Just Say "NO" to Resolutions and Say "YES" to Daily Attainable Goals!

If you are reading this you are most likely a teacher and have either just finished your relaxing break or returned to work a few days ago. In my case, this is my last day off before returning to my normal schedule. I am a bit worried about how my body will respond to me getting up early and most especially, the lack of delicious adult beverages I consumed each day while off work! My pants are tighter than ever and I went to bed past midnight for 14 days straight. (I can thank Hulu and Netflix for that.) All of these factors mean that it is the perfect time for me to do some goal setting. 

Many people like to start the new year off by setting some realistic (or sometimes not) goals for the new year. This year I have decided to switch things up a bit and I am goal setting differently. I hope it will help you and your students too. Don't get me wrong, I still have long term goals that I would like to see happen. Those goals are important to me, and I keep them in the back of my mind each day. But let's be real here. Most people set a New Year's resolution only to be disappointed the following January because it never came to fruition.  So, I have something new I am going to try this year: Set Daily Attainable Goals.

So, what does this look like? For me, checklists are the easiest way to monitor myself and my goals.
If another format works for you, do it! I have created a spreadsheet for each day of the week for you here. You don't need to use this worksheet, but it can be used as an easy way to organize daily goals for yourself or for your students to write their goals each day.

When setting daily attainable goals for yourself try to set a variety of goals for each day. For example, on Monday, my checklist might look like this:

• Drink at least 4 bottles of water.
• Take at least 6,000 steps.
• Stay focussed and answer emails before I leave from work.
• Get new coaching appointment schedule created.

I will just jot these down on a post it and check them off as I complete them, or I will use the worksheet I created. The point is to see your actionable goals being accomplished each day. You won't believe how great you will feel at the end of the day and how focussed you will be on reaching your daily goals. If you want to take this further, you could create a weekly, monthly, or yearly checklist for your short term to long term goals. Make it work for you!

Goal setting isn't just for adults. Students who set goals for themselves and list out steps to achieving those goals will also make huge gains and have a great feeling of self-worth. Your students could do this first thing in the morning and set a personal kindness goal like "compliment someone on their hard work" and "work on my stamina during reading." They can have one goal or as many as they want. This is also a great time to re-cover class agreements that were made at the start of the year and make necessary changes. When setting goals as a class make sure it is measurable so students can get specific feedback on how they are doing with meeting the class goal. Visual thermometers are a great way to show students how they are progressing towards meeting their class goal as a team.

Are resolutions a bad thing? No way, but they are something that many people do. Do you know how much money has been spent on gym memberships of individuals that have only gone into the gym once or twice? I actually don't know the statistics on this, but I am guessing the gym owners are the ones with the huge smiles by the end of the year. At least in my case they were. So say "NO" to resolutions that are hard to keep  and say "YES" to setting daily attainable goals! What kind of goal setting do you do? How do you make sure you stick to those goals? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Parent Teacher Conferences.. Prepare Yourself My Friends

If you have been teaching for a while, I am sure you have experienced the wide array of personalities that spawned those beautiful learners you get to work with every day. Parent Teacher Conferences are the one time you get to sit down and spill out everything you have learned about your students in 10-15 minutes. If you are lucky, you get to do this twice a year. They take skill, organization, and honesty. You have to show parents that you care and that you are an advocate for their child. I will get to all of my tips and tricks to changing your conferences into Student Led Conferences at the bottom of this post, but first, I thought I would help you to get to know the parents that you will be working with so you can be prepared for anything that comes up.

The Crier

This is the parent who is either so proud of the accomplishments their child has made, they don't know what else to do about their child's misbehavior in class, or they are just so overwhelmed with their own personal life that they end of crying at some point during the conference. I have to admit that with 5 children, I have shed a tear or two for all of the above reasons at conferences. This parent needs reassurance that you are there for their child, you will do whatever it takes, and you are not giving up. If the parent only talks about their own personal life and their own turmoil (which has also happened) try to listen for a minute and then turn the conversation back to the child by saying, "I am so sorry you are going through so much. Here is a tissue. But, we only have 10 minutes together, so let's try to focus in on Courtney for now."  If they are happy tears, just keep going and acknowledge the hard work that the student and parent have put in. If they are sad or frustrated tears, brainstorm with the parent and student on how you can help the student reach his or her goals. 

The Demander

This is the parent that demands more for their child.  In my second year of teaching I actually had a parent slam their hand down on the table and say, "So what do we have to do to get my kid into the gifted program next year." They demand special opportunities, "My son needs tutoring. I have no clue how to do common core and cannot help him at home. The school district should be providing this for him." They may demand more homework or less homework. Basically, this is the parent that isn't very nice about asking for something that they want for their child. The first thing to do is to take a breath, pause and listen. Write down what they would like, and try to see what you can do to help. It is best to remember that this parent isn't just being abrupt to get under your skin, they just want to get to the point and quickly. Even though it may seem odd to you, they really want what they think is best for their child. 

The Blank Stare or Nervous Parent

This is the parent that feels uncomfortable with a teacher. Maybe they were raised to not speak up to a teacher or had a bad experience with a teacher of their own in the past. Maybe they just have so much on their mind that they just want to get through this 10-15 minutes with you and then move onto their next child's conference. Whatever the reason, this is the parent that just stares and listens. It is hard to get them to ask any questions and produce a conversation. You and/or the student are definitely doing most of the talking on this one. 

The Educator

This conference will go two ways. The educator is the parent who also teaches, works in a school, is on the school board, or is an administrator. If this person is happy with what they've seen coming home, you haven't heard from them. If they are not happy, you have probably heard from them at least once a week. This is the person that expects you to be at the same level as they see themselves and their school colleagues at. They know common core standards and they know best teaching practices. You may feel comfortable with this teacher, or you may feel uncomfortable the whole time wondering if you are being judged. You are bound to hear, "We do that in my school, you don't need to explain it to me." You may also hear, "Can you please send me a copy of that. I love this." If you are doing student led conferences, this parent will love this idea and may even expect it. 

The Negotiator

This is the parent that is not very happy with their child's grades and they feel they can negotiate to get them higher. They may not be happy with a comment on the report card and want it removed. Maybe they feel that you were being a bit harsh on an assignment. This parent will offer up evidence to get you to change that grade. When put in this situation, it can be very easy to get defensive at first. If this happens, take a minute and think about what they are saying. Could they be right? Is it a comment that can be easily removed without changing anything, but making the parent happy. If not, and you feel strongly that you have given the correct grade or written the correct comment, be prepared to back that up with evidence from class. Use your formative assessments or student work to back up your decision and statement, or share the student's work compared to another student's work in the same class. (Take off names of course!) Data is data and they cannot argue with that. 

The Non-Believer

This is the parent that is hearing rave reviews or negative things about their child and they just cannot believe what they are hearing because their child is a complete nightmare or wonderful at home. This parent is shocked that their child is listening and quiet in class because they never shut up at home, or their child is excellent at home and misbehaves in school. This is also the child that is on task and does all of their work in class, but cries and fights with mom and dad about doing any sort of school work when home. These parents leave happy or surprised. So, what part do you play in all this? Show them the proof! Parents may think you are just being nice when you are complimenting great behavior and work, but when you show them the proof, they cannot deny what is happening in class. The same goes for the student who is great at home, but struggles in class. This happens a lot when you have a parent telling you their child does the work just fine at home, but in school you are not seeing the same thing. You have to remind the parents that you can only grade them on what you see in school.
The Appreciative Parent

This is the parent that appreciates everything you do. This parent may even show up with a small gift of appreciation to get you through the long night of conferences. This parent cannot even imagine how you do this every day, and are just so thankful for you and what you do. This parent sees the hard work you have put into their child and sees the extra effort you take. This conference will go smoothly and whether it is just you talking or the student talking, they will love you for having this conference with them. 

So, how do you take all of these personalities and have an effective conference with parents? The answer is simple!

STUDENT LED CONFERENCES

What do you need to do to get started?

• Tell parents to bring their child to the conference and that their child will be leading the conference themselves. You may have parents uncomfortable with this, but assure them that you are all in this together and the student needs to see that we are all a team. 
• Send a survey home ahead of time. Here is one that I have used that really helps to have a focus for the short time with the parents. Parent Teacher Conference Survey
• Prepare the kids. Hopefully you have done some goal setting with students already. If you haven't don't worry! You can use this quick one page script to help you out. Student Led Conference Script A script is huge! The kids need to have something to go off of and know that their time is short. They can read it right from the script or they can make bullet points for the conversation. You will do this as a whole class and students will make it unique to them. 
• There are lots of student led conference resources on Teachers Pay Teachers. I have used a packet in the past that has students self assess their behaviors and lists their goals for the conference and year. I am working on developing one of my own, but it isn't complete yet. 
• Have data and student work ready for kids to share. Tell them when they are planning they have some choices to make. Most parents want to hear about behavior, reading, math, and writing. However, if you have kids who are really into Science and Social Studies, then they can share that information as well. (This is from an elementary perspective, but of course in high school or junior high they would do this for the subject you teach.)
• Have a timer ready. You do not want to get behind in your conferences. 
• Have the kids practice with a friend the day of or the day before the conference. 
• Keep all of the materials with you. You will have kids who don't come with the parent because of other commitments. So you will need to share what the student wrote down. 
• What is so awesome about the kids making everything is that if a parent doesn't show or come to conferences, you can send it with the child and have a parent sign off that they saw it and had a conversation with their child. (Ensuring that 100% of your class has had some sort of a conference.)
• Be organized. Once you know your schedule, have everything out and ready in order of your conferences. Have your list outside your door and highlight the names as you greet each parent. This lets those in the hallway know where you are in your schedule. It also helps you to stay organized. Oh and don't forget to block out a few times for a bathroom break!
• If you have kids who can't read: K-1 students can do this too, they will just need more guidance. You can share data with parents for half of the time and then you can have the student share what they are doing well and what they are having a hard time with in class. 

These are just a few tips and tricks. The best way to do this, is to just jump in and try it! I can tell you that since I have started this, I have had no "Criers", "Demanders", "Blank Starers", or "Negotiators." The "Educators" are excited and appreciative of the process and the "Non-Believers" just look right at their child and discuss the disbelief while you are all together. I have found my students loved the experience. Some get very nervous and some are so excited, but through it all they see you, their parents, and them are all working together to help them have the most successful year ever. 

What Now?

What Now?

Step 1: Create a comfortable positive place where teachers can gather and relax, stop in for a nice cup of tea or coffee, and collaborate and reflect on our practices with students. CHECK (See my last post)

Step 2: Get to know staff and students and be as present as possible at all times. (I'M TRYING!)

As I mentioned in my introduction to this blog, I am feeling like a first year teacher. At times, I have also felt like a new student in high school where everyone knows everyone and I am an outsider trying to "fit in" with the group. 

Complete honesty: I have had some anxiety and fears over the past weeks. Here are a few of the negative thoughts I have had and  I am sharing with you hoping that I am not alone here!

• I don't want people to think my kindness to them is in-genuine.
• What if someone sees me planning or preparing in my PD room and they think I have been there all day and this is all I do?
• Will I feel like I am part of the family? How long will that take?
• I hope I get invited in and don't have to find a bunch of busy work to keep me engaged all day. 
• What if I say the wrong thing?

Please someone tell me I am not alone here! I do have to say that many of these fears went away as soon as I had them. I am so lucky to be in a building where teachers are like family. They would do anything for one another and are so kind to me. I have also been pleasantly surprised  that I am being invited into classrooms. In fact, no one has told me not to come into their rooms! That alone was a huge relief to me. I am proud to say that I have visited every classroom at least once or twice just to observe what is going on or to participate in a Morning Meeting. I am even more proud to say that several teachers have enlisted my help for coaching sessions and a few are ready to begin coaching cycles with me. I have been so busy, in fact, that I have hardly had time to even be in my room completing paperwork or preparing for lessons and meetings with teachers. (I will get back to this issue in a future post.)  I do feel that my predecessor opened these doors for me by setting the tone for coaching last year and I am so extremely grateful to her for that! 

While I am no expert and am still learning every step of the way, I wanted to share some of the tactics I have used to get to know staff and show everyone that I can be counted on. I hope that some of these work for you if you are also new to coaching. 

• Sit in the teacher's lounge at different times and get to know teachers casually over lunch. 
• If you are walking by and have some time, pop in and ask if they need help. My first day I helped kindergarten teachers take first day of school pictures, second grade students decorate book boxes, and I sat in Morning Meetings among other supportive tasks. 
• Gift Giving: I love giving gifts so I am doing popcorn for birthdays and made baggies with mints for teachers on their first day saying, "I was "mint" to work with you." A little "hammy" for sure, but that is how I am!
• Be present and available.
• Make sure teachers know you are their equal. I feel I have done a great job of repeating over and over, "I am no expert, but we can learn together."
• My staff PD room has helped me to get to know several teachers and they appreciate what I have created for them. 
• Ask teachers about their personal lives. I have created a spreadsheet to keep track of who I have talked with and who I still need to get to know better. This has helped me to remember their names as well as personal information they have shared with me about their families. 
• Speaking of families: Make connections with things you have in common with people! I have found that I have so much in common with several teachers in my school. 

So, do I know what I am doing after these first two weeks?? Absolutely not! Every day I learn more and as these very important relationships grow and teachers begin to trust me, I can use the "openings" I have heard or seen to suggest a coaching cycle. I, like our students, am a work in progress and I am so glad I can put some of those initial fears behind me and focus on my next steps with teachers.