Attitude defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state. A choice that each teacher chooses as they prepare to teach the students each day.

I reflect on the teachers I have had throughout my own education, the education of my own children, and the teachers I have taught along side. The teachers who have made the most impact on the education of all students have been those who have a positive attitude.

It starts at Pre-K and Kinder teachers who welcome the youngest students into the school with happiness and energy everyday, even when they are tired and overwhelmed with the challenge of teaching the students so their foundation is strong, but most importantly that they love school. The students come running into the school with smiles and laughter and ready to learn and experience new sources of excitement. Each grade level has its challenges and struggles to keep the students interested, engaged and most importantly empowered. But I believe it starts with a positive attitude of the teacher. With that positive attitude, the students will learn and progress each year.

As I grew up with my family telling me that if believed I could do it and worked hard enough that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to.  I learned along the way that being positive is an essential part of each lesson learned and shared. Working hard meant I prepared my lessons, studied and knew what and how I needed to change to make the learning better for my students or myself. But the attitude is what kept me moving forward and not letting the challenges push me down.

Teachers are faced with struggles and challenges that are different from every other profession. Teachers teach more than just letters and numbers. Teachers have the influence to impact every child and create learning experiences that empower them to be curious, ask questions, and find answers. Teachers spark the interests of the minds they interact with and make connections through lessons and experiences. A positive attitude leads to success and even learning from mistakes and setbacks. Teachers find ways to keep smiling, encouraging, and moving forward. That positive attitude breaks down barriers, for the students as well as themselves. Their positive attitude determines their direction as an educator, but more importantly the influence and direction of the young minds they encounter each day.

As a leader, I can support the teachers, students, and parents by promoting the learning experiences and sharing the excitement at the campus.  I can encourage the teachers, students, and parents with recognition of the learning and empowering them to grow and be successful.  I can model being positive even during the challenging and crazy days. A leader of the campus with a positive attitude will determine the direction of the school.

As a coach, I interact with teachers who are just beginning and teachers who have been in education for two or three decades. I have come to realize that teachers are just older students. The problem is that many teachers see themselves as only a teacher. They do not feel they need to learn anything; new strategies, read about or share ideas with others, or allow students to lead in their learning.  Teachers who think they are done learning, or do not have time to learn new things, are a stumbling block to the teachers on their team, the students in their classrooms, and the those they interact with.

If all teachers were challenged to be learners, they would be a part of a school culture evolving by the passions and interests of the community.  The best teachers seek learning new ways to share the learning with students. The teachers are great not only because they can teach well, but because they are continuously reflecting on the lessons. These teachers find the best ways to reach the students. Teachers who see themselves as learners, value the students input in learning. The best teachers empower the students to go beyond engagement by modeling and sharing their own learning with others.

As I read and ponder the ideas listed on the School vs. Learning Image, I see the school as building that holds the students back and sets limitations on the progress. Limitations that keep the students on the all the same path decided ultimately with by the teachers, not the students.

The limits start when teachers eliminate the possibility of discovery and exploration. The teachers expect students to find answers to questions created for the whole class.  The students are all searching for the same answers to the same questions. The teachers are expecting everyone to learn through a prescribed method where each student listens, follows directions, and complies. A one size fits all, even with differentiation.

True learning empowers the learners to search for wonders and find the answers through exploration and discovery about their passions and interests.  The students are the owners of the learning and should be able express their voice as they learn.  Students who are empowered learners become the teachers to others in the community, including the teacher. As the learners develop skills creativity and communication about what they are learning, the teacher becomes the facilitator.  Learning should be limitless and the personal, not standardized.

Empathy is the first characteristic of an innovator’s mindset mentioned in Chapter 3 of The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros. Empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of others. Educators empathize with students when they come to school and are hungry, have few clothes, or had another argument with a sibling before school. Students come to school with challenges everyday. Teachers build relationships with the students in order to connect and assist the student to focus on learning and growing.

Over 21 years of teaching, I have seen a wide variety of students reflected in various backgrounds, each bringing challenges of home to school. I always made it a point to find a way to inspire and connect with the students. The relationships sparked a reason to learn. A reason to come to school and enjoy learning. The empathy did not stop by getting them to participate in class with the day by day lessons. The empathy continued as I created a learning environment best for the students.

Each year as I teach I find ways to make learning more interesting for the student. I wanted the students to love learning. I sought out ways to use new technology and wrote grants to get materials and supplies to fund these endeavors.  My classes became the setting for me trying new strategies and engaging students. The students became the leaders of a class store and held jobs after an interview. The books I collected were shared with other grade levels and became the motivation for learning new concepts. Board games became a tool to encourage parent involvement at lunch while the students practiced math skills.

As an educator, we need to take risks and try new ideas in the classroom so that we meet the learning needs of the students. I did this be building relationships with the students, knowing their educational needs, and creating new learning experiences based on their interests. Today, I am a curriculum coach and love to see teachers using passions to build lessons and learning experiences for the students. I encourage teachers to begin with their passions, brainstorm ideas, and assist them in finding materials and supplies to make it happen. I share the learning experiences with others through social media and PLC conversations to spark the interest of other educators. Each spark leads to new experience for the students at our campus. A reason for the students to come to school, not because they have to, but because they enjoy the learning created in their classrooms.

1.  The purpose of education is to ignite the passion for learning and sharing about the world. Students should have the ability to find and explore new ideas.  Teachers ask, “What is BEST for the student?”, but with in their guidelines. Guidelines that they feel are set by the school administration. Guidelines that teachers feel the need to ask permission to be creative and teach students  in an innovative manner. School leaders need to create an atmosphere in which teachers are encouraged to be risk-takers and try new things. A community where teachers, students, and school leaders are finding questions about their wonders and passions, and then finding the answers. In reducing the fear, more teachers will attempt innovative ideas and design thinking. The teachers need to get to the point of doing what is good for the kids, instead of waiting for permission.
2. As a curriculum coach, I am embracing change by  encouraging the teachers to be life-long learners through professional reading. I have an endless list of professional reads from the last 12 months. The more I read, the more inspired I am. As I read, I am sharing these books with teachers whom I feel would benefit from the reading. Another change that I have made is the interaction and development of my PLN on twitter. A year ago, I was not on twitter. A new administrator encouraged me to give it a try. I slowly tried it out and it didn’t take long to get connected and stay connected. I moved to another new campus this school year, where I have spread my interest and inspiration that has come from Twitter. My current administrator has taken off with Twitter in the last month and is tweeting about our school daily! I have convinced several teachers who had never seen the benefit of Twitter to try it out. They are slowly building a PLN and are starting to share with other teachers on their team. Lastly, I am starting to blog at least once a week. I had tried last year, and it fell through. I am picking it back up with #IMMOOC! I am excited for the ideas and interaction. The time to reflect on my learning as I lead is going to be beneficial to me as I move forward in leadership.
3. If I were starting a school from scratch, the school community would need to have a climate and culture that understands that design thinking and innovation is not just another thing done at the end of a unit, or when there is time. Design thinking and innovation is embedded into the lessons. The standards are not separate from the engagement and thinking, it is intertwined.  I would take out the way that all students must do the same thing, at the same time, in the same way kind of research and lessons.
4. New teachers entering the field of education think they must learn the traditional way of thinking, before being innovative. I have seen this in the last several years as a mentor and coach. Then there are the teachers on the other end of the spectrum, who are traditional and do not want to try anything new. As a coach, I have found I have to encourage both the newbie and the veteran. It is okay to embed innovation and passion into their classrooms. I would like to ask the questions mentioned in the live chat this evening of all the teachers I work with, ” What cool idea would you like to do 5 years from now?”, ” What if you did it now?”, “If the rules were gone and you just had standards, what would you do?”. I believe the answers would be inspiring and change the way teachers see their purpose for teaching.  It would challenge teachers to do what is best for the students.