Be like a tree...

You may have read something like what you are about to read before... you might not have. Either way, you are going to be reminded of a good lesson, or you are going to learn a new one. Win win, right?

I was having a cup of tea earlier today on my deck; the wind blowing through the gums, the hum of cicadas... it was serene. I've got a week more of this before school starts. I know over the next week I'll be starting to get back into school work more and more each day, toning down the holiday zen and getting some work day stamina back. I was thinking about the new school year and all that comes with it... the anticipation, the anxiety, the new relationships and the old ones, the ah-ha moments, the staff room flu, the up all night marking sessions, do we have to have an ISMG?!, the growth and the grind... it goes on. As with the start of many school years, I got around to thinking about how I'm going to refine the teacher I am so I can front up to class being the best teacher I can be. Ultimately, I want what I do personally to have the greatest impact on my students. But surely the teacher I am is directly related to the person I am... do I need to refine the person I am as well? Yep Haydn, you do. Because you're either learning or churning. The former leading to growth, the latter to complacency (which leads to contempt).

As these thoughts were going through my head, I found myself looking at a tree in the neighbours yard; it's a big tree with sparse foliage and right at the very top in it's own little canopy it was flowering towards the sun. But only at the top. Those flowers weren't on the lower branches or in the places that were constantly in shade... the flowers were where they'd get the sun all day. Now I'm aware of photosynthesis as well and it wasn't lost on me that the thickest, greenest leaves were up there with those flowers too. The tree was putting its energy into the things that would make it grow. Therefore, for the tree to gain energy, it had to put energy in first to the right places. That's a pretty simply idea and I thought there was something in that. However, for the tree to get that point it had to be grounded, with solid foundations. I think if the tree were to focus on the leaves first with out the roots, it's like someone going into business with a plan... how many times has that worked?

There it was... to refine who I am (and impact the students in my classes) I would be like the tree. I will assess my foundations and make sure that I am grounded. After that I will then put my energy into the things that I am going to get energy back from. Hopefully this makes me a better person... and by very close extension a better teacher. You might ask where this is going? 'Alright Haydn, so you'll be a better person, that's good, but how does that impact the classroom?'

There is a point to this analogy.

I truly believe that in order to have the biggest impact on student outcomes, a teacher has to be the best person they can be. This impacts the relationships they form in the classroom. It's your favourite education researcher and mine, Hattie (2009) who says that "it is teachers who have created positive teacher student relationships that are more likely to have the above average effects on student achievement." When there is a positive teacher-student relationship, students feel safe and there is a strong bond of trust within the classroom. Students are not afraid to take risks and understand that making errors are all part of the learning process. Students are more likely to feel positive about school and have a greater chance of developing a true love for learning. And a teacher can only form those positive relationships when they are putting their energy into those things where they are going to get energy back from... for me, that's putting energy into those relationships, so hopefully I'll get the same in return.

I'm going to LEAVE this here (get it... leave because of the tree analogy) and not BRANCH away (I'm here all week) from the main idea too much.

Be like a tree. Put your energy into what will make you grow. And think about how that will impact your students.