Classroom Culture

I've mentioned Danny Steele a number of times on this blog.  He's a principal, soon to be college professor, with a Twitter account that cheers on teachers and students to do their best.  One of his most frequent themes is about developing class culture.  Here's an example:
 

Education is super "buzzword-y," and right now "classroom culture" is having its moment.  Here's the thing, though.  It's not new.  Classroom management has always been about classroom culture.  There was a time when the culture was authoritative; set entirely by the teacher's position.  There have been classrooms where the culture was set entirely by the students because either the teacher was too weak to resist or because they believed philosophically in a completely student-driven environment.  Those are two extremes; and, like most extremes, both are probably unhealthy cultures.  I'm with Danny Steele, when he says, "creating a positive class climate is actually not that complicated." 

The reason it's not complicated is that it happens the same way as building a positive relationship with anyone you love.  If a friend says something you find genuinely funny, do you shoot them a look because it isn't the right time?  Probably not.  Chances are, you laugh at what they said.  Why do we think we can't laugh at something a student says when we genuinely find it funny?  If your friend plays a sport, you probably go watch them play a game, or at least ask them how it went the next day.  Taking an interest in a person's activities is how we all make friends.  Why wouldn't you attend a basketball game one of your students is in (especially since most of them are taking place on your campus)?  No teacher can attend them all, but you can attend at least one.  If you cannot attend, you can ask how it went.  When your friend has a problem, chances are you stop and listen to them.  Students will likely talk to you about problems as well.  You don't have to agree with them or spend hours counseling them, but you can listen to them.  When you hurt a friend's feelings, do you apologize?  Do that with students, too.  It's amazing how far that will take you.

Teachers who like their students don't have a ton of discipline problems. I'm not saying they have none.  We are talking about groups of humans, after all.  But they have significantly fewer.  Also, when they do have problems, they have a path for redemption rather than just punishment, which causes a more positive climate for the future. 

It's truly simple.  Be a human being.  Take a genuine interest.  Take your work seriously but yourself lightly. 

America's Backyard - A Celebration of the National Parks System

"National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." - Novelist Wallace Stegner

Today is the start of National Parks Week, which means entrance to them is free; so if you live near one, stop reading right now and go spend time in it.  You can always read this blog later.  Each year, National Parks Week prompts me to reflect on their importance, have gratitude for those I have been able to visit, and made some recommendations.

Why are National Parks important?  As a small government conservative with a strong anti-federalism streak, why do I adore this one part of the federal government and approve of it owning and operating 85 million acres of land?  To quote Aaron Sorkin's line from The West Wing's debate episode, "There are times when we are fifty states and times when we are one country."  If you would rather I quote a real person, here are the thoughts of the first director of the NPS, ""The parks do not belong to one state or to one section...The Yosemite, the Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon are national properties in which every citizen has a vested interest; they belong as much to the man of Massachusetts, of Michigan, of Florida, as they do to the people of California, of Wyoming, and of Arizona."  Some features are so spectacular that preserving them is the responsibility of all our citizens, not just those of the state the encompasses them.  Every year, when I file my taxes, I find myself wishing that I could check boxes for where I would like my tax money spent.  If I could, I would certainly include the preservation of these glorious sites along with national defense and highways.

In my life, I have been fortunate to visit a number of our National Parks.  My dad was an amateur photographer for most of my life, so our vacations involved places to photograph.  That meant arriving in an area with several parks and going to as many of them as possible during a week.  While I'm not sure it is possible to visit all 418 National Parks sites (including 60 parks, dozens of battlefields, several trails, and over 80 monuments) while still living a regular life with a job, I have visited 50 sites in 18 states, if we count D.C. as a state.  I hope I will have the opportunity to visit even more.  While I'm sure you are hoping I will discuss each of the 50 I've seen in great detail, I'll limit myself to five or six.

Yellowstone
This is the park that started it all, which is fitting because it is not just beautiful; it is unique.  There is nowhere else in the world with the amount and variety of features that Yellowstone National Park contains.  From geysers and hot springs to waterfalls between the sulfur lined canyon walls that give it its name, there is no park with more to offer.  This is also the park that started my love of National Parks.  I was fourteen when I first visited, and there are photos of the Grand Geyser and Mammoth Hot Springs that I took that year hanging on my living room wall today.

I recommend spending a full week in Yellowstone, but that might not be possible for you.  If you only have one day, see the geysers.  There is a huge variety, from small and pretty to large and impressive.  They are all awe-inspiring, but DO NOT miss the Grand Geyser, which goes 300 feet into the air.  If you have two days, do the upper loop road on the first day and the lower loop on the second.  

Arches
Arches National Park in Utah is not the most celebrated park, but it should be on your list.  If I could spend just one more week in only one park, it would be this one.  Over time, the wind has picked up sand and carved arches out of rock walls.

If you have limited mobility and can only look at what you can see from the road and overlooks, you can spend one day in this park.  However, if you want to see it well, you need to do a little hiking.  Most of the hikes are easy to moderate, and they are worth the time and effort.  My favorite of the easy hikes leads to Sand Dune Arch.  This arch is hidden between other rock formations, so when you reach it, you feel like you are inside.  The temperature is about 10 degrees cooler than everywhere else, which is a relief in the heat of Southern Utah.  Because of the hidden nature of this arch, the sand doesn't blow away, leaving a sand dune under your feet.  

The most famous arch in the park is Delicate Arch.  It is on the Utah license plate.  There are three ways to view it.  The lower viewpoint is a short easy walk from a parking lot, but you see the arch from a mile away and below.  The upper viewpoint is a slightly more difficult hike, which includes some stairs, but you get a clear view.  The best view is to hike to the arch itself, a moderately strenuous hike of three miles up slickrock with a scantily marked trail.  If you can do it, it is absolutely worth the view.  If you are a photographer, plan to spend some time here.

Grand Canyon  
Everyone should see the Grand Canyon before they die.  There's no other way to put it.  This is one of the most spectacular sites in the world, and pictures will never do it justice.  Even April, the most cynical character in Parks and Recreation says, "I'm trying to find a way to be annoyed it.  I'm coming up empty." 

Unless you are a hiker, two days at the Grand Canyon gives plenty of time to see everything you want from the overlooks at different times of day.  Make it part of a larger trip.  There's a whole lot to do in the area, including Zion and Bryce.  

Carlsbad Caverns
Will Rogers called this "the Grand Canyon with a roof over it."  

New Mexico is a place where everything is spread out, so there's a lot of driving.  The park is entrance is 20 miles from the nearest town.  Even the entrance road is 7 miles long.  When you get there, however, you park your car and spend your time at very pleasant temperatures under the ground.  You can take an elevator down if you wish, but if you have good knees, I recommend the hour-long walk down the Natural Entrance Trail.  It is paved and has handrails and steep in places.  You see so much of the cave this way that you won't see if you take the elevator down (take the elevator back up, though).  

If you are at Carlsbad between late May and early October, do yourself a favor and stay until sunset for the Bat Flight Program.  I know it sounds like it will be creepy and horrible, but it is awesome.  I thought I would hate it.  I had images in my head of bats screaming over my head.  It is nothing like that.  There is an amphitheater built around the natural cave entrance.  The ranger presentation is informative and interesting, but the place becomes silent when the bats start exiting the cave.  Because this species of bat can't get enough lift with their wings to come straight out, they fly in circles, making a spiral of bats as they exit the cave and fly off into the sunset.  The only thing you hear for several minutes is the flapping of wings.  Just trust me.  Stay.

My last two recommendations are in Alaska and Hawaii, so I know this is a stretch for most people.  Please know that I understand how privileged I am to have seen these.

Denali
Alaska is a rugged place and travel can be complicated. It is that ruggedness, however, the makes Denali one of the most beautiful places in America.  Named for the mountain the American government named Mt. McKinley, Denali National Park covers six million acres of land.  There is only one road, and you can only take your car on part of it.  Official park buses are required on most of it.  The road is also only open for part of the year, so plan carefully.

The bus requirement seems limiting at first, but you will find that you are glad you can look out the windows and take pictures while someone else does the driving because there is so much to see.  The narrated tour buses are more expensive than the transit buses, but if you have made it to Alaska, don't let that stop you.  The tour guide we had was amazing and stopped any time someone thought they saw an animal.  In her words, "We'd rather stop and be wrong than not stop, so shout if you think you see an animal.  If it turns out to be a rock, we will ooh and ahh and take pictures of the rock."  The day we were there was pretty overcast (in fact I never saw the mountain), but because it was so cloudy, the animals were out foraging.  We saw grizzly bears, dall sheep, elk, deer, and caribou.  

Haleakalā
This park IS a volcano.  Booking a sunrise tour is going to sound crazy, but you are only losing one night of sleep for a once in a lifetime experience.  A bus will pick you up at your hotel around 2:30 in the morning to take you to the top of the mountain.  It's freezing cold up there and will be rather hot by the time you get back down, so pack accordingly.  Get into a spot where you can see the crater and put your camera in burst mode.  When the sun rises, it looks like it is coming out of the crater.  

After the sun is up, spend some time hiking around, but be careful.  You are at very high elevation, so you will be short of breath with little exertion.  Give yourself time.  The low amount of vegetation will make you feel like you are walking on the moon.  Some tours bike back down the mountain, but I thought those were crazy people.  

You may not live near one of these amazing parks, but there are parks in every state.  If you can't get to a national park this week, there are state parks too.  If nothing else, just get outside.  Look at the sky; get your hands in some dirt.  Do something to enjoy nature.  That's why the parks exist, even if you can't get to one during National Parks Week.

Stuff I've Learned as a Teacher

In May, I will have completed my 20th year in the classroom.  As I reflect on the past two decades, I realize just how much I have learned since 1999.  Some are profound.  Others are goofy.  All have made me a better teacher.  I'm going to list as many as I can here, but I am sure there are some that won't come to mind just now.  They are in no particular order, but I grouped items that seemed to fit together.

- You can't let your day be ruled by the student's energy.  Decide your own in the car on the way to school.
- Credibility comes from taking your job seriously, not from taking yourself seriously.
- For all the planning we do, it's likely that what a kid will look back on as important will come from a random conversation that you won't even remember.

- Go to their games.  Even if you can only stay for five minutes, they'll know you were there.
- Go to plays, band, and chorus events.  You'll see a different side of your students.

- You will have to deal with tragedy in the lives of your students, no matter where you teach; so be prepared.
- Sometimes your students need you to be there to talk and listen.
- Sometimes, they need you to act like everything is normal, even if it isn't.

- Teachers look forward to snow days as much as kids too - maybe more.
- Spring break is more important for your sanity than you ever knew.
- It's more difficult to be out than it is to be at school.  Sub plans are hard.

- Compliment kids on something.  If it can be about their character, that's the gold standard.  If you can't, tell them you like their shoes.
- If a student shares an interest of yours, talk to them about it.  If you can work it into your curriculum, do it.  It makes them feel important.
- You don't have to pretend to be their age.  If you like the music they listen to, that's okay; but if you have never heard of it, there's no need to pretend you do.
- If a student is reading a book you like, tell them.  It encourages them to read for pleasure.

- Where you can, work some choice into your assignments.  I'm not talking about personalized curricula, but giving them small choices deepens their learning.
- Asking test questions like, "What's your favorite thing you learned in this chapter?" reveals learning more than any other question you can ask.  You'll get longer, more detailed answers to this question than one with a specific answer.
- When a student suggests a project idea, respond with "Tell me more about that."  You don't know what they have in mind from the initial proposal.  It may be better than it sounds, and you'll want to say yes.  They may have not thought it through, and you'll want to say no.  If you think it is doable, let them run with it and let them know you'll help them figure it out.

- Own your mistakes.  Apologize when appropriate.
- Own your decisions.  Stand your ground when appropriate.
- If you can explain the reasoning behind a decision, do.  It helps them understand, even if they still don't agree.

- When managing behavior, be the adult.
- They aren't more right if they cry.
- Remember that they are still figuring things out.  Your role is guiding them through that process.  Sometimes, that means punishment is needed, but sometimes it doesn't.
- If you get into a power struggle, you have to win it.  Avoid one if at all possible.

- Kids should see you laughing with other teachers.  They need to see that you enjoy your work and your colleagues.
- If kids see you cry in response to sad situations, that's okay; but they shouldn't go home worried about you, so be careful how much you share with them.
- If a student asks a question, and you don't know the answer, say so.  If you can Google it right away, do it.  If you can't give up class time at that moment, make a note to look it up at the end of the day.  If you are in a school where you can communicate with students by email or LMS, send them the answer that day.  It will amaze them that you cared enough to remember to look it up.

- Do not answer emails angry.  You can hit send in a few hours.  You cannot un-send.  Let someone else read it if you have lost objectivity.
- Don't grade tired.  It's not fair to the student who is next in the pile.  When they asked why you haven't graded your paper yet, explain that you respect their work enough to grade it responsibly.

- If a student asks you to write a recommendation letter, it's a sign that they believe you have a good relationship.  Accept it for the honor that it is.
- You are going to run into former students in restaurants.  If you don't remember them, fake it.  It makes their day if they think you remember them; it breaks their heart if they think you don't.

- Standards matter.  Hold them high.
- Grace matters.  Extend it when you can.

Advice to High School Students from a NASA Legend

On Thursday of this week, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture at the NC Museum of History by Gerry Griffin.  In case you aren't familiar with his name, you should know that he is a NASA legend.  He was a flight director on all of the manned Apollo missions.  He was the technical consultant for the movies Apollo 13, Contact, and Deep Impact.  He is 82 years old, and he is sharp as a tack, full of energy and stories.  All in all, it was a delightful evening.

At the end of his lecture, he took questions from the audience for about an hour.  There were questions about the Apollo 12 lightning strike at launch and how the Apollo 14 landing was saved by tapping a console with a pen because a small ball of solder had broken loose and caused a short circuit.  Then, someone asked, "What advice would you give to high school students today?"

While the questioner was aiming at students who wanted a place in NASA, Griffin's answer can apply to all.  Whether you are 15 or 55, this is wisdom.

He said that first, a person should get the education and skills they would need for the job they wanted.  In the sixties, this meant having been a military test pilot.  Now, it means getting at least a masters' degree.  (Most astronauts today have a PhD.)  Whether your dream is to fly in space or be a welder, there is some kind of training you are going to need.  Prepare yourself for the path you want to follow.

His second answer was that you should go wherever the job is.  He said that he meets a lot of young people who are rigid about the location they want to live in.  He said, "Go where they send you.  If you work your way up, you'll eventually work your way back to where you want to live."  Again, he was speaking of the fact that NASA jobs exist mostly in California, Texas, and Florida; but I think the advice is universal.  You have to pay your dues, so you can't go in for an interview at any company and start demanding that you not have to move at the age of 22.  Put in your time.  When you get to a position beyond entry level, you will have more freedom (or you may find that you like the place they sent you - we always think we know exactly what we want and then find we can be happy doing other things).  Be open to an experience you didn't plan because that's where good things happen.

His answer boiled down to two things.  Be prepared, and be flexible.