When Teachers Compete

One day I found myself saying, "I'm just going to pack my toys and go home. I'm not sharing any more of my ideas with ANYONE. Then we will all see at the end of the day who is the best!"

Just typing it makes me cringe.  I mean, I said those words out loud. In a group of people. People that I have to work with on a daily basis.

So what got me to the point that I sounded like a four year old?

Let's rewind.

We had a new principal and AP who were very hands on. So much so that they are both involved in our weekly PLC meetings. During one of our first PLCs with them, they laid the entire ELA department's end of year test scores on the table. There was no sugar coating....our names were listed right next to how much growth we made (or did not make) last year. Now, maybe it's just me, but it was instant competition time. I wanted to see where I ranked with the other teachers. Was I at the top? Could I bask in a moment of self congratulatory righteousness? What could I do to stay there? Did I just smirk at my teammates tears?    My ego had come out to play. Big time.

And then the Walk Throughs started. You know, the thing where the principal and AP visit your room for 10 minutes, and then send you an email with what they saw and suggestions.  As of last week, in a school of 34 classroom teachers, our administration has done almost 500 walk throughs. I have received 8. I started saying things like, "Why aren't they visiting me? Do they do not like me? Look at all the good stuff I'm doing!" Translation: Why aren't they telling me how awesome I am, so I can pat myself on the back a little more?? Me. Me. Me.

::sigh::

Through out all of this, the shift was gradual. They would sometimes see stuff my teammate was doing, praise it, and I would sit there and shout in my head, "THAT WAS ALL MY IDEA!!" Why is she the one getting accolades?!? Well...she won't get any of my ideas anymore if that's how it's going to be.

Gradually we stopped sitting in the same room during planning. Our communication dwindled. My self-inflicted animosity grew. Then one day after a staff meeting, I found myself in a circle of negativity saying, "I'm just going to pack my toys and go home. I'm not sharing any more of my ideas with ANYONE. Then we will all see at the end of the day who is the best!"

Not my best moment.

So, who wins when teachers are compared?

Who wins when teachers compete against each other for the highest test scores?

From experience, not the teachers. We end up in a swirl of negativity and secrecy.

Not the students.  They have teachers who are negative and more concerned about their performance over their student's needs.

Maybe it is idealistic of me, but I truly believe A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats. We expect it in our classroom. We want students to work together, brainstorm, build off ideas others bring forth. Isn't our classroom environment better when the students do this? We will be too.

Share your ideas. Work together to make your ideas better. Talk it through. Build and create amazing lessons together.

Love and cooperation always win.

Happy Teaching,

Attitude of Gratitude in the Classroom

Right before Christmas break I found myself with the worst attitude.

Every little thing my students were doing were getting on my nerves.

And even though there was some positive stuff going on, I was only focused on the negative.

And with only being focused on the negative, I was filled with so much dread about going to work.

Real talk: I was so annoyed with my last class, I didn't even talk to them for THREE days before Christmas break. I put their assignments on the board and gave them a packet.

That is just not how I roll.

After a couple of days of sleep, being lazy, and reading what I want to read, I was able to think about some changes that needed to take place.

First, I accepted this was not my student's fault. Yes, their behavior has been less than stellar and their motivation was almost nonexistent. But, you get what you expect. I walked into my class expecting them to not care and to act impulsively, and they did just that.

I had to change the energy of my classroom and shift the focus.

I knew if we started our day off with what we are grateful for, we would begin with a positive mindset. It is so simple, but has made the biggest difference!

For the first five minutes of class I play yoga music while I'm checking agendas and homework, the students get a post it, write what they are thankful for, and get started on their bellringer. The whole process takes less than 2 minutes and has totally changed the climate and energy of the classroom {and me}

This post it note says it all! 

If you want to implement this quickly, you can pop over to my TpT store and get the whole set up for only $2.00! It comes with the printable letters {I printed mine on colored patterned paper}, a Google Slides presentation that explains what gratitude is, three question prompts to get the students started, and the music I play while they are writing!

Just click here! 

Happy Teaching!