This year I have a lot of eager, motivated students in my Spanish classes. I feel like I am constantly saying to them, “at your level and slightly beyond”. They probably are tired of hearing it! We practice Spanish with authentic texts as often as possible, and this means that we often encounter unknown words and structures. The benefits exceed the drawbacks: the students learn Spanish in natural contexts, they pick up structures without explicit teaching, they develop strategies for negotiating meaning, and they build confidence. This week I heard a student say, “That was hard but I liked it. It was just beyond what I know”. Mission accomplished!
As educators, how do we practice this in our own personal lives? It is easy to slip into familiar, non-taxing routines, or to rest on what we have already accomplished or learned, especially as we near the end of a school year and experience mental and physical fatigue.
Likewise, how do we encourage each other to stretch?
I am starting my summer goal list and considering what might go on it. The first, and most obvious, is a collection of books on a variety of topics (ask me for a copy of my 2026 Meaningful Reading Challenge, if you’d like). I also registered for a world language seminar. But I need to find some activities to stretch my learning: maybe it’s time to take music lessons, get my CDL license, or renew my CPR and first aid certifications.
What are your summer learning goals? What would you challenge me to learn? I’d love to talk with you more to share ideas and report progress. Feel free to contact me!
That is a terrific question, and it's one that we should discuss at length.
There is not one definitive answer.
Staying calm is essential.
Sometimes parents will need to vent. They may even attack, criticizing or accusing you of being the problem. Remain calm. Often, their anger subsides in a few moments; they just need to express their frustration.
Don't argue. It's futile. If they are attacking, they are not ready to listen. Also, don't launch a counter-attack. If you attack back, you add to their reasons for being upset. And, it is unprofessional. Just be patient.
I do not want you to think that you are simply supposed to sit quietly and be a parent's "punching bag". If the parent is threatening, accusing, shouting or swearing, it may be in your best interest to pause or end the conference. Politely interrupt a tirade. Phone a colleague, administrator or counselor and request an additional presence. If none is available, reschedule the conference.
If the conference is over the phone, schedule a callback day and time, or suggest a face-to-face meeting. Find a colleague, administrator, or counselor who can attend, and have a conference call or a group meeting.
Demonstrate that you are listening. Use active listening methods (nod, lean forward, etc.) to relate to the parent. Restating the parent's reason for being upset often has a calming effect, because it shows that you are giving the topic consideration and value.
Ask questions, politely. "When did this begin?" "What supports does your child need to be successful?" "What do you try at home that works when...?"
Give the parent respect and preserve his/her dignity. Also preserve the dignity of the student. The parent's "Mama Bear" or "Papa Bear" reaction is natural.
Often, parents are nervous. They are feeling the pressure of having to have a meeting with you. They also may feel like they are being judged for their parenting, and they are naturally feeling defensive. Many also have bad memories of school, too. Keep all these things in mind.
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1)
Some general advice for conferences:
I always invite teachers I'm mentoring to sit in with me on some parent conferences, with parent permission, of course. You can learn a lot by being an observer. Ask to sit in on conferences with teachers that you respect.
Invite a teacher, counselor or administrator to sit in on a conference with you, especially if you anticipate upset parents. Having an additional perspective sometimes helps keep a meeting purposeful and calm.
Always greet parents at the door to the room, never from behind your desk. This lessens the feel of "being called to the principal's office".
Again, sit WITH your parents, not behind your desk. Assemble a few desks together in the room and work as equals.
When possible, encourage the parent to bring the child to the conference. Having all parties together eliminates a lot of issues; everyone hears the same things.
Begin and end every conference with a kind word, a firm handshake, and looking a parent in the eyes. These actions communicate respect.
Always include the positive. What is the child doing well? What is a character trait that you appreciate? Why can the parent be proud?
Take notes. This is calming for both you and the parent, and is an indicator that you are listening. Confirm any action steps by giving the parent (or student) a copy of your notes as well.
Remember that you are a professional. Maintain a professional demeanor and use professional vocabulary at all times.
Be respectful of the parent's time. Be prepared for the conference, and begin and end on time.
Thank the parent for coming (or calling).
Conducting good parent - teacher conferences and maintaining good relationships with parents is a skill built over time. It is worth the investment. It requires practice.
Ask other teachers to tell you their best and worst parent-teacher conference memories. Then, ply them with questions. This will be a valuable professional development activity.
Questions to consider:
What is the ultimate goal of the conference?
What do you want parents to remember about you?
What other actions can you take to establish a positive climate from the very beginning?
These are my opinion, only. Others may have different thoughts and insights. Please feel free to leave a comment below. What other advice or questions do you have about parent conferences? Please feel free to leave a comment below.
The countdown is on...these are the final moments...
What do you want to accomplish this year? What are your priorities? What fears/worries do you have?
As you begin the school year, I want to share some encouragement and advice. It's not that I have all the answers, or that I never make a mistake. Rather, I have been (and will continue to be) there.
So, a few "words of wisdom" for today: Set HIGH expectations for yourself. Push yourself. Stretch yourself. Don't be afraid to try new things, and to fail in the attempt. Each day, each class period, you have the opportunity to grow, to experiment, to improve.
Your students will understand if something doesn't go well. Let yourself be understanding as well. You will make mistakes. You will have lessons that flop. It is not the end. It is the beginning.
We have an incredible job--we can try and try and try, and we can begin again as often as we want.
This blog is dedicated to a cherished student. I'm going to call him "Pedro" to provide him anonymity. He and I had a conversation that I will not forget...
In a class of 25 students, I am surely going to have varying ranges of interest and ability, and more importantly, of confidence and willingness to try new things. I also have 25 unique personalities, and an innumerable amount of personality combinations and clashes.
Planning lessons is far more than an outline of agenda items. It's more like arranging a complex piece of music for an orchestra.
How can I structure lessons and tasks so that students can grow in their learning, providing just enough challenge to stretch them, yet not demoralizing them by setting the bar out of reach?
In what ways can I provide creative activities that can give opportunities for all students to exercise their growing skills?
What structures can I have in place to enable students to embrace risks and see failure as a necessary step in true learning?
How can I develop an environment in which students thrive on learning, and not on completing tasks for the sake of a grade?
What does each student need from me in order to help him/her succeed?
Pedro is intelligent. He is capable. He is creative. He is talented in many ways. Pedro doesn't always enjoy school, desks, structured classes. That's okay! Spanish isn't his primary interest. That's okay, too!
Nearing the end of the school year, I often gave students independent/group tasks that were creative and communicative (in Spanish):
"Discuss with your friends which movie you'd like to see..."
"Your family goes on a picnic..."
"You and your friends are lost in the woods..."
"Have a conversation with a store clerk as you purchase various items..."
Many students embrace these activities; they enjoy being creative (and a little silly), and they stretch their learning, "Mrs. Kurtz, could we...?" Yes!
For some students, like Pedro, these activities cause stress, panic, and even anger and shutdown.
Seeing Pedro NOT working (and instead playing on his phone), I went to him and urged him to get busy. He said, "I don't know what to do."
So, I repeated the instructions, a little impatiently (to my chagrin), and walked away to circulate among the students.
A few minutes later I returned, and the student is still on his phone. No work is proceeding. "Pedro, you need to get busy."
"I don't understand. I can't do this. I don't know how to begin."
"You can do this. Ask your friend, Esteban, for help with an idea to get started."
Again, I left and checked on the other students. All are creating; many are laughing; work is progressing everywhere--except with Pedro.
Exasperated (again, to my chagrin), I returned to Pedro. "You need to do this. Get started. Just write SOMETHING to begin."
"I don't know what to write. I can't do it." (at this point, his temper is in full force, and I feel like a volcano about to erupt) "Pedro, you CAN do this. I will NOT give you something that you cannot do. This IS attainable. Believe me."
"Mrs. Kurtz, I DO believe you. I DON'T believe in me."
Ah, at that moment my heart was broken.
How could we be nearing the end of the school year, and yet this student still has this type of reservation? What have I done? What haven't I done?
What more could I do?
"Pedro. I BELIEVE IN YOU. I KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO THIS. I will believe in you for you. Trust me. Let me help you get started."
I broke down the task again. I asked him to tell me a sentence he could use in this scenario. He did. I asked him to write it on paper. He did.
I walked away.
Ten minutes later, he was finished. It was fine. No, it was good. No, it was terrific.
Pedro had conquered what seemed to him an insurmountable challenge.
This wasn't our first struggle in this area. This wouldn't be the end of our struggles.
But perhaps this is what I CAN do: continue to provide the challenges and the confidence for both of us. Reiterate the message. Acknowledge and celebrate the conquests. Believe.
Pedro is a great kid. I will continue to believe in him.
Who believed in you when you couldn't believe in yourself?
What is your reaction to new and challenging tasks?
How have you helped your students to develop the confidence to be risk-takers and to embrace failure?
(This blog is a conversation between my good friend (and instructional coach), Mrs. Stephanie Sandrock, and myself. As is often the case, I emailed her a long message with my thoughts. She replied. Her responses are in green.)
I must confess that I often
feel inadequate,
not good enough.
I am a good teacher. But I
see so many ways that I could improve.
THIS…THIS…this
is what makes a great teacher!
And sometimes when I read of
all the things that teachers “should” be doing, I get overwhelmed.
I don’t even
have a class of students now
and I get overwhelmed at all that teachers are
expected to do.
I try to adjust my teaching
to meet new research and new ideas. I study my craft and I study my
students.
↖This is the
key, right here.
After lessons, I’m almost
always thinking about what went well or badly, and what could be better. I
assess what my students picked up and what they are lacking in understanding. I
decide what I need to do next. For classes that I teach multiple times a day, I
often adjust the lesson between periods.
Because I feel it’s so
important that students learn to read critically and think
logically/systematically, I spend more time on this than many would say that I
should.
Learning, long
term… learning is the key.
Not memorizing for a test.
The current FL push is 90%
target language in the classroom. I like that idea. I would love to be there. I
am not. I stop too often to be sure that students understand, see the logic in
the language, know how and why things work, express themselves clearly, understand that
what I want
most is learning—understanding.
Let’s be
honest, how many of your students
are going to go out in the world
and speak
fluent Spanish?
I hope that doesn’t crush you;
I love you...
Besides, I want to ensure
that as many as possible learn a language and understand. I am constantly
bringing along the lower end. I want them to stick with it, develop confidence,
know that they too can learn and succeed. I don’t want them to give up and say,
“I can’t learn a language”. That will overshadow them the rest of their lives.
What you do is
give your students exposure
to a new language and culture which is most
important.
But I am not making excuses.
I am working to make that transition. I’m studying and practicing, and trying
new things. Constantly.
You teach them
how to live a life
where they can make an impact.
Often at the end of the day I
feel guilty.
Inadequate.
I could have done better.
I could have tried harder.
I
could have prepared more…
The other
incredibly important thing you do
is to teach your students to think.
Thinking
is what will get us through life.
Learning to
learn gets them through life.
And when they
learn Spanish along the way that is AWESOME!
Do you know how many times I
have asked myself, “How were you ever selected as a Finalist for Pennsylvania
Teacher of the Year”? I don’t ask this trying to assume a false humility.
I see
my flaws.
All of this
letter
is why you made it to the final round…
All of it.
Last month I was one among
many readers privileged to read and score essays for the first round of the
2019 PATOY nominees. It was humbling. They are making a huge impact. They are
changing things.
I invest in students.
And colleagues.
One at a time.
Sometimes I have a positive
impact.
Sometimes I don’t seem to
accomplish anything.
I don’t judge myself based on
“success/failure” for my investments. That would be futile and skewed.
It’s just that I see how much
more I could do,
what I could do differently,
how I want to change,
where I am
weak…
And I feel inadequate.
THIS…THIS…this
is what makes a great teacher!
Always trying to improve your craft
and learn what your students need.
Many just do the same thing year after year
and that isn’t working for them or their students.
We want to be considered
professionals
like doctors, accountants and lawyers.
Would any of us want a
doctor who
isn’t using the latest breakthroughs in medicine?
But, perhaps, this very
feeling of inadequacy
Is what makes me a good
teacher?
YES!
Faced with the choice to be
content or to be dissatisfied,
I choose to face my
inadequacies
and to fight to improve.
Again today.
And tomorrow.
And the next day.
And I, my
friend, am so happy that you let me
go on the journey with you.
You inspire me
to be a
better person, mom, teacher and coach.
Thank you!
Do you have a friend, mentor, coach?
Does he/she encourage and push you?
Are you a friend, mentor and coach to others?
What do you do to encourage and push them?
This short video is from the PATOY 2018 dinner. You can hear why I think so much of Stephanie!
