6^th February 2012

Do you know how many Hula Hoop savoury snacks you have to stack on top of one another for them to be as tall as Big Ben?  No?  Well …  it’s 7408.  I think the only way you’re going to know this is if you eat Hula Hoops, because on the back of every pack they have an interesting fact about them.  A good marketing ploy, that also serves as a useful reminder about teaching. 

                Part of the philosophy outlined way back on 17^th October 2011, (is it February already?), was about building a framework for students to work within.  Now Rome wasn’t built in a day and any builder will tell you that quality materials, quality builder, equals quality job.  Quality, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.  Simple, but not easy.  One Hula Hoop at a time, perfectly balanced on top of the last one until there you have them all standing proudly next to Big Ben.

                Now, substitute Hula Hoops for ‘minutes spent’ with a class of students.  7408 minutes or 3.16 hours per week of class time you spend with your group each year, educating someone else’s children. Every minute is another chance to build relationships. Every minute spent is another chance to build the framework for them to work within.  Every minute is another chance to teach them how to treat you.

                A reminder of the philosophy:

                                Attend to my own skills, knowledge and understanding

                                Get into the students’ world

                                Build relationships

                                Construct a framework for them to work within

                                Concentrate on learning not behaviour

                                Teach them how to treat me

Like any human being, sometimes we get it right, sometimes we get it wrong, but most of the time we do get it right.

In today’s lesson I hope to get more right than wrong and as it’s the last lesson before half term, I want to leave them with a happy reminder of me as the person they can enjoy lessons with, but the person they don’t mess with!  It’s assessment time, so part of the lesson will be mopping up work not finished from last week and part of it allowing the students to assess themselves.  I wish OfSTED was in because it’s a perfect opportunity to show them that progress is being made.

It’s freezing outside, it’s a hot room and the new boilers are working too well.  I am sweltering and the heat is irritating the students.  They enter looking flushed and tired.  I have work to do.  “Come in and sit down quietly please.”  I beckon them in with an open palm and a cheery smile as I sit opening up the electronic register and the necessary powerpoint.  I do it quickly as I want to give out their assessment sheets which they began the first week in January.  I say their name as I give them their sheet; I want them to remember that I know all of their names and have done since that first day back in September.  I sense that they like that.  Just a hunch I have from their demeanour.  A Hula Hoop.

As I finish my sheet-giving tour, I don’t mind the low-level chatter, but as I reach my teaching spot up front, I straighten up and begin scanning the room.  Pavlov and Skinner would still be proud of me as the chatter quickly dissipates.  I explain the assessment process again.

“Have I made that clear?”  Silent nods and staring eyes look back at me as I exaggerate listening by turning my right ear towards them all.  “OK … away you go.”  I stand still using that wonderful point of control, transition time.  A … decides not to start his assessment but continues to talk even though I am looking at him intermittently as the 30 seconds pass.  He engages 2 other boys in his conversation who are also now ignoring me.  Transition time over, he is first on my list.

“A … have you finished?”  I start with a reference to the learning not the behaviour.

“No Sir,” he replies and finishes his little chat as though I shouldn’t be interrupting him.  I think he might start now, but no.  He is either taking my question psychologically literally or he understands the inference and chooses to ignore it.  Time to turn up the heat above simmer.

“A … I asked you if you had finished.”

“No Sir.”  Again he turns to finish his chat.  I choose to think he has gone down the literal route and blame myself, but I now choose to remove him from the room and make a slight interruption to others.  Others have seen his actions and maybe think he’s being deliberately defiant.  Don’t want that do I?  Another Hula Hoop.

“A … go and stand outside for me please.”  I am not smiling. I motion my head to the door.  He walks in an exaggerated fashion, but I’m not responding to that or get into an extended disagreement.  I am Senior Vice Principal, but my experience tells me to use the school systems and not go it alone.  The room goes silent. “OK we have 12 minutes to finish our assessments.  I deliberately use the word ‘our’.  5 minutes later, I walk to A, who is now standing by the door entrance and I have already decided to not use the normal ‘language frame’.  He needs to know how unhappy I feel now and he’s overstepped the mark.

As he looks to the floor, I stand by his side so my words don’t hit him full in the face.  “Don’t ever, ever, ignore me again A.  When I ask you if you have finished … when you clearly haven’t … I expect you to take my polite hint and get back to your assessment.  Is that fair enough?”  I fly by the seat of my experienced pants this time, as I lower my voice and slow the tempo.

“Yes Sir.”  A very significant Hula Hoop.  As he walks inside, eyes gaze at him and I can see him smiling even though I’m behind him.  It’s only youthful posturing and a ‘secondary’ behaviour as Bill Rogers puts it; I don’t respond.  Back to learning.

The rest of the students are beavering away at the tasks and I’m providing countdowns to increase the urgency.  Only M is continuing to display inappropriate behaviours.  He knows the incessant pen-tapping is irritating to others and he knows I know he’s doing it.  I let him do it 3 times and then say, “M ….”  I look at him, screw up my face in mock pain, showing my considerable wrinkles and show him my left palm which I slowly move up and down.  He looks at me and stops.  Another lovely Hula Hoop.

Today’s lesson is a reminder to me.  I am sitting here ‘facilitating’.  I have prepared well, managed the students well and I feel good.  I like the way I always try to stay within the boundaries of the philosophy, which ultimately drives my behaviours.  In a few more weeks we’ll be in the ‘performing’ stage of group development.  That will be around 20 hours of contact and consistent application of a teacher’s knowledge, skills and understanding.  I’ve entered into their youthful world and built relationships. Most know how to treat me, and me them.  The framework I have been building since September is nearly finished.  I have concentrated on learning and not behaviours.  This school isn’t a behavioural correction facility, it’s a learning institution. 

As I’ve said before, teachers are relationship-building-state-changers and it always helps if they like Hula Hoops.