I hope that HPEC offers teachers time and opportunities to “herd” and come up with new and helpful practices to keep us on the right track for supporting children with disabilities and their families. I have always felt our categorical meetings and our special committees allow us to team and brainstorm together. I am thankful for my time with Marcy, Gail and Amber to team together.
There is always a ‘herd’ somewhere; that comes from belonging to groups either socially or at school. Bringing together individuals to create change is tough and I think it’s because change is pretty frightening. It is far easier to maintain the status quo, the Elephant is safer that way. Getting folks to ‘buy in’ to change comes in a variety of ways. As we read, threats just don’t do it! Bring in the emotional Elephant to really get change to happen and shape the path to make it even easier.
I definitely have a small "herd" at home that I always have to rally...rally to get out the door on time, rally to sit down and eat dinner together, rally to go to bed on time. Usually when can get one kiddo to sit at the table, then another one sits down, and finally the third one does too (most generally this is my middle child who is the toughest to rally!)
I feel that the school psychs have a great "free space". Especially when we meet together at for psych days in Ulysses. I love this time to meet and discuss issues that we are having in our districts and how we can bring about change. We share "bright spots" in our districts as well. Some times the administrators join us or sometimes we are left on our own for a bit. Either way, we get a chance to collaborate.
Pages 246 to 249 are pages I would like to copy. I never looked at the committees that way. I think we do need to give free spaces but we also need to share. If we had one leader from each group would allow ones that want to say something but do not want everyone to know it come from them. I know there are sometimes I would like to say something but then it seems everyone is on the attack. People want to say they are open minded but when you say something and they come right back with something and you are not finished with your thought i know I shut down and stop saying anything. If change is to happen then everyone needs to listen through everyone's opinion. Not one person is right or wrong but as a community we can make things happen.
I see our entire elementary building faculty meeting being the herd that needs rallied. It isn’t everyone in the herd but usually you have a portion that needs rallied. Right now as your building K-4 is making tons of changes and implementing MTSS, Lexia, and AIMSweb we find the rallying getting harder.
As for our free space, the nice thing in Kindergarten is yes we have our month collaboration meetings with our principal to talk about changes and such but daily we eat lunch together and I find this to be our “free space.” We talk openly about how we feel about changes or needing to implement things. We can discuss how we as a grade level feel comfortable implementing it that will be the most productive and beneficial for our students.
It seems the majority of people are driven by the minority. Even though by definition minority is the smaller amount they certainly are the loudest and often most unproductive group. Small herds can be very damaging. It seems we spin our wheels getting stuck in a very small hole not making any progress. I really don't know what to so about the minority who seem to cause undue stress on everyone else. Our administration is really looking closely at what do about ineffective teachers, more so than ever before. Maybe due to Common Core- don't really know? This may sound bad but at times the easiest way to avoid the herd is by ignoring it and doing what you know your job is. For example avoid negative areas as mentioned in the previous blog. Of course the bigger herd can definitely have a positive impact on the smaller one. Peer pressure is a powerful thing- even for adults! Our PLC meetings are held in a small conference room in the building. It is always in the same room unless there is a conflict. The consistency of the room plays a big part in PLC's being productive (especially when an agenda is involved - focus!).
When I started on the Guided Coalition last year at our school it was a real eye-opener on just how strong our "herd" was digging in their heels. The change needed in our building was state driven and not personal. Being part of most of the committees and seeing the change from last year to this year, I am amazed at how some teachers are really starting to be part of the process of change. Also, with representative from each grade level, we are hearing more concerns that are school-wide.
As far as free-space, I think that we need a comment box for anonymous comments that can be shared with the different committees to address them. We still have some tough teachers to work with. I know during our PLC's I rarely speak up because of the glares I get and then it is really uncomfortable, but I do know the teacher in my grade level that I talk to before because she is able to share with the team in a acceptable way.
Rallying the herd is hardest in the lives of my students. Quite a few of them are "outsiders" as far as their peer group goes. It is hard to have their peer group provide positive pressure to help them. One of my juniors last year was involved in sports. As part of the track team his relay team ended up going to the state track meet. That was a huge leap in the right direction and he has continued to work hard academically and in the extra curricular area this year. "Free space" is precious.... I try to grab moments with teachers when I can....and with my team when I can.
There are herds everywhere with each social group - teachers, administrators, sports teams, etc. I feel I need to rally teachers to incorporate accommodations within the classroom and rally parents on ways to facilitate speech and language skills for their children. Of course, this is done on an individual basis, not as a whole group at one time, but if I give them information on what others do and success they have, it would motivate their elephants. I need to find a way to motivate their elephants.
I enjoy the categorical meetings we have at HPEC to discuss and brainstorm different situations we're dealing with and can bounce ideas off one another. I take advantage of those moments as much as possible; I wish they occured more often! I try to catch regular ed and interrelated teachers when I can to discuss things with them and see how things are going in their classrooms with my students.
I agree that there are "herds" everywhere in our social environments. When we encounter a herd, we can stand and stare at it until it tramples us, move to the side and watch it pass us by, amble along with the herd, or we can saddle up our horses and direct the path of the herd. If you want change to happen you have to "get on your horse" and get to work.
I like the concept of needing free space for change to happen. Even though our categorical meetings allow some of that, we need to think about breaking into small groups within our categorical groups when we want the entire group to move in a different direction. There will always be resisters within the group and as many have said they quiet the voices of the motivated.
Yep..behavior is contagious! So funny to discuss "herds" because my husband recently purchased a "herd" of show goats that are now living out my back door. To watch their behavior and instincts is quite entertaining. My husband is big on animal genetics and production...A herd is only as good as it's members..right??? So we as educators are only as good as those around us. I think it's important to educate each other on regular basis. I learned a ton during my formal education in college however, I have learned so much more from experiences and the professionals around me. At HPEC, we have categorical meetings that could be considered a "herd". I also meet with my EC team at least once a month (sometimes twice) and this is a time we all protect because it is so beneficial. I also try to meet with gen ed preschool teachers one Friday a month, I think this has been time well spent.
I have four paras that work in my classroom and also with students in their classrooms. They are my herd. We have some challenging students, and I have some different ideas (change) on how to work with them. They have all worked in this classroom longer than me. I have had some assistance in rallying the herd--Shelly makes great cookies. I have tried to include them in decisions and help them take ownership for the skills they are teaching kids. It is a process.....
We have a great space for free space at school--what we don't have is time to use it.
I totally have a "herd" at home that I have to rally almost every morning. My boys sometimes need LOTS of encouragement to get anything accomplished in the morning. They are definitely not morning people!! :) Once I get them rallied, they are off and running. Sometimes, though, if I don't rally them enough, our mornings are really, really rough. It is definitely a day to day process! :)
At school, there are "herds" throughout the building: grade level teams, PLC teams, administration, specials, student support, paras, etc. I try and have a monthly meeting with my paras to rally the team and make sure we have addressed any concerns, answered questions, and just to make sure that things are going ok. It is a free space for them to share ideas and concerns. This process has really seemed to work for them. I meet weekly with my PLC team and I think that is our free space to talk openly about concerns and work together to find a solution. I also try to rally the herd of specials teachers in regards to one of my students. We have met several times throughout this first semester to hear their concerns and to offer suggestions. They usually come into the meeting pretty grumpy and then leave feeling better. We usually meet in the first grade classroom which is a free space for them.
I really enjoy when we gather together at HPEC for our categorical meetings. I think that is so beneficial because then we get to share ideas and hear how things are going for everyone. I think that the HPEC building is definitely a free space for all of us. :)
Sometimes I have to rally some of the teachers to be a little more accepting of some students or to try new accommodations at school. This year, our school district gave those of us that work for HPEC time during one of our inservice days to all meet together and bounce ideas off each other for behavior students. We were able to watch some videos together, show others some new ways we are making checklists, etc. It helped to be able to visit with others who understood what we were talking about and just get new input and ideas from those in the same profession.
I agree with everyone above. There are lots of "herds". I am involved in a PLC herd, categorical herd, and EC herd. I learn great information and new strategies during those "free space" times. I feel the individuals in those herds are more comfortable with each other, trust one another's professional skills and judgments more often, and ask for advise from each other. Some times when the evaluation team has a tough student and skills/placement needs to be discussed, the professional team will meet to discuss the issues at hand. This creates "free space" and so much more is accomplished to create a great learning environment for the student. It is very beneficial to everyone. I feel a herd needs to be created with other HPEC staff in my building including paras in order to teach strategies for specific students. Free Space needs to be created where all feel comfortable learning new strategies to help students. Finding time for those involved would be hard to do. Maybe some of those inservice days that do not apply would be a great free space time.
There are different herds to be rallied in a school. There is a herd in my classroom (2 paras and myself), the grade-level heard, department herds, and the whole school. Again, focusing on small change, the classroom herd is my main focus. So far, I think that we have made many changes from the year prior to me coming. Despite me being new, we have changed many things about our outlook on being team players. We really invest ourselves in the children but also in the grade level itself. We try to have a free space meeting time during recess. This only works sometimes because we have several tasks we are working on with different children and sometimes our free space time is used continuing with what we were doing before recess. However, we try our best to communicate throughout the day and I am hopeful in believing that we have good communication within our classroom. :)
As we approach the holiday season and I think about "herds" I can't help but think of my husbands family. Trying to plan any get together with his 7 siblings is a nightmare! We spend so much time sending messages back and forth to try to figure it out. When it all comes together things turn out great it just always takes forever to get there. As we all get older and have families of our own to herd with our own activities it gets more complicated every year. I felt like I had a huge herd at the beginning of school this year. Coming into this position and having paras working with me was something new to me. Trying to figure out my schedule along with theirs was very difficult for me. I have to think about our schedules everyday and where we each are. It is important for all three of us to communicate with each other as well as the classroom teachers so we are prepared for changes and things that come up.
I have a "herd" of students at school who have to be coordinated and rounded up on a daily basis. It is rewarding to get my herd going in the right direction and making progress. At home my "herd" includes a large family that I wouldn't change for anything. I have 4 brothers, 3 sister in laws and 6 nieces and nephews. That doesn't even begin to cover all the other family I have. I love the holiday's when we can all get together and have fun. Being in a large family (herd) is comforting to me simply because I always know that I have someone close that I can count on to help out in a hurry.
(Mary Schreck) It sounds like many of us are in agreement - there are herds to rally at various levels and degrees. I have one class in particular, that is it a daily task to "rally". Trying to connect this group on an emotional level is a daunting task. As for finding a "free space", I have found a different lunch group at school to eat lunch with - as compared to the always talking, nobody listening group I used to be a part of. It is a comfort to be able to visit back and forth, discuss professional issues and feel like at least someone is listening (caring) about what each of us has to say.
I hope that HPEC offers teachers time and opportunities to “herd” and come up with new and helpful practices to keep us on the right track for supporting children with disabilities and their families. I have always felt our categorical meetings and our special committees allow us to team and brainstorm together. I am thankful for my time with Marcy, Gail and Amber to team together.
ReplyDeleteThere is always a ‘herd’ somewhere; that comes from belonging to groups either socially or at school. Bringing together individuals to create change is tough and I think it’s because change is pretty frightening. It is far easier to maintain the status quo, the Elephant is safer that way. Getting folks to ‘buy in’ to change comes in a variety of ways. As we read, threats just don’t do it! Bring in the emotional Elephant to really get change to happen and shape the path to make it even easier.
ReplyDeleteI definitely have a small "herd" at home that I always have to rally...rally to get out the door on time, rally to sit down and eat dinner together, rally to go to bed on time. Usually when can get one kiddo to sit at the table, then another one sits down, and finally the third one does too (most generally this is my middle child who is the toughest to rally!)
ReplyDeleteI feel that the school psychs have a great "free space". Especially when we meet together at for psych days in Ulysses. I love this time to meet and discuss issues that we are having in our districts and how we can bring about change. We share "bright spots" in our districts as well. Some times the administrators join us or sometimes we are left on our own for a bit. Either way, we get a chance to collaborate.
We missed you last Friday! Hope your little one is feeling better!
DeletePages 246 to 249 are pages I would like to copy. I never looked at the committees that way. I think we do need to give free spaces but we also need to share. If we had one leader from each group would allow ones that want to say something but do not want everyone to know it come from them. I know there are sometimes I would like to say something but then it seems everyone is on the attack. People want to say they are open minded but when you say something and they come right back with something and you are not finished with your thought i know I shut down and stop saying anything. If change is to happen then everyone needs to listen through everyone's opinion. Not one person is right or wrong but as a community we can make things happen.
ReplyDeleteI see our entire elementary building faculty meeting being the herd that needs rallied. It isn’t everyone in the herd but usually you have a portion that needs rallied. Right now as your building K-4 is making tons of changes and implementing MTSS, Lexia, and AIMSweb we find the rallying getting harder.
ReplyDeleteAs for our free space, the nice thing in Kindergarten is yes we have our month collaboration meetings with our principal to talk about changes and such but daily we eat lunch together and I find this to be our “free space.” We talk openly about how we feel about changes or needing to implement things. We can discuss how we as a grade level feel comfortable implementing it that will be the most productive and beneficial for our students.
It seems the majority of people are driven by the minority. Even though by definition minority is the smaller amount they certainly are the loudest and often most unproductive group. Small herds can be very damaging. It seems we spin our wheels getting stuck in a very small hole not making any progress. I really don't know what to so about the minority who seem to cause undue stress on everyone else. Our administration is really looking closely at what do about ineffective teachers, more so than ever before. Maybe due to Common Core- don't really know? This may sound bad but at times the easiest way to avoid the herd is by ignoring it and doing what you know your job is. For example avoid negative areas as mentioned in the previous blog. Of course the bigger herd can definitely have a positive impact on the smaller one. Peer pressure is a powerful thing- even for adults!
ReplyDeleteOur PLC meetings are held in a small conference room in the building. It is always in the same room unless there is a conflict. The consistency of the room plays a big part in PLC's being productive (especially when an agenda is involved - focus!).
When I started on the Guided Coalition last year at our school it was a real eye-opener on just how strong our "herd" was digging in their heels. The change needed in our building was state driven and not personal. Being part of most of the committees and seeing the change from last year to this year, I am amazed at how some teachers are really starting to be part of the process of change. Also, with representative from each grade level, we are hearing more concerns that are school-wide.
ReplyDeleteAs far as free-space, I think that we need a comment box for anonymous comments that can be shared with the different committees to address them. We still have some tough teachers to work with. I know during our PLC's I rarely speak up because of the glares I get and then it is really uncomfortable, but I do know the teacher in my grade level that I talk to before because she is able to share with the team in a acceptable way.
Rallying the herd is hardest in the lives of my students. Quite a few of them are "outsiders" as far as their peer group goes. It is hard to have their peer group provide positive pressure to help them. One of my juniors last year was involved in sports. As part of the track team his relay team ended up going to the state track meet. That was a huge leap in the right direction and he has continued to work hard academically and in the extra curricular area this year. "Free space" is precious.... I try to grab moments with teachers when I can....and with my team when I can.
ReplyDeleteThere are herds everywhere with each social group - teachers, administrators, sports teams, etc. I feel I need to rally teachers to incorporate accommodations within the classroom and rally parents on ways to facilitate speech and language skills for their children. Of course, this is done on an individual basis, not as a whole group at one time, but if I give them information on what others do and success they have, it would motivate their elephants. I need to find a way to motivate their elephants.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the categorical meetings we have at HPEC to discuss and brainstorm different situations we're dealing with and can bounce ideas off one another. I take advantage of those moments as much as possible; I wish they occured more often! I try to catch regular ed and interrelated teachers when I can to discuss things with them and see how things are going in their classrooms with my students.
I agree that there are "herds" everywhere in our social environments. When we encounter a herd, we can stand and stare at it until it tramples us, move to the side and watch it pass us by, amble along with the herd, or we can saddle up our horses and direct the path of the herd. If you want change to happen you have to "get on your horse" and get to work.
ReplyDeleteI like the concept of needing free space for change to happen. Even though our categorical meetings allow some of that, we need to think about breaking into small groups within our categorical groups when we want the entire group to move in a different direction. There will always be resisters within the group and as many have said they quiet the voices of the motivated.
Yep..behavior is contagious! So funny to discuss "herds" because my husband recently purchased a "herd" of show goats that are now living out my back door. To watch their behavior and instincts is quite entertaining. My husband is big on animal genetics and production...A herd is only as good as it's members..right???
ReplyDeleteSo we as educators are only as good as those around us. I think it's important to educate each other on regular basis. I learned a ton during my formal education in college however, I have learned so much more from experiences and the professionals around me.
At HPEC, we have categorical meetings that could be considered a "herd". I also meet with my EC team at least once a month (sometimes twice) and this is a time we all protect because it is so beneficial. I also try to meet with gen ed preschool teachers one Friday a month, I think this has been time well spent.
I have four paras that work in my classroom and also with students in their classrooms. They are my herd. We have some challenging students, and I have some different ideas (change) on how to work with them. They have all worked in this classroom longer than me. I have had some assistance in rallying the herd--Shelly makes great cookies. I have tried to include them in decisions and help them take ownership for the skills they are teaching kids. It is a process.....
ReplyDeleteWe have a great space for free space at school--what we don't have is time to use it.
I totally have a "herd" at home that I have to rally almost every morning. My boys sometimes need LOTS of encouragement to get anything accomplished in the morning. They are definitely not morning people!! :) Once I get them rallied, they are off and running. Sometimes, though, if I don't rally them enough, our mornings are really, really rough. It is definitely a day to day process! :)
ReplyDeleteAt school, there are "herds" throughout the building: grade level teams, PLC teams, administration, specials, student support, paras, etc. I try and have a monthly meeting with my paras to rally the team and make sure we have addressed any concerns, answered questions, and just to make sure that things are going ok. It is a free space for them to share ideas and concerns. This process has really seemed to work for them. I meet weekly with my PLC team and I think that is our free space to talk openly about concerns and work together to find a solution. I also try to rally the herd of specials teachers in regards to one of my students. We have met several times throughout this first semester to hear their concerns and to offer suggestions. They usually come into the meeting pretty grumpy and then leave feeling better. We usually meet in the first grade classroom which is a free space for them.
I really enjoy when we gather together at HPEC for our categorical meetings. I think that is so beneficial because then we get to share ideas and hear how things are going for everyone. I think that the HPEC building is definitely a free space for all of us. :)
Sometimes I have to rally some of the teachers to be a little more accepting of some students or to try new accommodations at school. This year, our school district gave those of us that work for HPEC time during one of our inservice days to all meet together and bounce ideas off each other for behavior students. We were able to watch some videos together, show others some new ways we are making checklists, etc. It helped to be able to visit with others who understood what we were talking about and just get new input and ideas from those in the same profession.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone above. There are lots of "herds". I am involved in a PLC herd, categorical herd, and EC herd. I learn great information and new strategies during those "free space" times. I feel the individuals in those herds are more comfortable with each other, trust one another's professional skills and judgments more often, and ask for advise from each other. Some times when the evaluation team has a tough student and skills/placement needs to be discussed, the professional team will meet to discuss the issues at hand. This creates "free space" and so much more is accomplished to create a great learning environment for the student. It is very beneficial to everyone. I feel a herd needs to be created with other HPEC staff in my building including paras in order to teach strategies for specific students. Free Space needs to be created where all feel comfortable learning new strategies to help students. Finding time for those involved would be hard to do. Maybe some of those inservice days that do not apply would be a great free space time.
ReplyDeleteThere are different herds to be rallied in a school. There is a herd in my classroom (2 paras and myself), the grade-level heard, department herds, and the whole school. Again, focusing on small change, the classroom herd is my main focus. So far, I think that we have made many changes from the year prior to me coming. Despite me being new, we have changed many things about our outlook on being team players. We really invest ourselves in the children but also in the grade level itself.
ReplyDeleteWe try to have a free space meeting time during recess. This only works sometimes because we have several tasks we are working on with different children and sometimes our free space time is used continuing with what we were doing before recess. However, we try our best to communicate throughout the day and I am hopeful in believing that we have good communication within our classroom. :)
As we approach the holiday season and I think about "herds" I can't help but think of my husbands family. Trying to plan any get together with his 7 siblings is a nightmare! We spend so much time sending messages back and forth to try to figure it out. When it all comes together things turn out great it just always takes forever to get there. As we all get older and have families of our own to herd with our own activities it gets more complicated every year.
ReplyDeleteI felt like I had a huge herd at the beginning of school this year. Coming into this position and having paras working with me was something new to me. Trying to figure out my schedule along with theirs was very difficult for me. I have to think about our schedules everyday and where we each are. It is important for all three of us to communicate with each other as well as the classroom teachers so we are prepared for changes and things that come up.
I have a "herd" of students at school who have to be coordinated and rounded up on a daily basis. It is rewarding to get my herd going in the right direction and making progress. At home my "herd" includes a large family that I wouldn't change for anything. I have 4 brothers, 3 sister in laws and 6 nieces and nephews. That doesn't even begin to cover all the other family I have. I love the holiday's when we can all get together and have fun. Being in a large family (herd) is comforting to me simply because I always know that I have someone close that I can count on to help out in a hurry.
ReplyDelete(Mary Schreck) It sounds like many of us are in agreement - there are herds to rally at various levels and degrees. I have one class in particular, that is it a daily task to "rally". Trying to connect this group on an emotional level is a daunting task. As for finding a "free space", I have found a different lunch group at school to eat lunch with - as compared to the always talking, nobody listening group I used to be a part of. It is a comfort to be able to visit back and forth, discuss professional issues and feel like at least someone is listening (caring) about what each of us has to say.
ReplyDelete