Empowered or Compliant-What's the difference?

“Replace the word can’t with can. Know that you can, believe that you can, and know with ALL of your heart that you will. You will succeed in spite of any obstacles that may try to hinder you! There’s so much power in having a positive attitude, positive mindset, and positive outlook.”
― Stephanie Lahart

So, what does it take to get to the point where you "know you can, believe you can, and know that you will succeed despite any obstacles?"  I actually thought a lot about this over the holiday.  I pondered why we doubt, why we choose behaviors that hinder progress, why we demonstrate reluctance to ideas, suggestions, initiatives, and practices that we know will improve our lives and/or the lives and opportunities for others? We could get technical and reference the change process that we all go through and how to overcome it, but what I think it really comes down to is the idea of feeling "empowered"!  Now, you have seen this word a lot this year, (hopefully), as it is one of our four pillars and visible in every building. But was does it really mean?

The dictionary definition: make someone stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life; give someone the authority or power to do something

In our strategic plan to empower educators to be instructional leaders is defined as: support educators in delivering a rigorous and robust curriculum to our students with the tools and resources to be instructional leaders

Think about the difference if everyone in the district (students, administrators, educators, support staff, volunteers, etc..) was feeling empowered to achieve our mission and vision as well as progress, grow and succeed personally and professionally rather than just demonstrating compliance (conformity to meet official requirements).

Student message to Mr. Foley at Walnut!  I wonder if this student is feeling empowered ?

George Couros recently posted the following chart in his blog providing examples of the difference of a compliant response, an engaged response and an empowered response.  I thought about how this applies to our priorities and the impact it could have on students.  Think about the next time you are in a meeting (PLC, Staff meeting, Professional learning).  What do you need to feel empowered, how might you empower others? How are you responding to professional learning opportunities? What does this look like in the classroom?  Are students empowered to take risks, express ideas, demonstrate learning in different ways? Achieving our mission and vision will take all of us to #RISE Up and be #Better Together!

https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/7853

This is our goal to become:  

“An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success.” ~unknown

Here Come the Holidays - Using Student Choice to Lessen Stress

“A critical feature of those growing up in poverty is a feeling of NOT having control over one’s life.” - Eric Jensen

Thank you to Kate Crowe, Title I Coordinator, for being my guest blogger today. 

The holiday season is fast approaching, and that means additional stress for everyone.  While for some of us this stress comes from trying to find the perfect gift or plan the perfect get together, for our students from poverty holiday stress can mean something very different.  For them, it can mean worries about limited food, lack of supervision, and sometimes even fear of angry and violent episodes in chaotic home environments.  For some students from poverty school is the only place they feel safe, and during breaks they lose the order and stability that we provide.

As our students’ holiday worries mount, we sometimes see their stress manifest in escalating behaviors that can make this a difficult time of year for everyone.  So what can we do to help?  How can we maintain productive classrooms and assist our students in dealing with their stress?  As teachers, when we feel the chaos and tension increasing in our classrooms, our first instinct is often to try to discipline our way through it and, of course, sometimes consequences are necessary.  However, one strategy I would offer up as an alternative is to try providing more student choice.  When our students’ lives are feeling stressful and out of control, empowering them in the classroom is an effective strategy to lower their stress levels and help them continue to be “present” so they can learn.

So what kinds of choices should we offer?  There are unlimited answers to that question, and it really depends on what works for you and your students.  Dr. Amy Mancini says that she thinks of these choices in terms of four categories - process, product, materials, and environment.  

For example, you might give students the option to:

• Use colored pens, pencils, or highlighters - anything different can be exciting 
• Decide whether to word process or handwrite an assignment
• Choose where to sit in the classroom
• Select their own partner or group  
• Skip a homework problem of their choosing
• Decide the order in which they will complete their work
• Select a meaningful way to present their learning
• Determine their own next steps for moving their learning forward                                                                                                                      

One tip that Eric Jensen provided at his conference was that the teacher needs to really “sell it.”  In other words, make a huge deal of the choice you are offering so that it seems special to students.  This is a crucial step, because in order for this strategy to be effective students must recognize that you have empowered them and feel empowered.

Giving up control can be hard, but empowering our students by providing choices can be an extremely effective way to help manage their stress not only during the holiday season, but all year round.

                                                                                                

Check out these resources for more ideas on how to provide choice and voice for your students:

9 Simple Ways to Provide Choice in Your Classroom

The Power of Choice

The Highly Engaged Classroom - Robert Marzano

Teaching with Poverty in Mind - Eric Jensen

Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind - Eric Jensen

What's the Intent?

"Striking the right balance between district direction and school support, and superior execution of the responsibilities and practices we have presented, may be the difference between a failed system and one that delivers on the promise of opportunity and hope for all children through high-reliability education." ~Marzano & Waters, 2009

I believe that if I asked any GIPS employee if they would like to be a part of a system that provides a high reliability education for our students, I would get a 100% "of course"!  It sounds great, it makes sense! So how do we accomplish the right balance to achieve this goal?

Well, we have direction! Grand Island Public Schools has taken a bold leap in trying to "strike the right balance" that will lead us to achieving the vision for our students!  If you haven't referred to our plan recently, take a minute to review and remember the work that went into identifying our goals, objectives, progress indicators, and strategic initiatives.  The strategic plan defines our direction and outlines our "how" through our Theory of Action. 

When it comes to school support, it is the role of the central office to provide products, services and resources that will ensure that our campuses can meet our student's needs.  Human resources, T&L, IT, Business, Nutrition services, Buildings and Grounds, Student Services, EL, CNSSP, the Foundation, Innovation and Engagement, and Leadership Development (hope I didn't miss anyone) all are prioritizing the strategic plan initiatives to ensure we are moving in the same direction.

Lincoln Elementary

So how do we accomplish "Superior execution of responsibilities and practices" that are clearly outlined in the strategic plan?  What first comes to mind: growth mindset, attitude, action, support, and reflection.   We know what we need to do, we have the research, we have supports, and we have highly skilled, highly experienced staff interacting and educating our students every day!  However, reality is, transformation isn't easy.  It takes work, commitment, perseverance, and focus on on the outcomes.  In "District Leadership that Works" (2009),  authors Marzano and Waters describe change as external and I think we can all agree that we know it's inevitable, however, they also describe how change can result in a transition for staff that is internal and personal. Although a gain for students, the school and the district, change can be perceived as a loss for people responsible for implementation.  This is why level of implementation occurs over time, it takes some people more time to move through the transition period than others.  It's difficult to give up practices and actions that have been routine, maybe even expected, without time to adjust or process the "loss".  This is why it's important to honor the past, celebrate the small wins, and stay true to "why"!

Wasmer Elementary

In our business, it is our responsibility to prepare our students to thrive in this ever changing world, which means we must be proactive, be innovative, and continue to change our practice so our students have a high reliability education!  Let's RISE UP and be a learning organization together, help each other through any personal transitions by understanding the purpose, referring to the plan, seeking supports, and engaging in the process. We are #BetterTogether!

"When shifts and transitions in life shake you to the core, see that as signs of the greatness that's about to occur". ~Chelsea Dinen

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

GISH JROTC