Educators Who Like to Learn

🎉 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻! 🎉 As a consultant, I work with a lot of teachers and principals - as well as district and state leaders.

The ones who are the most fun?

Those who like to learn!

It's the end of the school year as I write this. It's the time of year when students and teachers both have stereotypically kind of "checked out" in preparation for summer.

However, I got a request from a principal and literacy coach a couple of weeks ago to do an after-school professional learning series both yesterday and today...on 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 instruction.

Now, if you know me, you know I'm a nerd about teaching kids how to spell. But I recognize that not everyone shares my passion.

I anticipated the teachers might resent the fact that they had to spend 2 hours after school with me last night (and again later today), but I couldn't have been more wrong!

I had such an awesome time with the teachers in Grades 3-5 at Shadow Butte Elementary School here in Emmett, Idaho. I'm looking forward to going back this afternoon.

Here's what made the difference:

✅ 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔. They didn't assume they knew what I had to share.

✅ 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅. They recognized that their current instructional practices weren't achieving the results they wanted.

✅ 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅. The coach and principal were at the table and learning alongside their staff.

✅ 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇. They didn't take themselves too seriously. After a long day teaching, they got out the snacks and joked with one another.

✅ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍. Even though we were setting the stage for next year, what I shared was immediately applicable to their instructional practices.

That last bullet was my part, but I will say that without the first four bullets it wouldn't have been as good.

I have worked with a lot of teachers and leaders across the nation. I think these are the essential characteristics of when things result in positive changes for kids.

I share the same instructional techniques and leadership recommendations in many places. Some folks just aren't as open to learning and growing, and in those places the work doesn't positively impact students as much. However, when you have the combination of these things, the types of things I share with educator teams takes root and grows in ways that positively impact students in amazing ways.

So, well done Shadow Butte team! I look forward to seeing where you take your learning!