February 2014- Back to the Basics

Reading through your comments and posts last month, reminded me of some of my all time favorite TLAC techniques and served as the inspiration for this post.  Especially after the holidays and as we gear up for testing season, it is sometimes easy loose sight of the fragile little minds that peer up at us each day.  How can we make sure that we are still meeting their needs as a person while pushing them for greatness during this stressful time?  Let's go back to some of our TLAC basics!  

Threshold:  Seriously, my all time favorite classroom culture technique. I love it for it's ease of implementation and ability to connect one-on-one with each and every student every single day.  Take a look at this picture provided by Teacher Leader Reyna from Marshall Elementary:

• Eye Contact:  The thing that strikes me the most in the picture is the eye contact!  Our little friend is looking his teacher straight in the eye and giving his best handshake.
• Hand Shake:  If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times:  you gotta shake their hands!  (put your germ-x behind your desk and soak yourself it afterwards if you must).  On a special occasion, a high five or fist bump can be a fun alternative, but for everyday use the handshake is your best bet.
• Address them by name and ask that they do the same:  I got tired of being referred to as "Ms" all the time.  If we expect to be called by name, we should hold ourselves to the same expectation.  
• Look at all those smiling faces:  Take a look at the kids standing in line- they are so happy!  It's almost like they can't wait to have those few seconds with their teacher.  Look at the teacher- he's happy too! Greeting students at my door helped me reset if I had a difficult class period and it helps reset students too.

Does your Threshold need a make-over?  Are your kids (or you) bored with the same old "good morning" greeting?  Read through the Threshold section in the TLAC field guide and post two alternative greetings you can use to revamp a tired threshold routine in the comment section below.

100%: 

Let's be completely honest with ourselves, are we holding students to the same level of 100% expectation as we did at the beginning of the year or are we sliding by and excepting 90% now?  Doug is in the process of rewriting 100% for TLAC 2.0.  Visit his blog to get a sneak peak at some of the new information and videos!  

Practice:   

How many times have we seen this photo?  There's the number one soccer player in the world engaged in a practice session, running drills, under the supervision of a coach.  So many times we go to trainings where we engage in great discussion and reflection of new learning, but when we get back to our classrooms, nothing changes.  Doug calls this the "get it-do it" gap.  He argues that if we are going to change how we do things in our classroom, then we have to practice (even if we are the "best soccer player" in the world).  Take a look at this photo submitted by Teacher Leader Webb from Edison Middle School.

Teachers in this photo are engaged in practicing nonverbal cues to support 100%.  How are you helping teachers get over the "get it-do it" gap in your practice sessions?  Think back to your last practice sessions and answer these reflection questions.

**Please note:  to receive credit for your participation, please complete all three of the highlighted items above**