The Teacher 50

Critical Questions for Inspiring Classroom Excellence

Baruti K. Kafele

• Publisher: ASCD
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781416622765
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

In this thoughtful guide for novice and veteran educators alike, Baruti K. Kafele takes readers on a reflective journey designed to reignite their passion for teaching. Kafele's 50 questions and penetrating insights reveal how you can

• Inspire students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds to strive for academic excellence;
• Develop strong relationships with students, their parents, and the greater community;
• Address the challenges and promises presented by millennial learners; and
• Boost your motivation and excitement about teaching despite entrenched obstacles and daily frustrations.

Replete with ideas for strengthening your practice and investing in student success, this book is an indispensable companion for teachers who want to give their absolute best in the classroom at all times and under all circumstances.

Baruti K. Kafele is a highly regarded teacher, administrator, and speaker and is the author of several books, including The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence.

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Chapter 1

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Teacher Attitude

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Q: Are My Students at an Advantage Because I Am Their Teacher?

An ongoing debate in the world of education revolves around the question of who or what has the biggest influence on a child's potential for classroom success. Some argue that students' home environments make the biggest difference; others argue for students' socioeconomic status, the overall school environment, or the classroom teacher. I contend that all these variables have a significant influence on students—but none more so than students' teachers.

The amount of influence that classroom teachers have on student success can't be overstated. They are the ultimate difference-makers—the game-changers who can either make or break their students. It's pivotal to understand this influence. When you walk into your classroom every day, confident that you are the number-one determinant of the success or failure of your students, you are ready to ensure that optimal student learning will occur. When you take it a step further and internalize the idea that your students will be successful because you are their teacher, your students are in the best possible position to achieve success. I'm not promoting egotism here—I'm promoting the willful, inspiring attitude necessary for your students to experience classroom excellence.

Q: Why Do I Teach, Anyway?

One day, it occurred to me that every single word in the dictionary has a meaning—or, you might say, a purpose. And as with words in the dictionary, all teachers should also be able to define the purpose of their work. Teachers who come to class every day with no purpose are like words in the dictionary with a blank space where the definitions should be.

What is your definition of your work's meaning and purpose? Go beyond generalizations like making a difference in the lives of children or preparing them for the future. What is your specific purpose for teaching your students? What drives you to get up in the morning and report to your classroom every day? What drives you to continue to do the work that you do despite the challenges that you face every day?

When I worked as a classroom teacher I was driven by many different factors, but at my core, my ultimate purpose was to motivate, educate, and empower children—with an emphasis on empower. To empower children is to make them stronger, more confident, and better able to control their lives (and to turn the corner if they're on the wrong track). Far too many students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, don't feel empowered to take charge of the direction of their lives.

Now think about your specific purpose for the work that you do—your personal definition of teaching. Let this purpose drive everything that you say and do from now on as you work to inspire classroom excellence.

Q: How Badly Do I Want to See My Students Succeed?

When I conduct professional development workshops with educators, I typically begin by asking attendees, "What are the challenges, obstacles, pressures, demands, and adversities that you face in your classrooms daily? Put another way: What keeps you up at night?" The teachers' responses can sometimes be overwhelmingly emotional. I recall several times having to hold back tears as I listened to teachers with tears in their own eyes. At one workshop not too long ago, a teacher confided to me that what kept her up at night was knowing that one of her students lived in a rat-infested apartment. She told me that this knowledge made her particularly determined to ensure that her student would become a success. These moments speak volumes to me: They are glimpses into the hearts of teachers who take the pressures and demands of their jobs home and to bed every evening.

My point in asking teachers to share during workshops is to gauge how badly they want to see their students succeed in the face of sometimes overwhelming odds. How badly do you want to see your students succeed? How badly do you want to be prepared to surmount all the obstacles that you'll face, day in and day out, in your classroom? Are you up to the challenge of meeting the needs of a diverse group of learners? Do you have the will to be a great teacher for all your students? Are you willing to learn all you have to know to connect with every student in your classroom? What adjustments can you make on a daily basis to meet all your students' academic, social, and emotional needs? How do you ensure that your students remain fired up for success in life?

You have got to want your kids to succeed at a gut level. You have got to be practically obsessed with helping them discover and exploit their potential for greatness, and you have got to be passionate about their success.

Q: Where Will My Students Be 10 Years from Now as a Result of Having Me as Their Teacher?

I once had a very interesting conversation with a 4th grade teacher about her daily classroom challenges. "Principal Kafele, I am working entirely too hard," she said. "My principal gives me all the students that no one else wants and then expects me to perform miracles with them."

I told this teacher that her principal must have a great deal of confidence in her abilities and asked her what kind of results she was getting with her students.

"I have the highest test scores in the building," she said, "but I work harder than most of my colleagues to get them because I teach the most challenging students."

I was intrigued by the teacher's response. Although she had the most challenging students in the building, they consistently outscored everyone else. I asked her how this could be.

"There are a lot of reasons," she said, "but I will narrow it down to one word: vision. I can 'see' their success before they walk into my classroom—before we even embark on the first lesson. I see them doing great things with their lives years after they leave my classroom."

She hit the nail on the head. This teacher didn't see her students solely as 4th graders, but also as the adults that they would eventually become. She had a vision of where they would one day be as a result of the work she was putting in daily. Her vision of what her students could become tomorrow inspired how she treated them today.

What is your vision for your students? What will your students become as adults? Where will they be 10 years from now as a result of the year they spend with you? You must see beyond your students' current circumstances and into their futures. Teaching without a sense of vision shortchanges children, forcing us to teach solely on mitigating the concerns of the present.

Q: Do My Students See Me as an Example of Who and What They Can Become?

Over the years, the term "rock star" has been used to denote people who are particularly good at their jobs. Are you a "rock star" in your classroom? Do you perform at such high levels that your students recognize your greatness and see you as an example to emulate? Are you a role model for your students? You will serve your students best if you're a dynamite teacher who regularly performs miracles in the classroom, such as teaching students who may have been written off by colleagues and helping them to become high academic performers.

Many educators either forget or are unaware that they are role models. Remember, students are watching you model appropriate behavior even when it appears that they aren't. And although it may not be apparent unless you pay close attention, many students probably see their relationships with you as among the most significant in their lives. How do you think your students see you? What is their perception of you as a teacher and as a person? Are you aware of your status as a role model? Do they see examples in you of who and what they can become? If not, why not? I strongly encourage you to always be conscious of what you say and do in the presence of students because they are "recording" it all. Your actions and words—even ones you might not otherwise give a second thought to—play an absolutely crucial role in shaping students.

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Chapter 2

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Student Motivation

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Q: What Is My Signature Classroom Move?

Think of the word signature. What comes to your mind? The written signature we use to endorse checks and seal contracts is unique to each of us; it is ours and ours alone. But we can also use the word to describe individual specialties for which we are known—a signature recipe, for example. Being an avid basketball fan, I think of the signature moves that various players are known for on the court.

In the classroom, my signature move was always delivering an opening message to my students every morning. Because I knew that many of them went home every afternoon to difficult environments that sapped them of their sense of hope, I felt it was my purpose to inspire and empower them, and I also knew that subject knowledge alone would never do the trick. So, every morning, I would deliver an inspiring and empowering address that set the tone for the rest of the day.

What is your signature move in the classroom? What is that thing—that one activity, strategy, word, expression—that sets you apart from the rest—that secret weapon that keeps all your students inspired in the face of adversity?

Q: Do I "Bring the Fire" into My Classroom Every Day?

Fire—the energy, excitement, and enthusiasm that you bring to the classroom every day—is a vital component of your teaching repertoire. Because it's your professional responsibility to ensure that your students remain engaged and inspired to work on even the driest subject material, you must be prepared to spark life into your lessons every single day.

Fire should not be confused with charisma, which not everyone possesses in large amounts. Fire is about energy and relish for the work of teaching. It is paramount that your students see evidence of your fire every time they're in class with you. They must see in your practice that you are truly passionate both about the work that you do and about...