Al Gore received the Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning about global warming.  Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat cleverly used two numbers in two different sequences to illustrate how events have much greater global impact than they used to. “9/11” – Bombing of the World Trade Center and “11/9” – the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Both Al Gore and Thomas Friedman are reminding you and me of our growing interdependence and the fact that our lives are intertwined both with people next door and people on the other side of the world.  We are awaking to global matrimonial vows: “For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health we are grouped.”   The “me” generation has long been replaced with “I need you” and “you need me” – we are a group.

In the past the terms “group” and "team” carried connotations which were commonly understood. Several factors have changed the certainty of what is meant by “groups.” We need a new vocabulary to understand groups. Such a language will reduce people’s fear of this global interdependency. 

Michael’s newest training and upcoming book Managing Groups – The Fast Track explains the dynamics of groups whether the group‘s membership is from the same culture or different cultures. As a student you will learn to switch from being reactive and surprised by life to being proactive and able to direct groups.

To shock people into realizing the geometric growth of interdependence we have people take the following survey. This survey can be done mentally — yet the clarity of the results is greater if you use a piece of paper.

1. Leave some space at the top of the page.
2. Put your name on the top line and list the 10-15 people you spend most of your time with. Do it now before proceeding. Feel free to make half of the names from your working world and half from your private world.
3. Once you have your list, at the top of the page, make 5-7 columns to the right of the names. Have each column represent a major variable of your make up. Examples include: level of education, religion, regions you have lived for at least 5 years, socio-economic level, affiliations (for example, political, professional, community), ethnicity, etc.
4. Fill out your own line in terms of variables, and then fill out the lines of the 10-15 people. Reflect on the result.

Are your answers to the variables about the same as those of the 10-15 people or are they different?

• If your 10-15 people have about the same answers as you, you were probably ready for the last century, but you might not be ready for this century.  
• If you had a wide variety of people you engage with   at work and have friends in your personal life that have similar answers to you, then you probably understand the changing nature of the world.
• If you have a wide variety of people both in working world and in your private world, then you are most likely part of this changing world.

Admittedly, we are more likely to experience the shrinking globe at work, than at home. In the past, our memberships were in groups whose norms we recognized and identified with. And we stayed in those groups a long time. Now the groups we belong to look unfamiliar to us. It is just human nature to shy from and, at times, be frightened of the unknown, that is why understanding the dynamics of groups is so important today.

Among Michael’s many skills, I thought I would share one few may know about…

Super Camp in San Diego, California on St. Pat’s weekend 2008.

Dear Michael

In short, the amount of positive feedback I have received in months past from individuals in professional and private contexts on how ‘clear’ my communication with them has been is staggering.  This has been the case in 1 to 1 communication, as well as when giving presentations to groups of varying sizes.

I truly learned a lot in the Group Dynamics course, particularly from observing and listening to you, but also from the practical, pedagogical approach applied and the ongoing exercises with other participants.  I am very grateful for this privilege.  In many ways this training has been an eye-opener and, applied with principles of NLP, really makes for powerful and influential communication that I am enjoying tremendously.

Being somewhat of a skeptic, I recall well my erstwhile doubts when you made clear during the 1st module that mastering this art would take years.  I only now am beginning to understand this better and have come to see it as a life-long personal improvement objective.  Frankly, I wish I had gotten this training much earlier in my career and realize how much John Bailey has been unaware of in years past and how much more aware he can become going forward.

What I found particularly valuable was the vocabulary and methodologies that you taught us to recognize and label group dynamic and, specifically, non-verbal processes and thereby making these more transparent, easier to identify and communicate and, thus, more meaningful.

Looking forward tremendously to taking this learning journey to the next level.

Best regards and speak soon,
John Bailey

ENVoY is a classroom management system developed by Michael Grinder after observational research in more than 6000 classrooms.  Grinder wanted to find out the nitty-gritty reasons why students learn well and behave well with some teachers and yet those same students are unmanageable with other teachers.  What were the successful teachers doing?   Michael Grinder identified the seven non-verbal techniques used by all of the best teachers, techniques that worked no matter what subject or grade level they were teaching.  That’s how he came up with "The Seven Gems of Classroom Management," also known as ENVoY.

Origin of ENVoY:
ENVoY has been selected as the title of our classroom management for two reasons:
The capitals letters E N V Y stand for Educational Non-Verbal Yardsticks; and, secondly, an envoy is like an ambassador who can explain and interpret a culture both to its own members and to those new to that culture.

Any teacher who learns the Seven Gems and uses them consistently will have more learning going on in their classroom.  And the students will know the teacher cares.

In other words, ENVoY helps teachers keep good relationships with students while at the same time holding them accountable for their behavior.  It helps teachers do what they went to college to do – that is, teach.  They don’t have to be struggling with management problems, sending kids to the office, and going home in a bad mood every day.

How benefits of ENVoY can become part of the school culture
Training alone doesn’t cut it.  No matter how good a workshop may be, most teachers forget when they get back to class.  Research shows that the single most important factor in getting new skills to actually be used is… coaching.  Job-embedded coaching.  Supportive, encouraging, non-threatening, skilled coaching.

But coaching alone is not enough; teachers must have their principal’s support and encouragement to get new skills into everyday, habitual use.

University of Houston study of ENVoY in HISD’s South Region Summary
The U of H did a year-long assessment of student behavior in seven schools before, during and after ENVoY training and coaching.  Dr. Robert Houston analyzed the data and made three main recommendations:
      1) Offer ENVoY training to all teachers in a school
      2) Provide school-wide implementation support (coaching)
      3) Continue program support for three years at each school.

Overview on the Effectiveness of ENVoY Results of University of Houston study, 2006-2007*

Does it work?  Yes.  In a study conducted by Dr. Robert Houston at the University of Houston Institute for Urban Education, ENVoY is shown to be effective in improving classroom environment for students.  Data from seven local schools were collected before, during and after the program, then analyzed at U of H.*

 Findings

1.  Positive changes.  ENVoY resulted in positive changes in teacher classroom management procedures.

 2.  Coaching helps significantly.  Best results showed up in classrooms where teachers received individual, job-embedded coaching after their group training.

 3.  Program well-accepted by teachers.  Teachers like ENVoY because more curriculum can be covered when management is not a problem.   Job satisfaction is greater and stress is reduced when teachers can rely on written assignments and students can be more independent; teachers can manage a class without having to raise their voices.

4.  Test scores went up.  While not solely related to the implementation of ENVoY, 84% of TAKS scores in elementary schools and 66% in middle schools increased between 2006 and 2007 in the schools where ENVoY was used.

Recommendations

1.  ENVoY should be offered to all teachers in a school.  Provide training during regularly scheduled professional development days for new teachers as well as veteran teachers.

2.  Provide implementation support.  Workshops should be followed by individual assistance in the classroom by a trained ENVoY coach to provide encouragement and maximize implementation of skills.

3.  Implement ENVoY practices school-wide so students are accustomed to a uniform management system. 

4.  Continue the program for three years at each school.  With help from trained ENVoY coaches, determine if long-term experience with ENVoY can change the culture of the school.

Long term Plan
The ENVoY Coaches Lab prepares faculty members to be ongoing resources for their colleagues in use of ENVoY.  They especially mentor new teachers.  Peer coaching is recommended as a proven, effective way to make sure ENVoY skills are used by teachers year after year.

Principals hire new teachers with the understanding that they will be expected to learn and use ENVoY.

*Effectiveness of ENVoY 2006-2007: Analysis of Observed Change in Classroom Management in Elementary and Middle Schools.  W. Robert Houston, Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Education, College of Education, University of Houston.  Dr. Houston is the John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Education.   For more information, contact Charlotte@knowledgearts.net. 

Dear Friends

Kelly is a bright, perceptive, young person who has dedicated her "free-time" to working with schools in under-funded neighborhoods. The majority of students from these schools live below the poverty line. MGA is pleased to showcase Kelly’s selfless work and understanding of the need to encourage and inspire beyond the classroom.  Bravo, Kelly!

Kelly
St. John’s H.S.
7 April 2008

The Miracle of Literacy for a Nation

His name is John. He’s a seventh grade student, and he’s forever changed my views on education. We come from opposite sides of 610, but we might as well inhabit opposite ends of the Earth. Yet John’s smiling face erases all my nervousness as I help him with his new list of vocabulary words. John is a student at Albert Thomas Middle School where he is part of the inclusion program that mainstreams special needs children into the regular education program. I got the chance to work in his classroom for two days to study and experience the subject of literacy.

The nickname for John’s neighborhood is Dead End, a place where the calloused hands of poverty envelop their territory with a ruthless grip. The weeds and beer cans in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, the old trash that lies beneath the broken street lights, and the letters that hang precariously on the neon lights of decrepit grocery stores make me wonder if I’ve crossed Houston and entered a third world country. In the middle of such a place lies Thomas Middle School, surrounded by a black, six-foot chain fence, an oasis of safety with its colorfully painted walls, clean classrooms, and enthusiastic, dedicated teachers. But in the midst of poverty’s territory, the staff of Albert Thomas works every day to create large and small miracles for their students.

What is literacy? According to the National Institute for Literacy, literacy is the ability to
“read and gain information from specialized text, for example the science section in the local newspaper” (NIFL). Only one in seventeen 17 year olds meets this criteria (NIFL) and only one in three adults has the ability to extract meaning from a simple sentence such as the one you’re reading right now (Literacy Advance of Houston).  But what is the importance of literacy in daily life beyond facts and statistics? Literacy is the ability to read the newspaper, fill out an application for a job, understand a contract, or even decipher meaning from food labels at the local grocery store. Illiteracy is the designer of poverty, the catalyst that begins the domino effect from unemployment, to poverty, to welfare in America. Seventy percent of those with the lowest reading skills are unemployed or working part time, and forty three percent of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty (Literacy Advance Houston).  But where do most kids learn how to read? In the school system.

The area surrounding Thomas Middle School reflects the neighborhoods of thousands of public schools throughout America. Poverty has no preference to the weather or region, and the schools in these areas deal with many of the same problems. At Thomas Middle School, eighty four percent of students are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch program because their families simply cannot afford to pay for sufficient meals (greatschools). In an interview with principal Bill Sorrells Jr., Mr. Sorrells explains how many of the children lack one or both parents, and some just don’t receive the care they need. He explains that oftentimes, the school acts “in loco parentis,” the Latin term for “in place of a parent,” and for many students, school may be the only stable environment. A large majority of the students have never even traveled outside the boundaries of their neighborhood.  

Until three years ago, Albert Thomas Middle School defined the typical school for a low income area. When the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) examination, a state required test distributed to all students in Texas public schools, was administered to Thomas Middle School students three years ago, the number of students that passed the TAKS examination festered beneath the state requirement and placed the school on academic probation.  Talk about pressure. One year to pull up scores or Albert Thomas would face closure. The school needed to increase scores in all subjects tested by the TAKS exam—that is, the core subjects of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. So what is it that made the number of students (40 percent of which are children with special needs ranging from autism to tube-feeders) who passed the TAKS reading examination in 2007 skyrocket to 86 percent for the eighth grade, 64 percent for the seventh grade, and 74 percent for the sixth grade?

I asked Mrs. Reed-Byrd this same question after her English class of seventh grade students heads to lunch. She proudly points to a certificate above her desk labeled ENVoY Coach. In an interview a few weeks ago with a leader of the ENVoY program, Ms. Mary Yenik, Ms. Yenik provides a brief history of ENVoY, a learning environment program. Developed by communication genius Michael Grinder after research in more than 6000 classrooms, ENVoY is a system of classroom management that helps teachers create a positive classroom environment through influence instead of power. Through simple, non-verbal communication techniques such as pausing or whispering at times when the noise of a class reaches an inappropriate level, teachers are able to keep the attention of their students in a positive way rather than employing strategies of fear to keep order. Among these non-verbal techniques, ENVoY particularly focuses on strategies concerning voice patterns and the idea of “going visual” in which teachers provide visual instructions on a board or poster that can be referenced at anytime by the teacher or the students. “Going visual” helps students remember their tasks, increases the learning of the day’s lesson, and helps eliminate confusion.  When teachers practice ENVoY’s strategies daily, they create an atmosphere conducive to learning while simultaneously holding students responsible for their own actions and behavior.

When asked about the challenges in teaching her students how to successfully prepare for the reading section of the TAKS exam, Mrs. Reed-Byrd didn’t know where to start. “The hardest part is instilling concentration. Our students can score at their grade level or better in math, but with reading it’s a struggle for students just to score at their grade level. When they have to read long passages their attention drifts. ” She also mentions that she can’t make any assumptions of what the children know. For her students to fully understand the process to answering reading comprehension questions, she must take her class through step-by-step strategies, leaving little time for exploration of her subject. But she especially emphasizes the importance of concentration throughout the two days I spent in her classroom. “That’s why ENVoY is so important; it really helps me keep the kids’ attention.”

Knowledge Arts Foundation works to teach ENVoY strategies to teachers in order to create a supportive environment for all schools with a focus at this time on schools of poverty. The program’s successful effects are incontrovertible; in every school ENVoY enters, the test scores increase. Part of the program entails selecting teachers who demonstrate leadership skills to become ENVoY coaches. These selected teachers then return to their schools with new skills and act as resources for their colleagues as well as new teachers. ENVoY not only helps teachers become better teachers, but it contributes to a greater sense of community within the schools. However, the impact of ENVoY really hit home after I interviewed a student on his favorite part of reading class. Terron started out the year as a shy seventh grader, but his grades are soaring and he now participates actively in class. “When I make a mistake, no one gets mad at me. The posters on the wall help me remember how to fix my mistakes, and Mrs. Reed-Byrd helps me make it better for next time.” I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect example of power through influence.

Adding to the effectiveness of ENVoY in the classrooms, the staff of Thomas Middle School strives to create an overall positive environment for the students. Every adult and many of the kids wished me a good morning. When I was searching for the main office of the school after I arrived, a cheerful teacher sent a student to help me find my way. Walking in the main office of the school, I saw posters that lined the walls with bold, encouraging words such as loyalty, self-confidence, and respect. When the receptionist answers the telephone, she smiles and says, “We’re having a great day at Albert Thomas, how can I help you?” If an angry parent is on the other end of the line, she calmly replies, “We’re still having a great day at Albert Thomas, what else can I do to help you?” The hallways are brightly painted with the same, bold words on posters that I saw in the main office, and the doors are bright red or blue. In casual conversation, I mentioned to Mrs. Reed-Byrd how colorful the hallways are, and it turns out that the principal, Mr. Bill Sorrells Jr. painted them himself.

When I stepped into Mr. Sorrells’ cluttered office, I felt an aura of booming enthusiasm and dedication to educating children. After teaching for more than twenty five years in schools of all socio-economic backgrounds, Mr. Sorrells doesn’t have enough wall space to cover pictures of former students, family, and his own artwork for which he’s nationally recognized. In the corner there’s a big box of trophies which he awards to the teacher of the week, and another box of smaller trophies which he awards to any faculty member who just did something nice. As I interviewed him about the three years he’s spent at Thomas Middle School, it was obvious to me that Mr. Sorrells is not only a man who believes in what he’s doing, but a man who employs every strategy possible to create a positive, optimistic environment for everyone at Thomas Middle School. In 2005, Mr. Sorrells implemented a community pantry for Albert Thomas in which any parent can simply ask Mr. Sorrells and receive a bag of food while maintaining strict anonymity. Why? Because you just can’t focus on reading or numbers when your stomach’s growling. Mr. Sorrells also firmly believes in the importance of developing trusting relationships with his staff and that positive relationships are essential between students and teachers. “I don’t care about race or color. You could walk in here polka-dot for all I care. Impressive résumés are nice too, but my main concern when I hire a teacher is, ‘Do you love children?’.”

And hire great teachers, he certainly has. The members of Mr. Sorrells’ team work hard not only to educate in their specific subjects, but to encourage and inspire beyond the classroom. Mr. Whittington, an ENVoY coach and assistant math teacher who specializes in children with special needs paused and beamed from ear to ear when I asked him about the best part of his job. “I don’t just get to teach math, but I get to teach about life, about English, and I get to mold a child. There’s so many diamonds who don’t realize they’re diamonds. They just need some polishing.” Mrs. Mask, the school counselor, cheerleader coach, and test coordinator, (many faculty members have several different jobs at Thomas) helps students in any area ranging from personal issues to finding a way to supply a student with a new set of glasses. Ms. Williams, a math teacher, band director, and soccer coach has her students free write a paragraph about any topic before she begins her math lesson. “I think it’s important that students know how to write a paragraph. It gives them a chance to express things they might not mention otherwise, and I get a chance to learn more about them.”

I had no clue how much energy and sheer dedication it takes to teach a class before my two days in Mrs. Reed-Byrd’s classroom at Albert Thomas. Initially determined not to become a teacher, Mrs. Reed-Byrd began her teaching career only three years ago after she married and had two children. She felt a calling to teach. Mrs. Reed-Byrd teaches three class periods that last for an hour and a half, each with about thirty students. Mrs. Montgomery, a teacher who specializes in children with special needs helps provide extra attention for the students who need it, but Mrs. Reed-Byrd admits that she often feels drained by the end of the day. However, she is one among many teachers at Albert Thomas who strongly believes the satisfaction she feels when her students succeed is worth every ounce of her effort. She tolerates no slandering in her classroom, and she praises often. She’s a firm believer in ENVoY, and she truly thinks it’s made her a better teacher. Most importantly, Mrs. Reed-Byrd believes in her students. I asked Mrs. Reed-Byrd if she could remember a student who particularly stood out to her, and her eyes widened as she slowly nodded. “There was one student I had that I’ll never forget. He had been held back in the seventh grade for several years, and he was a classroom bully. One day, I took him outside and said, ‘Do you really think I don’t care about you, because I do care about your life. Just like you’re a leader in your gang, you can be a leader of a company, a CEO, or anything you want to be. Anything. And I think that’s the first time he really had someone to believe in him.” This student passed the seventh grade that year, went on to high-school, and still goes back to Thomas Middle School to visit Mrs. Reed-Byrd.

Thomas Middle School is one sample of thousands of public, poverty-stricken schools in America. After it was deemed academically unacceptable and placed on probation, three years later it has made giant leaps in TAKS scores across all subjects. With the help of ENVoY, a very positive environment, and the dedication and generosity of its teachers, Thomas Middle School serves as an example of excellence without a great deal of funding behind it. But its achievements are possible for any school. Miracles are not limited to the area of Dead End.

Before my two days in Mrs. Reed-Byrd’s classroom, the only time I ever heard about a School like Albert Thomas was if it was in the local news for some kind of crime that occurred in the neighborhood. I didn’t realize the amazing feats that occur every day in this environment. From the simple task of celebrating when a student answers a reading comprehension question correctly, to believing in a child for maybe the first time in his or her life, I can’t begin to describe all the big and small accomplishments that occur. In a school like Albert Thomas, literacy takes on the faces of real people and real children. It is no longer just a statistic. Now, instead of seeing black and white numbers, I see brightly painted walls, I hear Mrs. Reed-Byrd calling on a student, and I feel the feeling of success of a student named John who understands his new vocabulary words. The voice of Mr. Sorrells rings clearly in my ear, and I see a program called ENVoY marching through those cold, hard numbers, ready to battle the challenge of illiteracy. I now know that we as individuals and we as a nation can take the grimness off those statistics. Now I know that a program called ENVoY and other initiatives dealing with literacy do it every day. 

——
Works Cited
"About Literacy Advance of Houston." 2008. Literacy Advance of Houston. 8 Apr. 2008 <www.literacyadvancehouston.org>.
"Reading Facts." 19 Sept. 2007. National Institute for Literacy. 8 Apr. 2008 <http://www.nifl.gov>.
"Thomas Middle School: Learn About This School’s Students." 2007. Great Schools Inc. Not-for-Profit Organization. 8 Apr. 2008 <www.greatschools.net>.

Guest Blogger: Sharon Sayler of www.impressionengineers.com

It is already midway throught the first month of 2008. I can hardly believe it!. Has that ugly word, procrastination found it’s way into your new year’s plans yet?  If you find it has, it is not too late to get started. Here are some tips to conquer procrastination.

Before you begin accept three things:

1. There is no perfection.
2. Expect some setbacks.
3. Everything will take longer than you thought.

And answer two questions:

1. Is this the best use of my time?
2. What do I need to really own what I’m trying to accomplish?

Procrastination usually happens because we don’t have enough information about what we are trying to do. One way to rein-in procrastination as we gather more information is to trick your procrastination "brain" by working backwards.

1. What do I want to do or what will the finished project look like? Describe in detail what it will achieve or change, including a completion date?
2. Break the project into tasks, working backwards, from the finished project to the current time.  Imagine the last thing you did to make it work? Write it down… What was it you did to get the last thing done? Write it down… What was it you did to get the second to last thing done?  Write it down… (you get the idea.)
3. Develop this list into small and easy tasks that can be accomplished quickly, no more than a few each day… 
   Do only one task at a time. Consider a thirty-minute plan—set a timer and work on something for just 30-minutes. At the end of 30-minutes, switch to something else if you want. (Chances are you are so involved you will keep going.) Reset your timer for the next 30-minutes.
4. At the end of each task, celebrate its completion.
5. Plan the next task and establish priorities for getting it done.

If you still find yourself getting stuck try modifying your environment, or enlist a friend to hold you accountable.

"There will always be reasons to wait…The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don’t count."~Robert Anthony

Have a great day in whatever your adventure.
To success! To Life!� 

Sharon

More of her tips can be found at http://www.impressionengineers.com/blog/

Why are the two weeks before Christmas so difficult?
By Rachel Babbs 

I was talking with a teacher friend the other day, and, as is typical of most educators at the holiday time of the year, we started grousing about the usual seasonal difficulties we experience during the pre-holiday season. One of our key frustrations is regarding the class responses to certain individuals; individuals whom the teacher has spent a lot of time in the months prior, teaching the class to ignore. And, until very recently, the class had been doing a fine of job of just that.  But, in the two weeks before the holidays, even our most on-task and academically motivated students were getting hooked by these highly entertaining future HBO comedians. Instead of moan and groan about it as we do every year, we thought it might be more beneficial for us to try to figure out why this occurs and what can be done about it.

Seasons of the Classroom

We started doing some research and found that if we look at what Michael Grinder teaches us in the book, A Healthy Classroom, during certain seasons of the school year, students become more Right Brain-oriented. Even our so called “good students” become more random and kinesthetic. They all become more motivated by entertainment than by learning. There is an increased amount of attention towards inappropriate humor.

And, at the same time, when they are not giggling over some snide comment made by someone “in the peanut gallery” of the classroom, the students are breaking down in tears over something as minor and trivial as a broken pencil.  We’ve all heard of “Seasonal Giggles”. What about “Seasonal Sobbing”? They cry at the drop of a hat. And, since the relationship between the teacher and the class has shrunk to the size of a peanut, the teacher can no longer call upon the student’s ability to reason.

We find that if the teacher asks anything of the class during this time period, the response time is very slow or nonexistent. It is as if they’ve all been invaded by an internet virus that has slowed their programming to a crawl. We give the command and they have about a minute delayed response. Or, if they’ve really been infected, the command is completely ignored.

In order to better understand the teacher’s frustration over classroom behavior during this time of the year, let’s back it up to before the season begins. Let’s look at a regular day, in a regular classroom. If it is late September and early October, the students are more linear and logical. They are more academically motivated. Even if they are not, they will comply because the teacher is asking a favor of them. The relationship at this time of the year between the teacher and the class is strong enough that the class will do something because they want to please the teacher. The routines have been established and the students have a sense of the teacher’s expectations. The class hums along like a well oiled machine.

Fostering–the Well-oiled Classroom

Now, please understand that this machine didn’t just build itself. No. The teacher starts putting together the parts of this machine on the first day of school. And, the key to the functioning of this engine is the establishment of relationships between the teacher and individuals in the class and the between the teacher and the class as a whole. Once these relationships are in place, by the time late September rolls around, the teacher is, for the most part, able to operate through something we all love, called “influence”.

And, one of the most important aspects of “influence” is a strategy the teacher utilizes to build a healthy classroom called “fostering”. With fostering, the teacher can utilize relationships to foster behaviors that the teacher values, values that may be missing from the class as a whole. So, even though individuals in the class might exhibit these behaviors, the desired behaviors are not present with the group as a unit. In math, we say that the value equals the sum of its parts. In group dynamics, we say that the value of the class equals the value of the class leaders.

For example, many of us have a high value in “working hard”, or “curiosity”, or “kindness”, or “appropriate humor”, or “ambition”, to name a few. If these values are not being exhibited by the class’s current leaders, the teacher looks for individuals who exhibit the desired behaviors and start to give these students attention in such a way that the class sees the teacher doing the fostering. The rest of the group sees the fostering being done and, if the group likes the teacher, the group will take on the same behaviors. They say, “Oh, that’s what I need to do to get the teacher’s attention around here.” Since a leader is anyone who is noticed, the teacher can increase the noticing of the individuals who have the values that the teacher wants to foster.

Class Culture

Now, let’s tie in with the idea of the sub-groups that make up the class culture. The teacher, once they have established a certain amount of rapport with the class has a tremendous influence over which students the class will notice as their leaders. A leader is anyone who is noticed, positive or negative. Each leader is a member of a sub group. A sub group is made up of a group of students who have the same values. Each sub group has a leader and each classroom is made up of several sub-groups. These sub-groups can include the “humor group”, the “likes to work hard group”, the “slow to grasp group”, or the “likes to help group”, to name a few. And, in the classroom, there is a hierarchy of these groups, a pecking order if you will. In other words, there are certain sub groups that influence the culture of the entire class, certain groups that are noticed, just like leaders are noticed.  The rest of the needs of the other sub groups in the class are subordinate to the needs of the sub group at the top of the food chain. The leaders of those sub groups are noticed by the rest of the class. And, that is why a smart teacher will find students who exhibit values that the teacher wants to foster and increase the leadership of those students. This will, in turn, cause the sub-group that those students are members of, to move up the hierarchal ladder. The more positive sub-groups will now have influence over the rest of the class.

The Right Brain Season

And, this brings us back around to the initial conversation and our frustration during the two weeks before any kind of a break. My friend felt like she had taken all of the above steps towards creating a very positive and healthy atmosphere in her classroom. She had squelched the negative sub groups that had dominated her class at the beginning of the year and had fostered the more positive sub groups that had the attributes that she wanted present in her class. So, what happens every time there is any kind of break? Since the relationship between the teacher and the class diminishes, the teacher loses his or her ability to influence which sub-groups the rest of the class is going to notice. The value of the entire class changes during the Right Brain Season. Unfortunately, before any kind of vacation comes, the sub-groups of entertainment, drama, and humor will emerge as the top sub groups in the pecking order. And, because the teacher’s influence is greatly diminished during this time of year, there is very little the teacher can do about it.

This phenomenon usually happens right around Thanksgiving. Suddenly this fantastically functioning, highly productive and motivated class, evolves into a different beast altogether. And, every year, even though we’ve been through it the before, we walk around scratching our heads, saying, “Who are these gremlins and what have they done our students?” They are no longer functioning as a unit. Their motivation is not towards academic achievement. It is towards the inane. Our ability to inspire or push them has gone down the tubes. We whine, we plead, we berate, we yell, we bribe. We will try anything to get them to return to the yesteryears of a class will stocked with students full of curiosity, productivity, and motivation.  

So, the question becomes, “How can we still manage to make this time period educationally productive when we have such little influence over the class?”  In our research, we spoke with many legendary teachers and looked at what they did during the difficult seasons of the school. We trust the some of the following suggestions will offer some tips that other teacher will find useful.

One teacher said that he aligns himself with the current class leaders. The teacher does this by showing the rest of the class that he or she has a relationship with these students, that he likes these students. The rest of the class sees that the teacher is part of the “in-crowd” and will associate positive intention towards the teacher. For example, this particular teacher said that in one of his more difficult classes, (he teaches at the high-school level) he has a student who has an audience addicted personality. The student, because his behavior is so belligerent and constant, quickly used up his tokens with the rest of the class. By early October, the class, along with the teacher, would just ignore this student when he would start doing his usual antics. But, recently, just before the holiday vacation was to start, the class started to give this student attention again. The teacher, seeing this newly established leadership with the class knew that he had to figure out how to align himself with this re-emerging leader. The teacher also knew that this student was a bit of a hypochondriac. So, one day in the middle of the right-brained season, just as class was about to begin, the teacher stepped away from his teaching area, looked at the student, and in front of the entire class, said, “J.R., are you okay? You look a little pale.” The student’s response was that he was fine, but did feel a little bit like he was getting a cold. The teacher then said, “Well, keep me posted. Let me know if I can do anything to help.” The teacher looked down, stepped back to his teaching area, and started the lesson. The rest of the class watching this interaction, noticed that the teacher was concerned and that the teacher liked the student.  And the student, who was normally such a problem, got the much desired attention he craved and was perfectly well behaved for the rest of the class period. 

Another teacher said that she changes how she teaches during this time period.  She shifts her teaching style in such a way that satisfies the needs of the current dominant sub group. For example, she will do more project based activities during this time period to meet the needs of the kinesthetic sub-group. Similarly, another teacher said that he uses humor more often during this time period or tells more stories to reinforce a concept. Another teacher said the she focuses on more review activities that reinforce previously taught concepts.

When Influence Doesn’t Work

There is one more strategy that may need to be implemented. Whether we want to admit to it or not, during this educationally challenging time of the year, we may need to resort to appropriate use of power to maintain the safety and functionality of the classroom. Influence is no longer effective. We would all like to be able to operate with influence throughout the entire year, but we know that it is just not possible. In order for influence to work, there has to be a relationship between the teacher and the students. And since, as previously noted in this article, the relationship between the teacher and the class shrinks during the two weeks before the vacation comes, utilizing influence during this time period is ineffective. So, what is our back-up to influence? We want to suggest appropriate use of power. We know that for most teachers, this is not our preferred mode of operating. We tend to shy away from it because we philosophically don’t believe in it. But, there are times, such as the two weeks before Christmas, that the students will need us to go to power to maintain safety and order in the classroom. So the question becomes, how do we use power in such a way that is effective for the students and lets the teacher feel okay about it?

In the book, A Healthy Classroom, the author, Micheal Grinder, helps us understand the difference between Power and Influence by using the metaphor of Flight Attendant versus Captain. The Flight Attendant is in service to and the Captain is in charge of. On days of the school year when the group is functioning as a cohesive unit, the teacher gets to operate as the Flight Attendant, also known as influence. On days of the school year when the group is operating more as a group of individuals rather than as one unit, the suggestion is that that teacher has to operate as the Captain, or with power. If we look at the behaviors of real flight attendants and real captains and adopt some of those behaviors, we find that we can operate with power in such a way as to not personalize it. Taking on the behaviors of a captain of an airplane when we go to power allows us to stay dissociated and not in touch with our feelings. Grinder likes to say, “We are paid to feel when we teach. We are not paid to feel when we manage.” Taking on the behaviors of a Captain gives us a way to do just that.

In summary, my friend and I both agreed that while right-brained days will always be a difficult time of year, it is no longer an impossible time of year. We now have some new strategies to implement and we will no longer take it personally when the students don’t respond to us as they did in early October. We learned a lot and trust that we can now approach Right Brained Days with renewed fervor. And, I’m sure we will continue to find time to moan and groan about the difficulties of our profession. At least now we will have one less moan to groan about.

Rachel Babbs is an ENVoY trainer and coach, is an Oregon school district staff trainer and teaches A Healthy Classroom.  You can contact her at rachelbabbs@msn.com.

Michael interviewed in the latest issue of Rapport Magazine.

Article from Rapport Magazine, http://www.anlp.org

…I saw Michael Grinder in action at last year’s NLP Conference where
he gave the Keynote speech on the first night. Appropriately for a
night when the rain was torrential, his subject was ‘Cats and Dogs’. In
a packed, and slightly steamy, hall in Regent’s College he demonstrated
his own ability to work with groups. He had us first engaged and then
involved. We’ll return to the Cats and Dogs theme presently, but first I
want to give some background on the man himself…

…I wondered if being John Grinder’s brother had been an issue as he
developed his career. Did people have expectations of how he would be?
“I suppose there is a certain notoriety to it but I’ve never experienced
prejudice or skewed expectations. I’m able to be myself as well as 
John’s brother.” … read the entire article

Effectiveness of ENVoY
Classroom management model sponsored by Knowledge Arts Foundation
Results of University of Houston study, 2006-2007*

OVERVIEW
Does it work?  Yes.  In a study conducted by Dr. Robert Houston at the University of Houston Institute for Urban Education, ENVoY is shown to be effective in improving classroom environment for students.  Data from seven local schools were collected before, during and after the program, then analyzed at U of H.*

FINDINGS
1.  Positive changes.  ENVoY resulted in positive changes in teacher classroom management procedures.

2.  Coaching helps significantly.  Best results showed up in classrooms where teachers received individual, job-embedded coaching after their group training.

3.  Program well-accepted by teachers.  Teachers like ENVoY because more curriculum can be covered when management is not a problem.   Job satisfaction is greater and stress is reduced when teachers can rely on written assignments and students can be more independent; teachers can manage a class without having to raise their voices.

4.  Test scores went up.  While not solely related to the implementation of ENVoY, 84% of TAKS scores in elementary schools and 66% in middle schools increased between 2006 and 2007 in the schools where ENVoY was used.

RECOMMENDATIONS
1.  ENVoY should be offered to all teachers in a school.  Provide training during regularly scheduled professional development days for new teachers as well as veteran teachers.

2.  Provide implementation support.  Workshops should be followed by individual assistance in the classroom by a trained ENVoY coach to provide encouragement and maximize implementation of skills.

3.  Implement ENVoY practices school-wide so students are accustomed to a uniform management system. 

4.  Continue the program for three years at each school.  With help from trained ENVoY coaches, determine if long-term experience with ENVoY can change the culture of the school.

*Effectiveness of ENVoY 2006-2007: Analysis of Observed Change in Classroom Management in Elementary and Middle Schools.  W. Robert Houston, Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Education, College of Education, University of Houston.  Dr. Houston is the John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Education.   For more information, contact roxana@knowledgearts.net