I'm not a fan of textbooks. I've never been good at following them, don't endorse any of them, and would rather create meaningful experiences for my students. Textbook companies don't know my kids so how can they craft good problems for them? 

There. I said it.

I was asked to help a first year teacher in my district with some teaching strategies and things that she could try. When we met, she was completely open to anything, so I offered to give her the day off. No lesson plan, no teaching, no grading; just be there to hang out and watch. Truthfully, I hoped that she would observe me as if she were an administrator, trying to pick up things I was doing well and things I wasn't, but that wasn't the goal.

In preparation for the lesson, I went out to my favorite source for new ideas: Twitter. And you didn't disappoint.

Over 20 people came back with ideas that I could have used, and all were outstanding. Desmos activities, stacking cups, manipulatives, clotheslines, and so much more. If you're looking for some cool ideas, check out the thread. However, there was one response that stuck with me. It is from Allison:

In this hyped-up world in which I surround myself, I was ready to deliver some kick-ass lesson that left this new teacher in awe and her students hungry for seconds, thirds, and more. I was ready to incorporate all kids of strategies, a performance task, and do so with such passion that left me feeling great at the end of the day.

But what about her?

What about this first year teacher who is just trying to get by? In a department where they constantly create new content, are asked to fall in line with what everyone else is doing, and rarely use the adopted textbook, where does that leave her when I'm gone? Someone else said it, and it's completely true, that me doing something dynamic leaves a vacuum when I walk out that door. Will she be able to replicate it? Will she create her own activities? Hey, in my first couple years of teaching, I was trying to make it to the end of the day without doing something I'd regret or saying something I shouldn't have. Content, behavior, management, you name it.

So I didn't. 

A while back, Kate Nowak wrote a post titled "In Defense of Unsexy" and it still resonates with me. In fact, her post is part of why I felt it was OK to plan a lesson that used a WYR prompt to start the class and textbook examples to carry it through.

Today, I started a lesson on systems of linear equations with this Would You Rather Math task:

It was fun, as it always is, to have the conversation with students. We spent a good 12-15 minutes on it, and I used that time to set the foundation of a need for systems. After all, there is some hinge point where you would rather take one versus the other; let's figure that out.

From there, I stepped waaaaaay out of my comfort zone. I had the students open the chromebooks, go to the online version of their textbook, and walked them through two problems they could try. We had another tab open with Desmos to graph their systems and get a visual of what was happening, but the meat of the content was in the "book" online. For her entire load of classes, we did the same thing, naturally getting more comfortable as the periods went on. I modeled a few different strategies, mixed it up from class to class, and made sure to be intentional with what I was doing.

​It wasn't perfect, it wasn't glamorous, but it worked. And when I say it worked, I mean that. The students were actively engaged, working through the problems and talking with their partners. They struggled and persevered through it, they partook in meaningful conversations, and they took risks. Yes, some were even a PITA for me like they were for her, and that was important to see. How did I handle it? What teacher moves did I make? Fun fact: having the thickness of a quarter be 0.069" is an unfortunate coincidence when working with teenagers, especially the boys; how do I avoid a class meltdown?

Afterwards, we debriefed and shared our perspectives about what went well, what didn't, and how she might take a risk or two going forward. One notable risk is to start using the textbook, as she sees legitimate value in having something that she--and the students--can follow on a regular basis. For now, that has to be OK. 

It wasn't a perfect teaching performance, but it was what she needed to see as she enters month 5 of the best profession we could ever ask to be a part of. Maybe next time, we'll do something crazy; this time, I had the chance to embrace being the Textbook Teacher.

My challenge to you is this: whatever role in education you assume, find a new teacher and be there to support in whatever way you can. We lose too many good teachers because of how damn hard the profession is. You--we--can help to change that.

Happy "Textbook Teacher" Fishing

In April of 2017, Paula and I were spoken to about the retirement of the math coach in our district. Up to this point, we were technology coaches, playing Santa Clause from week to week as we helped introduce new and engaging ways to incorporate technology into lessons. It was so much fun! Over the next few weeks, we were convinced to take on the additional role of "math coach" because, well, we both taught math and had good relationships with our teachers. We scrambled to figure out what this all meant, so let's fast forward to the fall of 2017: the first year as a math coach.

​I sent a tweet out about one of our induction mentors reaching out to me, and Megan replied:

I need to be completely transparent here:

I'm overwhelmed.
I don't think I'm doing a great job.
Our model will not work for everyone, and that might include you.
Our model is not perfect.

So here's what we did, from the beginning of the year to now. I would love your feedback, what you (or your coach) are doing in the role to make it better, and how I could improve.

First
Create a set of goals. They don't have to be comprehensive, and they aren't all going to be attainable, but you need something to build from. What do you want your role to be? How do you want to be defined by your peers, by your superiors, by the students? A brain dump here is sufficient, and almost necessary. You aren't going to tackle everything, but getting that list together will help you set up a list of what's important and what isn't. No, it isn't all important.

Second
Create some sort of plan, even if it isn't ready to roll out. For us, it helped to get some sort of direction, and the sooner the better. We waited too long to work through a plan, and still haven't to my liking. This is what we started with. For the most part, we have stuck to the plan below with a few deviations.

Third
Get into classrooms. This is the most important one for us, and I don't regret a single day of it. To be clear here, it is exhausting. Paula and I worked to visit every single math classroom in our entire district. We have over 120 teachers at 8 high schools, so this meant each of us visiting approximately 2 teachers per period for 8 days. We didn't get to everyone because of variability in schedules, but we did get to see parts of approximately 140 lessons. There was some overlap, and that's fine. At the end of each day, we debriefed about what we saw and how we could support that team or an individual... or both.

This step cannot be said loudly or clearly enough. Going in and making myself a student in each of those classes helped me develop (or enhance) a relationship with each of the teachers. I am not there to judge you or evaluate you, but to learn how you navigate your classroom. After all, if I don't know how you are as an instructor, what right do I have to suggest ways for you to improve? 

If there is one thing I can recommend as a coach, it would be to go in and humanize yourself to all teachers you serve. And soon.

Fourth
Once we had visited classrooms, we scheduled pull-out days for each of the team leads. In our district, because it is all high schools and so big, we have a person on each campus as the lead for Integrated 1, another for Integrated 2, and another for Integrated 3. To start the conversation and build some bridges, we planned an entire day with all leads from all campuses. We were incredibly nervous because it's asking a lot for 24 teachers to be out of their class to discuss mathematics for a full day, but it was worth every minute. 

People connected from site to site, within their own sites, and we had meaningful conversations about how each team is working toward supporting their students and the curriculum. For the agenda, feel free to take a look here and let me know if you have any questions or would like any further information.

Fifth
We had to overhaul the department chair meetings. Look, folks, they're boring. It's a brain dump, information overload, and it's not something I would want to drag myself to the District Office for. 

So we did something about it.

​We start the meetings with a demo lesson, and the one below is the one we're using on Monday. After that, we give some feedback about what we're seeing around the district because it's important for others to know the great things happening within their teams and throughout the district. Celebrate it!

Sixth (and ongoing)
Where do we go from here?

I'm not really sure. This whole journey has been one giant learning experience, but it has allowed us to create some meaningful connections. Both of us are being asked to do more demo lessons, work with specific teams, and be more present. For me, it comes all the way back to the humanization of our position. It's so easy for people to slap the "you people" label on us because we aren't in the classroom, yet we are in dozens of classrooms every week, seeing great instruction and great learning opportunities that are worth sharing. 

We are also working to build a better network with the districts that feed us, and it's an ongoing process as well. There are more meetings and more conversations than ever before, so I am optimistic that we are on the right path to a better relationship.

As a coach, it is my job to get you, the teacher, comfortable enough with yourself to where you no longer need me, but want me to launch your ideas even further. We aren't there yet, but we're making progress. 

Whatever you do, let teachers know that you're there for them.

Happy "Difference-Making" Fishing