OCCRAP Got Me Thinking...

     I read @jmsprincipal's blog today regarding OCCRAP (you can read it here), and it made me think about how hard our teachers work in Oklahoma to be successful under such crazy circumstances.  Our teachers have had to deal with TLE, CCSS, PARCC, No PARCC, a state created test that will affect their TLE evaluation next year they know nothing about (because it is being field tested after the EOI - how fruitful will that data be??), and increased rigor and cut scores teachers may or may not know about.  (Anyone thinking of the biology test last year?)  With all this craziness, our teachers still show up to work daily, work their tails off looking at data in order to remediate each student for what they need individually, as well as differentiate instruction in the classroom while incorporating collaboration and real world connections into their authentic lessons.  Nonetheless, those outside of education want to say our teachers aren't doing enough!
     I for one (and there are many more out there) believe our teachers do a phenomenal job at a task that continually morphs into a different expectation as they get close to mastering the objective set before them.  Do our teachers give up, shake their heads, and sit down behind their desks and cry - NO!  They push up their sleeves and work harder to hit the more narrow and distant target.

     However, pointing out a problem is nonproductive unless one has a solution.  So, how do we support our amazingly hardworking teachers?  Here are 8 BFO (Brilliant Flashes of the Obvious) ways:

1. Listen to them.  As a building administrator, I may be busy, but I always take time to stop and listen to my teachers and their concerns.  If I'm in my office, I push my laptop closed, and I look them in the eye.  I work hard to be fully present when I have the opportunity to talk with teachers one on one.
2. Be aware of the changes coming their way.  With all the work a building administrator must do, taking time to be aware of all the curriculum changes is not easy.  However, if we expect our teachers to be aware of those expectations coming their way, we too must be aware, so we can help prepare them.  
3. Be an instructional leader.  Make time (and I do mean carve out with a dull knife through the ugly, grimy, gritty packed full day) to be in classrooms and PLCs to answer questions, give suggestions for improvement / collaboration opportunities / real world connections, and offer technology support for curriculum.
4. Take care of discipline problems.  Take care of discipline issues quickly and firmly.  If a teacher takes the time to write a referral, they obviously think something needs to be done with the offensive student.  Support them in this aspect of classroom management.
5. Be real with your teachers.  When given the opportunity to take a moment and visit with teachers, laugh with them, and be yourself - do so.  There is so much more to you than your professional side.  Your teachers will enjoy seeing a different side to you in those few moments when you lift the professional veil and "hang out".
6. Be truthful.  Teachers appreciate an administrator who will tell them the truth.  Let them know when they are doing a great job, but don't "blow smoke" when they need to improve.  All teachers can improve in some way - help them in that journey.  Most teachers know and will admit when things didn't go well.  Failure is a great learning opportunity.  As Edison says "I haven't failed.  I just found 10,000 ways it won't work."  
7. Help your teachers be metacognative about their teaching.  When you are in their classroom or PLCs ask questions that will cause them to think about what they are doing.  Some questions could be "How could you have improved that lesson?"; "What were the strengths and weaknesses of this unit?"; "What DoK levels are in this CFA?  Are there too many level one questions?  Are there enough level 3 questions?"; "How are you scaffolding your lesson?"; "What differentiation strategies are you implementing?"; "What strategies do you have ready for your ELL and SpEd students?"  Be prepared to offer answers to your questions if they don't have one - even if your answer is, I'll find the answer for you.
8. Take time to celebrate their success - big and small.  We all love to be validated and recognized for our hard work.  Do this for your teachers.  Celebrate them in public and private.  Find big and small ways to appreciate their hard work.  

While these are BFOs, sometimes we need reminded in the midst of our busy work lives that we need to stop, look, and listen to our teachers.  When we do so, we will develop the connections that allow teachers to tell you about their sick father-in-law, their simple surgery that became complicated when the surgeon found cancer, or their frustration with the lack of copies allowed for teachers or the jacked up printer.  While we all try to keep our personal lives out of our classrooms or office, it can still affect us.  These are the connections we learn as we institute the 8 elements above.  It is worth making the time to support teachers.