The Education Biz Podcast

I’ve said this before, but as an educator, you are used to being a master problem solver. If you are a teacher, you are solving an infinite number of problems all day long. If you are an administrator, you are putting out fires all day long. If you are an instructional coach, you observe a class and then work with the teacher to solve problems all day long. In this episode, I'll discuss figuring out what pain points your stakeholders have, so you will have the solution. 

Today I want to talk to you about the right kind of mindset to have as you shift from educator to entrepreneur. You may be rolling your eyes a bit, but here’s the deal, the right mindset will make or break your success. The right mindset will also bring success, and profit, more quickly.
I'll give you 3 mindsets you need to have in this episode...
 
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Let’s talk about PD. Now, if you ask teachers about PD, most of them will look at you with disdain in their eyes and will say the word PD like it’s a bad 4-letter word. Why is this?

• It doesn’t hit the teachers’ current pain points
• They feel like they have other, more important things to do,
• The implementation of the PD adds more to their plate instead of making what they already do easier
• They are made to feel bad or inadequate or like they aren’t doing enough

Let’s talk first about what makes it effective.

www.jennkleiber.com

IG @jenn_kleiber

Before we dive into the actual episode I have for you today, I want to tell you a story. I remember sitting in a PD during my 3rd year of training. It was a single lady who sat at the front of the room and talked about ABA - which is Applied Behavior Analysis - and to be fair, I was super interested in her content. She was funny, but not an entertainer. She presented clearly and at the right pace, and I remember sitting there thinking - “I would like to do what she’s doing”, but of course, with zero knowledge of how to make that happen, and without the experience in the teaching world to back it up.

But 10 years later, I started that journey. So before I move on, I want to ask you, what was that moment for you? That moment where you thought - I can do that. I want to do that! 

Now hang on to that dream, friend!

www.jennkleiber.com

IG @jenn_kleiber

Is education consulting your next right step? At the Responsive classroom, I’ve started a new section of my business called the EquippED Consultants Collective. You can find us on IG @equipped_consultants_co. The mission of this is simply to help and coach those of you who want to move into being an education consultant to start and grow your own business. I know it can feel daunting to go from education to business ownership, but it’s absolutely doable!

Register for the free BizEdu Bootcamp Webinar Today!
Follow us on IG here! @equipped_consultants_co

Hey friends! I know this time of year is tough, but I also know that if you are an administrator, you are already looking towards next year. You have to be. 

So do you want to know the #1 way to guarantee growth for 2024-2025? Reflect on the current year and make a plan proactively - now.

Reflection Questions to think about:

1. If your campus was running at the level you want it to be, what is happening in the classroom? What are you seeing the students doing? What are you seeing the teachers doing?
2. If your campus was running at the level you want it to be, what would the mornings look like- the very start of the day? How do the students feel about walking in the doors? How do the teachers feel about being there? How do the teachers and students react when they see each other?
3. If your campus was running at the level you want it to be, what is happening in PLCs or during planning time? What types of conversations are being had? What is getting done during these times? What do you see the teachers doing?

Next, use data - both qualitative and quantitative, to determine where your campus is in each of the current areas. This would be a great place to get teacher (and student) input. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. When I look in most classrooms now, I see ___________________________________.
2. In the mornings, students/teachers seem _____________________________________.
3. During PLC meetings, the primary conversations center around ________________________________. The productivity in PLCs is ______________.

Finally, what needs to happen to get from where we are currently to my vision?

Want to see how responsive your campus currently is? How Responsive is Your Campus Checklist
Schedule a time to talk about PD! Jenn Kleiber's Calendar

If you want the full blog of this episode, check out www.theresponsiveclassroom.org/the-responsive-educator-blog/

If you want the full blog of this episode, check out www.theresponsiveclassroom.org/the-responsive-educator-blog/
To check out our summer and BTS PD calendar and spring sale, click here!
If you are thinking about Responsive Education PD and want to see how responsive your campus currently is, click here for our checklist!

PD can be super impactful and really important to the growth of students, BUT research shows us that the average teachers pulls away just 10% of a PD day - 10%! What a waste of time! We want to change that! In this episode, we discuss a checklist for the 3 stakeholders involved that when done well, will create a PD plan that has an meaningful influence on the campus: the service provider, the administration, and the teacher.

Take a listen, and if you want to discuss PD with The Responsive Classroom, email [email protected].

Students and teachers are both tired at this point, and many students have checked out - even though there is a lot of learning left to go! How do we combat that?

1. Re-engage
2. Re-connect

Re-Engage:

Sometimes, at this time of the year, we find we need to engage the students cognitively.  We need to get their brains going again!  When we start to see them disconnect, it’s even more important that put in the work to re-engage them (not get mad at them for getting off task).  Unfortunately, I often see (and did) just the opposite.  This tends to be a time when we get very focused on the state assessments, and can get very “worksheet” and “independent practice” heavy.

I would ask you this (again – pointing the finger at myself):

You are needing them to refocus, but are you putting as much effort into planning engaging activities? When we get tired, and when we feel stressed, we may back off on our planning as well.

I will give you two things to consider in trying to re-engage:

1. Transfer the ownership back to the students. Give them choice. Give them responsibility. Let them hold each other accountable. You are in charge of your classroom, but give them ownership in their learning.
2. Set learning goals.  Scores on state assessments or district curriculum tests are not learning goals.  And scoring higher may seem unattainable to many students, leading to unwanted behavior. Remember that the scores only reflect learning – so learning should still be the goal.  This gives students something attainable to master, and will eventually raise their scores as well.

Re-connect:

By now you know your students.  You know their names.  You probably know a lot of their families.  You know their academic struggles.  You may know some about their lives. What I want to encourage you to think about is how you’re viewing each student. Because along with knowing your students at this time, you also have feelings towards each of your students – like, dislike, frustration, annoyance, enjoyment, sympathy, etc.  They know exactly how you feel about them.  If you are patient and kind, or frustrated and short-tempered. If you still light up when they come in the room, or if you ignore or immediately start nagging.

 I would encourage you to do a mental check, and if there are any students that you need to reconnect with, now is the time! Get them one-on-one.  Send encouraging notes home. Make positive phone calls with authentically positive statements (even if there are negative things happening as well).  Speak support and encouragement into your students. Give them value by giving them ownership (remember re-engage?).

Want to get on the calendar for summer PD or take advantage of our Spring Sale? Click here!
Want an engaging strategy that easy to implement? Get a T-A-C-O! (Think, Answer, Concensus, Output); Click here for details!

 This episode is for instructional coaches! There are a lot of you who may have more non-coaching things on your plate than actual coaching.

• Sub plans
• Covering classes
• Organizing events
• Compliance paperwork
• Testing coordinator/assistant
• Mediator

The list goes on and on. The point is, there are somethings you aren’t going to be able to help, BUT if we can’t have coaching cycles, the efficacy of the coaching suffers!

I want to give you 5 things to think about in your limited time that you may have to actually coach.

1. Choose your coaching model and stick to it as much as possible.
2. Use a form.
3. Debrief is more important than the planning. Debrief in PERSON.
4. Suggestions stink. Questions rule.
5. Authentic praise goes a long way.

Click here to sign up for the  FREE Webinar for Instructional Coaches (Available through February 27th!)

Before we get started, I want to talk to instructional coaches, or administrators who are blessed enough to have instructional coaches on your campus! Next week, January 22, I will be opening access to a FREE webinar for instructional coaches- 5 Steps to Reduce Coaching Overwhelm. This is a tough time of year, and the coaches’ plates tend to be overloaded. This webinar will give practical tips to  lowering overwhelm now and through the year.

Sign up here: Free Webinar: 5 Steps to Reduce Coaching Overwhelm

BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION: A score is the end goal. As you know, data serves as one measurement tool towards a bigger goal of learning. Listen to this episode to hear how data is actually doing more harm then good in some campuses, and then get  ways to use data effectively!

Grab your free guide: The Deal with Data and actually see data lead to student growth!