The imperative notion of raising expectations in every classroom serves as the central theme of our discussion, encapsulated in the belief that educators must steadfastly commit to never relinquishing hope in their students. I emphasize the necessity of fostering an environment where aspirations are elevated, thereby nurturing the potential inherent within each child. Throughout our discourse, we delve into the pivotal role of teacher expectations in catalyzing academic growth and supporting student development. By cultivating a culture of belief and resilience, we not only enhance educational outcomes but also empower students to transcend their perceived limitations. Join us as we explore strategies to uplift every learner, ensuring that we, as educators, remain unwavering in our dedication to their success.

In the realm of education, the pivotal role of teacher expectations is often overlooked, yet it serves as a cornerstone for fostering student achievement. The discussion led by Mr. Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve, delves into the profound impact of unwavering belief in students. By raising academic expectations, educators can catalyze significant growth among their pupils. The episode accentuates the necessity for teachers to cultivate an environment that not only expects excellence but also supports each student's unique journey. The dialogue explores strategies for fostering resilience and determination, stressing that surrendering to challenges is never an option when it comes to nurturing young minds. As the conversation unfolds, listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own practices and consider how their beliefs can influence student outcomes, reinforcing the notion that every child possesses the potential for greatness.

Takeaways:

• The podcast emphasizes the necessity of raising academic expectations for all students, as it fosters their growth and development.
• Collaboration among teachers is paramount; it not only enhances educational practices but also ensures students benefit from a unified approach.
• Building strong relationships between educators and students is crucial; it cultivates an environment where every child feels valued and supported.
• Establishing clear purposes and agendas for collaborative meetings is essential to ensure productive and meaningful discussions take place.
• The significance of a collaborative culture cannot be overstated; it strengthens the teaching community and enhances the learning experience for students.
• A successful collaborative meeting must include action steps to ensure that outcomes are achieved and responsibilities are assigned.

Links referenced in this episode:

• beafunkyteacher.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Be a Funky Teacher
• Winnebago public schools

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This is Mr. Funky Teacher with Be a Funky Teacher dot com.

I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast.

Today we are going to be talking about teacher collaboration.

Building strong teams through collaborative meetings.

That's our focus.

Before we get to that, though, I want to talk about three things I'm thankful for.

First thing is hugs from my wife.

That encouragement at the end of a long day that shows the world to me.

Or even a hug as I wake up in the morning.

It matters as well.

Number two, kind words from a paraprofessional, particularly my paraprofessional.

Yesterday I had my paraprofessionals say some very kind words to me.

And that partnership in the classroom means so much.

And the third thing, other teachers showing up at my son's open house.

Got to visit my, my.

Now I have three children.

Two of them are in high school.

One of them is in fourth grade.

The high school ones don't have open house, but the elementary child does and went to his open house, got to meet his teacher or just appreciate those teachers because I know it's getting a school year started.

I know it's a lot of work, a lot of effort, a lot of stress.

And I appreciate those other teachers and know the work that they're going through to get getting things set up.

Well, let's get into the meat and potatoes of this episode.

Teacher collaboration.

Why does collaboration matter?

Well, teachers can feel the, the job of teaching can feel very isolating.

If you're on an island, we can't be in an island.

We have to figure out ways to collaborate.

It can't be like a silo type of effect where we're teaching on an island.

When teachers work together, students benefit, y'.

All.

They, they just do.

They benefit from that.

And when we work in collaborating, it builds consistency, alignment, and sense of we're in this together type of thing, especially if you have a group of teachers who are working with the same group of students.

Getting collaborative meetings started at the school can kind of feel like, oh, in itself can feel a little overwhelming.

Like, where do we start?

What does it look like?

I. I found myself.

We had our first collaborative meeting yesterday and I don't know why I was worrying about it so much because it's a great group of educators I get to work with.

I think it's just kind of.

It goes back to that once again getting that traction and figuring out, trying to get us all on the same page as a team, bringing our ideas and our personalities into it.

And they are phenomenal, really smart educators.

And so I'm excited to get to work with them all.

Well, I'm just thinking getting these collaborative team meetings going, it's really how we have consistency in when we meet.

We're gonna meet every Wednesday now in our district, students come one hour late.

So that way our team can meet every Wednesday.

And so I'm just reflecting back on.

Yesterday was an early win because we all got to share ideas.

We started a meeting with some positive things that are going.

We shared some ideas.

We looked at some common goals.

We looked at how can we support each other.

We, we.

We kind of looked at kind of indirectly.

I was.

Tried to be careful of instead of saying my classroom to like our students, not my students and your students, but our students.

Just.

That's kind of one of the things that I was trying to.

Trying to be mindful of when I was talking is just the language I was using and modeling that for.

For them, which I think is.

Is beneficial, kind of shifting that mindset.

Because when we say my student versus your student, that kind of gives that island feel or that silo.

Ish type of feel that we're trying to get away from.

And then they go back to also once again, just those early wins of being able to share those ideas with the common goals.

I would say, what if someone would say what makes collaboration successful?

Well, there has to be a clear purpose.

Know why you're meeting.

I think part of that clear purpose is having an agenda.

And so our principal was pretty, pretty clear that he wanted us to have an agenda.

And that kind of helps kind of define, hey, this is how we're going to use our time discussing these, these items.

And then here's why we're meeting.

Not just why, like in terms of what specifically we're talking about, but the, the overall big picture purpose too.

So you can have like the, the, the, the meeting purpose, the agenda.

But then you can have the big picture purpose too of like how it's going to benefit the school, the school district by doing something like that.

So that, that's powerful too.

You got to be able to kind of do both to have a clear purpose, big picture purpose.

But then the individual meeting purpose with the agenda gotta have respect for the time too.

And that, that goes back to also once again having a focused agenda and staying on track.

It, it, it's, it's.

I mean we don't want it to be so dang robotic where people are, don't enjoy coming, but it can't be so loosey goosey where it's just like, you know, we're just sitting there and, and just kind of, just kind of throwing stuff out there and chilling just for an hour.

That's, that's not a good use of the time.

Especially if we're going to have students come late every week.

That, that's not going to be effective.

It's got to be very strategic because in our district it just feels like it's.

There is a rigorous busy daily schedule from the point we get there to the point it's time to go home.

And there's not a whole lot of time where we can just kind of, kind of meet as a whole team.

Maybe individually, but not as a whole team.

So we have to utilize that time when it's such a valuable thing to get getting everybody together like that and then just making sure that everybody has a voice.

Our, our team, we don't have para professionals come to it.

The bms.

Interesting.

If you did, that might be something in the future, that might be a recommendation.

But if you have new teachers, like I'm not a new teacher, but a new teacher to the district.

If you're a veteran teacher or like a teacher that's been around and it doesn't matter if you're part of the team.

Got to have people there and having, having those people have voices, not just sitting there chilling.

It's important that everybody has a voice.

Everybody has something to say because everybody's voice matters.

And, and, and when I say everybody's voice matters, everybody has something to contribute to the conversation.

And I felt that yesterday, I really felt that like everybody had a voice yesterday and everybody had a voice.

Everybody contributed.

There were a few.

Was it equal contribution?

No, not necessarily.

But that's okay.

There's some people that are a little bit more soft spoken.

There's a little bit more people that are Outspoken.

I think if we're outspoken, we, we gotta be really careful not to dominate the conversation and to make sure that we, we take a foam at a pause to make sure that we.

Like, like I felt like yesterday, like I, I shared a little bit more because I was sharing some pacing guides and some things that I had worked on developing and to see what the team thought about them.

So I talked a little bit more about that.

But I also dialed back.

They hear some other voices and some other reflections and feedback too, because one person can't dominate the conversation.

Otherwise, it's not a collaborative team.

It's not a collaborative meeting.

And then, so the, and then after you have everybody has a voice, you gotta have some action steps.

Y' all gotta have some action steps.

Like, what's the next steps?

Like if you leave the meeting and it's just kind of like things are left in limbo, you don't have to have everything figured out, but you surely have to have some action steps before the next meeting for what's going to take place.

You have to, you have to have those action steps.

You have to walk out knowing what's next and who's doing it.

There's a, there's something that I need to take care of before next week.

There's another team member who's going to take care of something.

And then there's something all collectively we're going to do based on one of the actions that, that, that two of us are going to do.

So as I reflect on collaborative teams, I've seen collaboration fail when it's just another meeting.

I have, I haven't been a part of collaborated the collaborative teams where it, the collaboration just falls flat on its face.

It bails because it just becomes another meeting dominated by an administrator or dominated by one person.

And it's not collaborative.

You can call it a collaborative meeting or a plc like a professional learning community, but it's not, if it's just another meeting.

So we have to be really careful if we want them to be collaborative teams or PLCs or PLTs, like professional learning teams.

Whatever you want to label them or whatever you want to call them, that's fine.

But it has to include those elements I went through.

And we have to be really purposeful, extremely mindful that it's just not another meeting.

It's one of the most powerful things we can do as educators and have and be a part of when were intentional and focused.

It's one of the most powerful tools a school can have.

And I saw sue we had collaborative teams called PLCs in Winnebago, they call them.

In Winnebago public schools, they call them collaborative teams.

And I'm so thankful that both school districts have them and lean into them for the staff.

I'm already feeling encouraged by how our team is coming together this school year.

So thankful for our team.

I'm so thankful for the other teams in the district that are working so hard for our students as well.

Collaborative meetings aren't just about logistics.

They're about building community, supporting each other and aligning y'.

All.

Aligning our work so our students succeed.

Done right.

They remind us that we're stronger together, y'.

All.

That that's the big thing.

We're stronger together.

Well, that brings things to a close today.

I want you all to remember to inspire greatness in young people.

And don't forget to be a funky teacher.

Bye now.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher yeah he's Mr. Funky Teacher yeah, yeah, yeah.