Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Georgia Professional Development Spotlight: The "Not to Do List"
Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Rome, GA
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Professional Development Spotlight: The “Not to Do List”

Rebekah Kinney | August 2, 2018 | 212 views

Personally, I thrive with a “To Do” list. Daily, I create a new list and strive to complete a task so I can make a check mark. My to do list motivates me to be productive, and I have been known to add a task to my list, after I have already completed it, so I can receive the dopamine surge that comes with crossing it off! 

Thanks to the generous support of the Thatcher Faculty Development Fund, I had the opportunity to attend the Woodward Academy’s Summit for Transformative Learning this summer with Technology Integration Coordinator Beth Wardlaw. 

I learned so much at the summit, but one idea that really resonated with me was when a workshop leader, Laura Terrill, suggested we create a “Not to Do List” before the new school year begins. What!? This concept went against all that I know and understand! She reminded us that faculty, students, and parents are always nervous, anxious, and excited about a new school year. These are normal human emotions, and there are ways faculty members can promote excitement and engagement in their classrooms. 

Laura Terrill taught French to students in grades pre-K to 8 for over 30 years, so I decided she retained a lot of wisdom from her past experiences. 

Her advice for faculty was this… As a new school year begins: 

 

 DON'T DO
Read all the policies and the syllabus on the first day of school.This sets a negative tone from the beginning.  Introduce yourself. Write a letter to your students. Have them write a letter to you. Ice breakers will work if planned correctly! 
Spend a lot of time decorating your classroom and bulletin boards.  Create “waiting for your work” bulletin boards. 
Read all the rules you have posted in the room. Allow students to create classroom norms. Have them use memes to share rules. 
Assume all parents understand expectations in your classroom.  Call/email every parent in the first 2-weeks of school. 
Think like an activity designer when planning a lesson. For example do not think: What would be interesting and engaging activities on this topic? What would be fun to do?  Think like an assessor: What tasks would show me that students truly understand and can apply new learning?
Think teaching is learning. Teaching is what occurs outside of the head.  Determine what real learning looks like in your classroom. Learning is what occurs inside the head. 

 

Reviewing this list made me think about other areas of my life where a “Not to Do List” would be beneficial, so here's a look at my parent "Not to do List": 

Don't:

  • Compare my children to others.

  • Shield my children from failure.

  • Put off important discussions I must have with my children.

  • Live by the mantra “Do as I say and not as I do”. This does not set a positive example (especially with digital use).

  • Forget to unwind and include self care in my routine.

  • Forget to have fun!

 

The list is definitely a lot longer, but you get the idea! So now I ask you, what would be on your “Not to Do List” as a faculty member, parent, friend, or student?