In Defense of ... Foundation Building

In 21st century America, we are in such a hurry, and most industries cater to that "need for speed." We correlate speed with excellence, and each new iteration and update of technology brings the same function, just faster. Faster is better, and every fiber of our being has been trained to align with this motto. We have little patience for a process that takes longer than we think it should; of course, in our hyper-tech world, a slow internet can turn debilitating for those who "need" a fast connection. While faster is better in some aspects of life, other things just take time. 

Building a strong educational foundation is one of those things that just takes time.

Unfortunately, many parents, students, teachers, and administrators have applied a rushed world paradigm to education, reducing the quality of the foundation that is built. We rush through textbooks, test out of classes, skim books, reduce memorization, and cut enrichment electives that don't progress us as quickly as possible to graduation. For some reason, we want to get to the end (graduation) as quickly as possible without appreciating the process. This is counter to everything we know about learning theory. Effective education is not a race; it takes time.

It is difficult to defend foundation building in education due to our information age, i.e., why build a knowledge base when I have all information at my fingertips (via my smartphone)? But I will try in this blog to defend the importance of building a strong foundation in education. 

In building a house or skyscraper, the foundation is essential; setting a strong foundation supports later construction. In fact, the deeper the foundation, the taller the potential building. If a contractor rushes through building the foundation and skips steps, he jeopardizes the entire process. In education, if students have not built a strong foundation in reading, writing, and arithmetic (and all other subjects), they will be hindered in success at the higher levels of study. 

Schema Learning Theory

The schema learning theory (Piaget) emphasizes the importance of a strong foundation for deep learning. Paraphrasing the theory, we all have webs of knowledge (schemas) in our long term memory, and deep learning occurs when we attach new material to information already in our previously created knowledge schemas. We need to first build a schema (foundation of knowledge) in order to have new material "stick" in our brains. If we don't have a breadth of fully developed schemas, we don't have much to attach new knowledge to in our long term memory.

With smartphones and our "I can just 'google' it" mentality, our schemas are under-developed. Now, "googling" answers can get students quite far in education today, but the impact of a weak foundation will be seen later in the learning process. Without a strong foundation, students taking more difficult classes in high school and college will struggle. In short, according to the schema learning theory, they won't have anything in their brains in which to attach the new material. Deep learning will not occur.

Building Blocks

Although it takes time, students need the building blocks before advancing to higher level subjects. In theory, state standards help accomplish this by ensuring what is taught at each level is a building block for the next level. This is "schema" or foundation building.

In reality, students today have weakened foundations. This can come from a variety of things. Examples below come from the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math).

1. Math Facts -- We have seen a reduction of time on computational math facts. Calculators can produce faster and more accurate answers, but they rob students of a strong math schema or foundation. Practicing the brain work of math computation without a calculator takes time but slowing down for work in this area will help students in the future.
2. Science -- Student engagement is important, but sometimes teachers design fun science lessons for engagement instead of teaching the foundational (but more boring) lessons. While student engagement is important, all lessons need to build a strong science foundation. 
3. Legos -- Parents replacing Legos during free time at home with video games or phones. Students will stay engaged with their gaming system or phone, but they are losing the creative and tactile learning that happens while building with Legos. Selecting free time activities (at home or school) that encourage problem-solving and creative or innovative thinking skills will help build a strong foundation.

Thinking of foundation building in the STEM subjects requires a coordinated scope and sequence with teachers at all levels. This is even more important in STEM than in the humanities as so much of math and science builds on previous knowledge.

Read Broadly and Deeply

Reading is one of the most time consuming modes of learning; however, it is essential to build a strong foundation, especially in the Humanities subjects. Students must read broadly to build a variety of knowledge schemas. A strong reading foundation is essential to succeed in higher level Humanities courses.

1. Just Read -- setting aside time during the school day to read is an essential foundation building activity. Adopt and promote programs like DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) or SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) will build a lasting foundation. Encouraging summer (or outside of school) reading will also help counter the anti-reading culture that students are fed at home and through the media.
2. Allusions come alive - Literature is filled with biblical and mythological allusions; if students don't know those stories, the richness of the allusion is lost. When I taught AP English in a Christian school (students with a relatively strong biblical schema), I spent time on mythology to build that schema. Rarely did we encounter advanced literature without references to the Bible or mythology. Without a strong foundation, these allusions would not have "stuck."
3. Material to synthesize -- Synthesis is a higher level cognitive skill, but students need a broad range of material to synthesize in essays, classroom discussions, and presentations. Students without a strong foundation have nothing to synthesize.

Be Foundation Builders

As educators, we need to see our jobs, at all levels, as being foundation builders (schema builders) so that students can thrive at the next level. It takes time to build a foundation, and we may not be able to get through the entire textbook or we might need to adjust our curriculum. It may mean we bring in Legos before embarking on a bridge building project or study the book of 2 Samuel before reading Dryden's "Absolum & Achitophel." Take time to diagnose the student's foundation and then design foundation building activities in the weak areas. It will pay off in deep learning. 

Building foundations (schemas) is important enough to slow down the educational train, especially as everything else in our world speeds up. 

In Defense of ... Learning to "Play School"

From an early age, children love to play school ... setting up a classroom filled with stuffed animal students and becoming a beloved teacher. What a great role playing game that prepares students for a positive school experience. 

"Playing school" continues into high school, but that phrase is not always viewed positively. Occasionally, educators will talk about students "playing school," meaning going through the motions to get the most out of the opportunities or to "work the system" to their benefit.   While sometimes this phrase is used negatively, I want to defend learning to "play school" as an important life skill. 

Quite simply, students who learn to "play school" succeed at school. The phrase "playing school" refers to students who know how the "game" of school is played, how to win at that game, and then take advantage of that knowledge to "win" at school.  

Schools are filled with students who play school well ... Think of the most recent valedictorians at your school; I bet they "played school" well. In fact, think of the top 10% of students academically; I bet they all know how to play school. They may not be the smartest students intellectually, but they are ranked highest in the class. Ahhhh ... that's the rub, isn't it?

Every year, teachers are frustrated by smart students who underperform in their classes because they don't turn in homework or finish projects late. They may be the smartest students in class, but their grades don't accurately reflect their knowledge. Why not? They haven't learned to "play school."  

When I think of students who are good at playing school, I think of the following characteristics ...

• Great Attendance - Show up every day; be on-time to class.
• Learning Attitude - Arrive to class ready to learn with everything you need.
• Classroom Engagement - Participates in class; interacts with teacher inside and outside of the classroom; asks (and answers) questions.
• Diligent Worker - All homework is completed, on-time, and to the best of a student's ability.
• Time Management - Works bell to bell, using time efficiently and effectively (including study halls and breaks).

Most teachers would love to have a classroom filled with students who do these things. So, why does "playing school" have a negative connotation? 

Educators are rightly concerned about students "working the system," but let me focus on the positives of learning to "play school." It is an essential life skill learned best at school.

Interpersonal Intelligence 

Because teachers are human, each day may look a little different. Students may enter a classroom and realized that the teacher is in a bad mood when yesterday he was joking around with students. Some students will realize the mood of the teacher and not mess around while other students will get in trouble because they didn't pick up on the teacher's mood. Students who play school well have a high level of interpersonal intelligence. What an important life skill! 

Read the Room

In addition to reading the attitude of the teacher, each classroom also has a different personality and environment with different rules, procedures, and expectations. It takes a student "reading the room" to figure out how to be successful in this room/class compared to another. Successful students can "read the room" and do well in a wide variety of classrooms. Unfortunately, too many students say "I can't learn in this classroom" or "this teacher's style doesn't work for me." They have not learned to "play school," and they will not flourish in school or in the future. In the workplace, each company and work team has its own dynamic and personality. One needs to adapt to a new environment, "read the room," and figure out how to be successful. If an employee cannot do this, he/she will fail also in the workplace. 

 

System Analysis

Schools are systems. They include individuals with different roles and responsibilities, a hierarchy of authority, rules, regulations, processes, and procedures ... all that need to be known and followed in order to be successful. Students who play school well understand how this system works and where they fit into this "school system." Being successful in life requires the ability to analyze systems. We live within systems, in our workplaces, communities, and even in our homes. 

Optimization 

After understanding a system (and one's place in it), successful individuals optimize the system. They analyze the system and identify how to improve it so that they (and others) can "win." Students who play school well do this all the time. They do all the things listed above, but they go above and beyond to be successful. Here are a few examples of students optimizing the system:

• Knowing that the teacher is the one who wrote the exam and is the expert on the content, they set up a personal review session with the teacher to study for an upcoming exam.
• Knowing that teaching is the best way to learn the material, they set up a study group with their friends to re-teach the material from the day.
• Knowing that active students are successful students, they join clubs, teams, troupes, or student leadership to stay active, stretch themselves, and grow as an individual.

These optimization skills are what employers are looking for ... analytic and creative problem solvers. Wouldn't you want an employee who optimizes the systems so that everyone wins?

Schools should be more active in teaching students how to "play school." This can be done through large orientation activities for new students and intentionally teaching classroom procedures and routines. By doing this, students will be more successful in school AND be better prepared to flourish in the future.

In Defense of ... Year-Round Schooling

Have you ever considered what would be different if we threw out schooling as we know it and started over today? What if we started a school system from scratch and built it anew from the ground up? 

The American educational model was developed centuries ago, in a mostly agrarian society with little research on learning theory and developmental psychology. Looking at our culture today and what we know now, how would school be different? Drop all your preconceived notions and past schooling experiences and simply ask yourself ... what is best for students, teachers, and learning?

I imagine that we'd look at all aspects of education very differently if we had the freedom to start over ... In fact, I actually wonder what, if anything, would remain the same.

One area that I'd like to consider in this blog is the school year calendar.

Having a nine month school calendar and summers without school comes directly from an agrarian society that needed children to work on the family farm, but is this model best for learning?

In this blog, I'd like to propose a "year-round schooling" model for education today. Below are listed a few points in defense of year-round schooling.

The Proposal:

Schools should follow a Year-Round Calendar with the following elements ...

• Approximately 180 days of school (same as the current American school year)
• Four days of school each week (Tuesday through Friday)
• A week of vacation in each season ... Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
• Two additional weeks off for students in August for school staff to wrap up one year, transition, and launch the next year.

Here are some of the reasons why ...

1. Year-Round Schooling Would Reduce the Hectic Pace of School.

It has been said that "schools begin the year with 'the pedal to the metal' and just pick up speed from there." While hyperbolic, this quote does represent the feeling that many educators have about the pace of the school calendar. Most school systems are on a crazy, breakneck pace leaving many educators exhausted at the end of the year, thus needing two months in the summer to recover. 

Imagine a car speeding down the road and then abruptly crashing into a concrete wall; schools are designed like that, and we spend the summers rebuilding the car to do the same thing the following year. It is truly go ... go ... go as fast as you can until you come to a complete stop at the end of the term/year. Who ever thought that was a good idea?

Today, teachers are on a frantic pace to get through material before the next break or end of the term; this causes additional stress and pressure on everyone which inhibits learning. A year-round calendar would allow teachers to go as slow or fast as needed for the students, knowing that the learning will continue rather than come to a complete stop.

Instead of five days a week for nine months and zero days a week for three months, a healthier option would be to have a four day school week with every weekend being a long weekend. This would allow students and staff to spend a long weekend with their families, relax/recover from the previous week, and prepare for the week ahead. Most of educators and students cherish our long weekends and the consistency of every weekend being a long weekend would allow families to plan on and count on this time together.

    Why Mondays Off?  Some schools are moving to four day school weeks, and most have selected to

    take Fridays off. My proposal has Mondays off instead for a few reasons: 

• Most national holidays are on Monday, so schools that take Fridays off lose two days of learning on holiday weeks.
• If you are a Christian, the Bible calls us to a sabbath rest on Sunday. This is difficult for educators and students if they have to prepare for classes Monday.
• Friday (not Monday) is typically the night for school events, like Friday night football, school dances, and concerts.

A year-round school calendar will also allow schools to be more flexible in how they spend those four days each week, building in extended time for enrichment blocks, wellness activities, social emotional learning, and faith formation. Slowing down the pace of schooling by extending the school year to twelve months will help everyone's social-emotional and physical wellness.

2. Year-Round Schooling Would Help Families in Financial Need.

Many schools provide a lifeline for families in financial need, and a year-round calendar would help cover the difficult summer months and extended breaks during the year.

• School Lunch Programs: Over 21 million students received free school lunches, a service provided to those families who struggle financially. According to the 2021 census data cited in the article, "National School Lunch Program still an Important Part of Safety Net" (Dongo & Monte 2022), this translates to over 38% of all households with school age children receiving free lunches and over 50% of households who struggle financially relying on this service. What happens to these students/families during the summer months? A change to year-round schooling would help to support these families with food needs.
• Summer Day Care: Many families who struggle financially are hit especially hard during the summer months as they have to find day care for their children while they work. By moving to a year-round school calendar, these days off are limited to Mondays, and schools can provide day care / day camps on these days in a more consistent fashion.
• HVAC: While much of the country swelters in the summer months and freezes in the winter, families who struggle financially are less likely to have sufficient HVAC systems. Having school during the summer months would ensure children have access to air conditioning during these months; the same is true with only a one week break during the winter (instead of two), students would have a warm place to go in case they do not have sufficient heat in their homes.

3. Year-Round Schooling is Better for Learning.

 

Learning loss happens during the summer as students take an extended brain break. Each fall, teachers spend a good amount of time reviewing and re-teaching due to the time spent away from school during the summer. A year-round school calendar would help students maintain and retain their learning from the year. Active brains are healthy brains, and during the summer months far too many student brains are spent in "off" mode. 

Also, school calendars have become more random and choppy with a couple days off here and a couple days off there, longer breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring, with extended weekends around holidays. Students need consistency in learning, especially for learning maintenance, extended units, and lessons that build upon each other. A year-round calendar would provide more weeks of four days of learning and educators and students can plan on those weeks.

In most subjects, deep learning is a "slow-cooking" rather than a "microwaving" process. Students often need time to sit with a concept for it to "stick" and could use a long weekend to reflect on their learning. In fact, reflection is key to student learning, as John Dewey said, "We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience." 

 

4. Co-Curricular Activities Continue Through the Calendar Year.

Powerful learning happens outside the classroom in music, theater, athletics, and clubs. Often these activities are dropped during the summer months, especially for families who cannot afford private lessons and club sports programs. 

Each co-curricular program at the school would benefit from a year-round calendar. A student just beginning to play a musical instrument could continue through the summer months with an expert teacher by his/her side. An athlete could pick up an additional sport to play during the summer, creating a fourth season ... one state (Iowa) actually has a summer sports season already (baseball and softball). A calendar change to four seasons may also allow a rest week between seasons for athletes involved in multiple sports. 

5. Year-Round Schooling Prepares Students for Life.

Education should prepare students for life, teaching them healthy rhythms that become lifelong habits. One of the unintended and detrimental lessons being taught by the structure of the current American educational system is that there is an end to learning; this message is communicated through the school calendar and our assessment practices. Instead, the message we want to portray is that learning is a continual life-long process; one lesson builds upon previous lessons and leads to future learning. A year-round school calendar promotes a lifelong learning paradigm, and hopefully will help students embrace continual learning.

Learning within a year-round calendar also parallels the biblical model of discipleship education. This is found in both the Old Testament, Hebraic model of "training up a child in the way he should go" and the New Testament model of Jesus doing life with his disciples ... walking, talking, living and learning together. The discipleship education model portrays an ongoing, lifelong learning experience ... one that doesn't end.

Finally, a year-round calendar also more closely resembles a normal work schedule. Very few professions (especially outside of education) have two months off during the summer . Full-time work with limited vacation days tends to be a shock for recent college graduates who have spent 16+ years in schools with "summer vacation." Although the year-round model that I presented doesn't exactly resemble a 50 weeks-a-year job, it would prepare students better as they transition to full-time employment.

6. Year-Round Schooling Could Increase the Total Number of School Days.

In my proposed model, I kept the total number of school days the same. For American schools that number is approximately 180 days. However, a new model would allow educational leaders to have a conversation about increasing the number of school days. Is there correlation/causation between the number of school days and the quality of education? This is a more complex debate than can be addressed in this blog, but America (with 180 school days) is on the lower end of countries with developed educational systems.   

• According to THIS REPORT from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), American states vary on the number of required school days from 160 (Colorado) to 185 (North Carolina) with the majority of states requiring 180 school days.
•  According to THIS REPORT from the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), countries with developed educational systems have between 175 (Estonia) to 220 (South Korea) school days per year.

It would not be too difficult to increase the number of school days (e.g. add 1 or 2 Mondays a month), thus, moving us closer to the top of the list of nations in regards to number of required school days.

Regardless if you agree or disagree with my assertions in this article, now is the time to have these conversations about how we "do school differently" in the 21st Century. 

What would you change if you were building a school system from scratch?

Leaving the Pandemic Tunnel

I remember traveling across the country with my young family and the buzz of excitement when we approached a mountain tunnel. "Honk your horn ... honk your horn!" my kids would scream from the back seat. In later years, we would all try to hold our breath through the entire tunnel. The most impressive mountain tunnel that I've experienced is Colorado's Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel, a 1.6 mile engineering feat passing directly under the Continental Divide at 11,000 feet altitude ... don't try to hold your breath through this one, especially if you are driving!  

While many tunnels (like the Eisenhower) are safely lit with sufficiently wide lanes, some are dark and dangerous with oncoming traffic; regardless of the tunnel, you are wise to slow down, stay in your lane, and keep your hands securely on the steering wheel until you exit the tunnel. 

As we seek to describe what the COVID-19 pandemic felt like for educators, I keep coming back to this image shared by a teacher at my school. "The pandemic felt like a long, dark tunnel ... that we are finally exiting." How true!

The Pandemic was a Long, Dark Tunnel

I remember starting the school year 2019-2020 with excitement, ready to tackle new initiatives ... an open road with so many paths available to us. Then, in March 2020, we entered the Pandemic Tunnel. This was a brand new tunnel that nobody had traveled before. Initially, most thought that this was going to be a short one ... two weeks to "flatten the curve" and then a month. Like driving through a dark tunnel, schools slowed down, stayed in their lane, and just held on tight to the steering wheel. Unfortunately, this tunnel was longer than anyone anticipated, and most schools stayed the course.  Growth initiatives were tabled (or outright dropped) as administrators diverted funds to air purification systems, personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, and educational technology to pivot over to remote learning. 

National, state, and local health officials were excavating the tunnel just ahead of the schools, often blindly selecting pickaxes or dynamite to break through this dark mountain. And then it happened ... late in 2021, those tunneling seemed to find the right path, and we began to see a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. For educators, the Spring of 2022 felt like we were exiting a dark tunnel, our eyes hurting from the bright light, causing us to stumble some to find our way, collectively taking a deep breath, and cautiously proceeding not sure what we will find as we leave the tunnel.

Yes, indeed, the COVID-19 Pandemic was like a dark tunnel that we are thankfully leaving behind us.  

Now what?

As cars leave a tunnel, they pick up speed, change lanes, take different routes, and are able to reach their individual destinations. It may be obvious, but cars leaving a tunnel must first know their destination before they change lanes or pick up speed. This is the same for schools ... they must have a strong understanding of their destination in order to pick up speed, change lanes, or take the correct roads leaving the pandemic.

Lead out of the Pandemic

Schools that will thrive in the next five years are ones that lead out of the pandemic. Hopefully, in the midst of managing learning in a pandemic, school leaders have been keeping their eye on their purpose, their destination. This is the time to revisit and re-envision the strategic plan (that many schools shelved in 2020), mission/vision statements, and your purpose. If school leaders have not been thinking post-pandemic, they will not lead out of the pandemic; they will need to regroup and take time to assess initiatives and write a roadmap to their destination. Leaving the pandemic tunnel is the time to accelerate and take advantage of the "open road" of education after the pandemic ... but only if you know your destination!

Likewise, teachers that will thrive coming out of the pandemic are ones that reconnect with their "why" (i.e., their professional purpose or destination). I hope that educators spent this summer recharging after a long couple years in the pandemic, but I hope that they spent even more time reflecting and re-affirming their "why." Why did you become a teacher? What is your professional purpose? 

If you haven't spent time on your "why" this summer, you still have time ... re-read one of those books that first got you excited about teaching (or discover a new one!).  Here are a few ...

• Courage to Teach (P. Palmer)
• Educating for Life (N. Wolterstorff) 
• Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire (R. Esquith)
• The First Days of School (H. Wong & R. Wong)
• What Teachers Make (T. Mali)
• Teaching Redemptively (D. Graham)
• Teaching from the Heart (S. Draper)
• Teach Like a Pirate (D. Burgess)
• Flourishing Together (L. Swaner & A. Wolfe)

I bet you have one of those books on your shelf ... get reading!

Why? (a quick answer)

Our students need you to embody the teacher you were when you started ... caring, supportive, energetic, genuine, and present. Students traveled through the Pandemic Tunnel too, and this was traumatic for them. Many do not remember pre-pandemic school ... they are still stumbling out on the other side of the tunnel, unsure what post-pandemic learning looks like.  

Show them!  Remind yourself first and then show them.

Have a great year!

Becoming a Strengths-Oriented Educator

Most of us are familiar with a deficit-based educational model; teachers (and school systems) identify weaknesses in students and then work on those weaknesses. If a student did not master a skill or knowledge set on the diagnostic assessment (pre-test), they receive instruction on the areas they got wrong so that they can pass that section.

American education has been traditionally oriented to focus on weaknesses; while identifying areas of growth is essential to student learning, becoming a strengths-oriented educator will enhance and enrich student learning and the learning environment. Educators and school systems need to shift from a deficit-based to a strengths-oriented educational model.

Here is a video by Marcus Buckingham that provides an introduction to a strengths-oriented perspective on education and life with the example of how selecting the right musical instrument makes all the difference. 

• The Truth About You

What is a Strengths-Oriented Education?

Quite simply, a strengths-oriented educational model is one in which educators and school systems identify the strengths of the student (rather than weaknesses) and provide learning experiences to encourage growth in the areas of strength. The goal is to move students from good to great rather than from bad to average. Becoming a strengths-oriented educator may seem like a drastic change, but hopefully, this blog will help you see minor changes to adopt to make that shift.

We, as educators, are well-practiced in a deficit model of education ... identify weaknesses, set goals/activities to work on those weaknesses, and then provide feedback on how they did. Ironically, these same steps can be used effectively from a strengths perspective:

1. Identify Strengths
2. Design Differentiated Lessons to Grow the Strengths
3. Provide Positive Feedback

What a Strengths-Oriented Education is NOT

Before looking at the steps of becoming a strengths-oriented educator, let me mention what a strengths perspective in education is NOT.

1. A strengths-orientation is NOT a fixed mindset.

Sometimes "strengths" are misused to encourage a fixed mindset (i.e. "I am what I am and I can't change" or "I'm good at it, and I don't need to work hard to improve"). It is important to maintain a growth mindset with a strengths orientation. In fact, I like using the term "gifts" when talking about the qualities or areas in which students naturally excel. It implies a natural gift (from God) that is not yet a "strength." Chip Anderson, a pioneer in StrengthsFinder and strengths education, used the following formula to emphasize the focused work needed to develop gifts into strengths.

Gifts + Effort/Focus => Strengths

This formula dovetails with Ericsson's (1990) research that 10,000 hours are needed to become an expert at something. Whether you accept Ericsson's specific findings or not, the concept is the same ... in order to develop gifts into strengths, one needs to put effort and focus into those gifts.

2. A strengths-orientation is NOT about Independence but rather Interdependence

When you talk about strengths, some may assume that "strengths" is synonymous with independence. In the American society, a "strong" person is celebrated because he/she doesn't need to rely on others; however, this is a fallacy in learning and life. In order to be successful, we need to be dependent upon others ... or rather interdependent with others. In a successful team, each person needs to excel in their area of strength and depend on others to excel in their respective area of strength. 

    

The metaphor of an orchestra is an apt one of interdependence; an orchestra performs a beautiful symphony only when each member of the orchestra plays his/her instrument with excellence.  Another example of flourishing through interdependence is shown in the biblical image of the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-27). Each person is a different part of the body, and the body only flourishes if every part functions effectively. God did not create super-humans, but rather imperfect individuals gifted in different areas that need to rely on each other. A strengths-orientation will help to encourage this biblical concept in education. 

What does a Strengths-Oriented Educator Do Differently?

Strengths Identification & Celebration

The first step in becoming a strengths-oriented educator is to get to know the students well (as early as possible); one needs to know the students in order to identify strengths. This, of course, is academic but it also includes personality traits and passions (what do they love to do).

• Academic Strengths -- schools regularly use tools to identify academic strengths.
• Diagnostic Assessment -- one of more underutilized assessment tools is the diagnostic test (pre-test). While this can be done formally or informally, it is a vital step before lesson design can happen in a differientiated manner. What are students able to already do or what do they already know? Spend time finding this out, and celebrate those who are already academically strong ... and don't make them sit idly by while the rest of the class learns the material!
• Formative Assessment -- Excellent strengths-oriented educators use a wide variety of formative assessment tools to frequently check student understanding asking, "what have you learned so far?" or "how well do you understand?" This could be in-class checks or homework assignments, but it must be an essential part of strengths identification.
• What is your favorite subject? What do you love to do outside of school? -- Just asking these simple questions can help an educator identify what students love and are passionate about ... give them more of that class, subject, topic.
• Character Strengths
• CliftonStrengths -- Every "strengths" conversation must begin with Gallop's CliftonStrengths or StrengthsFinder, a fee-based inventory that identifies 34 strengths. This is a powerful tool supported by a plethora of research and resources for educators.
• Values in Action -- This is a free inventory of 24 character strengths and also provides great research and resources to use in education.
• Additional tools like the Enneagram, High5 Test, or Myers-Briggs can also be used to identify personality/character strengths of students.
• Character Awards -- Schools do not need to use an online tool to identify strengths; many schools recognize honorable characteristics in students through awards. This is a great way to identify and celebrate character strengths so that students can focus on those areas throughout the year (don't wait until the end of the year to identify / celebrate them). 
• Discipline Specific Awards -- Similarly, each teacher/department could recognize students who excel in specific subjects areas. Flip the script in your teacher's lounge by asking, who is your best student? 

Differentiate Lesson Design

The premise of differentiation comes from a strengths perspective. The question to students is no longer "Are you smart?" but rather "How are you smart?" That is a strengths-oriented question. Educators differentiate to allow students to learn (and show how they have learned) in their area of strength. 

• Differentiate Up. Educators typically differentiate down, meaning that they identify the students that are struggling and design an additional learning experience for them ... to get everyone at the same level (albeit a low/mediocre level). Rather differentiate up for excellence, moving students from good to great. Find the strengths in every student and place them in a differentiation group. For example, four groups could be students who excel in writing, video production, hands-on projects, and debate. Each group could have a wide range of academic ability but they are placed in groups that that can flourish. 
• Interdependent Groups. Once student strengths are identified place those with different strengths into groups to complement each other ... again a powerful message on interdependence, e.g. a good writer is placed with a good video producer, a good project manager, and a good debater.  Now, that is both a strong team and a taste of a future workplace team.
• Enrich in areas they are strong. Instead of giving remedial work in areas that they got wrong, give slightly more challenging work in areas in which they got right.
• Most textbooks over-supply teachers with projects, questions, assignments ... utilize those resources to keep students challenged in their areas of strength. 
• Provide enrichment through online resources. Encourage students to explore MOOCs (massive open online courses), online websites (e.g. Khan Academy), or partner with a local online provider to allow students to take courses in their areas of interest.
• Establish "genius bars" where the students who understand the material become tutors for those who need a little extra support. Make sure that all students have an opportunity to be a "genius" during the term.

Positive Feedback

Feedback educators give to students, so often, focus on what students can't do or what students have done wrong. Imagine a school where the primary focus (not sole focus) is on what students are doing right. Slight changes to your feedback mode will change the culture of your classroom and school.

• Grading homework -- imagine if teachers mark and comment on the correct answers rather than the incorrect answers. The grade would still be 8 out of 10, but the students would focus more on the 8 correct answers rather than the 2 incorrect ones. 
• Essay Grading --First get rid of the blood red pen when grading essays ... there is nothing more deficit based than giving a student a paper filled with red ink about all that is wrong. When I taught high school English, I used to grade essays by highlighting excellent sentences/phrases ... I would literally use a highlighter not a pen. Additionally, I would read excellent parts from a variety of student papers. Focusing first on what was right helped set a positive tone before I taught a mini-lesson on ways to improve writing.
• Homework Corrections -- Most teachers spend the first few minutes of class in correction mode: "Let me go over the questions that people got wrong." Let's change that to a celebration mode: "Let's look at a few questions that most of you got right." Then select a few student to share how they answered the question correctly; this will also solidify the learning for those who share (those who didn't have that answer will learn better from their peers, too).
• Recognition -- The ultimate feedback is recognition. We recognize certain strengths quite well (specifically athletics), but schools rarely celebrate academic or character strengths. Some organizations, like NHS and Jostens Renaissance Education, can help to promote these important areas, but you can also develop a recognition system that works for your school.  Don't wait until the end of the year.
• Use Exemplars -- Good examples of how something should be done (exemplars) is a powerful tool, especially if you use exemplars from students. Sometimes teachers use exemplars from professionals (or from the teacher or book); these are still good, but those can intimidate students ("I could never do that"), but exemplars from classmates should motivate them ("If a classmate can do it, so can I"). When I taught English, I used to read exemplary student answers to essays/short answer questions; I didn't say the student's name, but I could feel them beaming from his/her seat.
• A Positive Tone -- use a celebratory tone about what is going well rather than a negative tone about what is going wrong. This applies to classroom management, feedback on grading, and even giving assignments. Imagine the student response to the following messages:
• "You got the following problems wrong, please complete the review packet in those areas."
• "Wow, you are really good at that [part of the assignment] ... let me give you some slightly more challenging problems to help you become even better."
• The first is a typical message heard in most classrooms and can be deflating to students ... "Ugh, I have to do more of what I hate!" The second message is strengths-oriented and can be energizing and enriching to students ... "Cool, I get to do more of my favorite part of the assignment!"

The shift from a deficit-model to a strengths-orientation is needed if we want excellence in education. If we focus all of our attention in getting students to meet minimum standards in all areas, we will end up with graduates who are relatively well-rounded but who do not excel in anything ... and worse, we will be training them to "work on their weaknesses" and shoot for mediocrity, rather than enhancing their strengths to shoot for excellence.

Finally, a strengths-orientation will encourage schools, educators, and ultimately students to celebrate the God-given gifts seen in themselves and others. They will focus on their specific gifts and, by celebrating the gifts in others, will reduce jealousy of their classmates.

I encourage you to read more about becoming a strengths-oriented educator.

Resources:

Shane J Lopez & Michelle C Louis (2009) The Principles of Strengths-Based Education, Journal of College and Character, 10:4, , DOI: 10.2202/1940-1639.1041 

• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2202/1940-1639.1041
• (Summary) https://www.slu.edu/cttl/resources/resource-guides/strengths-based-education.pdf

Becoming a Trauma-Aware Educator

A relatively new buzz phrase in education is "Trauma-Informed Teaching." Trauma-informed education considers how a traumatic experience impacts the learning and behavior of a student. Due to the level of trauma in the lives of our students, every educator should strive to become more "trauma aware."

In 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic), the CDC published a study about the health impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), reporting that 61% of adults have experienced some form of ACE (or trauma). This study showed that the trauma (or ACEs) clearly impacted the physical and mental health of adults (2019). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA) has recently published that two thirds of children experience a traumatic event by age 16 (2022). Additionally, pandemics (a natural disaster) are traumatic events; therefore, all educators should assume that every student has experienced trauma to some degree or another over the past two years.

What is Trauma?

The American Psychological Association defines trauma (in part) as ... "an emotional response to a terrible event" ("Trauma" apa.org). Of course, a "terrible event" can be a wide range of experiences, including, abuse, neglect, natural disasters, crime, poverty, racism, bullying, violence, death, sickness, war. What makes this so prevalent today is that witnessing any of these terrible events (even through media/technology) can cause trauma. Who can claim that they have never personally experienced or witnessed a traumatic event?  

Obviously, each "terrible event" is different in level of severity and impact on the person. In fact, a new term "micro-traumas" is being used to describe less severe traumatic experiences; however, these micro-traumas can be on-going (or chronic) and have a compounding negative impact on a person.

Trauma is most often categorized in three ways:

1. Acute - a one time traumatic experience

• death of a pet
• a kitchen fire
• a fight at school

2. Chronic - an ongoing traumatic experience

• a verbally abusive parent
• a prolonged sickness of a family member
• a two year pandemic

3. Complex - multiple traumatic experiences

• living through a pandemic quarantined in an abusive home
• a job loss that leads to homelessness
• being bullied at school because of a learning disability

Students today experience or witness trauma in their everyday lives. While the vast majority experience trauma, not all students have negative manifestations of that trauma. Some students suppress the trauma. Some students are able to cope with the trauma in healthy ways. However, some traumatic experiences can manifest themselves in learning difficulties and behaviors. 

Manifestations of Trauma

• Sadness, Depression, Hopelessness
• Physical Sickness (headaches, migraines, stomachaches)
• Excessive anxiety (test anxiety or panic attacks)
• Ongoing Stress and Pressure
• Feelings of Guilt/Shame
• Insomnia (nightmares)
• Aggressive Behaviors / Defiant
• Loneliness, Social Disconnection
• Inability to Trust (peers and/or adults)
• Lack of Mental Focus
• Negative Self-Talk
• Extreme Fight or Flight Response
• Extra Sensitive/Defensive
• Obsessive Over One Peer/Adult Relationship (clingy)
• Inappropriate and/or Extreme Responses (crying/laughing)
• Desire to Rescue/Save Friends (stir up drama)

Looking over the list of manifestations, how does an educator address trauma?  Start by assuming every student has experienced trauma (after all, we all experienced the pandemic).  

Jessica Minahan (2019) relays a helpful metaphor: educators should see students as an unopened Coke can. Except in rare cases, you don't know how "shook up" the can is from the outside; however, when opened, the liquid may bubble over or explode ... or do nothing at all. In fact, all cans experience some jostling in transport (like micro-traumas), and others are dropped, dented, or violently shaken. Similarly, we need to assume that all students have experienced some micro-traumatic jostling, some have witnessed traumatic events, and others have personally experienced trauma. As educators, we may be able to tell a "dent" on a student to indicate trauma, but quite often we will not.

So what do we do?

Being "trauma aware" is not about "fixing" traumatized children. Let me emphasize that educators are NOT counselors and, thus, should not be diagnosing or trying to treat childhood trauma. The American School Counselor Association recommends maintaining a 250:1 student to school counselor ratio, and I would strongly encourage that investment, especially stepping out of the traumatic COVID-19 pandemic. 

Additionally, being a "trauma aware" educator is NOT measuring students on a trauma scale or even knowing about a specific student's traumatic experience. Educators don't need to know all the details to be aware. 

Remember, start with assuming most students are traumatized and act from that perspective. While they are not counselors, all educators can help students survive traumatic events, become more resilient, and even flourish in learning and life.  

The following are helpful classroom interventions for all students.

1. Build Relationship with Students ... teacher-student relationships improve student engagement and learning AND traumatized students typically are slower to build trust with adults and need intentional actions from the adult.

• Begin every class with a personal check-in designed to connect with every student every day. 
• How was your weekend? What is one thing that made you laugh? What did you notice on your way to school? 
• EL Education provides excellent Crew Time Questions
• Crew Time Check-in Questions and Greetings 
• Make space each week for 1:1 conversations with your students.
• Individual check-ins with students during work time.
• Stations where one stop is with the teacher.
• Small doses (90 second visits) every day are better than 5 minute "meetings" once a week.
• Commit to connect
• If you are on duty, visit with students, asking them about their life.
• Grade/prep before or after school, so you can use your planning time with students.
• Begin your day praying for one student and then find that student during the day to check in.

2. Stay Calm and Follow a Routine ... Life for students is like being in a small boat in the midst of a tumultuous sea; they don't need adults who "rock the boat" or create extra "drama." Traumatized students need adults who provide stability and routine in order to get back to "normal" after a traumatic experience.

• Speak with a calm (and calming) voice/tone and "never let them see you sweat."
• Don't appear rattled, frazzled, rushed, or out of control.
• De-escalate with your questions/responses. 
• I can see you are feeling ...
• I know that this isn't what you want to hear but ...
• I appreciate you sharing that ...
• Help me understand?
• Provide an organized plan for the lesson, week, unit (and follow it as much as possible)
• Post daily learning targets or unit essential questions.
• Use verbal signposts, laying out a "roadmap" for students to know where you are going today and this week.

3. Teach and Practice Self-Regulation ... Students need adults who positively model how to handle responding to traumatic situations.

• Share strategies that you use and practice them with your students.
• When I am overwhelmed with all that I have to do, I take a walk and pray.
• If I feel anxious about something outside of my control, I put on my "chill" play list and count my breathing.
• Teach Self Care and Work-Life Balance.
• Discuss the importance of sleep and set sleep goals.
• Take brain breaks during class to stretch, play catch with a stress ball, and get a drink of water.
• Challenge students to take extended technology breaks and phone fasts in your classroom and at home.
• Write into your homework instructions to complete wellness tasks.
• complete problem #4 standing up
• after finishing question #7, go and pet your dog for 90 seconds.
• before starting this assignment, ask your mom about her day.

4. Alleviate the Stress of "High Stakes" Assessments ... Students don't need more stress in their lives, especially if they are living with trauma.

• Provide a long on-ramp before a big test, including early notification of the test, a study guide, and review times.
• Provide a gradual off-ramp after a test -- take time to go over the test afterwards for a final learning experience and an opportunity for re-teaching, require test corrections, allow for retakes.
• Create a culture that is "okay to fail" and that encourages students to fail forward, learning from their mistakes.

5. Scaffolding and Self-Efficacy -- All students need to build up confidence to eventually be successful AND traumatized students often struggle with self-confidence. 

• Start each day/quiz/test with questions that everyone can do correctly to build confidence (self-efficacy) and then gradually increase in difficulty throughout the period.
• Follow the I do (teacher), we do (class together), you do (student independently) structure.
• Circulate during student work time to be available for support.
• Provide opportunities for students to "phone a friend" or check the book if they get stuck on a problem. 

Being "trauma aware" doesn't mean you turn your classroom into a therapy session. Yes, these suggestions above will help traumatized students, but they are also good pedagogy and will benefit all students.

Resources

,Ayre, K. "Trauma Informed Education." Podcast.

CDC -- "Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)." Available: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html

Minahan, J (Oct 1, 2019). "Trauma Informed Teaching Strategies." ACSD. Available: https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/trauma-informed-teaching-strategies

Portell, M (2019). "Understanding Trauma Informed Education." Edutopia. Available: https://www.edutopia.org/article/understanding-trauma-informed-education

"Trauma Informed Approaches in Schools: Keys to Successful Implementation in Colorado." (2018). Available: https://www.cde.state.co.us/pbis/traumainformedapproachesarticle

Understanding Child Trauma. (last updated 4/4/2022). Available: https://www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma/understanding-child-trauma 

"Vital Signs: Estimated Proportion of Adult Health Problems Attributable to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Implications for Prevention — 25 States, 2015–2017." (Nov 8, 2019). Available: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6844e1.htm

Becoming a Restorative Educator

Early in my teaching career I had a student who underperformed on a test. The next day, I received a message from her parent demanding a meeting with me and the student the next day. As a relatively new teacher, I was not sure what to expect with this meeting. After explaining where the student struggled and how to improve on the next test, I sat through a public shaming and belittling of the student by the parent. Unfortunately, the parent wasn't upset with me. I say "unfortunately" because I would have gladly taken the ire, sarcasm, and caustic tone from the parent in order to spare the student from this abuse.

Following up with the student after the meeting, she shared that nothing was ever good enough for her parents; they demanded perfection and straight A's. She was a strong (but not perfect) student, but her parents had never said that they were proud of her.

I learned a lot from that parent-student-teacher conference and the subsequent conversations with the student. Mainly, that every student has parents and a home life, and too many of those are strained, contentious, or even abusive. I learned that students need affirmation from adults. This changed how I taught: I began intentionally using student work as exemplars, pausing to praise insightful responses in classroom discussions, listening before disciplining, and positively reinforcing classroom behaviors. I also made sure that I wrote "I am proud of you!" on assignments. After graduation, it has even become my practice to make sure that I find every graduate to let them know that I am proud of them.

In short, it helped me become a restorative educator. 

What about student misbehavior and poor choices? 

Working for over three decades with high school and college students (18 of those years as the lead disciplinarian), I have faced many opportunities to deal with student misbehavior and poor choices. In these situations, educators can respond from a punitive or restorative perspective.

I have approached student misbehavior from both perspectives. While I believe that there is a time to act punitively, my experiences clearly demonstrates that a restorative approach is a much more effective means of dealing with misbehavior.

As a high school principal, it is my deep hope that students see me (and the teachers I work with) as restorative educators. Below are some principles that will help educators approach student interactions from a restorative perspective.  

Discipleship over Discipline

The restorative perspective needs to be one of discipleship over discipline. "Disciple" is a Greek term referring to a student and learning so using it in connection with education is appropriate; however, Christians understand a "disciple" as being so much more than a student. The twelve disciples of Jesus were students of Jesus, but they also lived in close relationship with him striving to wholly follow Jesus in belief and action. The teacher-student relationship is a key to discipleship and to being a restorative educator. While there are definite connections between discipline and discipleship, a restorative educator is one whose main objective is building a living - learning relationship, i.e., making disciples. 

Discipline (from a punitive perspective) follows a strict consequential pattern ... if a student does x, he receives y (no matter what). Discipline can be a simple "if ... then" transaction without any concern about the relationship. However, discipleship (from a restorative perspective) seeks to strengthen the student-teacher relationship while utilizing the best way to address/improve student behavior. 

Take the Time

A discipline/punitive perspective may be quicker than a discipleship/restorative perspective, but it is not better. In the break-neck pace of modern education, using the quicker option to deal with student misbehavior and classroom management is truly a temptation. However, one of the clearest indicators of a restorative educator is the time that he/she spends with a student in dealing with a misbehavior. 

Ideally, all corrective interactions with students should happen in one on one conversations and away from other students. Obviously, this can not always happen as some behaviors need to be addressed immediately as it happens. However, a quick request to meet with a student after class can often stop behavior and provide time to have a restorative conversation.

Taking time with a student demonstrates a genuine love and care for a student, but it also demonstrates a seriousness about correcting the behavior. For example, if a student comes in late, a teacher can simply mark her tardy without another word (demonstrating a punitive perspective). If the same student comes in late and is asked by the teacher to stay after class for a conversation (a restorative response), the teacher is showing that class attendance and punctuality is important enough to take time for a conversation. Of course, this can also lead to a restorative conversation.

The International Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP) provides some great questions to ask when meeting with students in a restorative conversation.  

• What happened?
• What were you thinking of at the time?
• What have you thought about since?
• Who has been affected by what you have done?
• In what way have they been affected?
• What do you think you need to do to make things right?

                                                                        ("Time to Think: Using Restorative Questions")

These questions provide an opportunity for student self-reflection (which also takes time), and it encourages the student to consider how to correct the behavior. The teacher then can impose a consequence for the behavior, but it is done in conversation and partnership with the student which tends to be more effective, especially if the student came up with the consequence. 

Be Quick to Listen

James 1:19 reminds us to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." What a great passage to keep in mind when dealing with student misbehavior! I have too often switched these around: I hear of a student misbehavior and am quick to become angry and quick to speak even before I get a chance to listen to a student's story about the incident.

A restorative educator follows James' advice. Remember every student and incident has a story, and, like an iceberg, much of the story is below the water and out of sight. Take time to listen before jumping to a conclusion. Use the restorative questions above to uncover the whole story before speaking and getting angry. You may be surprised that the incident is more complicated than you first suspected; of course this will take more time, but you'll get to the truth.

New Every Morning

One of the most amazing promising of God is that His love and mercy towards us never ceases, and it is "new every morning" (Lam. 3:22-23). It is truly life-sustaining to know that God, who knows our every thought, word, and deed (even the sinful ones) continues to love us, and His love is new every morning ... now, that is a fresh start!

Restorative educators reflect this characteristic of God by continuing to love their students and giving them a "fresh start" every morning ... no matter what happened yesterday. A bad day followed by a warm greeting the next morning is life-sustaining for our students. It shows to our students that no matter what, we still love them.

Giving students a "new every morning" experience can be done in many different ways ... a "good morning" in carline, a high five in the hallway, or a simple morning smile. I especially enjoy watching teachers incorporate a protocol to start the day/class, like an opening circle, a personalized handshake at the door, or an attendance question. These warm-up activities are a great way to "see" every student every day, show them that this is a new day, and, of course, they often help build relationships. 

Restoring the Relationship

A restorative educator has a deep desire to restore relationships with students. Dealing with poor choices and student misbehavior is never fun, and it often adds tension to the student-teacher relationship. 

An important part of being a restorative educator is following up with a student a few days after an incident and the resulting consequence. This is one of my favorite parts of the process because it "flips the script" of getting called to the principal's office (or being held after class). Meeting with a student after an incident and resolution, an educator is able to praise the student for improved behavior, and let him know that there is a "clean slate" moving forward. Of course, a follow up doesn't have to be a meeting; in fact, I have seen a fist-bump in the hallway send a powerful "all is well" message to a student.

Taking time to follow up after an incident values the student and sends a message of care to the student. If I didn't care, I wouldn't follow up and my interaction with the student would end with the punishment. A follow up implies that this is a relationship rather than a transaction and that the student matters. 

As you've read above, becoming a restorative educator takes a lot of time and an investment in relationship building, but look at our ultimate model. Jesus spent three years with a small group of students, walking, talking, living, learning together ... spending time building relationships. 

Although becoming a restorative educator takes time and intentional effort, it shouldn't be difficult or draining. In contrast, it should be a return to our why, which should be life giving. Most educators became educators because they love and care for students and want to impact student lives through education. That is discipleship and that is restorative education.