Build a Heard Mentality

uh

you’ve already asked three questions no

more get started on your work

did i say you could leave your seat go

back to your seat and wait for me to

call on you

you’re taking too long hurry up we’re

all waiting for you

kids or cattle

you’ve got to move the whole group from

point a to point b

in the most efficient way moving as

quickly

and quietly as possible you’ve appointed

a leader to help stay on track

you’ve rehearsed the hand signals and

the verbal cues and no matter how many

times you do it there’s that

one that won’t stay in line and keep

straying from the group

this has been rehearsed and practiced

and they should know the routine by now

kids or cattle

herding is important to animals for

instinctual survival

herding however is not important in

education

what is important is engaging students

and authentic learning experiences

fostering curiosity

and helping students develop individual

expression

traditional classroom strategies often

center around a herd mentality

where students are expected to move act

and think

all as one just like animals who are

lumped together to move the same

act the same think the same kids are

expected to form straight quiet lines

everywhere they go arrive at the same

correct answer using the same thinking

processes at the same time

after all it’s easier to manage one

group of students who remain silent

rather than allowing time for students

to embrace their unique voice

in my last 14 years as a classroom

teacher

mentor coach and director i learned kids

just want

one thing to be heard

this is also true for adults when we

shift from a

heard h-e-r-d mentality

to a heard h-e-a-r-d

mentality students know that their

voices and opinions

matter we create space for them to show

up

so that they can distinguish themselves

from one another

step into their individuality and

embrace their uniqueness

rather than blending in with the crowd

the classroom becomes a community of

shared ownership where students voice

matters it’s not my classroom

it’s our classroom

when i was in first grade we did the

penguin activity

i remember my teacher had all of our

supplies set up ready to go

an orange triangle two black squares two

white squares

she instructed us to trim very carefully

around the black and white squares

so that we could form eyes for the

penguins i remember trying not to trim

too much off which if you’ve ever used

dull plastic scissors you know it can be

quite

a challenge so we followed along i cut

and glued and pasted in all this stuff

and eventually i got a penguin i was

so excited i looked over to my right to

check out what my classmate did

and i realized that penguin looked the

same as mine

then i looked over to my left and that

penguin looked the same as mine too

i had a lot of fun during that activity

but my teacher was definitely

doing all of the directing

what should be the role of an educator

is it to direct

all of the learning experiences or is it

to challenge

encourage inspire the individuals within

the classroom

what if students had a little more

choice voice

and power we might have 24

crazy looking penguins but each penguin

would represent who we are as

individuals not a clever copy

of everyone else a friend sent me this

tweet

are your classroom rules and procedures

about reinforcing your power

over your students or are they about

empowering

your students be aware of how often

you’re using your voice

and power allowing student choice and

student voice

encourages students to claim their truth

and engage in the classroom

when i was a young teacher teaching

kindergarten and first grade multi-age

i had one student who was extra active

he would roll all over on the carpet and

i tried to get him to stay in one spot

he would tap on his neighbor really

excited to share

i tried to get him to keep his hands to

himself he would

read a story and be so excited he’d just

have to shout out

what was on his mind i tried to get him

to wait his turn

my focus was compliance i wanted him to

move

act and think just like his classmates

because that’s what was easy for me

over half of our interactions became

about his behavior

keep your hands to yourself stay in your

personal space wait your turn and the

list goes on and on and on

i started to think what about the rest

of his day when he went to art music pe

were his teachers frustrated with him

too

how exhausting it must have been for him

to try to conform

i started to do things differently i

asked myself

what can i learn from him i started to

view him as a whole student focusing on

his strengths instead of of how i wanted

him to conform

i learned he loved nature and loved

looking at insects through a magnifying

glass

he loved numbers and exploring the

relationship for numbers

our interactions became more meaningful

and filled with positivity

and set of frustration on both our ends

i realized i was trying to get him to be

who i wanted

him to be not who he was

he taught me to listen to him to pay

attention

and to create space for him to show up

exactly as who he was

this happy curious rambunctious

five-year-old that’s what a herd

mentality creates

there is this one math lesson all about

measurements

let’s just say not my best so i decided

to ask the kids for their feedback i

later shared this with a colleague and

she said

you asked the kids what they thought why

would you

do that well who better to ask than the

people i was supposedly teaching

who was i going to get honest answers

about what i did well

or didn’t do well the kids told me i did

a great job

but they still weren’t sure how to use a

ruler

i’m grateful for them for their kind

honest words and that they felt safe

enough to take a risk so i could better

serve them

take time to ask your students how

they’re being served

involve them in the educational process

how could i have helped you learn this

skill better what did you enjoy about

this

be regular and consistent about

opportunities for them to share their

voice

and insights school is a rehearsal for

life where kids get to be

courageous take risks fumble and even

fall within the safety of the

classroom’s four

walls this is the chance where they get

to learn their truth

and practice it so they can live it as

adults

when people conform they don’t bring

their gifts and talents

we want our students to bring their

gifts talents and unique perspectives

how powerful would our world be if our

kids

asked for what they needed advocated for

self and

others every kid deserves to be heard

when our kids have the power to speak up

and use their voice

they turn into adults who know how to

use their voice

kids or cattle every kid

deserves to be heard thank you