Colleagues,

MVP: Events in people’s lives, and in the world, impact their work.
 
I think we have learned this lesson during the past two years. I hope we have learned this lesson.
 
In my younger years I believed that work and life should be separated and that when life was challenging, we just had to put our personal lives in a box, suck it up, and soldier on. That was a flawed, unrealistic, and unhealthy approach.
 
Having challenging things happen in life is not an excuse to not perform at work, but what is happening at home does impact the capacity we have to perform, especially when we are considering implementing new things.
 
In June when my mom had emergency back surgery, any plans I had to do new things or make changes in my business were put on hold.
 
In addition, let’s be honest about the state of the world right now. We are being confronted with the effects of climate change almost daily, Putin is talking about nukes, the divisiveness and ugliness of politics creates tension and angst among family and friends, the economy is bizarre, and the disparity of opportunity based on race, language, and other factors is being exacerbated by all these things.
 
It is a lot to absorb, and to carry.
 
Are all of these external forces an excuse to not do our job? 
 
Of course not.
 
However, is carrying the weight of these things going to impact my capacity to learn, grow, and excel?
 
Yes, it is.
 
Be graceful and give grace.

Cheers!

Frederick

Colleagues,

MVP: Just because you think the message was clear doesn’t mean they understood.
 
This week we are continuing to look at some of the reasons why people don’t do what we want them to. Remember the series is based on a specific scenario that you can refence in the box at the bottom of this email.
 
As a principal or assistant principal, I may have laid out some expectations around the implementation of LETTERS practices. I may think those expectations were clear. Whether I expressed them clearly or not, others may not have clarity on the message.
 
That overwhelmed teacher who is trying to juggle too many things may not have heard or understood what my expectations were. 
 
Instead of assuming the teacher is ignoring or non-conforming, I could begin with asking what they think I want to see. I could also provide key “look-fors” of what implementation of my expectations should look like.
 
As an aside, when you are working with highly skilled people, it might be beneficial to decide collaboratively what implementation should look like. A shared goal is much more powerful than one communicated “from above.”

Cheers!

​Frederick

Colleagues,

MVP: We often confuse self-preservation for apathy.
 
The teacher is resisting the LETTERS program because they are completely overwhelmed. This second-year teacher is coming off of a horrible first year. The teacher struggled with classroom management, and the number of curriculum standards were overwhelming. The teacher took a course on classroom management in the summer and developed a year-long plan for covering the curriculum.
 
They began the year optimistically, but they have two students who are very disruptive, and the LETTERS requirements are making it hard for the teacher to keep up with lesson planning. They feel the year spiraling out of control and are afraid that it is going to go like the last one. They think, “maybe I’m not cut out for this” and feel their dream of being a great teacher slipping away.
 
The teacher withdraws and becomes apathetic to everything, especially LETTERS. It all hurts too much and becoming numb is easier.
 
We often confuse self-preservation for apathy.
 
Reflect:

• Have you invented a story about why someone acted a certain way, only to find that story was wrong?
• Have you made assumptions based on prior traumatic experiences?
• Have you ever been in over your head?
• Have you ever withdrawn to protect yourself?

 
Have a great weekend!

The scenario:
The state has decided that all elementary school teachers must learn a science-based reading technique and structure their lessons and teach in a specific format defined by the program. Let’s be creative and call the program LETTERS. 
 
The training requires teachers to spend 2-3 hours a week outside of the school day. As compensation the state is providing a monthly stipend of $200.
 
While some teachers are embracing the program, many are not. 

Cheers!

Frederick

Colleagues,

MVP: People may not have the skill we assume they have.
 
The teacher is resisting the LETTERS program because the content is over their head. They began the program, but they have had very little training on literacy. The program also has components that require kids to work on their own while the teacher conducts small-group instruction, and the teacher is struggling with classroom management.
 
In this case, the teacher does not have the prerequisite skills to make the program work. We could reasonably assume that an elementary teacher would have received substantial training in literacy and would be able to mange a classroom effectively, but in this case it isn’t true.

The scenario:
The state has decided that all elementary school teachers must learn a science-based reading technique and structure their lessons and teach in a specific format defined by the program. Let’s be creative and call the program LETTERS. 
 
The training requires teachers to spend 2-3 hours a week outside of the school day. As compensation the state is providing a monthly stipend of $200.
 
While some teachers are embracing the program, many are not. 

Cheers!

Frederick

Colleagues,

MVP: Past experience colors our predictions for the future
 
The teacher is resisting the LETTERS program because of negative past experiences. 
 
Maybe they had a terrible principal (or assistant principal) previously, and the thought of being judged on LETTERS implementation by the new principal (or AP) creates overwhelming anxiety.
 
Maybe they have had very negative experiences with state trainings.
 
Maybe they tried to implement something similar before and it didn’t work.
 
In each of these cases, the teacher is making a decision based on prior experience, not on the current situation.

The scenario:
The state has decided that all elementary school teachers must learn a science-based reading technique and structure their lessons and teach in a specific format defined by the program. Let’s be creative and call the program LETTERS. 
 
The training requires teachers to spend 2-3 hours a week outside of the school day. As compensation the state is providing a monthly stipend of $200.
 
While some teachers are embracing the program, many are not. 

Cheers!

Frederick