This week’s notes are from Paul Tough, author
of How Children Succeed. Paul Tough will
be coming to Tampa in April to speak. If
you are interested in more information about seeing him, I will pass it
on. I will be going.
Paul Tough says what we all believe … “We need
to teach kids to work harder, be perseverant, put forth effort, have grit, be
conscientious, resilient and have character.”
There is research to support that this is what makes students
successful, the problem is that we don’t know exactly how to do this and the
degree to which one is successful is not measurable. The problem lies in the
fact that there is no set curriculum.
This is not something that can be packaged in a “character ed”
program. So, where do we go from
here?
Ann first introduced me to the concept of KIPP
schools. The focus of KIPP is to prepare students for life. The fundamental
value is that academics and character are equally important to success in
school, college and life. As I was
reading Tough’s book, the concept of KIPP schools came up. My schema provided
me a platform and my curiosity on the topic was peaked.
At these KIPP schools, the behavioral
expectations are thoroughly taught and practiced and inspected. They start the school year by implementing a
SLANT protocol for all learning (Sit Up and Listen, Ask questions, Nod and
Track the speaker with your eyes.) They
teach students specifically about Code Switching (this is the ability to
recognize and accurately perform behaviors appropriate to each different
cultural setting.) Their understanding is vital to success. It’s okay to be
“street” on the “street,” but if they are in a museum or college interview,
they are going to miss out on important opportunities if they don’t code switch.
We understand this, of course, but it becomes vital that the students also
understand this. At KIPP schools, they teach the Professional Code of Behavior
and they do this every minute. Now … Ann also explained to me that the teachers and leaders
in these KIPP schools are provided with a ton of Professional Development
before ever entering a KIPP school, but we can adopt and have already adopted
many things that ensure the success of our students.
One thing we can do to drive this culture:
Give kids a voice when they are having
struggles or difficulties or become frustrated. A good thing to keep in mind is
that when students are angry or anxious and they begin to yell at you as a
result of such frustrations. Stop them and say … “I will let you talk. You WILL
BE heard, but NOT UNTIL you calm down and find a way to communicate with me in
an appropriate manner.” Then once the conversation
has occurred, you can thank them for speaking to you properly. Try to get to
the bottom of their incident. Then have a conversation about how you solved the
problem. It might look like this “… In the world, when you are angry,
overreacting and yelling is not going to solve your problems and it will not
make people listen to you. If you want
people to listen to you, you have to be reasonable.” (This is not because they deserve a voice
necessarily and it’s not even about solving the problem at hand. It is about showing them appropriate ways to
communicate to get what they need.)
Let’s face it, many children experience first-hand this method of
yelling to solve their problems. This
could be a first step in code switching. Remember, the value is not in solving
the problem but their understanding that it takes reasonable and appropriate
conversation if you want to be “heard.”
I would love to encourage you to have
discussions amongst each other and as always I love this stuff, so you can talk
to me any time. No individual has all the answers, but we can leverage our experiences
and talents to conquer the challenges we are faced with every day and begin to
look at where we are through the lens of opportunity!!
No comments:
Post a Comment