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Hello Edunators!
Today's topic is one that isn't "professional devleopment" in the technical sense for teachers, but I am a firm believer that "human development" is "professional development" and that we should all strive to be better humans.
For that reason, I must confess that I try to operate as if when someone asks us "How are you doing?" what they're really asking us is "How should I feel today?" Consider this - if you ask me that question and I respond with "Awful...my life sucks right now, how 'bout yours?" how do you now feel having asked that question? Instead, if I were to respond "Skippy hippy! How YOU doing!?" how do you feel, now? Perhaps it's true that two people complaining together never made anyone feel better.
That's not to say that I encourage you to be disingenious per se, I'm just asking you to consider the ramifications of your response on the greater culture within which you work and live. After all, a sullen, negative response won't help you, and certainly won't help them.
Yet, while many of us will quickly identify "complaining" as a characteristic we least dislike about co-workers, we're slow to recongize when we do it ourselves.
For that reason, since early November I’ve been wearing a rubberband on my wrist as a part of a “21 Day No Complaint Challenge”. The idea is simple - when I complain about something, I snap the rubber band, move it over to the other wrist, and start over. I first got the idea listening to a podcast with Tim Ferriss, and originally thought it would be a fun idea to try until Thanksgiving, but I’ve since decided to continue on in this journey a bit longer.
I’ve since learned that this idea is “a thing” as the kid say. Thanks to some research (ie, Google) I’ve learned that a gentlemen named Will Bowden seems to have cornered this particular market. He has a video series which I haven’t checked out much and sells bracelets for it, if rubber band snapping isn’t your thing.
The idea is simple - by becoming more aware of when we complain, we are empowered to complain less. The less we complain, the more we’re able to focus on the positive and avoid “drama” and needless “venting” that really doesn’t help us or those around us. Truth be told, I started the idea with no intention of sharing it here (or anywhere) but I believe it’s helped me, so in a way, I feel obligated to share. Over the last month, I’ve identified certain topics, times, and even people that serve as ‘triggers” for negativity in my life. Simply being aware of these things has helped me to view my interactions with these circumstances differently, and I feel like it’s made a difference.
According to Bowden’s website, the average person takes 4-8 months to reach the 21 day threshold. My record so far?
4.
Oh, and I’m on my second rubberband. I may have broken one.
I don’t consider myself a particularly negative person, but obviously, I have a long way to go. As Bowden’s website says “Complaining is an epidemic that is destroying our happiness, relationships, health, and success. The problem is that most people aren’t even aware when they complain...Complaining is like bad breath- – you notice it when it comes out of someone else’s mouth, but not when it out of your own.”
As I said, I first got the idea listening to a podcast at the end of an audiobook (“Ego is the Enemy” by Ryan Holiday...maybe a topic for another day). I have no affiliation with Mr. Bowden’s website, nor have I ever engaged in any of his products or services, but you can check it out at https://www.willbowen.com/complaintfree/.
In the spirit of the “21 Day No Complain Challenge” I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you my “7 Ways to Improve our ‘Student Concerns’ Meetings”. You can guess what one of them is. :)
Almost every school I’ve worked in or with, has as a part of it’s regular PLC collaborative time a type of meeting in which they discuss concerns educators are having regarding specific students. These meetings have the best of intentions - after all, everybody working together to solve a challenging problem can only help, right?
Sure. In theory.
Except often these meetings, well intentioned and full of caring, empathetic professionals, can often deteriorate quickly into collective griping about student behavior, or worse, specific students. While “venting” is one thing, a room full of people complaining to / at each other has perhaps never made anyone feel better. And when the topic of our complaining is the very kids we’re committed to helping? That just creates an inherent animosity between teachers and students that is not healthy to their education or our careers.
Take a look at these ten tips for keeping your “student concerns” meetings solution oriented, positive and effective.
We all need to have fun with our students from time to time, so here’s a quick list of some silly ways to get kids up and moving, share some laughs, build some rapport, and if you’re creative, maybe mix in some academic content along the way.
1. Heads or Tails - Ask students to stand up and choose heads or tails (I would make them signal their choice by placing their hands on their head to signal "heads", or on their waste to signal "tails"). Then, flip flip a coin (or let Google do it) and anyone who chose incorrectly must sit. We keep going until there’s only one winner and I always tried to hand out some silly .25 trophy or other prize. I also do this regularly in my professional development workshops. Teachers love it, too.
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 As always, if there’s anything I can do for you or your students, please don’t hesitate to ask. Focus on learning, and be great today.
-Mark
markclements@Edunators.com
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7 WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR "STUDENT CONCERN" MEETING