Category Archives: Teachers

It’s time (once again) to appreciate teachers…

05 Friday May 2023

Posted by in Actions, Appreciation, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Encouragement, Future, Leader, Leadership, Reflection, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers, Value

≈ Leave a comment

Well, Teacher Appreciation Week is next week again, that one week where we, as educators, get appreciated and I wanted to get this out this week, so you can be appreciated today and next week…

The funny question might be, how often do we appreciate ourselves? You might ask, “Isn’t that selfish thinking?” I’m not sure, but it seems very hard for others to appreciate you if you do not appreciate yourself. Too often, that seems to be the case. But, nonetheless… as a teacher, we have to appreciate what we do.

So, what does it take for an educator to be appreciated? Numerous studies have been done regarding teacher appreciation, teacher morale, teacher recognition, etc. The literature is full of these topics, and we can’t really add to the literature anymore (sorry future dissertation writers).

Here’s my one-cent answer: Appreciation for teachers should have three major components. One, let teachers teach. Two, it should happen every day of the week instead of one week a year. Three, appreciation should become a habit instead of a forced or obligated “thank-you” so Hallmark can sell cards.

Screen Shot 2023-05-02 at 1.06.33 PM

Appreciation should be a cultural identity of the school, its district, and, most importantly, the community. It should be a reflection of the district’s light that shines so bright that teachers are on the waiting list to teach and they are wearing sunglasses because of it instead of wearing them to hide their faces to conceal that they work there.

Appreciation contains substance and value, not fluff. It’s more than “lip service” and a “box check.” It goes just like anything else in life for people. The more we can show that we appreciate teachers, the more teachers will feel appreciated (duh! moment). When that happens, the paradigm swings in favor of education, and education needs all the help it can get.

Come week after next, the teaching world will wait another year for teacher appreciation to take place. That’s unfortunate. Many communities, districts, and schools get it right, and I am glad I am part of one where all three does that. While at the same time, there are those… you get the idea. No one wants to work at a place where they are not appreciated, but many have to. That’s unfortunate also.

Thank you to all the teachers out there. Thank you for helping our future. As I have said before, “Education is that last one stronghold that we have to help straighten society on the path it should be going.” If we as educators do not, then who will? Find a way next week to appreciate a teacher, better yet, every day; they will appreciate it.

Final thought – Appreciation is in no way a concept that pushes people away from wanting to feel appreciated. Appreciation invites one to come, not drive away. And it all starts and ends with leadership.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

Do you help your students “Seize the day?”

03 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by in Achieve, Actions, Classroom Leadership, Classroom Management, Conversations, Education, Educational Leadership, Encouragement, Expectations, Inspiration, Intentional, Intentions, Kindness, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Relationships, Teachers

≈ Leave a comment

“Carpe diem… Seize the day.” For the younger readers out there, this was a classic movie, Dead Poet’s Society, 1989. For us older, distinguished veterans, we should remember it well.

31bf5b47a9b5040ddb7cb1ce50037804

There is this one scene that I like where the teacher, Mr. Keating, played by Robin Williams, takes his class out to the commons on the first day of class and has them look at the former students who came before them. While there, Mr. Keating tries to awaken their spirits, per se, into making the most of the time they have. In the clip, these words are spoken by Mr. Keating, “… seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”

Watch the clip here: Carpe diem… Seize the day – Dead Poet’s Society

While watching and listening to the clip, I thought about this… The other day I stopped by the bank on the way home, and the teller asked me how my day at school was. I said, “fine,” and she said, “I don’t know how ya’ll do it.” I figured she was talking about teaching… So I said, “Well, I can either focus on who they are or who they can be.” She just looked at me like I had two heads and changed the subject. I wondered if she wanted to continue the direction of the conversation, but I was not going to speak negatively about education. Sure, we have problems, but so does every other occupation. Anyway…

How does this all tie in? Well, how many times as educators do we “seize the day” to make the lives of our students extraordinary? It’s easy to focus on what walks through the classroom door, but do we ever consider what they can be when they walk out the door? Do we focus so much on the negative aspects of students that we forget that they might not become who they can be without our help? This goes for all aspects of education… Teachers and students, administrators and teachers, School leaders, etc.

While I believe Mr. Keating wanted his students to understand that, ultimately, it is up to the individual to “seize the day.” Knowing or unknowingly, at the same time, he was helping them understand that. That’s where we make the most of who our students can be. Giving them belief, giving them hope for their future, and modeling an example that says, be different for the right reason.

Oh, to help a student to feel extraordinary, to help them “seize the day.” Most might not do that on their own. Let’s help them “seize the day” by us doing the same. Our lives might just feel extraordinary if we do.

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Sage Advice – Don’t get all your exercise by jumping to conclusions…

10 Friday Feb 2023

Posted by in Actions, Advice, Consistency, Deciding, Decisions, Exercise, Importance, Influence, Leader, Leadership, Relationships, Teachers, Useful

≈ Leave a comment

First, to quote the great Paul Harvey, “You learn two things from everyone you meet. Either something that you like or dislike.” Sage advice…

I am always appreciative of the good stuff we see on social media. It is also good to follow like-minded friends. So, the other day I ran across this great post from my friend Joe Odenwald who posted the below picture with thoughts…

Screen Shot 2023-02-08 at 11.22.11 AM

So, the masterful quote by Joe’s grandfather, “Don’t get all your exercise by jumping to conclusions.” When I saw and read that, I responded to Joe that I would put it on my quote list of quotes to remember. I love hearing and learning new stuff; that quote is one of the best lately.

So, about those people who jump to conclusions… they seem to be everywhere. I’ll admit, I’ve done it a time or two myself. Not so much the older I get, but I can remember the times I have; it didn’t work out all so well. Can you remember times you have? But the question remains, why do we?

The effect of doing so is normally unwanted. I see jumping to conclusions as ignorant of the facts and not knowing the situation or the person (we see this constantly with social media and the hiding behind a keyboard).

There are actually psychological studies done on this subject. I guess there is enough material; go figure. In a blog post (and a good read) by Leandra McIntosh and Nick Hobson, People Who Jump to Conclusions Show Reasoning Errors, False Beliefs, Overconfidence and Impaired Learning a study was done by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. In that study, the researchers found that people who displayed high JTC (Jumping to Conclusions) behavior made significantly more errors, were more likely to endorse conspiracy theories, and demonstrated more knowledge corruption. I’m like, I know a lot of folks that fit these characteristics.

Let’s segue into the leadership world and tie this into education. Leaders/teachers should edge on the side of being sensitive of not jumping to conclusions. The ones who do, turn it into an art that is not a pretty picture. It takes us only a short time to see how really ineffective they are on a daily basis.

The more information out there, the more opportunity we have not to know everything. However, when it comes to making conclusions, more information is better. Without time, effort, a little digging, and, most of all, thinking, all we can do is make assumptions. When we do this, we create a persona that leads people to say, “It sure is scary how they think.”

Even worse, when leaders jump to conclusions, they will seek out others for affirmation who share a similar point of view, or they will find others who are afraid of the ramifications if disagreement is not allowed.

Really good leaders are aware that they are not perfect. We all have blind spots and biases. That’s why it is so important to be open, have independent facts, not always your own, and seek others for helpful information, even if they disagree. But many of you know this, and I’ve said before, if a person has their mind made up, it doesn’t matter what the truth is.

So, I have never thought about an exercise that could actually weaken your muscles. Still, if jumping to conclusions is the only exercise you do, I believe it weakens your mind to the fullest extent and, by default, weakens your creditability.

I’m glad my friend posted something good earlier this week that strengthened my thought process. I’m also glad that he mentioned receiving sage advice. I’m glad I have people who can provide me with the same. I hope you do as well. Now, time to exercise…

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Are You, As A Teacher, An Advocate For Our Profession?

24 Tuesday Jan 2023

Posted by in Actions, Advocate, Appreciation, Attitude, Choice, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Emotion, Encouragement, Future, Leader, Leadership, Passion, Teacher Shortage, Teachers, Value

≈ Leave a comment

Question for the week… With there being a teacher shortage, are you, as a teacher, an advocate for our profession?

images-13

First, let me say that I enjoy being an educator. For those who know me, I hope you can say that my passion for education and educational leadership is very high. With that being said, I also know that there are times when teaching can wear you down. The list of items that go to this is endless, but that might be a topic for a future blog. Anyway…

I enjoy seeing teachers who are passionate about their jobs. But how many teachers do we see and hear who are not? That bothers me. For example, a future teacher recently told me that a high school teacher asked what she wanted to do. When she said she wanted to be a teacher, the actual teacher told her, “Good luck with that.” Why would they say that?

For the most part, society does not help advocate the teaching profession. Society will quickly tell us what is wrong with our profession and how we can do it better. I have always said that we are in trouble when we allow non-educators to make educational decisions. If we do not see ourselves as advocates for education, we leave the door open to the outside to determine our standing.

Teachers who are advocates see the end goal of education. They see growing students to become productive citizens in society. They look beyond students being “test scores” and provide an environment that is welcoming and conducive to learning. This is what passion for being an educator is about. It’s about telling success stories that are positive and uplifting. But, as we know, it’s only the negative stories that travel at a great speed…

Take this from one of my go-to “old heads” of education… “There is nothing ever printed or said about the positive aspects of teaching-with those in the profession being the most negative. The intrinsic values are rarely voiced. Being a teacher is the most valuable profession a young person can pursue, but most never hear many positive aspects that make it appealing!!! Just my humble opinion!!!”

I’ll go on and say this, if you are a teacher who cannot speak positively and advocate for our profession, please leave the profession and let those who want to be educators set ablaze the way that will light the way for many others. Yes, there are things wrong with education, just like any other business, but I get sick of hearing the statement, “You signed up for this.” That’s just bad leadership all the way around. These negative nay-sayers teachers are a disease to the profession and will create sores that fester and affect everyone around.

By nature, passionate people inspire. Why not do that for future educators? As I said in last week’s blog The Lengthening of the Teacher Shortage… Is there an end?, “We must give those who are even remotely thinking about becoming an educator a reason to be one. However, if our future teachers are in our schools today, and they are, how do you think they look at the teaching profession when they see us and what we do? It’s a question worth asking and, more importantly, answering… We must give teachers hope, for we are the only model future teachers see.”

Educators today have a choice, do we promote our profession, or do we sever the connection and let society or even other teachers determine our value? Do we love teaching to the point where we believe all children should be afforded equal learning opportunities? Or will we be defined by negative comments made by some in our profession who see teaching as a lonely, lowly job?

Punt that, I’m choosing to be an advocate and a leader of the profession that I love.

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…