Momentum! Wilson Middle School Can you Feel it?
Getting students to behave daily is hard work. We set expectations, listen to our peers, gain insight, seek interest, design engaging lessons and monitor it all. At times you may feel like you are performing in the center ring of a circus. However, it is with this hard work and investment in your classroom that you begin to see results. Time spent up front will pay off ten-fold in the future. Kids will rise to the level you set.
How change does happen (excerpt from Jim Collins Good to Great)
Now picture a huge, heavy flywheel. It’s a massive, metal disk mounted horizontally on an axle. It's about 100 feet in diameter, 10 feet thick, and it weighs about 25 tons. That flywheel is our school. Your job is to get that flywheel to move as fast as possible, because momentum—mass times velocity—is what will generate superior achievement results over time.
Right now, the flywheel is at a standstill. To get it moving, you make a tremendous effort. You push with all your might, and finally you get the flywheel to inch forward. After two or three days of sustained effort, you get the flywheel to complete one entire turn. You keep pushing, and the flywheel begins to move a bit faster. It takes a lot of work, but at last the flywheel makes a second rotation. You keep pushing steadily. It makes three turns, four turns, five, six. With each turn, it moves faster, and then—at some point, you can’'t say exactly when—you break through. The momentum of the heavy wheel kicks in your favor. It spins faster and faster, with its own weight propelling it. You aren't pushing any harder, but the flywheel is accelerating, its momentum building, its speed increasing. This is the Flywheel Effect. Our daily work can seem daunting. You are at the beginning stages of the flywheel. We need to celebrate small victories and large as well. Take for instance the story of an eighth grade boy who at this time last year had ten referrals to the office. They varied from minor to severe disruption. He had a suspension the first week of September. If we look at this person now, he's being nurtured by his team. His success being protected. This year he's earned as many W.O.W. awards as referrals from last year. He's not perfect; he nearly got into a fight at the football game; but his team and specifically literacy teacher is protecting him, praising him, encouraging him and forgiving his missteps. They are living the notion that "Kids do well if they Can." I can see and feel the flywheel moving for this boy. More importantly he can feel it too!
What will it look, sound and feel like when the flywheel gains it's own energy at Wilson? How will we know that we are reaching new levels of success? What will be the naturally occurring payoff? I look forward to that day!
Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Together I see this being Wilson's future.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the positive change in our world.
Great illustration! It is a good reminder as we begin a new week that our goal to make a positive difference in the lives of our students requires a great deal of effort - but, it is all worth it as they start to make good choices and eventually become productive and responsible young people. Thanks for the encouragement!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder. Energy is contagious and will create momentum.
ReplyDeleteI read an article last year entitled, Teacher as Warm Demander. To keep this momentum going, we have to be each child's warm demander. They have to know we care about them and their success, but they also have to have clear and consistent boundaries and expectations held up by everyone. We started the year strong and as a team. It's vital that WE sustain the strength.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of each year I remember working to set up my routines with each of my classes, it seemed very tedious and repetitive to practice and review the class routines daily. By the third week, I loved being able to come into the classroom at the start of the lesson and have my students following the routines without the reminders. Some still needed small prompting, but the majority understood the expectations and got right to work. The wheel needs alot of tending in the beginning, but once it is moving it only needs a little tending now and then.
ReplyDeleteGood artical on the power of momentum.Momentum is
ReplyDeletejust getting the ball rolling. Once you get started in a particular area, as long as you keep energy going,
you will begin to get results and results feed themselves. I think the main thing is to be consistant and we will see big changes for the year and beyond. Remember everything counts even the small things.
Coach Kye
I love that you mention the small things. This week I decided I needed to make a conscious effort to correct those small off task behaviors and expectations, to ensure they don't turn into something bigger.
DeleteI agree with Brittany and Kye completely. Even a little farther along into the school year, I am still making a conscious effort to stop and address minor behaviors and remind students about what is expected of them. Through modeling and acknowledging positive behavior on a daily basis, students continue to see that their choices matter, even the smaller ones.
DeleteI keep going back to the phrase "Go slow to go fast." I truly appreciate knowing the administration believes in the teaching of behaviors and expectations.....I feel this leads to great momentum.
ReplyDeleteI also think this is a great phrase to remember. I sometimes get so wrapped up in teaching the big idea. I have to remind myself that sometimes spending time on the little things pays off big time in the end. The beginning of the year involves so much time here and there teaching expectations that I don't cover my content as fast as I want, but I know it will pay off soon when I am done repeating myself for the umpteenth time and answering the same question that has always been done the same way every day and it becomes a natural routine!
DeleteAt the beginning of the year, we must praise the small steps taken by students in the correct direction! The small steps will eventually build momentum to create larger ones... Students staying on task, focusing, listening, and working productively will be what we receive in return for each minute achievement made along the way.
ReplyDeleteI find that positive momentum continues through the use of repetition. Especially when it comes to classroom expectations. While I don't love having to repeat myself, it helps tremendously when students understand consistency and persistence = momentum.
ReplyDeleteGreat relation of an important scientific concept to building climate.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see momentum building in the behaviors that we worked hard to set up at the beginning of the year. I often hear students reminding other students "Stay on the right!" and "This is not the mall!". In the cafeteria too, I see that students are building momentum with the routines in place. Their eat times have been longer and their wait times in line shorter due to the extensive set up at the start of the year!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I thought I would measure success and our momentum based on the kids and their reactions. I have seen kids stopping mid word or sentence and correct themselves based on our classroom expectations. Soon enough they will be thinking BEFORE acting instead of DURING, but this is already a huge success in my mind.
DeleteI have truly enjoyed watching our entire team working together to create and nurture the momentum in our building. I have not only noticed it in my own classroom, but like Senora Dennis said, the momentum is also seen in places like the lunchroom and the hallways. If we continue to work hard as a team towards our goals, the momentum will continue to swing in the right direction! Thank you for a great start to the year!
ReplyDeleteSo far this year I have already started seeing some small victories in the classroom. For example we have a student who has been struggling with reading and with a little helper he can use when he is stumbling to read a word, he has improved at reading those more challenging words.
ReplyDeleteMarty talks about Gandhi and that blog gets my head moving in that direction. I am thinking of all the great words Yoda has said in history.
ReplyDeleteIf you have time think of some of the great/inspiring quotes by Yoda to keep you going.
I revel in the empowering moments of recognition on the faces of students. There are other times when I show more patience than I thought I had. I love it here at Wilson and love what we are all trying to accomplish
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect metaphor for the beginning of the year. It reminds me a merry-go-round, and sometimes a student might let go and slip off, and we have to slow down a little and get them back on board.
ReplyDeleteI love Bill Nye. This just goes to show us all that science is everywhere, haha. Honestly though, it has been a great start to the year and thanks for all the positives we are seeing here at Wilson.
ReplyDeleteI am glad someone finally said that they love Bill Nye!! Haha... This really makes me think about what I need to do to keep the momentum going, to keep up the same mindset and expectations that I had the very first day... The highest expectations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Carly, I need to remember myself to keep the mindset and expectations I had the first day and not let a few setbacks lower those expectations.
ReplyDeleteBecause of momentum in other places, it is easier to keep it going in PE. Thanks to everyone for their contribution!
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