcoming challenges is what leads to the free refill. We need challenges in order to get the refills. As the world around us tells us more and more that Adversity and challenge should be responded to with anxiety anger and conflict it is more important than ever that we remember to meet these challenges head-on with our very best. It is equally important that we teach our students to do the same. After all, who does not like a free refill? One of the lost opportunities in learning and life is not sharing enough about ourselves. I wear a few different hats: husband, father and assistant principal being the main three. These are the things that I wish people knew about me broken down over three blog posts, one on each of the three main hats I wear. The final post, Jeff Lahey, father.
I wish people knew that being a dad never scared me. I think it's cliche almost to say that becoming a parent scares you. Truth is, I felt (and still feel) well prepared. The three most exciting days of my life were the day I got married, the day my son was born, and the day we met our daughter in Guangzhou, China. I never felt overwhelmed, only overjoyed. I often wonder if it's because I grew in a family that fostered so many children on their way to being adopted. Either way, it's not something to be afraid of or nervous about. I wish people knew being a dad is not a great responsibility, it's the ultimate responsibility. My kids constantly look at me to guide their lives. You can hear the things I say come out during their pretend play. You can see their body language reflecting my own in certain situations and the list could go on forever. My kids look to me as a role model, it's important I'm there to be one. I wish people knew that being an assistant principal actually makes it harder to discipline your own kids. I'm not exactly sure how to explain this one other than to say I tend to have more patience for the kids I work with than the kids I live with. I wish people knew that having a "blended" family makes for some amazing learning experiences. Most of you are aware that my daughter is adopted, but you may not realize we adopted out of birth order. This means we had our son first but adopted a child older than he is. It's amazing how much I have learned from their interactions with each other and just how much of a child's life can empower an adult. Finally, I wish my children knew that all the struggles, redirections and everything else that comes with being "dad" are more than worth it for those moments when they ask if they can sit in my lap and read a book or snuggle up with me in my chair or on the couch. It's all worth it and I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. One of the lost opportunities in learning and life is not sharing enough about ourselves. I wear a few different hats: husband, father and assistant principal being the main three. These are the things that I wish people knew about me broken down over three blog posts, one on each of the three main hats I wear. The second post, Jeff Lahey, Husband.
I wish people knew that this will be the most difficult post I ever write. It will highlight my shortcomings but will hopefully lead to growth. I wish people knew that this is most important hat I wear. I'm hardly one to write the book on being a great husband but the first step is recognizing what is important. The other two hats only exist because of the love and support I get from my spouse. I sometimes get too wrapped up in my work and spend entirely too many hours on things that could probably wait. Work-life balance is something I have always struggled with. I wish people knew that I truly believe I married out of my league. I am forever grateful to my wife for allowing me to spend the last 10+ years with her. I could not and would not be where I am today without her support. I wish people knew that as much as I like to give of myself to others, my wife does not receive near as much of this as she should. I can get very self-centered and impatient when I come home at the end of the day. I would say that I hope she knows how much I care about her but hope is not much of a plan. I wish people knew that I am going to do better as a husband. That's the beauty of blogging. You can put it out there and now you're accountable to it. I wish more people I knew would try it. One of the lost opportunities in learning and life is not sharing enough about ourselves. I wear a few different hats: husband, father and assistant principal being the main three. These are the things that I wish people knew about me broken down over three blog posts, one on each of the three main hats I wear. The first, Jeff Lahey, Assistant Principal
Look for part two in the series "What I Wish People Knew About Me" focused on my life as a husband. |
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