Day 7-  Engagement Versus Compliance

We eased into our second Tuesday with the comfort that accompanies familiarity. Even those who arrived fresh from the frustrations of rush-hour traffic quickly relaxed into the rhythms and routines of the day.

Our day officially began with Katrina and Sandra sharing their blog post from Monday. This was our first post with two authors. It was really interesting to hear two unique perspectives of the same day. It provided a great reminder that our prior experiences and our individual goals impact how we experience events.

The reminder of the morning was spent with Nancy Steineke discussing Content Area Writing. Nancy started by sharing her belief that in order to teach writing workshop, you need to do writing workshop. Though the morning was short, we did workshop by participating in several activities that we could utilize in our own classroom. 

• Identity Web
• Close Reading of an Image
• 4-Square
• Story Telling from Different Perspectives
• Identity Web for a Significant Person 
• Annotating with a Purpose
• Argument Lineup 

Sharing Identity Webs

Sharing Identity Webs

Many of us were intrigued by the photos and life of Vivian Maier. Some of her work is currently on exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. 

http://chicagohistory.org/planavisit/exhibitions/vivian-maiers-chicago

Rather than rush off to enjoy lunch, many participants continued conversations or initiated new ones when the lunch break was announced. I think this is a strong testament to the relevance and importance of this experience for each of us.

Lunch Time Conversations

Lunch Time Conversations

Our afternoon started with a debriefing of the morning's activities. There was consensus that while some of us found the pace of the workshop activities challenging, there was value in the activities and application opportunities in our classrooms. Steve suggested having students take photos of their neighborhoods and Sandra suggested having students explore photos on their phones that are not public. 

A couple of moments in the debriefing stood out. One was when Steve shared that he was "quietly rebellious." We were surprised and amused to learn that when Steve is told, "This is what I want from you," he thinks to himself, "Well, that's not what you're going to get!" Another was when Tiffany made the important distinction between student engagement and student compliance. Tiffany's statement made me think of Alfie Kohn's Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community. During our experiences the past seven days, I think we all recognize how easy engagement can be when we're part of a meaningful, authentic community.

Lauren Shares Her Essay

Lauren and Tiffany each shared their writing examples with us. Lauren shared an essay she authored during a workshop earlier this year. In her essay, which is a letter to her future child or children, Lauren shared empowering advice based on her own challenges during middle school. Tiffany shared that even as a mentor teacher, she needs inspiration too. One place she finds such inspiration is in the poem "The Heart of a Teacher" by Paula J. Fox.

Tiffany Shares a Poem

Our afternoon concluded with a continuation of the previous day's conversation with Steve about leadership. We broke into small groups to discus various ways to lead in our own schools. 

Jan Filling the Coffee Pot for a Third Time to Fuel our Afternoon Work!

Opening Classroom Doors
- trust is critical
- initial meeting, maybe one-to-one relational meeting to create trust
- start with no students around, check out rooms
- feedback should be focused and specific, teachers can request specific feedback 
- "Welcome Wednesdays" on a volunteer basis, low stakes
- provide exit slip to teacher for positive feedback
- hybrid- kids visit other rooms and provide positive feedback

Organizing a Campaign for Some Change in Department- or School-Wide Policy or Practice
- need? expertise? how can you effectively address that need?
- buy-in and follow-up?
- non-threatening, community
- relationships, trust
- interactive, postive, validating
- "What is something that you want to see in kids that graduate from this school? "
- important to build relationships, recognize potential supporters and detractors
- inform principal, you want their support, but you don't it to become a mandate
- should not divide or label people 
- possible PD idea- "Walkers and Talkers" where each staff member shares something that is very effective in their classrooms and share out 

Getting a Grant


- Audience and purpose when grant writing
- Couple of sentences right up front, sharp, brief, energetic
- What's unique and special about what you're doing? 


Additional Resources:
Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way