You have power in the very thing you are resisting
I can remember my first time welding. It was at the Georgia FFA/FCCLA center my Junior Year of College. My awesome instructor Mr. Von Peavy could smell my fear. And of course, like any good teacher he got me to be the first to try and strike an arc. Shaking in my oversize green fire retardant jacket, my welding helmet and oversized leather gloves I took hold of the electrode and tried multiple times to get an arc going. With encouragement from Mr. Von Peavy I got it going after a few tries. And you know what, throughout the intensive week of welding 101 I got more and more confident with my skills each time I stepped into the welding booth.
Fast forward 3 years later and I am teaching metal fabrication to my students in my first teaching job. And I admit, I was not an expert in welding. But, what I do know is each time I was in the booth I got just a little bit more proficient and a little bit more confident.
What skills do you have that you could improve on? What skills do you feel proficient at but want to become an expert at?
How do you get that? By showing up and continually pursuing that skill.
You can expedite that growth by teaching others. I can imagine there is a certain topic that you have felt less than confident about teaching. Maybe it is something that you never learned in high school or college and you face teaching it to squirelly middle schoolers and apathetic high schoolers. What should you do? DOUBLE DOWN on that topic. Go all in. Study it, reach out to other experts, watch professional development sessions on it, purchase curriculum in that topic area, and your skills and confidence will increase.
Have you ever heard of the power formula. Yes, the person who almost failed high school physics is telling you about physics.
The power formula is POWER=Resistance X Effort squared.
What does that mean? It means that you can find power in the very thing that you are resisting but putting more effort into it.
Let me tell you a story.
My first year teaching I asked selfishly the state staff what the least participated CDE was in the state. They said Ag Communications. I said “Great, something that I can learn about and maybe just maybe my kiddos will be able to succeed in.”
Three years in a row we got THIRD place in the state. Now, that sounds impressive right? Well the first year there was just three chapters competing and the next two years it was five. Progress right? Not really. We just did the minimum to get there. We didn’t go all in. I didn’t go all in. I just put minimal effort into that CDE and we got minimal results.
Well, I moved to a different state and said I need to double down. Remember the power formula is DOUBLING your effort in the thing that you resist.
So I started studying the Ag Communications rubrics and contest information. I started taking the quizzes with my students. I started asking for help from state staff, we started practicing way earlier than we really needed to, I even taught a professional development session to other teachers about Ag Comm. And you know what, I learned a ton. My students learned a ton. That fourth year coaching a team in Agriculture Communications was a year of doubling down. And they won the area contest, they won the state contest and they won the national contest.
You might be thinking, ok you made it to the top. Good for you. While that is true, the learning didn’t stop there. I decided to continue to double down on this CDE with my next group of eager kiddos. I refined the way I coached certain parts of the content. I knew where you win and lose competitions based on the rubric. I flew out to California to teach other agriculture teachers how to coach this content. Year after year I recommitted to my growth in that area. I kept on leaning into that resistance and doubled my effort to get to unshakeble belief in my content knowledge and coaching technique.
Am I saying that if you double down on anything you are going to be on stage at nationals, no.
Am I saying that if you want a chance to be standing behind your students beaming with pride as they get recognized for their hard work at the local, regional, state of national conference you need to put more effort into it, yes I am.
And the impact you have with your power is not just impacting you, but those around you.
What if you took this idea into other areas of your life?
Resisting cooking homemade meals? Double Down?/ Who gets the impact? Not just you, but your whole family!
Resisting getting planning done during planning? Double Down? Who gets the impact? Not just you, but your students!
Resisting learning about that new prep topic? Double Down? Who gets the impact? Not just you, but your students/school!
What is that area of life that you are resisting? What do you need to double down on?
3 Ways to Manage Student Meltdowns
It's been a rough few days (or years).
Every year seems to be navigating the unknowns of what education will be like today. Because we are pretty sure it isn’t the same as yesterday and tomorrow will be different as well.
It's been less than pretty.
And for your students and possibly you from time to time you might have flipped your lid.
And after attending Bri Guillory's Keynote at Germinate conference in Summer 2022, I can't unsee the visual that reminds you what is really going on when you flip your lid.
It's this hand.
I can't get it out of my brain. Funny, as it represents the brain.
The hand on the RIGHT represents when all the parts of the brain are working in harmony. The "higher level" thinking of the cerebral cortex and the emotional part of the prefrontal cortex.
The hand on the LEFT represents "flipping your lid." Get it?! It's like the brain is disconnected and the emotional center of the brain (that's where FLIGHT, FIGHT or FREEZE takes over) is now driving the car.
Logic can no longer influence behaviors.
I can hear myself saying things like, "let's be quiet other students are still working" or "I understand it’s hard to sit still but you need to while I am talking." All of which were lost as the logic parts of the brain are shut down.
So, why is this all important to teachers?
Well, we've seen this happen. Probably more than once. And maybe it wasn't just with a student, maybe with another adult or even yourself.
We have seen students who have experienced trauma in the past few years (maybe even more incidents than ever).
We will continue to have moments as educators where we have someone flip their lid and we are there to help them find safety again.
I am 100 percent not an expert, but want to pass along some resources to help you the next time you are presented with a situation like this.
1. Specialist Teacher for Classroom Management
Customized support from teachers who want to help! The Specialist Roster is your gateway to advice and resources that suit your specific needs. It’s a support system that will allow you to continue pursuing your career with vitality. And, yes there is someone who specializes in classroom management. Get in contact with Katie Green for help to handle a flipped lid!
2. Katie’s Takeaway Document
Need a quick resource? Katie has you covered. Specifically check out her resources for a trauma informed and mindfulness classroom.
3. Podcast
The G&G podcast provides weekly episodes to connect, educate and encourage Agriculture teachers across the country. We also suggest checking out the following podcast episode about classroom management strategies.
Episode 129: Non-Verbal Classroom Management
Episode 60: Surviving to Thriving in 3 Simple Steps with Briana Guillory
Dealing with all the world has thrown at us (and continues to) is a full-time job own its own. Adding in the complexities of a room full of teenagers and that volume of weight exponentially increases. When you find the time to lean into your learning about how to handle these flip your lid type scenarios you will feel more peaceful then next time they come around.
Do you have any other resources that you would recommend?
FREE Valentine's Day Class Activity: Downloadable Inside
Roses are red, violets are blue… but do you know WHY that is exactly? 🤔
Holidays always allow for fun classroom activities and give your students the chance to do something that matches their energy versus forcing them to sit and listen to a 30 minute lesson when they’re hyped up on chocolate.
I mean let’s face it - holidays as teachers can be challenging, but we must remember that it isn't our students' fault!
Kids are naturally excited about holidays (regardless of their age and regardless if it’s Valentine’s Day, Christmas or Groundhogs Day 😂), so instead of wasting your time and energy on trying to correct their behavior, you can lean into it by planning for fun activities that relate to the holiday at hand!
Valentine’s Day is always a fun one and no matter the age of kids, it always seems like everyone is celebrating.
Younger aged kids typically still trade Valentine cards, while older aged kids have true crushes and some schools allow them to send carnations.
This activity goes hand in hand with flowers, so it creates the perfect opportunity for you to still teach something on this day while relating it back to what’s actually going on in their life!
For this Valentine’s Day activity, your students will research the phrases given and match the flower color to the meaning.
For example, red means “I love you” and signifies courage, passion and respect. 🌹
To add an extra layer to this activity, you can have them work in groups, present their findings to the whole class and could even have real or fake flowers that they can leave with and give to someone.
It’s an easy activity that will keep them occupied despite their distractions on the holiday!
You can grab this activity for FREE by clicking HERE.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
The Green & Growing Fam 💚
How to Use Sales Skills in Your Classroom
As a teacher, you learn A LOT of different things in your undergraduate and graduate programs.
You learn how to create lesson plans, how to manage your classroom, how to assess and evaluate students, child and human development and behavior, all about the basic school subjects, the list goes on.
But the one thing that neither of your degrees really prepares you for is how to STAND OUT as a teacher.
I mean after all, there are about 3 MILLION teachers in the world and they all generally receive the same degree, so how exactly can you make sure that you’re setting yourself apart from the rest to really shine for your students and be someone that they remember forever?
Short answer? SALES. SKILLS.
I know what you might be thinking… sales skills?! How does that connect to teaching at all??
And I get it! When you think of sales you probably think of car salesmen, insurance, real estate, etc. And there’s a chance you’ve had a bad experience with one or all of the above, so thinking about sales as a skill you need for teaching might feel odd.
Here at Green and Growing, we used to think this, too… until we experienced the transformation first hand!
Before we get into that transformation specifically and show you how you can experience this life change too, let’s talk about what teaching typically looks like…
Each year you’re introduced to a new group of 20-25 students and you never know what you’re going to get.
Maybe you fear that they’ll be a wild bunch. Or maybe you hope and wish that you don’t get that one kid that has had a bad reputation since Kindergarten. Or maybe you try your hardest to come up with new classroom management strategies that will keep your students calm and focused throughout the school year.
You start the first day of school with high hopes and at first things are looking up! But a few weeks in, you lose control and it seems like no matter what you do, you can’t reign your students in.
They aren’t listening. Work isn’t getting done. You feel defeated and drained at the end of each school day. And your confidence is plummeting.
That scenario ⤴️ is the exact opposite of what we want for you friend, which is why we’re pumped to tell you that there is a way you can have ultimate control over your classroom, create an environment where students are excited to learn AND earn their respect REGARDLESS of their “bad reputation” or wild tendencies.
When you have sales skills as a teacher, a few things happen:
you are able to guide your students into making their decisions versus coming across as the “because I said so” authority
you can help your students see the bigger picture of the work they’re doing instead of them viewing school as something they “just have to do”
you can effectively communicate with your students AND their parents and feel confident doing so
Here’s why all of this is possible ⬇️
Sales is simply guiding someone into a favorable decision for THEM.
Sales is effective communication.
Sales is serving.
Sales skills are life skills.
Both, Mrs. Wedger and myself, experienced a complete 180 in our life AND in our classroom when we learned and implemented sales skills.
I (Mrs. Nerswick) specifically went from being wishy washy about myself as a leader in agriculture education to leading teams within my school, state and country with my confidence in sales skills.
And Mrs. Wedger went from teaching lessons that felt lack luster to creating lessons that excited both her and her students!
Overall, having sales skills allows you to show up as the confident teacher that deeply cares about your students' outcomes.
You’re not only able to manage your classroom more effectively, but you can also create true leadership opportunities for your students that instills lasting confidence in them, which ultimately creates a legacy for you as a teacher.
You quickly become the teacher that students fight to have and you become someone that people look up to.
So, you may be wondering how you can learn these skills exactly…
We encourage you to get plugged in with the GUIDE Culture community and learn from the same people we learned from.
You can listen to their weekly podcast episodes, join the sales training that we both took and dive into personal and professional development books that teach the principles that make up sales as a whole.
Additionally, we’ve previously recorded a few of our own podcast episodes that relate sales skills and principles to teaching as a whole:
Here’s to becoming that stand out teacher that you were created to be, friend 🎉
The Green & Growing Fam 💚
Get Your Classroom Under Control With These 4 Management Strategies
The new year is here and after a few weeks out of the classroom, it can be a bit difficult to reign your students back in and get them fully engaged in your lessons.
After all, students have just gone from being hyped up on Christmas candy, holiday fun and staying up too late to jumping back into early alarm clocks and are expected to be on their best behavior from 8am-3pm Monday through Friday.
Not to mention, it’s that time of the school year that seems to drag on with very few breaks in between, so it’s completely understandable that, as a teacher, you would be in search of new classroom strategies to implement so that your students feel excited and ready to learn.
The good news is that there is absolutely a way that you can make the second half of the school year work for you, not against you!
As you ring in 2023 in the classroom, we encourage you to implement one or all of these 4 classroom management strategies in order to create a collaborative learning environment for your students.
Non-verbal Classroom Management Techniques
If you’ve ever felt like your classroom is completely out of control, your students aren’t listening to your directions or you feel like you’re answering the same exact question 10 times a day, non-verbal techniques can be your life saver!
Here are 3 of Mrs. Wedger’s favorites that go hand-in-hand together
1. Freeze Body
For this technique, simply choose a place in your classroom where every single student can see you and hear you - this will be what you call your “freeze body” spot and this is the spot you will stand in anytime you need to gain (or regain) your students attention or deliver important directions.
When you stand in this spot, make sure you have a firm, confident stance and follow your stance with an attention getting phrase.
This phrase should be something that you have previously trained your students on to know that you need their attention when you speak this phrase.
Mrs. Wedger keeps it simple by saying, “eyes and ears up here!” It’s short and sweet, but gets the job done.
There’s two keys to remember with this technique:
WAIT! Don’t try to talk over your students during this time, but instead wait until you have their attention. This will train them that you aren’t going to move forward until everyone is listening.
Remain still while delivering directions so that your students can hear and focus on everything you’re saying. When you wander around or pace back and forth, it can be hard for students to keep their focus on you, so do them a favor by staying in one spot!
Release phrase & wait 20 seconds
In addition to an attention getting phrase, you also want to make sure you have a “release” phrase that students know. This is the phrase you will speak after you’ve delivered directions and this lets them know that they can move forward with their work.
Again, the two key with this technique is that you:
WAIT! Before you move from your freeze body spot, wait at least 20 seconds so that students know that you are serious about them starting their work. If you have students that are not getting started, simply make eye contact with them and it will usually move them into action.
Stay silent. This allows your students to remain focused and actually get to work versus being distracted by conversation in the room.
Above, Pause, Whisper
When you’re ready to regain your students' attention after their working time, you want to go back to your freeze body spot, raise your hand high and pause.
During this time, students will naturally start to pay attention to you. Now, of course there may be some that you need to reign in further and you can simply do so by calling their name.
Once you have every student's attention, speak your first sentence in a whisper. This causes everyone to lean in and it really grabs their attention because they want to know what you’re going to say next.
Now that you have their attention, you can speak in your normal voice and trust that your students are truly listening - a teacher’s dream, right?!
2. Exit Directions
Have you ever given your students directions and released them to work, only to have multiple kids ask you what they’re supposed to be doing? 😅
I think it’s probably happened to all of us and it can be a real frustration in the classroom as a teacher. To prevent this from happening on an ongoing basis, you can implement exit directions.
Exit directions bring true purpose and clarity in the classroom and quite honestly give you your sanity back!
Picture this: you’ve just delivered directions for what your students should work on next and you’re ready to exit the teaching stage. You project a slide on your board that everyone can clearly see and read.
Your students have little to no questions and are ready to get to work. The rest of class time is filled with students doing exactly what was expected of them and you end class feeling confident in yourself as a teacher!
That’s a picture you want to see, right?!
You can achieve that ⤴️ when you implement exit directions, friend!
What they are not: step-by-step written directions for the assignment - that’s what you give during your teaching time.
What they are: what they should be doing during and after they complete the assignment
For example, exit directions could be something like:
Get into groups of 4
Complete notebook assignment
When completed, get stamp
When done, [insert options they can do]
In order to do this well, we encourage you to couple your exit directions with images or emojis so that it captures your students' attention in a new way and so that it trains them that when they see the image, it sparks something in their brain and they know exactly what to do.
Implementing exit directions allows students to really lead themselves with a little guidance from you so that you aren’t the one having to do all of the heavy lifting throughout the entire day.
3. Start Class Strong With Routine
Have you ever gotten held up in a meeting or in the hallway before the bell rings and you can’t make it back to your class in time to greet your students and get them started?
And then once you return, the class is absolutely bonkers, no one is in their assigned seats and it takes an extra 10 minutes to calm everyone down before you can actually start class? 🙃
Yeah, those days aren’t fun and it definitely doesn’t start things on the right foot. But what if we told you that there is a way your students can start class WITHOUT you there?!
It's totally possible friend and it can happen when you establish a solid routine and structure for your students to expect and keep it consistent. Here’s what this can look like ⬇️
Routine: something that your kids are used to doing in your classroom every single day.
The routine for your classroom should be established at the start of the school year and should remain fairly consistent from that point on. This allows your students to know what they can expect as soon as they walk in and after a few weeks, they don’t have to wait on you to guide them.
A routine for your class can look something like this:
Come in and turn in homework
Complete 5 minute starter assignment
Get out notebook to take notes on lesson of the day
The routine for your classroom will be totally unique to you, but the point is that establishing a routine allows for a much calmer environment and sets your students up for ultimate success.
4. Student Encouragement
Did you know that you have the power to impact your students with JUST your words?!
Just like we as adults need and appreciate encouraging words, our students do too. And while I know this sounds simple and like it may not need that much intention, the way that you encourage your students can be designed as something you do very strategically and when you put more thought into it, it can have a lasting impact!
So, how can you pour love, energy, excitement and confidence into your students?
There are plenty of ways you can do this and it can be as simple or as complex as you want!
Some ideas include:
Place sticky notes with specific compliments on their desk before they enter your classroom
Give additional feedback with encouraging words on a graded paper
Offer public praise in front of the whole class when they’ve done something exceptional
Mail a letter home to honor their work in front of their family
Do 2-3 minutes 1:1 student teacher meetings during class time and follow the start, stop and keep formula
Implement jacket quotes - Mrs. Nerswick explains more about this in THIS podcast episode
At the end of the day, the whole point is that you are intentional with the encouragement you give to your students. When you do this consistently, their confidence will grow and there is a solid chance they will remember you for it long after they are a student of yours.
These 4 classroom strategies can set your classroom, your students and YOU up for success as you tackle the last half of the school year and ultimately help you create an environment that is conducive to real learning and leadership.
We’d love to hear which one you’re going to try out - let us know in the DM’s!
The Green & Growing Fam 💚