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Welcome to this Padlet

Jump into the card that appeals or read one card a day this month. Why not share with your team?

- While you are here go to MiniPD Courses to explore all our courses available for you and your team, just like the one above.
- Create a free account and meet all the MiniPD Coaches and access their incredible content at no cost.

Thank you to MiniPD Coaches, IB and Non-IB educators, who have co-constructed this calendar with the MiniPD Team.

The MiniPD Team
Get in touch: hello@minipd.com

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MiniPD Core Course - Positive Behaviour and Relationship Management

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The Power of "Not Yet"

Sandra Yazbeck, MiniPD Coach, asks, what is growth mindset vs. fixed mindset?  How can you develop a growth mindset attitude?

One of the strategies is to:
Incorporate “yet"
Integrating the word yet into your vocabulary signals that despite any struggles, you can overcome anything. It’s a matter of time and little effort. Practicing growth mindset activities like "yet" starts shifting that fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

Connect with Sandra Yazbeck here on MiniPD for 1-to-1 conversations.

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Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck

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Develop a Positive & Inclusive Community Through Class Meetings

Kelly Armitage, MiniPD Course Developer, and Leadership Coach and Consultant, recommends developing positive and inclusive communities of learners through class meetings.

She says, "When the learning is warm and psychologically safe for students, they are more likely to engage in that learning, and invest in themselves and feel valued in the community of learners. Research shows [...] authentic and positive student teacher relationships are contributing factors to student success."

- Learn more with Kelly in her course on Best Teaching Practices in International Schools.
- Read More about Positive Discipline and Class Meetings here.

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Class meetings invite students to learn by doing. They provide the practice arena for all of the skills necessary to grow citizens who are responsible, respectful and resourceful members of the community.

The Positive Discipline vision is about schools where children never experience humiliation when they fail but instead feel empowered by the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in a safe environment. Many of the social and emotional skills students learn are represented in the Significant Seven Perceptions and Skills.

Three Empowering Beliefs That Help Children Succeed in School and in Life

1. I am capable.

2. I contribute in meaningful ways, and I am genuinely needed.

3. I use my personal power to make choices that positively influence what happens to me and my community.

Four Empowering Skills That Help Children Succeed in School and in Life

1. I have discipline and self-control.

2. I can work respectfully with others.

3. I understand how my behavior affects others.

4. I can develop wisdom and judgment skills through daily practice.

Here is a description of how Positive Discipline methods teach the Significant Seven.

I Am Capable

To develop a belief in their own personal capability, young people need a safe climate in which they can explore the consequences of their choices and behavior without judgments about success or failure- without blame, shame, or pain. Positive Discipline methods provide a safe climate in which students can examine their behavior, discover how it affects others, and engage in effective problem solving to create change.

I Contribute In Meaningful Ways, And I Am Genuinely Needed

To develop the belief in their significance in primary relationships, young people need the experience of having others listen to their feelings, thoughts, and ideas and take them seriously. They need to know "I am important, and I count." In a Positive Discipline classroom, everyone has the opportunity to voice opinions and make suggestions in an orderly, respectful process. Students learn that they can contribute significantly to the problem-solving process and can successfully follow through on chosen suggestions. They experience the primary goal of all people-a sense of belonging and significance.

I Use My Personal Power To Make Choices That Positively Influence What Happens To Me And My Community

Many teachers fail to understand that students have personal power and will use it in one way or another. If they are not given opportunities to use it in productive ways, they will probably use it in destructive ways. Young people, to develop a healthy use of power in their lives, need the opportunity to contribute in useful ways, in an environment that encourages them but also holds them accountable. They need to learn to understand and accept their power to create a positive environment. A Positive Discipline classroom is a place where students can experience that it is okay to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes. In Class Meetings, they learn to take responsibility for their mistakes (accountability), because instead of being punished, they receive assistance in exploring ways to learn from their mistakes. They also learn that even when they can't control what hap- pens, they can control their response to what happens.

I Have Self-Discipline And Self-Control

A Positive Discipline classroom is an excellent place where students can name and claim their feelings and develop empathy and compassion. Young people seem to be more willing to listen when they are listened to. They gain understanding of their emotions and behaviors by hearing feed- back from their classmates. In a nonthreatening climate, young people are willing to be accountable for their actions. They learn what a feeling is and how to separate their feelings from their actions. They learn that what they feel (anger, for instance) is separate from what they do (hit someone), and that although feelings are always acceptable, some actions are not. Through the problem-solving process, they learn proactive rather than reactive ways to express or deal with their thoughts or feelings. They develop self-discipline and self-control by thinking through the consequences of their choices and by accepting suggestions for solutions from other students. The notion of inviting students to explore the consequences of their choices is quite different from imposing a consequence on them, which is usually a poorly disguised punishment. By exploring the consequences of choices, students learn from their mistakes instead of trying to hide them or defend them.

I Can Work Respectfully With Others

A Positive Discipline classroom provides the best possible opportunity for young people to develop social skills through dialogue and sharing, listening and empathizing, cooperating, negotiating, and resolving conflicts. When a behavior problem arises, teachers, instead of stepping in and resolving it for the students, can put it on the Class Meeting agenda, or use the Four Problem-Solving Steps, or instruct students in the use of the Wheel of Choice. All these methods allow students and teachers to work together on developing win-win solutions.

I Understand How My Behavior Affects Others

A Positive Discipline classroom is a place where students can respond to the limits and consequences of everyday life with responsibility, resilience, and integrity. They learn that it is safe to take responsibility for their mistakes because they will not experience blame, shame, or pain. They learn to give up the victim mentality of blaming others ("The teacher gave me an F") and accept an accountability mentality ("I received an F because I didn't do the work").

I Can Develop Wisdom And Judgment Skills Through Daily Practice

Young people develop judgment skills only when they have opportunities to evaluate problems by being socially conscious and aware of what is happening around them. When a problem develops in a Positive Discipline classroom, students explore what happened, what caused it to happen, how their behavior affects others, and what they can do to prevent or solve such problems in the future. In this way, they learn to respond to the needs of the situation.

Students who are weak in the development of these three beliefs and four skills are at high risk for developing serious problems such as bullying, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, suicide, delinquency, and gang involvement. They are also at risk for developing less serious but very annoying beliefs such as a sense of entitlement and a lack of motivation. Students with strengths in the Significant Seven are at low risk for developing these serious and annoying problems. Obviously, it is extremely important that young people have the opportunity to learn the Significant Seven, and Positive Discipline provides an excellent opportunity to do so.

Putting it All together

Positive Discipline is effective when teachers are willing to work with students in a cooperative manner. Teachers who learn how to ask more questions and give fewer lectures develop a real curiosity about their students' thoughts and opinions. When students are encouraged to express their opinions, are given choices instead of edicts, and use group problem solving, the classroom atmosphere improves and becomes one of cooperation, collaboration, and mutual respect.

Even though it may be challenging at times to start Class Meetings, we encourage you to do so. Taking the time for training is the surest route to success. Achieving proficiency in the eight skills, found in this chapter and Chapter 12, will help create Class Meetings in which students want to become involved. You have already been teaching your students about problem solving, social interest, mutual respect, encouragement, and cooperation. All these skills are enhanced and practiced during Class Meetings.

It can take anywhere from three or four Class Meetings to two months of forming a circle and introducing the eight skills to students. They won't be able to learn social and emotional skills in a few weeks. They need daily practice-just as they do for excellence in academics. If you introduce the skills gradually, students will be less restless about them and will be able to practice them a few at a time. Start by letting your students know what skills they will be learning.

The Eight Skills for Class Meetings

1. Forming a Circle

2. Practicing Compliments and Appreciations

3. Respecting Differences

4. Using Respectful Communication Skills

5. Focusing on Solutions

6. Role-playing and Brainstorming

7. Using the Agenda and Class Meeting Format

8. Understanding and Using the Four Mistaken Goals

Students learn:

To use their voice

To practice looking at issues from multiple points of view

That mistakes are opportunities to learn

To see strengths in themselves and others

How collaboration can change things

That they have influence in a socially useful way

What it feels like to set goals, plan and be able to carry out the plan.

Click Here to learn more about Positive Discipline School and Classroom resources.

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Class meetings invite students to learn by doing. They provide the practice arena for all of the skills necessary to grow citizens who are responsible, respectful and resourceful members of the community. The Positive Discipline vision is about schools where children never experience humiliation when they fail but instead feel empowered by the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in a safe environment.

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Try This: Use Positive Framing to Positively Correct Individual Student Behaviour

The MiniPD Team recommends,

Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov. Lemov says, "Positive Framing means narrating the world you want your students to see, even while you are relentlessly improving it, making corrections consistently and positively."

This short video summarizes some key strategies that are part of the positive framing technique:

Live in the now

Build learning momentum

Assume the best of students

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In this episode of Elena Aguilar's Bright Morning podcast, learn a quick approach that can instill confidence in our coachees/colleagues in recognizing their potential to learn and grow.

The MiniPD Team

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Episode 93: First 5 Minutes: "Tell me a story..." - Bright Morning

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How can we instill our clients with confidence in their potential to learn and grow? In this second edition of our special four-part First 5 Minutes series, Elena will walk you through how to do just that with one question that opens up your next coaching conversation.

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The power of vulnerability

Sandra Yazbeck, MiniPD Coach, asks, how can vulnerability be a source of connection, courage and growth? What is the power of being vulnerable?

Brené Brown's main message highlights the link between courage and vulnerability, which she describes as "having the courage to show up when you can't control the outcome." Vulnerability "offers both an invitation and a promise: When we dare to drop the armor that protects us from feeling vulnerable, we open ourselves to the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives."

Connect with Sandra Yazbeck here on MiniPD for 1-to-1 conversations.

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Skip to content

The Power of Vulnerability

Teachings of Authenticity, Connection, and Courage

This collection of teachings on authenticity, connection, and courage helps dispel the myth that vulnerability is weakness and reveals that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage. It offers both an invitation and a promise: When we dare to drop the armor that protects us from feeling vulnerable, we open ourselves to the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.

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This collection of teachings on authenticity, connection, and courage helps dispel the myth that vulnerability is weakness and reveals that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage. It offers both an invitation and a promise: When we dare to drop the armor that protects us from feeling vulnerable, we open ourselves to the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.

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Counselors: 9 Ways to Build Positive Relationships in School

Michael Iannini, MiniPD Course Developer and Coach, writes,

These 9, very practical tips for developing positive relationships, although written from the perspective of a counsellor, are relevant for all school leaders. Being intentional and consistent in developing and maintaining positive relationships is everyone's job. For senior leaders, you not only need to help develop this environment, but also develop the capacity of others to ensure this positive environment is sustained.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/9-ways-counselors-can-build-positive-relationships-school

Learn more with Michael Iannini and Barbara Mui via their MiniPD course on Positive Behaviour and Relationship Management in International Schools.

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9 Ways Counselors Can Build Positive Relationships in School

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Cultivating strong connections with students and other staff takes time but is essential for school counselors’ success in their work.

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5 Actions to Promote a Positive Learning-focused Culture in Schools (5 -10 minutes)

- Consider, what interventions are effective in promoting positivity?

- Continue to learn with a coach 1-on-1 or in small groups, read articles, and access resources: create an account at no cost here.

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5 Actions to Promote a Positive Learning-Focused Culture

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Creating a positive learning culture in a school is essential, and nurturing it requires purposeful use of effective interventions. Being intentional is key.

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Watch Promoting Positivity: MiniPD Coaches in Conversation (60 mins) with Michael Iannini, Barbara Mui and Sandra Yazbeck.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH at no cost

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From the MiniPD Team

The author of the blog post, Flourishing in stressful times: Ideas for self-care using PERMA, invites educators to place self-care "high on the agenda" as we can only "hope to contain and co-regulate with children’s emotions if we [are not] overwhelmed by our own."

Learn more with Sandra Yazbeck on the next card about the role of 5 key elements of wellbeing: PERMA

Positive Emotions

Engagement

Relationships

Meaning

Accomplishment

The MiniPD Team

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An Introduction to the PERMA Model
The PERMA moodel is a widely recognized and influential model in positive psychology. Seligman proposed this model to help explain and define wellbeing in greater depth.

“PERMA” is an acronym for the five facets of wellbeing according to Seligman:

P – Positive Emotions: Even though seeking positive emotions alone is not a very effective way to boost your wellbeing, experiencing positive emotion is still an important factor. Part of wellbeing is enjoying yourself in the moment, i.e., experiencing positive emotions;

E – Engagement: Having a sense of engagement, in which we may lose track of time and become completely absorbed in something we enjoy and excel at, is an important piece of wellbeing. It’s hard to have a developed sense of wellbeing if you are not truly engaged in anything you do;

R – (Positive) Relationships: Humans are social creatures, and we rely on connections with others to truly flourish. Having deep, meaningful relationships with others is vital to our wellbeing;

M – Meaning: Even someone who is deliriously happy most of the time may not have a developed sense of wellbeing if they do not find meaning in their life. When we dedicate ourselves to a cause or recognize something bigger than ourselves, we experience a sense of meaning that there is simply no replacement for;

A – Accomplishment / Achievement: We all thrive when we are succeeding, achieving our goals, and bettering ourselves. Without a drive to accomplish and achieve, we are missing one of the puzzle pieces of authentic wellbeing (Seligman, 2011).

Connect with Sandra Yazbeck here on MiniPD for 1-to-1 conversations

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Contribute to an Inclusive and Positive Work Environment

Barbara Mui, MiniPD Coach and Course Developer, writes,

"When it comes to setting examples, your actions speak as loudly as your words. Vulnerability isn’t just about sharing your struggles, it’s also about standing up for your values and beliefs, publicly and privately."
(Omadeke, 2022)

As many of us around the globe are gearing up for our first weeks back to school, a reminder that we can all contribute to creating more inclusive and positive work environment simply by being ourselves.

As you are heading back to school after a long break you can actively contribute to a positive school culture:

Be honest about your struggles.
There is a fine line between oversharing and being honest, so start small with your one-on-one meetings. Create a safe space by sharing a task you are struggling with or any obstacles you may be facing in your current role. Put this into action at the start of the year to set the tone for an open and inclusive environment.

Learn more with Barbara Mui and Michael Iannini via their MiniPD course on Positive Behaviour and Relationship Management in International Schools.

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Over the years, we've learned that leaders who create the space for true vulnerability build psychologically safe work environments in which people feel welcome to be themselves. We've learned that when people are willing to be authentic at work, they're also more willing to take creative risks, share their perspectives without fear of a consequence, and make valuable contributions that can only be expressed within a culture that values trust and inclusion. Emerging leaders, it's up to you to set the tone for your workplace and build environments where vulnerability is celebrated. How do you do it?

Lead by example: When you lead by example, and model what vulnerability look like for your team, you open the door for people with less formalized power to safely emulate your behavior.

To get started, be honest about your struggles at work. Personal confessions are powerful tools. You can use them to share vulnerable moments with your team, relate to them in meaningful ways, and importantly, develop trust.

When you're struggling with a task, be honest When you need help with something, ask for it. When you're feeling drained due to circumstances at home, let people know you're not 100% because of things in your personal life.

Secondly, you can model vulnerability by standing up for your values and beliefs in difficult moments, publicly and privately. For some leaders, that might involve speaking up for what you believe is right, like interrupting groupthink in meetings by offering a different perspective.

For other leaders, smaller actions can be just as powerful: taking a real mental health day to recover, turning off your camera when you're feeling Zoom fatigue and being honest about why, or blocking time on your calendar for a few minutes of personal time.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here.

In the context of work, "vulnerability" has a historically bad reputation. For some, the word alone evokes caricatures of bleeding hearts or dramatic outpourings of affection. This stubborn stereotype is a holdover from the stoic portrait of the midcentury male breadwinner - unfeeling and stone-faced, the ideal image of power and professionalism - that dominated the workforce for generations.

Until recent years, largely due to critiques of the toxic masculinity fueling this stereotype, the idea of showing emotion on the job was viewed as inappropriate at best, and at worst, mortifying.

In recent years, however, vulnerability in leaders - of all genders - has not just grown culturally acceptable, but in many cases, it's welcomed and encouraged. Millennials, in particular, are much more likely to vocally share the challenges of caregiving, mental health struggles, and concerns about work/life balance than their Gen X and Boomer counterparts. Add to this an influx of Gen Z workers who have been found to be even more comfortable sharing their emotional and mental health needs, and it's easy to see that the tides of work are changing.

Today, as the "future of work" becomes the present, and employers and employees push and pull against the needs of the other, the importance of open and candid communication is clear. Over the years, we've learned that leaders who create the space for true vulnerability build psychologically safe work environments in which people feel welcome to be themselves. We've learned that when people are willing to be authentic at work, they're also more willing to take creative risks, share their perspectives without fear of a consequence, and make valuable contributions that can only be expressed within a culture that values trust and inclusion.

Emerging leaders, it's up to you to set the tone for your workplace and build environments where vulnerability is celebrated. Those willing to practice vulnerability on a deeper, personal level, and adopt it as a principle, are those who will be credited with building a more equitable and innovative world of work - a world that the next generations want to see.

How to Be Vulnerable at Work

It's easy to think of vulnerability as a skill, but when we do, we distort the value of being vulnerable in the first place. The point of being vulnerable is sharing the authentic parts of yourself that you may have otherwise chosen to hide or keep private. Doing so is a personal choice - rather than a skill - that we weigh every day. It requires the self-awareness to ask: Will being honest in this moment serve me? Will it serve others?

In the past, for instance, a "mental health day" was often a wink-nudge to others that you were going to use a sick day to miss work when you weren't really sick. It's safe to assume that this trend was an offshoot of the mental health stigma and the shame many workers still feel around prioritizing our well-being over our work. Now, the person who chooses to act vulnerably is the person who chooses to be honest about needing the day off to prevent burnout or to cope with, truly, a day of poor mental health. This is also the person who is changing the narrative around self-care and setting the example for others.

As a rising leader, here's the challenge you face: How do you create a culture where your team feels empowered to be honest, share without fear of retribution, and ask for what they need?

Leading by Example

The perception of what it means to be vulnerable has shifted from the grand gesture to the small act of bravery. For leaders, and aspiring leaders especially, this means being transparent and modeling vulnerability for your team. When you lead by example, you open the door for people with less formalized power to safely emulate your behavior.

Here are two big ways you can get started:

1) Be honest about your struggles.

Personal confessions are powerful tools. You can use them to share vulnerable moments with your team, relate to them in meaningful ways, and importantly, develop trust.

Start small. When you're struggling with a task, be honest. When you need help with something, ask for it. When you're feeling drained due to circumstances at home, let people know you're not 100% because of things in your personal life. In each of these seemingly minor moments, you're letting people know that it's okay to be honest about difficult things. Not only will this make people feel safer coming to you with bigger problems down the line, but it will also establish mutual trust - the foundation of inclusive and innovative teams.

Especially in your one-on-one meetings, aim to create a safe space by letting people know that it's okay to be open about their mental state, difficulties in their personal lives that may impact how they show up day-to-day at work, and any obstacles they may be facing in their roles. You can initiate these conversations with a simple question to give people the opportunity to decide what they feel comfortable sharing. You can say: "I wanted to check in on how you're feeling in general at work. Is everything manageable? Is there anything you need help with?"

You can't help a team member, or offer them accommodations, if they aren't open with you about what they need. Similarly, your team can't perform at their best if they're burned out, pent up, or struggling silently.

2) Do the difficult thing - even when others are hesitant.

When it comes to setting examples, your actions speak as loudly as your words. Vulnerability isn't just about sharing your struggles, it's also about standing up for your values and beliefs, publicly and privately.

For some managers, that might involve speaking out about what you believe is right in difficult moments: openly advocating for more equal pay among your team members, interrupting groupthink in meetings by offering a different perspective, introducing your pronouns in a group setting, or addressing a scary event in the news that may be impacting your team. As a leader, you can commit to being the first person to do the vulnerable - but inclusive and caring - thing.

The next time you feel triggered by the an event in the news, for instance, ask the question: "How is everyone feeling this week? I know there's a lot going on and it can be exhausting to handle all at once. I'm feeling a little exhausted mentally myself, so I want to make sure everyone's doing okay. This is a safe space to talk, and my door is open if you want to chat privately."

Through this action, you create room for other people to model your behavior - to share their own values and perspectives. When you extend them that grace, you're letting your team know that it's okay to take risks and speak up, as long as they grant one another that same respect. Teams who feel safe expressing themselves in these vulnerable moments will similarly feel safe disagreeing and bouncing ideas off one another when solving problems in the context of work, leading to more valuable, inclusive, and unique solutions.

If any of those suggestions feels too big to tackle right now, practice through smaller, but equally powerful, actions: Go for a long walk in the middle of the day to prioritize your physical health (as opposed to eating lunch at your desk). Take a real mental health day to recover. Turn off your camera when you're feeling Zoom fatigue and be honest about why, or block time on your calendar for a few minutes of personal time. These micro acts of bravery let your team know that it's okay to prioritize their mental health and well-being at work.

Share Without Oversharing

One thing many leaders ask themselves when practicing vulnerability is: How do I follow the advice above without overdoing it? What information is beneficial to share and what information may backfire, make someone uncomfortable, or be otherwise harmful - regardless of my intentions - when attempting to exemplify vulnerability?

To be clear, the workplace is not your own personal reality show. As with most things, boundaries and professional standards reign supreme. In this, Brené Brown, researcher professor and vulnerability expert, has some sound advice: "Vulnerability minus boundaries is not vulnerability."

The differences between having boundaries and having no boundaries may seem subtle, but in practice, the distinction is easy to spot. A leader with boundaries, for instance, might disclose they are having a hard day due to some personal issues. A leader without boundaries may explicitly detail the intricacies of their divorce in that same situation.

A sound rule for maintaining a culture of vulnerability while establishing healthy boundaries - especially when you're the one sharing - is asking yourself: "Am I creating emotional labor for myself or others by sharing this?" If the answer is yes, you are likely oversharing. Pull yourself back, and workshop whatever statement or action you are making until the answer is clearly "no."

Vulnerability engenders trust and camaraderie whereas oversharing can feel one-sided, selfish, or like an emotional burden on the listeners.

The Vulnerability Sea Change

For older and more traditional organizations tied up in conventional business practices, openness to increased vulnerability may feel foreign or uncomfortable, but don't be mistaken. This movement toward open, honest, and equitable organizations isn't a trend. As a new leader, you have the power to continue to shift the nature of work and what it means to be a professional. The ability to be vulnerable is less of skill than it is a superpower. How will you use yours?

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The Best Leaders Aren't Afraid to Be Vulnerable

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Over the years, we've learned that leaders who create the space for true vulnerability build psychologically safe work environments in which people feel welcome to be themselves. We've learned that when people are willing to be authentic at work, they're also more willing to take creative risks, share their perspectives without fear of a consequence, and make valuable contributions that can only be expressed within a culture that values trust and inclusion.

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Listen to this podcast from Steve Barkley to learn five focus points for school leaders to develop environments and relationships that build social and emotional wellness.

The MiniPD Team

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Sherry St. Clair, the author of Coaching Redefined, shares five focus points for school leaders to develop environments and relationships that build social and emotional wellness. Examine how a listening tour might be a starting point.

Get in touch with Sherry: Sherry@reflecttolearn.com

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Announcer: 00:00 Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud is brought to you by Academy for Educators. Online, professional development for teachers and leaders. Online courses, modules, and micro-credential programs for teachers to enhance their skillsets. Now featuring the instructional coaching micro-credential including five online modules framed around the work of Steve Barkley. Learn, grow, inspire. Academyforeducators.org.

Steve [Intro]: 00:25 Hello and welcome to the Steve Barkley ponders out loud podcast for over three decades. I've had the opportunity to learn with educators at all levels, both nationally and internationally. I invite you to listen as I explore my thoughts and learning on a variety of topics connected to teaching, learning, and leading with some of the best and brightest educators from around the globe. Thanks for listening in.

Steve: 00:49 Supporting teachers' social emotional needs with Sherry St. Clair. Today, my guest is Sherry St. Clair. She's the author of "Coaching Redefined," a guide to leading meaningful instructional coaching. Sherry is an experienced instructional coach and school administrator and I recently had the opportunity to join her on a panel at Jim Knight's Teaching, Learning, Coaching conference. I also got a chance to complete the virtual workshop session that she provided there that looked at the same topic that we have here today and so I had asked Sherry to join us. So, welcome Sherry.

Sherry : 01:45 Thank you for having me. It's a great pleasure to be here. I enjoyed our panel discussion at Jim Knight's conference and really look forward to today as well.

Steve: 01:54 Great. Well, Sherry, I know that looking at teachers' social emotional needs was a topic that you were engaged in prior to the COVID pandemic. So, can you talk a little bit about what raised that to the surface and made it important for you?

Sherry : 02:17 Sure, yes. You know, for me as a coach, to school leaders and teachers, it's always important for me to be very well grounded in research, but also be well grounded in sitting down with teachers and administrators and just assessing some of those soft skills that may not may or may not show up in research. And one of the things that I was noticing is an increased level of stress on teachers and administrators. I think one of the biggest aha moments for me was sitting in a group at a conference, you know, prior to COVID, this large group of administrators and the speaker asked how many of you have dealt with a student committing suicide in your school this year? And Steve, there was barely a table that didn't have a hand raised during that time. That to me just gave me chills because that's some - you know, there's a weight to that, that we carry when our students are struggling.

Sherry : 03:33 And, you know, when students commit suicide, they're struggling. So there was that piece, there was the piece of just talking to teachers and teachers saying how much more can we handle? And there's the piece of teachers not going into the profession at the level they did before and leaving the profession and an increased rate. All these things told me that we have some work to do that is causing these things in our society to happen. If you look at the research, focusing on social-emotional needs of our teachers can lessen the burnout, increase job satisfaction and improve student teacher relationships. And then if you look at John Hattie's research on what that means to student learning it just, the pieces just started lining up for me that this was a piece that we have to pay more attention to in our coaching,

Steve: 04:37 A strong ripple effect.

Sherry : 04:40 Right, right. You know, we talk about in leadership, getting to the root cause of things. And sometimes it's asking those five, why questions. Why is this happening? Why is this happening? And that, for me, it was just what I kept asking myself in my mind is that this is off kilter. We have to fix this piece, or we have to try to fix this piece in our society. And so, that's really where it came from is just paying attention to those that I was talking to and then watching the data and knowing that it wasn't headed in the right direction. And then of course, when COVID hit, and all of that stress comes and know both teachers and administrators are probably on plan Z at this point. It's just even more important now.

Steve: 05:33 When I had the chance to read your read your book, you talk about coaches getting started with a listening tour. And it struck me that as you know, I was just on today with with a district that is in their first conversations of, are they gonna start up hybrid at the end of this month or whether it's going to be put off. So I'm thinking whenever those startup times are, or if the startup is that we're staying virtual, this idea of a listing tour fits in now wherever coaches are at with the teachers and the administrators at their school. So wanna share a little bit about the listening tour?

Sherry : 06:23 Sure. So a listening tour is simply a way of hearing from all of your stakeholders. So it is whether it be that the school administrator, or if the school has an instructional coach, either of those can lead this. And it's just a matter of sitting down with those groups of stakeholders and finding out what they feel about the teaching and learning that's happening in the school. So those, the questions that are put in coaching redefined, are very centered around how those individuals feel about the teaching and learning has happened in the school. And the leaders, whether they be the administrators or the coaches will sit down with teachers, students, parents, and the business community and just ask them how they feel about what is occurring. I think it's important to do this because not only does it tell the stakeholders, your thoughts are important to me, but every time leaders do this, things surface that they really don't expect. Both in what people tell them and what people do not tell them. You know, there's one piece of communication is what we say. Another piece of communication is what they hear, what they feel. And we have to be in tune with both of those. So a listening tour really gives those school leaders a way to hear from those stakeholders so that they know that they're making the best decisions for their students.

Steve: 08:06 I'm pondering your thought about what wasn't said. So, you know, if I'm out there during that tour and I know that certain things are present, but people choose not to bring them up, I'd have to begin to ponder what the message behind that is.

Sherry : 08:26 Right.

Steve: 08:26 And the other thought was going through my head - I'm a big Margaret Wheatley fan and Wheatley talks a lot about the need for information to flow through the system. And so your listening tour sounds a great strategy for getting that that flow of information that we need.

Sherry : 08:48 Yes. That flow of information. And then also to make sure what you think you're saying is what they're hearing. You know, you might think that your school is really focused in one area, but if you sit and you talk to those students or the business meeting your parents and they've never heard of it, or they don't mention it at all, then it's not quite as embedded as you are thinking that it is. So all those things are very important for a leader to keep in mind.

Steve: 09:22 You're bringing a story back to me of a listening tour that I did in a district where the central office person, staff person that I was working with, filled me in on these couple of important things that were happening. And as I went out to the buildings and started talking to people, nobody brought them up. So I got the sense that that poor district leader was getting the exact message that every district meeting that he or she wanted to get as feedback from people but what was really happening after the people left the meeting wasn't following through. So Sherry, in the workshop that you did, you addressed five different areas that were important for coaches and leaders to be considering. And so what I'd like to do is just kind of play each of them out to you and ask you to give us a little bit of defining of that area so that the listeners can walk away and see if there's something off this list that makes sense for them to be paying some extra attention to right now.

Steve: 10:32 So the first one that you had talked about was accepting stress.

Sherry : 10:38 Right. So, I think that it is important for us as leaders to acknowledge that right now is a stressful time and on our whole
society, not just teachers, not just leaders, but I think in our whole society just with what is happening around COVID and think that will be the case for quite some time because of the ripple effect. But we can't go in to our learning environments right now and treat it the same way we did prior to COVID and just ignore that teachers are trying to juggle being parents and teaching online and managing every aspect of - sometimes we're teaching both ways, online and face to face at the same time. There is a different level of stress that goes along with that. Any leader in this school needs to pay attention to the level of stress that they are taking on as well.

Sherry : 11:45 It's just different, Steve. You know, we can look at the research along with cognition and what stress does to our ability to remember and take one new initiatives and see the impact of stress and you just can't ignore the fact that stress does cause us to be able to learn or not learn in different ways. So the idea of accepting stress means that we're not going to try to lead the same way that we led prior to COVID. We're going to understand that our society, our communities, our schools, our parents, teachers are under a different kind of stress and we have to take that into account in the new initiatives we bring up, the way that we coach, the way that we lead in our schools.

Steve: 12:50 The second one that you labeled for us was normalizing self care.

Sherry : 12:56 Right. So, self care is one of those areas where sometimes in education, we make it as an extra if we get time to take care of ourselves. And the idea of normalizing self care is giving your staff permission and spaces to where you show that that truly is important. I had the privilege of working on a project with a successful practices network, and they were working in connection with ASA. And our goal was to go out and find the most innovative school districts in the country and look at what they were doing. And one of the patterns that I saw in that work was schools would set up extra events for their teachers that really didn't have anything to do directly with teaching in the classroom, such as yoga classes, such as catered meals, such as sponsored book clubs that were not just related to education. And, you know, these things model self care. They model that we expect you not to spend a hundred percent of your life inside the school because we know that's going to lead to burnout. We realize that you need to take care of yourself. And so that's the idea around self care. We know that if we can help educators understand that we, the leaders in the school value you taking care of yourself, we're investing in you as a human and knowing that it's going to lead to a place of longevity in your career.

Steve: 14:58 I like it. The third one that you had mentioned was modeling compassion. And I found early on, in the process last spring, that teachers shared with me the empathy and compassion they were finding from their administrators and how they valued it. And I think teachers were sharing stories with me of how they had compassion for their students. And I locked early on to thinking, boy, I sure hope we don't lose that when we open the school doors back up. So how did you see that modeling compassion fitting in?

Sherry : 15:46 Yeah, so I I'm in the same boat as you. I hope we don't lose that as we get back to whatever it looks like after COVID because it is an important piece. I think that again, you know, that the soft skills of coaching tell you it's important because we see that different way that someone that we're coaching responds, but also the research behind that shows that if we approach somebody with compassion, that their stress level actually decreases and they can better hear what we have to say. And that lead to a much more meaningful conversation about student learning in classrooms. So the research that is there that supports it, compassion is not always the thing that we have prior to COVID connected with a strong leader, but it has always been connected with a strong leader too.

Sherry : 16:51 We just haven't really talked about it. So I think as leaders, we can go forth being a good compassionate leader by modeling
it with our teachers, but also ensuring that our teachers are modeling it with our students as well. You know, you talked about your school is making a decision of whether to go to hybrid or I think you said full virtual or face to face. You know, this is also stressful for our students. You know, I've got a child entering high school this year who - that's their first experience with high school is being in a virtual classroom and ninth grade is a hard transition year. Trying to do it virtually is extra hard and I just am thankful for his teachers who have been compassionate with them as he tries to learn and understanding that he can't do the same thing he would do in a face to face classroom the same way in the virtual classroom. So I think it goes both ways, both with people who are leading teachers and teachers who are leading students, that we have to understand the importance of that compassion. Now that doesn't mean that we don't move forward with trying to help teachers perfect their craft and learn. It doesn't mean professional learning stops, but it means that we handle it in a different way maybe than we did before this.

Steve: 18:43 The fourth item that you had had discussed was arranging collaborative spaces.

Sherry : 18:51 So I think this is another one where it was important before COVID. And I think we have seen the importance of this amplified through COVID in terms of when we are together as humans - I mean, we're social beings and we build off of each other's ideas. We learn empathy and compassion by sitting and talking and truly listening to each other and learning from each other. And so the idea of arranging those collaborative spaces is just that we know this is important for society. We know this is important for professional learning. We know this is important for our teachers to grow towards each other. And so, however we have to do that, we need to make sure that we are continuing to do that so that teachers can continue to communicate with each other. And same for students. They need that as well in the school, but for this conversation, it goes more towards the leaders, that the teachers need that collaborative space.

Sherry : 20:09 So, you know, I'm thankful that we have tools like zoom and Google meet for that right now. We have to understand that they're not the same as those face to face tools, but they might be as good as we can get for those collaborative spaces. But just don't give up on those collaborative spaces. Remember as a school leader during this time, we're still wanting to create an environment where teachers are growing towards each other and growing towards that family of learners, I call it that learning organization in a school. And in order to do that, we have to have those collaborative spaces. So it might be that it's an outdoor space right now, it might be indoors with masks, you know, six feet apart or whatever. The safety protocol is at that time, that just don't give up on the idea that we need that.

Steve: 21:06 As I'm listening to you, one is jumping in my head of - I was just facilitating a meeting with a school social-emotional team. They have that role for their school and their school is still virtual, but they've planned for the faculty to take part in a fundraising walk-a-thon in the in the next week or so as actually the first faculty activity. So we can come with masks on and we can be distant, but we can still all wear the school shirt and walk the walk the fundraiser walk together. And as I was listening to you, I could just sense where that activity is a start of moving people along that along that process.

Sherry : 22:01 Absolutely. And, you know, I'm so thankful for social media's ability to have a positive impact there, you know, there's things that social media has had a negative impact on our world. But for this, it can have a positive impact if we allow it to. You know, Steve, and I think I told you prior to this conversation about getting in front of an audience, my first audience after you know, as we're transitioning back to the face to face, and I almost came to tears. I mean, we had all safety protocols in place, it's a big conference room that tables are far apart, masks on. And so it's not the same as it was prior to COVID, but I found myself getting very emotional just to be around other people and laughing and talking. And I'm thinking, I mean, I know the research about this, but there is an element of us being together as people that I just look forward to that.

Steve: 23:12 Sherry, the last one that you had pointed out catches my attention as well. And that was leading through positives. How are you defining that?

Sherry : 23:23 So, first of all, I want to make this point because I know there is some research on the other side of this too. This is an area that I'm spending quite a bit of time reading and researching right now, because I believe so strongly in it. Leading through positives does not mean that we ignore all the negative things that are happening in a school. I think that when you talk about leading through positivity, sometimes that's the pushback you get. It doesn't mean that you don't see them as a leader, it means that you can see the negative areas and know where to place them in the pyramid of importance so that you know how to grow your organization through their strengths. So if you're going to grow your organization through your strengths, and whether that be the teachers or the teachers together, or teachers growing students, you have to be able to see those positive elements and lead through positivity.

Sherry : 24:30 If I know that someone else can see my strengths, it just motivates me. And that's what the research also shows, that we are motivated by people who believe in us. So, you know, I use the example sometimes in my workshops of how I was writing for two different organizations and one organization was paying me more than the second organization but the second organization was so positive, Steve, I would have done it for free.

Steve: 25:08 [laughter]

Sherry : 25:08 The first organization, anytime that I would send something in, it was, "what have you thought about this? Have you thought
about this? Have you thought?" And I was like, "when do I get it right?" And I just use that as an example that teachers feel the same way. If somebody comes into their classroom and they can never say anything positive, or you can't see my strengths at all, what chance do I have to be successful and students the same way? So that's the idea of positivity is just, it's not that you can't see what's not working, but you can take something that's working and know that if you build on those unique gifts and talents, then you are going to impact the other.

Steve: 25:56 I'm smiling as I'm listening to you. I'm recalling early in my coaching career, I was modeling an observation and post-conference with a new teacher. And so I had a videotaped lesson of the teachers and I watched the video and then I role played what my coaching conference would be. And somebody said to me, when, as I wrapped it up, how did you find so many positive things to say? And I said, well, I spent 99% of my time looking for them. You know, what the new teacher could do to improve it, didn't take me about two or three moments to find that. And so I stopped looking for anything more for the teacher to work on, and I spent all the time focused on what were those positive things there that we could that we could build off of.

Steve: 26:51 And I just see that powering into the words that you laid out there, that once you could recognize those positive things in a person, and then you could show them that area of growth, they were ready to jump and go to work on it. Well, Sherry, I really appreciate the time you've shared with us today and your thoughts. I'm wondering if there's anything that comes to mind as a last word that you'd like to put out there for school leaders and instructional coaches to especially consider as they're doing their work, which is always important, but I think has gotten multiplied in its importance right now.

Sherry : 27:39 Well, you know, Steve, you know this from reading my book, I think that my work is around instructional leadership, whether it be with coaches in the schools or the administrators or the system leaders and I focus on three main areas. I think there's three threads that make strong instructional leaders. It is knowing what content to coach, when to coach it being well versed in that and the research goes around it, developing strong leadership skills and relationships, and that relationship piece I talk about first, because I don't think you can get to the other pieces if you don't have the strong relationships, which is why I talk about the listening tour in the initial stages of my book. So I guess the final piece that I would say to leaders here is, right now, that relationship piece is just really critical. And if it is taking the majority of your time to make sure that that is strong and a strong foundational piece, I think that's time well spent because without that piece, we are left with a very unstable structure to really move forward in the area of instructional growth.

Steve: 29:06 Well said, well said. So thanks again, Sherry. We will we'll put your contact information, your website and email in the lead-in into this podcast so it will be easy for folks to find. Why don't you just go ahead though and for those that are perhaps listening while they're jogging, give us the key for finding your website.

Sherry : 29:30 Sure. My website is Reflective Learning, and you can find it at www.reflecttolearn.com.

Steve: 29:37 Thank you.

Steve [Outro]: 29:42 Thanks again for listening, you can subscribe to Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud on iTunes and Podbean. And please remember to rate and review us on iTunes. I also want to hear what you're pondering. You can find me on Twitter @stevebarkley or send me your questions and find my videos and blogs at barkleypd.com.

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Podcast: Supporting Teachers' Social-Emotional Needs - Steve Barkley

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Sherry St. Clair, the author of Coaching Redefined, shares five focus points for school leaders to develop environments and relationships that build social and emotional wellness. Examine how a listening tour might be a starting point. Get in touch with Sherry: Sherry@reflecttolearn.com PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Announcer: 00:00 Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud is brought to you by Academy for Educators.

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4Ps of Positive Leadership

Sandra Yazbeck, MiniPD Coach, asks, what are the 4 P’s of positive leadership?

1. Psychological safety:
Psychological safety has many positive effects, including:

Increased confidence

Boosts in creativity

More trust between team members

Improved engagement

2. Purpose:

The second P of positive leadership is purpose. Purpose, in this case, refers to attaching meaning to your work beyond the act of just getting the job done. When employees see their work as being connected to a higher purpose, they are more likely to be positively engaged.
3. Path:
Path, the third P in the 4 Ps of positive leadership, focuses on having clarity on goals, resources, roles, timelines, and strategies.
4. Progress:
Progress, the fourth P, speaks to the connective tissue of leadership, which has to do with promoting a sense of value, growth, and development. This can be done in two ways:

1. Showing appreciation, celebrating small and big wins, and nurturing a deep sense of positivity.

2. Building good relationships with team members by providing support and feedback on performance to boost morale.

Connect with Sandra Yazbeck here on MiniPD for 1-to-1 conversations

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Explore this online course: Positive Behaviour and Relationship Management in International Schools with Michael Iannini and Barbara Mui

CLICK HERE to explore this course (5 mins).

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Try the STOP Approach

Sarah Rigstad, MiniPD Coach, writes,

"Being mindful means becoming aware of the present moment and choosing to dwell in the present. It is taking

agency of and paying full attention to yourself and your surrounding environment. It takes practice to rid the mind of concerns, regrets, and judgement on toward oneself and others, and become more engaged in the now."

Click on the attachment to learn the STOP Approach. Practice today.

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Positive Psychology & Resilience

Research shows factors such as strong executive function skills and strong self regulation can support positive psychology.

The MiniPD Team recommend, this great read by psychologist, Catherine Moore, Resilience Theory: What Research Articles in Psychology Teach Us, if you want to know more about how positive psychology and resilience theory connect.

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An Inquiry into Mindfulness

You don’t need a particular lesson to practice mindfulness with your students. Mindfulness shouldn’t be an additional task added to your plate. You can make it part of your daily practice by introducing it to your students at the beginning of the year. You can make a mini inquiry to explore its importance and have your students decide how they want to include it in their school day. It takes time for students to develop their understanding and practice, keep inviting them and model how mindfulness helps you in your life.

Engy Olama, MiniPD Coach

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3 Questions School Leaders Should Regularly Ask to Promote a More Positive School Culture

Michael Iannini, MiniPD Course Developer and Coach, writes,

It isn't enough to ask these questions at the start of the school year. If School leaders are serious about building and maintaining a culture founded on positive relationships, these questions need to be asked continually:

1. What will you do / are you doing to make this school a better place?

2. What is one thing uniquely wonderful about you?

3. Who are you when you are at your very best?

One more question I would like to see school leaders ask:

How can I help you always be at your best?

https://districtadministration.com/strengthening-school-spirit-2-principals-to-watch/

Learn more with Michael Iannini and Barbara Mui via their MiniPD course on Positive Behaviour and Relationship Management in International Schools.

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Principal Mary Fulp asks each student and staff member three inspirational questions about school spirit at the beginning of every school year:

1. What will you do to make this school a better place?

2. What is one thing uniquely wonderful about you?

3. Who are you when you are at your very best?

This type of self-reflection is at the heart of Fulp's drive to create a positive environment at Colony Middle School, part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Alaska. Her effort picked up more urgency when a climate survey revealed that some students felt intimated by their peers due to bullying.

"I believe as a leader that my job is to find unique qualities in people and nurture and grow them," says Fulp, Alaska's 2022 principal of the year. "On this campus, we need everyone to take action to make this a positive place to be-everyone has something to offer."

Fulp's philosophy is an example of how District Administration 's latest principals to watch are inspiring their communities to strengthen school spirit.

How school spirit creates community

Sustaining a positive culture is particularly important in middle school because students are establishing their belief systems and goals for the future. "We want them to believe they are so much more capable than what they thought they were," she explains. "If we do our jobs well, we're going to create a better community of more thoughtful citizens who are open to differences, instead of being divisive."

The District Administration Leadership Institute has developed an academy for school principals to be refreshed and challenged in leadership skills and knowledge by looking through the lens of Systems, Culture, and Instruction as they continue to grow as impactful leaders.
More information | REGISTER NOW!
She and her educators are also working to help students balance their use of technology. Her students have plenty of hands-on opportunities to be creative in the art room, but the school is also 1-to-1 with Chromebooks. The heavy reliance on technology during the pandemic inspired Fulp and her team to create the school's first digital citizenship course.

Fulp also says she is optimistic about this year, particularly when it comes to more consistent staffing. "I believe that in the most difficult circumstances there are opportunities for us to figure out new and better ways to do things," she adds. "We've learned new and innovative ways to provide education and we can provide high-quality online instruction."

'It can be a very lonely job'

The building leader's job is more difficult-and more important-than ever before, says Amy Schott, principal of Henderson Elementary in Virginia's Prince William County Public Schools. Schott stands at the center of these challenges in her role as a mentor for new principals, which she considers an opportunity to positively impact an entire community of students, staff and families.

"My goal is to maximize their time in classrooms and work side by side planning for instruction with teachers, which is absolutely the most important part of our role as a principal," says Schott, who was named The Washington Post 's principal of the year. "I love being able to coach new principals through challenging situations because it can be a very lonely job at times."

Two of her keys to the job are reflecting on three positive things at the end of each school day and turning off email notifications on her cellphone. This mindset also drives her to create a fun climate and intentionally strengthens relationships with students, staff and parents at her neighborhood school, she says. "This gives me a unique opportunity to connect with families at the pool, library, at the neighborhood lake, at the grocery store, when I'm out exercising, or at many other places in the neighborhood," Schott explains. "Parents have quickly learned that they are not a bother to me and that I absolutely love being a part of families' lives outside of the regular school day."

Changing trajectories

Schott's goals for the near future are expanding project-based learning, emphasizing environmental literacy, and developing a "house system" in which each student is a member of one of five houses. This system motivates students to demonstrate positive character, develop a stronger sense of belonging and create additional positive relationships, and it "boosts school spirit to extremely high levels," she says.

More from DA: Do the pros of banning cellphones in school outweigh the cons?

Students get to exercise voice and choice at school in how they demonstrate learning and through activities such as the school's "No Place for Hate Committee."

The biggest challenges Schott sees ahead are students' increasing need for mental health care and the pressures of standardized testing. "Every time I'm reading the news about topics such as the negative impacts of climate change, deadly diseases, violence, or unkind humans," Schott says, "it gives me such a strong sense of urgency to change the trajectory of so much that is happening in our world through our work with students today."

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2 principals to watch: How they are inspiring positivity and school spirit

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Principal Mary Fulp asks each student and staff member three inspirational questions about school spirit at the beginning of every school year: What will you do to make this school a better place? What is one thing uniquely wonderful about you? Who are you when you are at your very best?

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MiniPD coaches embrace and promote a growth mindset meeting adult learners where they are on the professional learning journey.

Create a free learner account on the MiniPD coaching platform!

Find a MiniPD coach on the MiniPD coaching platform to meet you where you are and to support your personal professional learning journey!

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Gratitude in the Primary Classrooms

MiniPD Coach, Engy Olama, suggests the following daily tips to help students’ practice gratitude more regularly in school.

Celebrate achievements by reflecting with students on what went well. You can have a “What Went Well” wall.

Invite students to write thank you letters to people who make a difference in their lives.

Encourage students to create gratitude postcards and pass them on to community members.

Start and end the day by practicing silent gratitude without having a specific reason.

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Happiness Challenge - Part 2: Being grateful for the good things

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Use Student-Centered Interventions to Strengthen Executive Skills

Supporting students to strengthen executive function skills can contribute to the development of a positive outlook and increased psychological and emotional resilience.

Renowned psychologist, Dr. Peg Dawson, comments, "a blank form (see attached example) can be used to help you design an intervention for an individual student with executive skill challenges [...] and involving the student at every step of the way enhances buy-in and enables you to tap into their expertise. Kids often have way better ideas about what might work to solve a problem--but they also know what won't work. They should be seen as collaborators in the process with their own unique expertise."

Learn more with Dr. Dawson in the 4 hour MiniPD Core Course, Building Executive Function Skills in Students, where she shares a multitude of practical strategies, resources and approaches for educators to use in practice with primary, middle and high school students.

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EFS Intervention Planning Form Dr. Peg Dawson MiniPD Core Course 2022

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Preserve Positivity

Barbara Mui, MiniPD Coach and Course Developer, writes,

To kickstart MiniPDs call to action for sharing stories on promoting positivity, I'd like to highlight a fantastic book that shares practical strategies and authentic stories to help you discover (or rediscover) your passion for teaching.

Teacher burnout is real and we can all use a cheerleader to encourage us when things get a little rough. You are not alone!

I am also available as a MiniPD coach if you want to have a  partner to cheer you on and help you to bring that enthusiasm back into your classroom.

Learn more with Barbara Mui and Michael Iannini via their MiniPD course on Positive Behaviour and Relationship Management in International Schools.

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Preserving Positivity book. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers.

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Support Students to Develop Self-Efficacy

Sarah Rigstad, MiniPD Coach writes,

"Support pupils to develop self-efficacy. This is done by guiding the student to access the behaviours necessary to excel and master new and various tasks (academic, social, and psychological)"

Click on the attachment to read more from Sarah.

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Use Strategies to Develop Self-Regulation

Supporting students to develop self-regulation can contribute to the development of a positive outlook and increased psychological and emotional resilience.

Dr. Richard Cash, award winning author and educator, writes,

"Build student confidence by finding and celebrating success, no matter how small. Students who experience failure on routine tasks often do not feel confident—they do not know what it feels like to be successful. Find those trivial things the student is good at—even if it is getting to school on time—nurture the child’s feelings of worth and value. Remind them how it feels to be successful—this way they can think back to those feelings when things get tough."

Learn more with Dr. Cash in the 4 hour MiniPD Core Course, Self-Regulation in the Classroom: Helping Students Take Control of Their Learning, where he shares a multitude of practical strategies, resources and approaches for educators to use in practice with primary, middle and high school students.

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We are all on the same team!

Coaching conversations are one way to leverage the power of positive learning in your school.

MiniPD coaches can help teachers and leaders as they grow more confident and develop competencies. MiniPD coaches are guided by three Domains of Coaching Support: Compassion, Mutuality, and Resourcefulness. While each domain is underpinned by the ultimate goal of capitalizing on individual strengths to nurture positive professional growth,

MiniPD Coaches support positive learning conversations through compassion by...

personalizing learning experiences to meet specific, contextual needs.

recognizing that current obstacles in practice are temporary.

centering learner growth in every coaching interaction.

listening to understand the needs and contexts of each learner (rather than listening to reply).

How can educators in your context use coaching more intentionally to create positive learning communities where all members come together regularly to plan, debrief, celebrate, and identify next steps to support ongoing school wide initiatives and personal professional growth?

Find out more about how MiniPD coaches can support you and your learning community in a wide variety of professional learning areas: hello@minipd.com

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Copy of Domains of Coaching Support in MiniPD

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Mentors are friends first, advisors second

Michael Iannini, MiniPD Course Developer and Coach, writes,

The power of peer mentoring will not only increase the confidence of new teachers but broaden the perspective of experienced teachers. Realizing these outcomes, though, doesn't require expertise, it mainly requires a genuine interest in helping colleagues realize their best selves. Anyone can mentor!

https://www.edutopia.org/article/qualities-exceptional-mentor-teachers

Learn more with Michael Iannini and Barbara Mui via their MiniPD course on Positive Behaviour and Relationship Management in International Schools.

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The best mentors are more than hand-holders or tour guides. They're skilled but accessible practitioners who "pass on their knowledge through informal conversation and everyday modeling," says middle school ELA teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron. They're world-class listeners who are dedicated to developing your unique educational voice, but when needed, they're willing to "push back and disagree with you."

While research shows that strong mentors improve new teacher retention, there's also a dramatic pass-through effect for students. When novice teachers receive high-quality and consistent mentoring, a 2017 study from SRI Education found that their students in turn showed impressive academic gains-an additional two to four months of learning in reading and an additional two to five months of learning in math, when compared with their peers in a control group.

Mentoring is different from induction-helping new teachers navigate the practical aspects of the job, such as how to follow field trip protocols or work the laminator. Mentors play a more expansive role, helping new teachers "manage the grind of daily struggles and the challenges of the profession," writes reading and language arts teacher Kimberly Long for EducationWeek. "Papers are spilling off your desk. The voicemail light is blinking. Your email inbox is never ending, and little smiley face stickers are somehow stuck in your hair. We've all been there. ... As an early career teacher, I have been blessed to work with many incredible teachers who have salvaged my sanity, dried my tears, and challenged me to be more than I thought I could be."

Recently, when we asked our readers the question "What makes a really good mentor teacher?" hundreds of educators weighed in. We combed through your responses across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and distilled the very best qualities of standout mentor teachers. We also consulted our Edutopia archives and outside sources to see what educators have written on the topic. Here, then, are six qualities of exceptional mentor teachers.

Good mentors have good ears: A common misconception of good mentoring is that it's fundamentally about dispensing advice. In fact, according to our audience, the heart of good mentoring is listening-the word (and its variants) showed up 67 times in the thread, far outpacing any other trait.

The first few years in the classroom are a roller-coaster of emotions and second-guessing. The best kind of mentor "listens with empathy," says Cait Marie, an English teacher in New Jersey, and knows how to redirect "worries and emotions positively," writes educator Alec Mielke via Facebook.

Active listening-a structured, nonjudgmental way of listening and responding where the listener delivers undivided attention and withholds judgment-is "especially important in mentor-mentee communication," writes Debra Meyer, a professor of education at Elmhurst University and former classroom teacher. "Active listening helps us learn, and good mentors are listening to learn. They want to help mentees consider their options and reflect."

They model, but resist molding: Successful mentorship isn't about correction or molding novice teachers into carbon copies. The best mentors quietly model good pedagogical practices and leave "enough space" for mentees to find their own voices, writes New Zealand educator Nicholas Orr, echoing a priority voiced by numerous educators in the thread.

Indeed, according to teacher Kim Halvorson, the ability to "stand back" and let mentees "make mistakes" before gently suggesting better alternatives for the next time are qualities of the most trusted mentors. They always "encourage the new teacher to try new strategies and be themselves," noted Kevin Leichtman, an English teacher at Monarch High School in Florida. "I had a fabulous mentor who had her own style and system. She didn't make me conform to her style, though. She showed me what worked for her (very successfully) while also encouraging my creativity. That helped me gain confidence in trying new things and growing in my own pedagogy."

They've seen it all: Assigning mentors before they've accumulated years of classroom experience is a mistake. There's simply a level of skill and expertise that only time can provide: "I took on the role way before I was ready, and it felt like a disaster," admits teacher Erin Ruiz-Prunchak.

Experienced mentors have the perspective to connect the hows and whys of teaching. They should be "very confident in their classroom management and lesson planning, and be able to articulate why they do what they do," agrees teacher Kelly Pope, responding via Facebook. And when things go awry, as they always do, says Ruiz-Prunchak, mentors demonstrate and model resilience: They're "strong enough with classroom management" to help mentees "repair and recover."

They strike the right balance: As teachers navigate unprecedented levels of professional stress and burnout, mentors can show early-career teachers how to set "clear work/life boundaries," impressing on them "the importance of caring for students and self," says teacher Kate Kluegel. And when things get tough, mentors can demonstrate self-care, modeling how to "put on their own Band-Aid. You know, just in case," says educator Jessica Brown.

When work becomes overwhelming, mentors can help mentees work the system, writes Meyer, the Elmhurst University professor of education. "New teachers typically have to hit the same high targets for student learning outcomes and professional responsibilities-with the same class sizes and schedules," Meyer writes. "This might mean that the mentor runs interference when the mentee is overloaded, requests additional resources, or provides help that takes time off the mentee's 'to-do' list."

They show up: Because mentoring takes time, the best mentorship often takes place within formal programs that provide participants with scheduled time and deliberate structure. In the end, showing up is more than half the battle.

Iowa educator Jody Lyon's mentor "was extremely good at dedicating the time we had to exactly what we were focusing on." Their get-togethers were always "focused meetings without gossip."

To ensure that level of focus, discuss and set norms at the beginning of the school year, says Amie Weinberg, a teacher-mentor program director and former classroom teacher. Put norms in a Google Doc and have both teachers sign off-and be sure to amend throughout the year, if needs or expectations change. "This dialog is important, as it builds a professional foundation for their yearlong collaboration and defines each one's roles and responsibilities," Weinberg writes.

Get your logistics in order, too: Set the day and time that work best for weekly meetings for both teachers, "as well as details like where, for how long, and cancellation procedures," notes Weinberg. It's also a good idea to set expectations around unplanned interactions-when a mentee is dealing with an uncooperative student or a lesson that bombed, for instance, and needs support or advice. Should the mentee send an email to the mentor, text, call, or stop by their classroom? "Sharing preferences and working out details is a straightforward way to begin the collaborative journey," Weinberg says.

They encourage reflection: Mentor teachers, many educators told us, help mentees develop a practice of regular, meaningful reflection. "For seasoned teachers, reflecting comes so naturally we forget how important it is," writes Anne Stewart on Facebook. "Ask the question: How did _____ impact your students? How do you know?"

At the same time, just as they would in their own practice, a good mentor teacher is "constantly reflecting and asking herself questions that keep her goals in sight and her apprentice feeling seen, heard, and appreciated," adds jennasteedconnkatt via Instagram.

Experienced mentors, notes Weinberg, cultivate reflective thinking as a core part of the mentoring process and ask questions that help expand and deepen mentees' learning. "Mentors who coach this way have shared with me that they believe a mentee's reflection more definitively impacts professional growth than questioning does, because thinking about a lesson or instructional strategies can directly lead to change," Weinberg concludes. "The goal of reflection for growth is the reason why the pair meets weekly, even when the mentee has no specific questions or concerns."

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The Qualities of Exceptional Mentor Teachers

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Hundreds of teachers answered the question 'What makes a great mentor?' We read all 851 comments and distilled the very best advice.

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Prioritizing Teachers Wellbeing

MiniPD Coach, Engy Olama, suggests the following steps to help teachers audit their daily activities.

1.     Think of all the activities you do on a typical day, then write them down.

2.     Reflect on each activity by deciding the ones that motivate you and the others that drain your energy. This will increase your awareness to how you live each day.

3.     Ask yourself, how can I turn depleting activities into more nourishing ones?

4.     Then, think of more ways you can incorporate nourishing activities into your day.

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Positive Psychology and Long Term Outcomes

Sarah Rigstad, MiniPD Coach, writes,

"Positive psychology experiences have long been connected to positive long term outcomes. With positive psychology the focus is on the development of individual strengths, instead of weaknesses."

Click on the attachment to read more from Sarah.

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