We have got to Change: FOR OUR KIDS and FOR OUR EDUCATORS

 This is going to be raw, but yesterday was the most difficult day as an educator in my 25 years. While I can't get into the details, it was a day you hope never happens to your school.

I created this blog to hopefully help with change in education. If you have read any of my posts or follow me on Twitter, you know I probably talk more about the importance of student engagement than anything. There is maybe one other thing I believe to be more important than student engagement and that is the relationships we have with our students and with one another in the building. We have talked and talked about social-emotional well-being; however, I think for the most part that is what we have done. We know it is important, but what have we actually done? This is me included. As a building principal, and those who are in a building leadership role, you generally know the kids who are in crisis. We know their background and we do our best to help them. The classroom teacher knows the issues their kids are facing. And so on and so on. We all carry that around. We send our kids with thein need of the most critical help to talk to a counselor. Beyond that, what do we do? Then on top of that, what do we do to take care of the ones carrying around that extra load of worrying about our kids?

 I'm not going to go and blame COVID. I think all COVID did was bring to the forefront the crisis that has become Social-Emotional Learning. COVID took all of our issues and compounded them. In some ways, COVID accelerated change. Right before COVID, Ohio introduced additional funds for Social-Emotional Learning and then COVID hit and probably sucked up a lot of those funds as there were few restrictions on how you spent the money. Addressing Social Emotional Learning and NOT just talking about it hit me square upside the head yesterday. I am at a loss for the experience that our team went through and it just leaves me questioning what we are doing. I need to do more. WE as a society need to do more.

SEL can no longer be set aside for "when we can fit it in" and I am guilty of this. It has got to come to the front of the line. Our kids are in crisis. In some instances, our kids have no empathy. Why is it something we just try to fit in or have to create a special schedule to do 1 time every nine weeks or have that guest speaker in? I will tell you why? Because 90% of teachers are stressed about the almighty test at the end of the year. Then we have principals chasing test scores who ratchet up the pressure even more. I'm not saying we quit teaching; however, we have to intentionally create opportunities to have these discussions on a regular basis with our kids. We are a Leader in Me school and I truly believe in the power of this approach; however, we can do more. It can't be a program. It has to be the culture. We have got to be intentional about how we take care of one another, how we treat one another and provide support for our students and educators. Again, I am not saying we stop teaching, drop our expectations, and just give out participation medals; however, we have to meet everyone's basic needs first. We have to make this an everyday event where SEL is at the forefront. I believe that if we increase and strengthen relationships, increase authentic student engagement, and truly devote the necessary time to SEL, we can do so much better.

WE have also got to better equip our teachers, principals, and everyone to help our kids. I don't know what that looks like; however, we have got to do something. Then, we have to figure out a way to support our teachers and staff who are struggling themselves. 

We have got to change. It has to be ok to take some time to get to know our students and build the strongest relationships possible where they have at least 1 trusted adult they can turn to with anything. We have got to quit being upset because a student has to go to counseling and miss a class to do so.

Next, we have to address the lack of engagement. Our kids who are in jeopardy of dropping out do not decide to do this in HS. It starts long before then. We need to change our factory model of education across the board. I am proud of our current data from our student survey that is progressing where our student engagement score is up; however, we need to do more. Our kids can change the world if we provide an opportunity for them too. Put the textbooks away and engage the students in authentic problem solving that provides a voice and choice. An example of this is our current 4th-grade students who went through a design challenge where they addressed the efficiency or usage of space in our building. One group elected to explore a solar project while others looked at developing a plan for decreasing transition time between classes. Again voice and choice. Student engagement was through the roof and kids were inspired to be creative and solve problems that had a real-world application to them. In our primary wing, our kids are in the beginning stages of a chicken/egg-laying operation where we will incorporate agricultural careers into the primary grades while creating learning experiences around our standards. I firmly believe that authentic student engagement is the key to improving education.

So here is my challenge going into next year:

1. Take the first 8-10 days of the school year and forget about preassessments and data and collect the most important data: 

• what your kids interests are.
• Their family.
• Their learning style and what is their "why".
• How you can engage them in learning.

2. During this 10-day period, set the groundwork for developing a family within your classroom. Focus on the social-emotional learning for your students. Develop a way to check in on all of your kids. Regardless of their grade level, it is critical. If your team does not agree, be a #statusquodisruptor and do what is best for kids. Get to know them and discover their talents, their passions, and their needs. Do a lot of team building and create that culture in your classroom of empathy and understanding so they can help one another.

3. How powerful would a PBL be around some of these questions that you allowed students to explore and present their ideas and strategies for:

• How do we create a culture of respect in our building/classroom?
• How do we create a safe environment for all students?
• How do we stop bullying and harrassment while creating a culture of acceptance?
• How would you make our school a better place?
• Think of Social Studies and maybe you are discussing the class system and pose this question to your students: How does the class system of many societies of the 17 and 1800's relate to how we treat people today in modern society? How does it relate to how people are treated in our school? What are the similarities and what can we learn from our history?

None of these cost $$. These are simply ways for students to build empathy for each other and consider how they would address an issue. Often time, we as adults are quick to sit in a room and try to solve the problems when if we would simply get out of their way, a 10-year old could make a lasting impact on your school.

4. As a building leader, focus your walthroughs on 2 things: SEL of your students and staff, and student engagement. What if every Friday, students completed a survey on their level of enagagement like this:

• I was not engaged at all
• I was engaged in the lessons because I did not want to get in trouble.
• I was engaged in the lesson because I want good grades.
• I was engaged in the lesson because I was interested in the topic.
• I was engaged in the lesson because it was relevant to me.
• I was engaged this week because I had voice and choice.
• I was engaged this week because my teacher provided me with an opportunity to think hard, problem solve, and develop solutions to a problem based on the lessons.

Look at the difference in engagement...You want a bunch of test taking robots who are engaged to get good grades or you want a student who knows they can make a difference?

5. Increase STEM opportunities.

If you increase STEM opportunities and connect that to future careers, you will increase hope. If you increase hope, you will increase opportunities for students. If you have students who have hope for a better future or that they can pursue their passion in the future as a career, you will increase student engagement. Increasing STEM opportunities and connecting them to future career pathways will acomplish this. 

6. Create an Oasis for your teachers. How can you truly create a "lounge" for your teachers?

• Soft Seating
• A place to unwind when possible.
• A comfortable place for professional learning.
• Stock with their favorite snacks and drinks.

Again this is pretty raw and just some of my ramblings again after a tough day yesterday. Counselors are great; however, we have to create a system of support for everyone before we get to individual counseling and by addressing SEL and student engagement, you can take care of both. You will increase hope in your students. You will increase student engagement that will also reduce stress of your teachers. I would argue that if you address these 2 areas and work on your culture, student achievement will increase. Take care of each other before you take care of the test. 

If you would like to connect or have other ideas, please feel free to contact me or follow me. You can follow me on twitter @PrincipalCMill or reach me by email at principalcmill@gmail.com. Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings and if you have suggestions to help with SEL or student engagement, I would love to connect.