A Reader Writes... A Stressed Out Staff - Part 2

In response to the 1/27/15 post, “A Stressed Out Staff,” a reader writes:

This is absolutely absurd. There is no empathy in this article. This is more "blame the teacher" propaganda. If a school staff is supposed to be a team, this completely undermines that idea. Encouragement and stress relief is what is needed. Support and an empathetic ear are what are needed. Sometimes all a teacher needs is encouragement and a chance to vent.

SC Response

First, thank you for writing that you disagree with the post.  I was actually sharing with a LYSer earlier this week that I was getting a little concerned that we weren’t hearing from anyone with a contrary position.

Second, I went back and reread the post and want to take your critique line by line.

A. “This is absurd.”

The facts are not absurd.  The facts are the facts.  There was an AP that was concerned about staff complaints. We went to observe teachers, on this particular campus, to better determine the source of the teachers’ stress to better support the complaining teachers. The instructional practices observed were, at best, lower yield.

B. “This is “blame the teacher” propaganda.”

Far from the case, I am a public education advocate.  What I am not is a public education apologist.  When we are on our game, I won’t back down. And when we aren’t doing what we should, I will not sugar coat it.  What we do as public educators, every day, is too important to abide half measure on any day.

C. The post “undermines the idea of staff as team.”

To the contrary, it completely supports the idea.  What undermines the idea of “staff as team” is leadership allowing those working for the team to also carry the weight of those not working for the team. That would be a form of leadership failure and only benefits those taking advantage of the team.

D. “Encouragement and stress relief is what is needed.” 

Agreed.  For those who are engaged in doing the work as required.  For those who are not, they must be encouraged to engage and implement their training, because by not doing so, their stress is self-inflicted.

E. “Sometimes all a teacher needs is encouragement and a chance to vent.”

Agreed, and I even wrote as much...”Don’t confuse the stress of focused purpose with the stress of lazy practice.  One is addressed with empathy and support.  The other is addressed with honest communication and monitored expectations.”

I just point out a leader must recognize that “guilt stress” requires a different response than “pressure stress.”

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Readers Write... A Stressed Out Staff - Part 1

In response to the 1/27/15 post, “A Stressed Out Staff,” readers write:

A LYS Principal

 “Right on, Brother. Keep preaching it!“

A LYS Principal

“Good stuff... good stuff... So glad you shared this out!

A LYS Teacher

            “And I thought I was the only one who noticed which teachers do the most whining.

SC Response

I get it.  Teaching students in this era of increased accountability and diminishing resources is difficult, stressful work.  Much more so than when I was in the classroom. I also recognize that for many, “gritching” is the lubricant that allows one to deal with the friction of doing difficult work.  So I have a high tolerance for “in house / behind closed doors” gritching. 

So for those doing the work, in the way that we agreed to do it, I am on your side and if I can help, I will.  

But for those making their lives more stressful due to cutting corners and hoping to not get caught, the only help I can give you is to help you get on board or to help you move on.  That is difficult job of leadership.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Stressed Out Staff

I recently met with a first year assistant principal for a coaching session and the first thing she said was, “I don’t know what to do.  Teachers are coming to me crying.  Telling me that there is just too much to do. That there’s not enough time. That our students are too far behind to actually teach what should be taught now. These teachers are not faking, there are real tears.”

I told her that before I’d answer her question that we needed to go visit some classrooms.  So we went and spent about 45 minutes observing instruction.  During that time, teachers were not closing their lessons.  Classrooms were shutting down 5 minutes early.  Students were entering classrooms and waiting for teachers because warm-up activities were not posted.  Substitute teachers were babysitting classrooms because sub plans weren’t updated, ready and available.  Bottom line: It was not good and the teachers knew it.

I told the AP the tell the staff that she recognized that teaching is stressful and for the teachers that were implementing training, using provided instructional tools, and teaching bell to bell, she would help them problem solve and improve.  And for those who were not doing those things, that a large part of their problems were self-inflicted.

Don’t confuse the stress of focused purpose with the stress of lazy practice.  One is addressed with empathy and support.  The other is addressed with honest communication and monitored expectations.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TMSA Winter Conference; ASCD Annual Conference; TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NAESP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Addressing Stress

When I visit a new campus I am invariably told by multiple sources that, “The teachers are really stressed,” or “We are really concerned about the amount of stress that teachers are under.”

To which I always ask, “What exactly is the source of all the stress?”

The answer is presented as a list of changes which almost always includes a couple of the following:

A. A new leader

B. A new curriculum

C. New pedagogy expectations

D. New technology

E. A changing student body

But here’s the catch, on these "stress filled" campuses, I rarely see any of those things being actually addressed or implemented.  And I’ve been doing this for a long time, at hundreds of campuses across the county.

Here is what I think is really causing the stress.

Fear of the Unknown:  The education landscape is changing rapidly and we are a risk-adverse profession.  We don’t know what funding will look like, accountability will look like, or what schools will look like in the near future.  This is stressful.

Lack of Control:  Before accountability, all a teacher had to do was cover material related to the content, maintain decent classroom discipline, not upset parents, and maintain an acceptable pass/fail rate. Not easy work, but work where the teacher had near complete control and was questioned by essentially no one.  Now in the accountability era, the teacher must teach specific content at specific rigor levels and have near 100% mastery.  And now everything the teacher does or does not do is in question, by anyone. This is stressful.

Inadequacy:  It’s time to be honest, what is expected of today’s classroom teacher far exceeds what was expected of yesterday’s teachers.  This requires better tools, better models, better training and better support to build this new level of teacher capacity.  And if the district and campus is not doing its part, teachers are being asked to perform at a level that they are currently unable to do.  This is stressful.

Guilt:  There are teachers who know they are not attempting to do what they have been asked to do.  This is stressful.

Stress not addressed can be debilitating. Stress inappropriately diagnosed leads to frustration and wasted effort on empty solutions.  Stress appropriately diagnosed can be managed and alleviated.

So what are the real stressors on your campus?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Writes... (Poisonous Staff - Part 6)

In response to the 12/12/2010 post, “Poisonous Staff – Part 5,” a reader writes:

I thought it was rather funny that one of the responses to this continuing saga of poisonous staff was to suggest that the writer find another school district to work for rather than some other option. Giving up is never an option that we as teachers suggest to our students, so why should anyone in authority suggest it?

You are right about that principal being under much stress. But, you only create more stress when you are experiencing it. Stress gets even the best of us. I'd love to have LYS provide teachers, school districts and the like with ways to redirect each other in positive ways and make it so that we need and must do so. Being a LYS teacher should also mean: Work as a team. A unit. Know that each one of the team is vital to success. Never try to do a team member in. Always, always find a way to keep each team member up and find a way to relieve stress in a positive way rather than taking it out on your TEAM!!!!!!

SC Response

Let’s start with one of the first rules my grandfather (a very successful leader of men and women, both in the military and the corporate world) taught me. “If you have a problem with your boss, it is your problem, not the boss’ problem.” That’s why I advise if you do not agree with your boss and/or you cannot live with the direction the organization is heading in, that is your problem. Support the organization and your boss, or leave. I can respect either of those decisions. But I cannot condone someone who is unhappy with the situation, sandbagging or sabotaging. As adults, we have a choice of where we work and whom we work for. Exercising that choice is always a viable option. Students, on the other hand, do not have a choice of what school they will attend and who will teach them. Since they have no choice (relatively speaking), we have a responsibility (moral imperative) to teach them to the best of our ability. Every day, whether we are happy or not.

Your suggestion that we work with educators on ways to reduce stress and support each other is part of our training and the support that we provide schools and districts. And the schools and districts that we have worked with for multiple years realize that this is the case. Unfortunately, in the initial stages of LYS training and support, there are those who are frazzled by the changes in their daily practice that they are trying to implement. Which is why we remind everyone that initially, all we are looking for is effort, because with effort the improvement will happen. Change is never easy, meaningful change even less so. We (LYS) know that, which is why we are there to support campuses in their attempts to improve. It is also why we don’t take it personal when people vent towards us. It’s just a natural part of the change process.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain at www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Visit the LYS Booth at the NASSP Booth (today)

Hear the LYS Presentation at the Texas Middle School Association Conference (tomorrow)

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 22)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 20," an old school LYS High School Principal writes:

“I suppose focusing on good apples or bad apple is a matter of perspective. I don't consider taking an honest look at our profession "bashing." You say the blog's focus is on a "few". Really? I assure you the general public is not aware that a Texas high school is considered Acceptable if a mere 60% of the students meet MINIMUM standards in some subjects. Move up to Recognized and you are "merely" leaving 25% behind the minimum standards. And this is since the state government stepped in and made us improve. We didn’t decide to do it on our own.

Let’s go back a few years. Many principals like to brag about their exemplary high schools under the old Texas TAAS standard. Under TAAS, schools placed huge numbers of kids into special education so as to avoid accountability and to make the numbers look better. It didn't hurt that we got more money for special education too, but I'm sure none of us in our profession ever let fact cloud our judgment. The result? Thousands of kids received an extremely sub-par education and since the schools were not accountable for them, next to no one cared.

Under TAAS, you could be acceptable failing 50% of your kids, but on top of that, you could place an additional 20% in special education (or more) so that those students didn't even count towards your required 50%. This trick persists to this day although it is being rapidly mitigated by the government.
A few bad apples??? No sir or ma’am. I say that few of our schools, do an adequate job for each individual student. Schools truly pushing themselves to serve students are the exception, not the norm."

SC Response
For those who think that the pendulum has swung too far, true or not, we only have ourselves to blame. I’ll come back to this thought in a second.

You forgot to mention TPM, exceptions and exemptions. I was working with a campus earlier this year that had two sub-pops that scored below acceptable levels. But an exemption negated one set of scores and TPM negated the other. When I was addressing what wasn’t working and what we had to do to fix it now, the Principal looked at me and said, “Don’t you understand we are a “Recognized” campus?”

I looked at him and said, “Don’t you understand that if it wasn’t for luck and politics, you are an Unacceptable campus?”

As a profession, we find it way too easy to convince ourselves that we are OK, that the responsibility for any problems resides elsewhere. I, on the other hand, believe that those of us in our profession have a higher calling. That it is our job to solve the problems of society. After all, if not us, then who else is going to step up and do it?

Now back to the pendulum of accountability. At one time, I was beginning to waiver in my belief that increasing accountability was a good thing. That perhaps we had gone too far. Then Hurricane Katrina showed up. I had a role in the transitioning of Louisiana students into Texas schools. Texas, for those of you in other states, has been one of the early adopters of most accountability practices. Louisiana on the other hand, has not. What was quickly evident was that the students from the “best” Louisiana schools were less prepared and significantly behind the students from even the “struggling” Texas schools. And that the Texas poor, black and brown students were out performing the displaced white Louisiana students. Why? Not because Texas students were smarter, not because Texas educators were more motivated, but because Texas schools were accountable for higher minimum performance standards for disaggregated students populations than our neighbors to the east. We were better because our jobs depended on it.

It’s hard to argue that the entire profession is truly focused on student performance and student needs when the data contradicts that. So a small group of us staked a position and began to blaze a trail, which begat Lead Your School, which begat you - the LYS Nation.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teachers Stress - Part 21)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 18,” a LYS Assistant Superintendent writes:

“There is a big difference between the challenges of living in central office and challenges of living at the campus level. I have to constantly remind my fellow central office types that we are the ones responsible for closing the gap between the two levels.

You cannot expect campus leadership (who have never been at central office) to understand the obstacles you are facing. It is an unfair expectation. But having been a former campus leader, you can never forget the obstacles that the campus faces. Never forget that you are the only one with the perspective to operate in both worlds in the best interest of students, and that this does not make you superior. What it does is put the greater responsibility on you to meet the needs of the campus more than half way. In fact, central office should strive to provide solutions to the campus before they even know they need a solution. Not always possible, but a good goal and worthy objective.

One thing I do to reinforce that we are in the school business is that I have replaced most of the adult chairs in my departments with the same chairs that the high school students sit in all day. Give me enough time and they will all be replaced. This gives our work areas a ‘campus feel’ as opposed to a ‘lawyer’s office’ feel. It also is a constant reminder that we are not superior to the campus. We do not get perks, and we don’t get to skate.

Just a thought, for what it’s worth.”

SC Response:
Excellent points and what I have been trying to illustrate. There is a disconnect between the campuses and central office. This is not an indictment, it is an unavoidable fact. The keys are that we have to recognize that fact, not ignore it, and that only central office leadership can close the gap. Thus, the size of the gap is solely central office’s responsibility.

Addressing the gap take awareness and purposeful action. For example, similar to you, when I was a Principal, I furnished my office with furniture from the district’s surplus warehouse. I did the same thing when I moved to central office. You can talk all day long about how kids and teachers are important, but when management works in opulence and labor toils in squalor, your actions scream another message.

As a central office leader, I held significantly more meetings and training sessions at the campuses (at hours convenient for the schools) than at central office. I also conducted more small group and one on one meetings than large meetings. Was this inconvenient and inefficient for me, personally? Actually, no. My job was to ensure effective and efficient campus operations. The best way to do this was to ensure that those most directly responsible for those operations, teachers and campus leaders, where able to devote more time on task. This means you take the mountain to Mohammed.

As with most things in education, we are the problem, hence we are the solution.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 20)

In response to the post, "A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 18)," a reader writes.

"I have to respond....mainly because I don't think generalizations are helpful...and there were certainly a lot of generalizations made here. There are bad central administration staff...just like there are bad principals, assistant principals, and teachers. Must we continue to beat a dead horse by generalizing, stereotyping and focusing on the bad apples? This approach really seems to create an environment that does not produce collaboration and team work between the "players" that need to be making it happen for the kids.

None of us, in this business, are an island. Even good principals require a team to make them good principals. The success or failure of my campus depends on a strong team; on the campus and at the central office. Yes, we, as principals, can move our campus forward even with an ineffective central administration. But that is a tough fight. A central administration staff that is supportive and working toward campus success makes my job so much easier.

In this blog, we've criticized Assistant Principals (I couldn't survive without mine); teachers (that is where it all happens); counselors; and central administration staff. Not sure we've started in on food service and transportation...but they may be next.

Careful....we may choke on our principal haloes."

SC Response
Great post. Like I tell everyone, if you don’t like the tone of the blog, change it by sending in a comment.

First, if you talking specifically about, “Teacher Stress – Part 18,” you missed the context. I stated that I was describing a district that is in a doom loop. That obviously describes a narrow niche of school districts. It does not describe the majority of districts. On the other hand, having a working understanding of the dynamics of a doom loop district allows everyone else to do some self monitoring and self reflection. If you recognize some of the patterns or practices occurring in your district, fix it. If there ever was a case of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, this is it.

Second, yes there are poor performers in every role, from Board Member to Para-professional. And beating the dead horse gets tiresome. But this blog is driven by people who are trying to improve things because they want to, not because they have to. When that is the case, dealing with poor performers is a much more complex issue. It is much easier to improve the “have to” situation. Hence, the regular discussions.

Third, I know that the poor performers are in the minority, most educators are good people who try hard and want what’s best for their students. But we are also a profession that engages in very few professional behaviors. To not point that out and not work everyday to fix that situation would not be professional.

Fourth, effective teams are built on honest assessments and professional expectations. Dealing with that doesn’t always feel good. But this is where the role of leadership is most important, doing the hard stuff. One
reason why I often point out the frailties of upper management is because as the outsider, I can. The subordinate can’t point out to the boss that she is letting the team down, and survive. In that context, I see the blog as a vehicle that promotes reflection and examination of our practices through the lens of effective vs. ineffective. In this particular case, your post made me re-examine the recent content of this on-going conversation. After all, there is a fine line between constructive feedback and petty whining.

Finally, I’m the last one to claim that principal’s are perfect. In fact, I know of no one who holds principals more accountable than I do (other than Brown). Any principal that we have worked with can attest to that. Or as one principal stated, an LYS assessment is not meant to be a self esteem building exercise. But we do it, because we are zealots for public education and we believe that the work we (public educators) do is too important and too serious not do at full speed.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 19)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 15,” a reader writes.

“Our current central administration we are definitely not the on the same page with Brezina, et. al. Not only are the assistant superintendents clueless about what is happening on our campuses, they don’t have a clue what is happening with the next layer below them. I haven’t seen anyone from central office on my campus in at least three semesters. Our building sparkles and the staff and students are busting their tails, but they don’t know. Any recommendations we make for improvement are dismissed after minimal consideration, if not immediately.

Our ship has lost its way.”

SC Response
I have little to offer accept what I stated in a previous post, a good principal can overcome a bad system, up until the point that she gets tired or quits. I have a friend who is a homicide detective in a big city. On a regular basis he puts on a bullet proof vest and busts downs doors. I heard him ask a principal that is fighting the good fight everyday with exceptional results, “Why are you killing yourself, when your school board and central office obviously doesn’t care about what is good for you and your particular kids.”

I think the answer is we do it because it is the right thing to do. We get to “pay it forward” and change lives for the better, everyday. We also do it because those above us were once teachers and at some point they will remember who they are and step up their game again.

No bureaucratic system is perfect. Even the best districts have glitches. At the campus level, we have determine if the battle is winnable or futile. If there is a glimmer of hope, stick it out. If the system is so rotten at the core that it can’t be fixed, go to a district where you aren’t beating your head against the wall. At the district level either step up to the example someone else is setting, or better yet, become the example. Anything less and your value to the system is, at best, marginalized.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 18)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 15,” a reader writes:

“I’m an old school LYS change principal, so I’m not talking about my first rodeo.

At my previous high school, I had the complete support and trust of my superintendent. In that position, I let the assistant superintendents and central office directors know I was in charge of my campus, not them. Under their supervision, the campus drove full speed into the ditch, costing the former principal his job. Additionally, no one in central office, other than the superintendent, had ever been a high school principal.

This arrangement worked great until the superintendent resigned for health reasons. Then the central office knives were unsheathed. Talk about disconnect, improved student performance wasn’t even a blip on their radar.

Now I’m in a district where none of the assistant superintendents, deputy superintendents, and even the superintendent has ever been a high school principal. Talk about disconnect.

I’m starting to see a pattern.”

SC Response
Great, there you go finding more patterns that nobody wants to address. Let’s dissect the pattern of a common “doom loop” district:

1. Central office is made up of a mix of former successful principals from by-gone accountability eras, former principals who are milking the last couple years of salary for retirement purposes, former unsuccessful principals who were demoted up and non-principals.

2. How does each of these groups have the potential to accelerate the doom loop? The former successful principal from the by-gone era often doesn’t understand the tempo required to maintain adequate performance and the sensitivity of current accountability standards. Operating from this outdated experience base, support is often slow to arrive and/or out of touch with current realities.

The former successful principal who is milking the last couple of years for retirement purposes often refuses to engage in meaningful initiatives that require significant work, loath “problems” that require their attention and avoid conflict when at all possible.

The unsuccessful principal who was demoted up generally bring nothing to the table accept the misguided notion that they were actually “promoted” in spite of objective evidence to the contrary.

The non-principal often brings a lot of technical expertise to the table. Unfortunately many have convinced themselves that they are true “leaders” because their small departments run effectively and principals are generally polite to them. What they miss is that there is a big difference between leadership in small, protected settings (departments) and leadership at scale in unpredictable situations (the principalship and superintendency).

3. How does this group kick-start the doom loom? This group of generally well-meaning central office personnel exacerbates the problem by rarely (and sometimes never) spending significant time on campuses for the purpose of examining and improving instruction. When they make unilateral decisions without input from key campus leaders, when they pull staff from campuses to come to them, instead of the other way around, and when they attach their ego to their idea, at the expense of effective campus tools and practices, they are no longer part of the solution. These actions transform them into a problem to be worked around.

4. What is the outside variable that puts this doom loop into play? The dual pressures of increasing accountability standards and declining wealth of the student population. This change to the macro environment in which the school operates renders business as usual into an exercise in futility.

Throw all of this together and the system drives straight towards the ditch. This is where you (the writer) come in. You are great at getting the school out of the ditch, but by doing so you illuminate all of the leadership failures that led to the disaster in the first place. But instead of existing leadership learning from their mistakes and changing their practices, they harbor significant resentment and lie in wait for the first chance to tear down the source of their pain and embarrassment (see: ama crab theory).

This brings us back to why we regularly point out that the Superintendent and Principal occupy the two most important positions in the system. The Superintendent can change the system and the Principal can overcome the system (until she gets tired or quits).

Now here is the warning, if your results are still acceptable but you recognize the pattern of the doom loop emerging, do something about it before it is too late. It’s never too late to put aside empire building and refocus on campus needs. But know that your hubris can be the ruin of your district.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 17)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 14,” a reader writes:

“Actually when we fail, many of our students will end up in jail; choosea life of crime or gangs where they could die or cause someone else to die; and/or choose a life of crime that can destroy businesses.”

SC Response
Correct, but then again as a member of the LYS Nation, you operate at a higher state of awareness and urgency. What I meant in my example is that a doctor who half-steps has patients die. A lawyer who half-steps has clients go to jail. A CPA who half-steps has clients go bankrupt. An educator who half-steps doesn’t often have to face the immediate ramification of his or her lack of professionalism. The damage that we do generally manifests itself at a latter date, but it is still very real.

Once we embrace the fact that our failures do cause death, prison and economic failure, the incentive to get better, faster becomes more universal. Until then, we are not a true profession; we are just a collection of mostly well intentioned people engaged in random acts of nurturing. Our students (and our communities) need more that that.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 16)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 13,” a reader writes:

Quoting from the post, “…those teachers that felt that administrators were bullying them were teachers that were having "issues" in their practice.”

“This is not always the situation. The rest of your response made me feel that some good people are still out there.”

SC Response
A couple of years ago, I began to notice a trend that was emerging as I was working with struggling and/or stagnant schools and districts. But it took the perfect storm of working with a large dysfunctional urban district with entrenched inept leadership and a well organized union to drive home the following truth.

1. Teachers in general don’t like change. As a group, we are risk-adverse. This is not an indictment, it is simply a fact.

2. Teachers that are doing the least, gripe and complain the loudest when change and accountability are introduced. After all, they have the most to lose when they are exposed.

3. Hard working, effective teachers get sucked into the manipulations of weaker teachers. This is because they (the effective ones) are working their tails off and assume that everyone else is doing the same. They don’t have the luxury of time to visit the effective classroom and the ineffective classroom on a frequent and regular basis.

4. Unions want poor teachers to raise a stink, because then they have a public fight where they can flex their muscle and tell the hard working teachers, “This could have been you.” When in actuality that will never be the case because hard working, effective teachers take care of their business.

5. Inept leadership uses teacher complaints and union push-back as the excuse to do nothing except to collect their paychecks and fiddle as the collective future opportunities of their students’ burn to the ground.

So there is the truth and the reason why from a system standpoint, I am a teacher advocate (which interestingly surprises a lot of people). Poor teachers and unions are not the root of the problem. Scared, lazy, inept and/or “me” centered leaders who use poor teachers and unions as the excuse for their lack of meaningful action are the problem. The bottom line is this: If leadership provides a compelling vision, creates and supports a value-adding system, models expectations, monitors expectations, and objectively enforces expectations, labor becomes an engaged partner. When leadership does not do the things I just described, they deserve all the grief that labor dishes out.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 15)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 9,” the writer writes:

“So the campus administrators will know, "Central Office" was my focus. I do agree that everyone has their own perception. This is not about principals. It's about Central Office not being in touch with realistic goals and respecting the teaching profession. How can we all get on the same boat?”

SC Response
It seems as if you are concerned with the disconnect between Central Office and campuses. This is a near universal phenomenon. There are some answers to this, but they are so radical that only a few leaders have attempted it. Strangely, I have worked for, or with, three pioneers in this area, Robert Brezina, Richard Griffin and Shirley Neeley.

To get the LYS Nation up to speed, I will quickly summarize the work of Dr. Bob Thompson, out of Lamar University. Dr. Thompson correctly points out that the disconnect between Central Office and the campus is systemic and is entirely the fault (responsibility) of the Superintendent. What happens is that there are two centers of gravity in a district, Superintendent and Principal. The closer you are to one of those centers, the more you are influenced by that particular center. Unfortunately, when you get to Central Office you realize that your long term success is based on keeping the Superintendent happy, so the needs of campuses (Principals) quickly take second tier status.

So how do you fix this? The Superintendent has to turn the world upside down. That means that the system has to be purposefully manipulated to make the Principal at least as important as the Superintendent. Here are three ways to do this:

1. The Thompson Method (used by Neeley). In the traditional district, the Superintendent evaluates the Central Office staff. Keep the Superintendent happy and you keep your job. Make the Principals unhappy and nobody cares. Using Thompson’s method, the Superintendent and the Principals evaluate Central Office staff. 40% of the evaluation is based on the Superintendent’s input, 60% from the Principals. Make the Principals unhappy and the Superintendent can’t save you. The center of gravity (balance of power) is shifted and the needs of the campus take precedent.

2. The Griffin Method. The high school principals and the assistant superintendents are equals and are on the same salary scale. This keeps leadership capacity at the campus level and ensures that Central Office can not arbitrarily tell a principal “No.” The center of gravity is shifted (balance of power) and the needs of the campus are better addressed.

3. The Brezina Method. Make the unit of measurement in the salary system based on the value of the principal (example: The Director of Technology = 0.8 Principal). Then, base the evaluation of Central Office staff on the results of the lowest performing campus. The center of gravity is shifted (balance of power) and the needs of the campus are better addressed.

Without Superintendent mandate, the disconnect is never really addressed. What is funny (funny sad, not funny Ha Ha) is that when the Superintendent who corrects the disconnect leaves, you can get whiplash from how fast the system snaps back to the old way of doing things. The needs of Ego will trump the needs of students darn near every time.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 14)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 9,” a reader writes:

“This was a great post because it clearly holds all of our feet to the fire, teachers and administrators. What we all need to remember is that our purpose in education is to do what is in the best interest of our students at all times. That may mean that there are moments when we as adults are made to feel uncomfortable, but it is not personal. It is not about being mean, or not liking someone. That is personal. Rather it is about doing what will keep our students moving forward at the greatest speed possible while creating opportunities for the adults to grow as leaders in the school. This post will be required reading for my staff.”

SC Response
You are right. The post did a very good job of outlining critical professional behaviors that set us up to achieve our mission. That mission being to maximize student potential. The key, of course, being the concept of ‘professional.’ Unfortunately, the understanding of what it takes to be a true professional is somewhat lacking in our field. If you don’t believe me, read Schmoker, Fullan, etc. The good news is that as a staff becomes more professional the school quickly moves ahead of the pack.

However, I’m going to reverse myself somewhat and state for the record that I want more teachers to make their jobs more personal. But here is what I want this to look like. I want teachers to quit taking personal credit for every student success and using that success as “proof” of their both their effectiveness and the lack of ability / motivation of less successful students. Instead I want them to take personal responsibility for every student failure and use that failure as proof that there are holes in our craft and in our systems that have to be identified and corrected. When that happens, teachers will finally begin to demand and utilize the resources that a true profession brings to bear.

We are fortunate that in our profession that when we fail, no one dies, goes to jail, or loses their business. But until we collectively start acting like the stakes are that high, we will continued to be described as “the unprofessional profession.”

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 13)

In response to the posts relating to, “Teacher Stress,” a reader writes:

“In my experience as a teacher, counselor, program manager, and assistant principal, those teachers that felt that administrators were bullying them were teachers that were having "issues" in their practice.

I have worked and continue to work with teachers in many ways. Ultimately we are accountable for ensuring that each student receives a rigorous engaging education. If I were to sit in my office all day and pretend that all was well I would be doing a disservice to every student and teacher in my building.

Additionally, I think that constructive criticism is one way to show respect for all teachers, whether they are superior or satisfactory. Every teacher should strive for excellence and in my experience superior teachers seek the criticism and the satisfactory teachers are those that feel that there is no room for improvement.

All said, we should strive for excellence. Settling is unacceptable, as we are talking about educating our youth. My grandfather always told me "Close only counts in horseshoes and grenades." I expect that my children have a high quality education and not a decent education, and all teachers and parents should expect this.”

SC Response
Agreed. I want to add two things.

1. Criticism isn’t fun. Even if I ask for it, anything that isn’t 100% positive stings a little. If I didn’t ask for it, it is even worse. Most educators are able to go for years without facing any meaningful criticism. So if you are the first bearer of seemingly bad news, regardless how relevant or truthful that news is, you are the jerk. In fact, the more relevant or truthful, the more the information is unappreciated.

2. Research shows that our most competent educators have the perception that they have the most to learn and have the biggest holes in their craft. As such, they are the most receptive to feedback; positive or negative. Our most incompetent educators have the perception that that they are experts in our field and that there is nothing in their craft to improve on. Thus any feedback contrary to their opinion is obviously wrong.

So the litmus test is this. If an individual continues to ignore, contradict and/or fight coaching feedback and criticism, you are most likely dealing with a marginal educator who should be replaced, sooner rather than later.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Asks... (Teacher Stress - Part 12)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 9,” the Marine asks:

“This was an outstanding post, who wrote it?”

SC Response
Your blog sparing partner, the Sailor. He says, “Go Navy!”

Happy Easter

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 11)

In response to the post relating to, “Teacher Stress – Part 9,” a reader writes:

“Speaking to the statement, ‘I don't see Central Office personnel as bullies. I often think they are disconnected from where the rubber meets the road and they are implementing in order to meet the state and federal guidelines and meet the demands of the board of trustees.’

I personally had to deal with one central office administrator and yes, it was not kind. I was a business person once at the top of my game. I think we do need to think about school as a business because that is what it has become. As teachers we are also meeting these demands that the state requires. And we also see the results of those demands on our students everyday.

As a compassionate human being we see more than the data; we see emotion, disappointments, tears from parents and students, self-esteem issues; happiness, success and health issues. Yes, it does get personal with some of us; whether it is a choice we make or not make; we still see ourselves as compassionate human beings."

SC Response
You almost wrote it, so I’ll finish the statement. We are in the people business.

To be successful in the people business we have to make a personal connection and we have to focus on the task at hand. Our students are expected to master certain things, by a certain time. That is the business. We also have to connect with our students to make things meaningful to them and to ensure that they meet their potential.

But here is where a bucket full of stress is generated. We now know that there are practices, tools, systems and habits that increase student performance. We’ll call this “Best Practice.” The sad truth is that our schools do a very lack luster job of consistently implementing “best practice.” This understanding is so commonplace that when I was recently briefing a Governor and a group of State Senators, the topic they were most interested in discussing was, “The Mythical Best Practices.” In their words, “It doesn’t matter what school we visit, we always see the same thing.”

What is sad is that I couldn’t tell them that they were wrong. But I was able to share with them a framework for fixing it. Then I showed them the data from LYS schools. There is a difference.

Everyone in the system can shoulder the blame for this implementation ignorance and/or failure, from our elected officials all the way down to the classroom teacher. But it is principals and teachers that are most culpable. This is because at the campus level we have the flexibility to deviate from the norm and implement best practice (even when the other campuses around us are not) and we are dealing with the actual student. We see first hand the near immediate effect of better teaching. And when someone points out that we are not getting it done, shame on us. That is because we should have known that fact and corrected it before anyone outside our campus had enough time to figure it out.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress Quick Hitters)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress Quick Hitters,” a reader writes:

"Interesting that I was discussing Point 4, “When I don’t agree, I think I love it more,” with another veteran LYS leader (JM) just yesterday.

JM and I agree about 90% of the time. Yesterday, we realized that we have actually learned a lot from each other. Guess why? It is not because of the 90% we agree on. The learning is due to the 10% we disagree on.

We then discussed other administrators we know in our highly dysfunctional district; administrators who are not leaders, essentially anti-LYS’ers. We concluded they purposefully surround themselves with people who agree with them and have zero tolerance for a differing point of view. There has to be a lesson in here somewhere."

SC Response
Do you think?

It is the argument, the adversity, and/or the challenge that hones the critical thinking process. When we agree and/or things are going well, the half thought out idea and lazy practice will suffice. We aren’t forced to dig out the one piece of truth that will make the difference.

It is often pointed out that the old school LYS’er does not talk, act, or think like any other educator. And I believe that this is because they purposely placed themselves in positions where conventional wisdom and common practice had failed miserably. In that setting, they found truths that no one else had the stamina or mental discipline to search for. Then as you pointed out, they are willing to present and defend those truths; up until a better case is made.

When I present to entrenched campuses, it is better than even money that there will be a number of angry people when I finish. Invariably, a Central Office type will ask me if am I concerned by this fact. To which I respond, “Absolutely not. The only thing that concerns me is if I get nothing. I want them to stand up and cheer or get angry. If they truly agree, they should be emboldened to act. If they are truly mad, they have to reconsider their position in order to counter mine. If they can get past the emotion, then we are dealing with critical thinking, which creates an opportunity for growth and learning.”

Give me a team of three people who respect each other, work hard, and rarely agree and we’ll beat the kum-bay-ah crowd every time. Check that, give me the LYS Nation and we’ll change the world.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 9)

In response to the posts relating to, “Teacher Stress,” a reader writes:

"I agree with the writer's comments concerning administrators being "mean and bullies" at face value, however I suspect that if we look deeper there is a perception issue. When I do my PowerWalks and provide you with feedback, what do you call that?

If I have non-negotiable issues, and then I monitor them with classroom visits, what do you call that?

If I coach teachers on my expectations, put them on growth plans if they don't meet those expectations, and terminate them if they can't be coached, what do you call that?

At the schools I have led those actions has often been called, "Picking on teachers," which I suspect could be interpreted as "mean and bullying". I call it clear, consistent, and accountable leadership.

Does your translation of “respect” from administration translate into "Leave teachers alone and trust they will do the right things for kids"? Because I call that incompetent leadership.

Does “respect” mean letting teachers choose what they teach and when they teach it? Again, my definition of incompetence.

So I agree that administrators should respect teachers. I agree that administrators should not be mean bullies. However, in my experiences these definitions are very much a matter of perspective and perception."

SC Response
Well you know that I agree, but then we are products from the same leadership development tree. I think what gets lost in translation when people observe us from a distance is though our communication style is direct, we never advocate being a jerk just for the sake of being a jerk. We never advocate tearing someone down who has not been provided the appropriate tools and resources in the first place. In fact, the old school LYS’ers may be the biggest teacher advocates in the field today.

But it is advocacy focused on ensuring that each teacher is successful in completing the mission of our profession; that is ensuring that every student that we work with is better off because of that work. That means if the system is holding back our teachers, we change the system. That means if teachers need on-going support and training, we secure the support and training. That means if teachers need better tools, we bring them the better tools. And that means if a teacher refuses to embrace the new when it is clearly more powerful and effective than the old, then you deal with that teacher.

The bottom line is if a leader truly respects her staff, she doesn’t force them to continue to work with slackers. That's not mean; it’s respect for the job, respect for the profession, and the ultimate respect for the individuals that are doing the actual work.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 9)

In response to the posts relating to, “Teacher Stress,” a reader writes:

"I have been reading your responses and your answers for a couple of days. I have been reluctant to respond. However, as an administrator, I do believe it is a leadership issue and a teacher issue. It is the responsibility of the leadership to build capacity in order to build ownership. I also have to take the advice of my husband, the businessman, who constantly reminds me, "it's NOT personal, it's business". But teachers do not view themselves as a professional business person. They are teachers working with children. It IS a profession. Unfortunately sometimes we just can't get past the emotional part of our jobs because that is what we have invested so much of ourselves. I don't see Central Office personnel as "bullies". I often think they are disconnected from where the rubber meets the road and they are implementing in order to meet the state and federal guidelines and meet the demands of the board of trustees.

We hear often the phrase that teachers need to be flexible. We confuse that with schedule changes and management issues. Those are part of the flexibility issues however it is far more complicated than that. The complexity and complicatedness of education is beyond what we can, as local school administrators and teachers, understand. What we can do is work to make our school the best by doing our best, whatever it takes, and be committed to the leadership and peers we work with on a daily basis. We cannot change the system. It is what it is. Systems grow and change daily. All we can control is our attitudes, our classrooms and ourselves. So....working on those is a fulltime job."

SC Response
I have one small bone to pick in an otherwise near perfect post. I think we can change the system. I think that by focusing on what we can control and incrementally, yet continuously, improving on that, we can generate results that force others to take notice. Some of those who notice then take action which begets even more action.

You had a young AP from another district who watched how you ran your school. When she got her chance, she worked full speed to build the campus that she envisioned. That vision was partially shaped by your example. Now others are trying to copy her success.

You helped move the flywheel just a little bit. Over time that moves the entire system.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...