Doing More

In More than your share from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin states,

“Whether it’s splitting a check, getting a project done or making an impact on the culture or a cause, if you want things to get better, the only way is to be prepared to do more than your fair share. Because we need to make up for the folks who don’t.”

Too many times, I’ve heard, “It’s not my job.”

If we only do the minimum and what is expected of us, how can the world be a better place?

When I borrowed something as a youngster, my parents always taught me to return whatever I borrowed in better condition than when I borrowed it. If I borrow a dish, I return it with some goodies on it. If I borrow a cup of sugar, I return 2 cups. If I borrow a tool, I clean it before I return it.

When I did a chore, I was expected to do a little more than what was expected. If I had to vacuum the bedroom, I did all the bedrooms. If I dusted one room, I dusted more than one room. If I weeded the gardens for an hour, I worked two hours. I always did a little more.

As a teacher, I had deadlines so I would apply the same mindset. If something was due in 5 days, I turned it in within 3 days. Sometimes, I try to do it immediately so I don’t forget it.

I usually have my students pick up all the trash on the floor before they are dismissed. They usually fuss about it not being their trash so they shouldn’t have to pick it up. When no one picks up the trash, I don’t let anyone leave so eventually someone will pick up the trash, and then they can all leave. This usually only happens during the first week of school. After that, I notice students picking up trash that they see so that they don’t have to argue about it at the end of class. I also see students holding others accountable for the trash that they drop.

It is never hard to do just a little bit more.

If everyone does a little more than they have to, everyone would be more successful in life.

What do you do more of? What do you notice others do more of? Please share.

Photo by James Healy on Unsplash

Risk and Reward

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In Risk and Reward, Rushton features a short film of skier Sam Favret

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

“Favret is someone who knows what he is doing. The first question for you, though, is what risks there might be doing what Favret does. Are the risks what they seem? Why or why not?

Clearly, flying down a very steep mountain at stunning speed is risky in some fashion, but there is reward, as well. What is the reward, and is it worth it? How would one explain both what is and isn’t worth a risk? What’s the difference?

What risks to you are worth taking? Is it taking part in a rough sport, or speaking in front of a crowd, or trying out for a part in a play? Whatever it is for you, being able to accurately understand the risks will tell you something important about who you can be.”

I was fascinated with this film for a number of reasons. I don’t know how to ski so this is probably the closest I will get to skiing down a giant ski slope of any kind. It also felt mesmerizing and peaceful to watch the skier glide down the mountain. I also thought about how hard and long it must have taken to hike up to the top of the mountain and then to ski down it so fast. I’m not sure I would feel it is worth the trouble. Sometimes I think about that when I want to try something new. Is it worth the trouble? I think my students feel the same way when I introduce a new skill and it is up to me to help students see that it is worth the effort.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

Putting Some Effort Into It

In Effort toward quality from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin states,

“Effort is what happens when we go beyond our normal speed. When we dig deep and exert physical or emotional labor and focus on something that is out of the ordinary. Effort is the opposite of coasting.”

Going through the motions will not help anyone be successful in the classroom or in life.

As a child, I remember having some chores that involved cleaning. I would go through the motions and act like I was cleaning but I didn’t really do a good job. My mother would come behind me and tell me that I needed to put “elbow grease into it” if I wanted to be able to go play. I learned early that if I didn’t put some effort into it, I would never get finished with my chores.

As an adult, I know when I’m just coasting or really putting effort into a project. When I put effort into it and the project gets completed, I feel proud of the hard work that I have put into it. When I complete something without putting much effort into it, I don’t feel the same amount of pride as I do when I have to work harder for it.

Students need to learn this also. Putting effort into something is not a reflex and it has to be learned. When I see students put effort into something, I give them a lot of praise. When the project is complete, I share their success with others. When I don’t see them putting a lot of effort into something, I help them reflect on what could have been done differently and how it might make them feel.

I also try to teach them by example. I want them to see me learn something new that does not come easy for me. I want them to see me struggle to overcome obstacles and not give up. I want them to see how proud I feel when I’m successful.

How do you teach students that putting in the effort is important? Please share.

Photo by Clique Images on Unsplash

Do Your Best

In Justifying mediocre work in Seth Godin's Blog, by Seth Godin,

“… there’s only one way to justify work that’s better than it needs to be: Because you cared enough.”

When I was growing up, my parents expected the best and I worked hard to produce the best. I could see the disappointment in their faces when I failed to get the perfect grade. If I got a 90, why didn’t I get a 95? If I got a 95, why didn’t I get 100?

Don’t get me wrong. I knew I was loved but my parents always thought I was the most brilliant child in the world and that I was perfect. Since I was perfect, they expected the best.

I was taught that if I was going to do a job, that it had to be done right. Don’t take short cuts. Use the best quality of materials (including my mind). Give it 100% effort.

If I wasn’t planning on doing my best, it was best not to do it.

Turning in poor quality work was not acceptable.

If I was assigned a task, even if I didn’t want to do it, giving my best effort was expected. No, demanded.

As I grew up, I knew in my heart if I didn’t give it my best effort. I always hated it when I was a teenager and I didn’t get as good a grade as my parents liked and they asked me if I had done my best. Could I have studied harder? Is there anything I could have done that would have improved my grade. Sometimes I could honestly say I had done my best and my parents took me at my word and accepted it.

After I was on my own, I kept this “ruler” in my head and constantly try to measure how I’m doing. I have to admit that sometimes, I even let myself down. But I feel it is important to always reflect and see how I’m doing.

When I’m teaching my students, I try to teach them this process. I want them to learn to do their work in a way that they can be proud of themselves. I don’t feel that perfection is the goal but that doing their best is the goal.

Sometimes doing their best involves asking for help. Doing your best doesn’t mean doing everything alone.

If my students have put their best effort into it and done the best they could, then I am happy with the end result and they should be too.

How do you teach your students to do their best? Please share.

Photo by Robert Baker on Unsplash

We Have To Try

In Everyone Fails: It’s What You Do Next That Matters in Angela Maiers Educational Services, Inc.,  Angela Maiers shares,

"But everyone fails…everyone! JK Rowling’s manuscript for Harry Potter was rejected 12 times, while Dr. Seuss’s first manuscript was rejected 26 times. Abraham Lincoln lost many more elections than he won. Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her first job as a news anchor. Our children fail at something almost every day too. What matters most is how we respond to failure. Do we give up, or do we get up and try again?"

It is really hard to face failure. Parents want to shield their children from the hurt they face when they fail. But failure is what makes us stronger. If we always succeeded, we might not find something better. Life is not like that. There is failure faced every day because everyone can’t get everything they want all of the time.

Failure is a way to learn important lessons. One of the most important lesson we learn is that we have to try. We have to keep trying and never give up.

We can fuss and throw tantrums but usually that doesn’t get us anywhere. The only way we can achieve success is if we move forward. If our actions cause us to stand still or go backwards, we will never achieve success.

If something doesn’t work, we don’t just stop trying. We need to look at alternatives or maybe think about our original goal. We might need to change how we are doing things or maybe we need to change our goal. By failing, it gives us a chance to reevaluate our actions.

Sometimes trying means asking for advice or getting other people involved. We do not always have to do everything by ourselves and there is no shame in working with others.

Sometimes we need to remind each other that we need to keep trying. It is easy to convince myself to give up but it helps when someone else believes in me and encourages me to keep trying. I need to be this person for other people too. I need to be willing to give someone a hand up because I want someone to be there for me too.

How do you encourage others to keep trying? Please share.

Hidden Treasures

In Virtual Landfill from Tech Thoughts By Jen, Jennifer

“We, acting much like the “FULLER BRUSH MEN”  of the past, trying to sell educators on the newest, brightest, gotta have new option that they just HAVE to buy into and then a few weeks later….they realize that they never really needed that option in the first place.”

This statement reminded me of all the things that are done school wide that falls by the wayside. I can’t tell you the number of times we met as a faculty to try a writing program, character ed program, professional development program etc. that lasted a year and then nothing. It fizzled out.

Yes, I wonder how much money was spent buying the license for some of these programs and the time and energy wasted trying to implement them. How many times our faculty has groaned and complained throughout the school year. By the next year, the old one is tossed and a new one is introduced.

Part of the reason that many programs don’t last is that it is hard to get everyone on board with this program. If people aren’t willing to give it a try for a year, their negativity is infectious. I actually think some of the things were worthwhile but everyone wouldn’t buy into the program. Many people had different needs and different time restraints so they couldn’t put forth the effort needed to follow the program as it should be done. I feel that when schools introduce new programs they need to make sure that the participants are given the needed time to use it. I remember the school introducing a writing program where we were required to use it in addition to the things we already were required to do. I was able to incorporate it in my lessons as I think it was meant to be but not everyone saw this in the same way. So, they pushed it aside and refused to add it to their lessons or used it sporadically so that it wasn’t successful. The administration sees it isn’t working so they begin hunting for something new and the cycle continues.

Then she requests,

“I would appreciate your comments on WHY you are using the Web presence that you are……why it works for you.
And also thoughts on what we can do to encourage teachers not to abandon their websites, wikis, twitter accounts…..as quickly as many seem to do.”

I continue to blog because it helps me formulate my thoughts and shares my ideas with others. Based upon the comments and emails that I receive, some people find them helpful and encourage me to continue. After 30 years of experience in teaching, I feel it is a way for me to share my failures and successes with new or struggling teachers so that they won’t have to make the same mistakes as I have.

I continue to use Twitter and Plurk and Facebook because it helps me connect with so many others who have the same interests as I do. I am able to learn new things, bounce ideas off of others, or sometimes just vent my frustrations. It is so wonderful to know that there are others out there who understand me. I also love that I have immediate tech support when needed and this has helped me a few times when I have been in a bind.

I think the problem that many people have with abandoning tools is that they find they don’t need them like they thought they would. But sometimes it takes time to really find out if you do or not. That is why I like free trials of software. It gives me time to decide if I want to invest the money into buying the program. Many times I find out that I don’t use it or need it so my money isn’t wasted. Sometimes I find out that the program is the answer to a need I had.

I won’t give up looking and trying things to make my life and my students’ lives better. There are things out there that will help my students be more successful in the classroom and in life. Sometimes I’m adding to the virtual landfill and sometimes I find a hidden treasure.

Do you have a virtual landfill or a collection of hidden treasures? Please share!

Image: 'A Pirate's Life'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47287396@N05/5795835389

Risking Failure

In Don't Fear Failure from The Fischbowl, Karl Fisch asks,

“So, what are you willing to try (and perhaps fail) at?”

I think it is important to risk failure and to share our attempts with others. I think part of the problem in most people’s lives is that they think they must succeed at everything. They think that things should work out perfectly the first time, every time.

Edison had over 10,000 attempts before he invented the light bulb.

Alexander Graham Bell failed 31 times before he invented the audiometer to help deaf people.

Lincoln ran for public office and lost 7 times before he was elected President.

I have learned from knitting that it is okay to try to make something and it not turn out exactly the way I want it. I like to think of it as a prototype. The next one I make will have certain adjustments that I think will make it better.

We used to go to a lot of high school basketball games and my friend was the coach. I remember hearing him tell the kids that he would much rather have them attempt a basket and not make it then never try at all because if you don’t try, you never score.

I guess I was always brought up that trying was as important as succeeding.

This is something so important to teach out students. I’m not sure that parents today are instilling this value in their children. It is probably not from neglect but because so many parents are struggling with the economy and raising children that they are tired. Many have forgotten learning this in school or home themselves. Many parents want their children to be successful but have forgotten that sometimes it takes failure to breed success.

There are still so many things I plan to try but willing to risk failure. I’m sure there are still many things in my future that I don’t know about yet. Here are some of the things I would like to do soon:

1. Lose 20 lbs.

2. Can my own vegetables.

3. Make jelly. .

4. Dye my own yarn.

Maybe someday I would like to:

1. Play pool.

2. Climb a rock wall.

3. Ride a unicycle.

4. Ride a motorcycle (yes, I’m one of those that have never done this before).

So now, I pass on the question - What are you willing to try (and risk failure)?

Image: 'Effort'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28284386@N02/2880756271

Going the Extra Mile

In The Little Man from Misadventures with Rangers, Marianne, aka Ranger Anna tells a story about how she helped this Asian man at Yellowstone National Park.( If you get a chance, please check out this story because it is an awesome one!) He didn’t speak English and pretty much had no idea what to do or how to get around. She took the time to help him, find translators, and basically take care of him so that he could have the best experience possible. Not only did she do all of this but she did a lot of this on her own time!

My husband and I love to travel and we have been in foreign countries where we have no idea what is being said and it can be a scary situation. At least we are together. This poor man was all alone and had no one, except this ranger. She was his lifesaver (maybe in more ways than one!).

Now I was lucky enough to meet Ranger Anna this summer and she is as wonderful in person as she sounds in this story. We have also become Facebook and blogging friends. When she led a group of us on a hike, she talked with everyone and found something personal about each person to connect with. We found out our common thread was through crafting.

All of this connecting and helping takes time and patience. Without willing to give some personal time and energy, I don’t think the connections will happen.

In helping this scared man in a foreign country, she made it personal. Even though it was on “company” time, it became personal to her. As I read the story, I could feel it become personal to her. I began to think that if it was my dad, I would hope that he came across someone like her. As my parents grow older, I’m afraid that some of the modern world sometimes confuses them and becomes like a foreign country to them. I hope that they come across patient younger people who will help guide them in the right way.

Then I think about my classroom and my students. When I am teaching a new skill or concept, it must seem like a foreign country to them. All the new vocabulary must seem like a foreign language to them. I need to remember what it is like to be in a foreign country and I need to go the extra mile. I need to remember who scary it can be until I can figure out how to get around.

I need to look at this from that point of view. If my students were in this foreign country (new skill or concept), what road maps and tourist information (learning steps) can I give them? Maybe they will need to refer to these resources often in order to grasp what I am teaching them. Maybe I need to go the extra mile and do more than just “teach” them. I need to guide them and sometimes even hold their hands until they get to the next destination.

I use a lot of visuals that can help them. Written schedules are helpful to students especially if there is a change in the schedule. I write schedules on the board so students can copy it if needed. Also, having the sequence of steps shown to complete an assignment may be useful if this sequence is repeated for other problems or situations. As the students become comfortable following the sequence, the need for the visual will become less and less.

I also liked making calls home to brag about the students. When they accomplished something that we could be proud of, I would take the time to call the parents. The student and the parents appreciated this. Of course, I did most of my phone calls at home in the evening when I could reach the parents and it was on my own time. But going this extra mile really helped in the classroom. When the students knew that I would call home to tell positive things, they would work harder. Students that hadn’t put much effort in their work were suddenly trying so that they could get a good phone call home. Parents began praising their children more than punishing them. I was breaking the cycle of negative reinforcement.

Sometimes going the extra mile means taking it personal. But I believe it is worth it.

Do you go the extra mile? What do you do? Please share!

Image: 'Lend a Hand'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22829128@N08/5523802062

Giving My Best

The other day I made hard boiled eggs for breakfast. While peeling the shell off, I sometimes get part of the egg white or the egg white gets torn so I put this egg on my plate instead of my husband’s plate. I want him to have the best pieces if at all possible. I know as a parent, I wanted my children to have the best in life and I know my parents felt the same way.

Then I began thinking about my students. Do I do the same things for my students? Do I make sure I plan effective and meaningful lessons? I hope that I look at what I am teaching and can see how they relate directly to their lives. By learning the skills I am teaching them, I hope that they can use these in other situations in ways that will help them be successful. I hope that not only do I teach meaningful lessons but that I can show my students why they are meaningful.

Do I look closely at the needs of my students and give them what they need instead of what I want? Sometimes I may feel tempted to go the easy route. I may be worn out or frustrated by particular students and their behavior but I can’t give up. I need to look deeper into why these students are creating obstacles and see what is needed to overcome these obstacles. I need to look at difficult situations and see them as challenges that I can face and win.

I hope when my students look back at their time with me, they can appreciate what I’ve done and know that I tried to give them best. By giving them my best, I have set an example for them to follow in the choices that they make in their lives. I hope that I have given them reasons to also give their best no matter what they do. I believe if my students do this, they will find success in their endeavors.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Image: 'Bali Kuta Beach : May their JOY+Embrace+U!' http://www.flickr.com/photos/32594277@N04/3637712921