Develop or Demand

Teachers love working for administrators who help them develop their talents, interests and abilities. These administrators do not demand their teachers follow the step-by-step instructions in the purchased textbooks or programs.

The students are just the same. Remember they feel like adults even though they do not think like adults.

Listening and observing are cousins with development. Marion Nordberg, a former Southern California teacher provided me one of my favorite listening stories. I asked, “Marion, why do you hold your pencil like that? Isn’t there a proper way you are supposed to hold a pencil?” She related that a few years prior a youngster was holding his pencil this new way. She said she was tempted to make him change, but stopped and asked, “Why do you hold your pencil that way?” The student replied, “Because my printing is better this way. I can hold the pencil better.”

So, Marion replied, “I will hold pencil the way you do for two weeks. If you are right, you can continue. If not, I’ll ask you to change.” “That was ten years ago,” stated Marion. He was correct and I have been holding my pencil that way ever since.”

Marion’s example of listening and observing is the foundation for teachers and administrators to develop others versus demanding teaching and learning must done only one way.

As we progress, you will see there will be agreement upon what knowledge is learned, what skills are to be developed and how we will document success. How the success is accomplished, with a mindset to develop children and staff, will astonish us repeatedly.