Are you up for the Challenge of Being Authentic from Day One?

This year the folks in our Curriculum Office, the coaches/specialists and myself, are reading Better Conversations by Jim Knight in order to attempt to strengthen our coaching skills.  In the very first chapter Knight discusses the importance of being authentic and that in order to be authentic you have to first understand where you stand (your beliefs).  In my opinion one of the best ways to peek into the window of someone’s beliefs is to see how they run the first day of school.  The first day of school gives students a snapshot of how the rest of the year might look, the expectations of the teacher, and the culture of the class.  Needless to say, as I walked around our schools on the first day I was excited for many of the students as various classroom where abuzz with activity.

As a matter of fact, when I got to our high school there were no students in one of the Biology classrooms.  Instead the students were already outside with the challenge of finding any example of the same species living in two different environments with the goal of collecting quantitative data of their choice on that species.  Once the data is collect the students will begin to analyze it and naturally be introduced to topics such as histograms, standard deviation, critical value and other such biological statistical terms which will eventually  lead into their first topic of evolution.  

At the middle school I found students out of their seats standing in small groups around signs labeled  historical fiction, mystery, horror, sports, and other genera.  Each student had a book title written on a piece of paper in their hand and were talking with each other about their favorite book they read over the summer that fell into that particular genera.  After a few minutes, the students flipped the sign and a color was displayed.  The students then needed to move to the color that best describes the book they were just discussing.  Once in their new location, typically with a new group of students, they explained to each other how the color represents their particular book.  These discussions continued throughout the period using various signs including: candy bars, emojis, and the number of stars recommended which all led to a variety of conversations over what the students read over the summer.  It is a great example of giving students voice on their choice of summer reading and setting the culture for the class.  All on day one.  

This continue throughout the district as I entered the intermediate school where, in one class,  students were given a hand full of dice along with a blank sheet of paper and were challenged to create their own math game using the dice and then teach it to another student.  I was even more impressed with a primary classroom in which, not even 10 minutes after the students were in class, they were spread out all over the room reading while the teacher was going around the room having one-on-one conversations with the students about their reading lives up to this point.  As it turns out almost half the kids number one wish, in this open ended conversation, was to be able to read the books they chose to read.  Not so ironically, I thought back about that particular classroom and recalled that each student had a different book in their hands at the time.  

These are all refreshing examples that run counter to the much too common first day of school experience where many students are required to endure  the reading of the rules and sharing of all the things they, as students, should not be doing in class.  One extreme example I observed was actually not in class at all, but was in the hallways.  Students were being “drilled” on how to walk down the hall  being careful to always keep their right foot on the green tiles running next to the wall while they are to remain completely silent.  I understand the importance of being orderly and quiet so as not to disrupt other classes, but this seemed to make school  a little too institutionalized.  In any case, the culture set from day one of school is often a good indication of the beliefs and values of the teacher.  However, it is important to remember that just because, good or bad, that happens on the first day it is the day in and day out routines or habits that set the culture and are the true indicator of authenticity.

I’ll use myself as an example here.  I made a point of getting out of the office and being in the schools from day one in order to be available for conversations about the curriculum and to observe and learn how it is actually looks in the classroom.  That is great, IF I do it on a consistent basis throughout the year.  One of my favorite quotes is one by Aristotle and it reads: “We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then is not an act, but a habit”.  In his book, Jim Knight points out that beliefs and  habits are inseparable when it comes to authenticity.  “An authentic person...would be someone who lives in a way that is completely consistent with who or she is” (Knight, p.7, 2016).  If the teachers in these exemplars I mentioned above don’t continue to nurture these types of student centered classrooms, if it is not a habit, routine, or regular occurrence, it is not a true reflection of their pedagogical beliefs and therefore is not an authentic look into their pedagogy. Luckily for the students, in most of these classrooms, it really is the habits/beliefs of the teacher.  

It is my belief that in education, time is currency and the situations we create for our students is a good indicator of what we value and believe.  These beliefs, expressed on a daily basis, become habits and that leads to establishing the culture of the classroom.  I believe Knight would agree that authentic teaching is making sure our actions in the classroom match our beliefs or what we say are our beliefs.  I would encourage you to reflect on what  your first day of school looks like for your students.  Is it an authentic window into your pedagogy?   My challenge this year, to myself as well as to all of us, is to do our best to be authentic in our actions, conversations, and pedagogy.  I think a good question to ask ourselves to start the year is, "Am I up for the challenge?".  

References

Knight, Jim  (2016).  Better Conversations: Coaching ourselves and each other to be more
Credible, Caring, and Connected.. Thousand Oaks, CA.:Corwin.