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Sometimes we see something that could be better in our schools,
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and before long, it has a name. Then it has
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a committee. Then there maybe is a logo, some training,
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a new binder, or maybe even a poster on the wall.
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And somewhere along the way, it might be worth stopping
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to ask a pretty simple question. Did we actually need
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something new? Or did we just need to get better
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at something that we are already doing?
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This is Your Morning Boost, recorded in the Forward Ed
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Network studios. A weekly spark for educators and school leaders
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ready to lead, teach, and live with greater intention. This
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is Your Morning Boost.
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A really long time ago, and I do mean a
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really long time ago, I was teaching in a district
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that decided to adopt a new instructional approach. And We
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went all in. We brought in outside trainers. Everybody received
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the training. We had new manuals, new terminology, new graphics,
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new colors. And we communicated with families about it. And
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if I remember correctly, there was even some discussion at
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one point about becoming a school that was formally recognized
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around this particular instructional model. So we were not just
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dabbling in this thing. I mean, it was going to
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become a part of who we were. And I do
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want to be fair because there was a lot of
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really great stuff within this initiative. It focused on how
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we planned lessons, how we structured activities for students, and
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really how we thought about learning. And I don't remember
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sitting in any of those sessions thinking, boy, this is terrible.
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Why are we doing this? These were all great ideas.
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But Somewhere around the second or third training session, something
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happened that really has stuck with me all of these
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years later. The presenter was walking us through how we
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were supposed to design lessons using this new model. And
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a few teachers had brought some of their existing lesson
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plans with them as we were asked to do. And
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as the presenter explained what these new plans were supposed
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to look like, A couple teachers started looking at each
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other and flipping through what they'd already brought, and eventually
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one of them held up a lesson plan and basically said, like, this? And, yeah,
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it was pretty much like that. Then somebody else had
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something similar, and suddenly we all started realizing that a
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lot of what we were being taught to do was
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already happening here. Maybe not perfectly, and maybe not everywhere.
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there were certainly some things that we could still learn, develop,
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and get better at. But for quite a few teachers,
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the actual instructional practice was not dramatically different. It had
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a new name, it had some new language around it,
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and I'll never forget the new colors and the new
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icon and all of the new materials that came with it.
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But underneath all of that, some of the work had
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already existed. And I remember sitting there thinking, Couldn't we
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have figured out what our teachers were already doing well
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and just built from there? That thought has stayed with
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me because I don't think what happened in that district
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was especially unusual then, and I really don't think it's
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especially unusual now. Schools, we are really good at launching things.
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We identify something that we want to improve, and pretty
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quickly we start looking for a program or a framework
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or a consultant or a tool or, something that gives
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this work a name, and sometimes that is exactly what
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we need. A new framework, it can create clarity. Common
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language can help people work together. Training can expose us
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to something that we genuinely don't know how to do yet,
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and sometimes good practice is happening in scattered places, so
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a shared structure helps us turn that into something that's
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more coherent around the district. So I'm not arguing here
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against initiatives. I'm not arguing
Load full transcript
against professional learning. And I'm
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definitely not saying that we should just keep doing whatever
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we have always done. What I'm more interested in is
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what happens before the launch. Before we build something new,
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how well do we understand what is already there? That
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matters because the response should depend on what we actually find.
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If people really don't know how to do something, training
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makes a lot of sense. If people already know how
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to do it, but then the practice is inconsistent, that
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maybe calls for something else. And if good work is
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already happening around, but nobody recognizes it as shared practice,
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maybe the first move is not adding anything. Maybe the
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first move is helping people see what already exists and
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how we can learn from one another. That's a very
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different starting point from assuming that we just need something new.
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And I think this is where leadership gets a little harder.
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Launching something is concrete. I mean, you put a date
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on the calendar, you can schedule the training, order the materials,
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we can announce it. I mean, there is momentum around
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a launch. Understanding why something is inconsistent is messier. You
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might discover the issue is time or clarity. or competing priorities.
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Maybe people already know how to do the work, but
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we've asked them to focus on 15 other things too.
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Maybe the problem isn't that they need another tool. Maybe
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they need enough space to use the tools they already
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have and use them well. And sometimes adding something feels
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easier than figuring out all of that because adding something
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feels like action. We want stronger relationships with students, so
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we introduce a relationship-building program. We want better collaboration, so
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we create another team. We want stronger instruction, so we
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adopt another framework. And again, any one of those decisions
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may be perfectly reasonable. But before we add something, I
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think it is worth looking around the organization first. Who
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is already doing this well? What are they doing? What
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is making it possible for them to do it well
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and do it consistently? And is there anything the rest
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of us could learn from what is already happening right
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down the hallway? Because sometimes the answer is already inside
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our organization. We just haven't noticed it yet.
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This segment is sponsored by Grunmeier Leader Services. Since 2013,
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GLS has been a trusted partner for school districts across
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the Midwest, specializing in executive recruitment and leadership support. They
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believe that great schools start with great leaders, and they
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are here to help you find a perfect fit for
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your district. Transform your school's future with the right leader.
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Visit grunmeyerleaderssearch.com to learn more. Grunmeyer Leader Services, transforming education
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one leader at a time.
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There's another side to this too. Sometimes good work is
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happening all over the place, but everybody has a different
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name for it. One teacher calls it one thing, another
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calls it something else, or one building has developed a
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routine that another building doesn't even know exists. In that situation,
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naming the work can be incredibly useful. Shared language, it
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helps us see connections. It makes collaboration easier. It can
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take something that is happening inconsistently and help make it
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more dependable for students. So the question is not whether
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naming the work is good or bad. The question is
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whether the name is helping the work. Because at some point,
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most of us have probably seen an initiative where the
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focus slowly shifted from the outcome to the initiative itself.
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We start checking whether the poster is up or whether
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the right language is being used, whether you've completed your template,
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And all of those things, they may have a purpose,
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but they are not the outcome. The outcome is whether
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anything is actually better for students. That's
the part that
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we don't want to lose. Before the next launch, I
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think there are a few things worth understanding first. How
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much of this is genuinely new? Where is it already happening?
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Are people missing knowledge or do they need more consistency?
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And the other part that we need to remember is
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if we add something, what is going to get less attention?
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That last one, it might be the hardest because every
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new initiative is going to compete with something. It will
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compete for time, attention. It's going to compete for your
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professional learning opportunities, your meeting space. And don't forget it's
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also going to compete for your energy. None of those
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things are unlimited. I didn't understand that very well sitting
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in those trainings as a teacher all of those years ago.
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I just knew I was looking at a brand new
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manual describing something that looked an awful lot like work
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many of my colleagues were already doing. From the leadership
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side now, I see that a little differently. There are
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thousands of good ideas in education. The challenge isn't finding
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a good idea. The challenge is deciding whether this is
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what our organization actually needs right now. And sometimes the
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answer will absolutely be yes. Sometimes we need something completely new.
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But sometimes improvement is a lot less exciting than a launch.
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Sometimes we need to recognize the good work that is
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already happening, understand why it works, and help more people
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do it consistently. No new logo required. So before the
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next new idea starts collecting a name, a committee, and
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a rollout plan, take a look at what is already
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happening around you. You may find that the work doesn't
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need to be reinvented. It may just need to be Noticed, strengthened,
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and shared. Thanks for spending a little time with me today, boosters,
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and thank you for doing all the amazing work you
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do for your students and your community. We will talk
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with you again next time.
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That's your morning boost from AWB Education and Media. If
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this episode helped you reset your thinking or take your
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next step forward, share it with a colleague. And don't
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forget to subscribe so your next boost is ready when
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you need it. Keep showing up with intention. Keep moving
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forward and we'll see you next time.