I’m finally starting a newsletter.
Truthfully, I have no subscribers. I have not asked family, friends or even my partner for their emails to receive this newsletter, so this will be hitting no one’s email box. But sometimes, that’s beside the point. The point is, today I am taking action, and as James Clear says, it’s the 1% actions every day that get us to our goals. Perhaps with more writing and consistency, I will develop my confidence, and then perhaps I may even have people to send this to one day. For now, I’m just focusing on that 1% incline, as we all know, starting is the hardest part ;).
Anyway, in this newsletter I wanted to speak about the advantages of being 3 steps ahead instead of 10. This idea came to me when teaching a class of master students, studying to become English Secondary School Teachers. After coming back from their placement, I asked what behaviour strategies they had noticed. One student replied confidently, “none! The students were just so well-behaved, they just knew what they had to do each day!”. My follow-up question was simply, “how many years of experience did the teacher have?”. Her response, “oh yeah, she’s been teaching for over 20 years”.
My mission here is not to detract or negate what clearly was a mastery teacher performing in their classroom, but to highlight the smoke, glass and mirrors trap my student fell into. Sometimes we look at people 10, 20 or 30 years ahead of us, and because they are so far ahead, we can’t visualise or grasp all the tiny details that compounded to create their success. For instance, with this expert teacher, my student perhaps didn’t notice the clear routines established, the way the teacher gave instructions or wrote on the board expectations early in the lesson.
This teacher would have exhibited a variety of 1% movements that, over time, has set her classroom up for success. After 10 years in a classroom, this teacher may not even remember or be able to stipulate what all of these moves are. Often expert teachers can’t because it is now so natural to them, after practicing their craft every day for 10 years, they simply don’t even have to think, they just act like it’s a habit. There actions are so natural, so effortless, that they can be easily missed as incorporated strategies for new pre-service teachers.
I am unfortunately not at that point in my teaching career. I still have to think and calculate many of my moves in the hope they will one day be more natural. But, on the bright side, I can articulate all the strategies I am at least trying and discuss these with my master students.
It can be so easy to be hard on ourselves, especially when comparing our own abilities to someone who is way more advanced in the game then we are. And yes, it is good to admire, but also take appreciation for the place you are at. For instance, part of me thought, gosh thank goodness I am fresh enough in the research game, that I can articulate and discuss these strategies with students. Thankfully I had been in the same position where I was observing expert teachers just a few years ago, and slowly learned how to identify the small hidden moves of teaching genius. Essentially, it can be inspiring to see the ultimate end product of someone 10 years ahead. Still, sometimes, the most helpful thing will be the advice from people just those few years ahead, who understand the stage you are at and can give advice accordingly.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to give advice, create something, or start a newsletter (like me), don’t be discouraged! It turns out, you don’t have to be an expert or have years of experience to make your advice meaningful for someone. At least that’s what I’m telling myself today 😛
If you liked this little chapter of Fleur’s thoughts, please consider signing up to my newsletter. Who knows you might even be my first one ! Thank you for reading ! 😀