#D100BloggerPD "Move Your Bus" Reflection- Ch. 15-17

Happy Monday, everyone! Hopefully, you are enjoying some time in your personal life on this President's Day.

Welcome to the next installment of #D100Blogger PD for "Move Your Bus," by Ron Clark. If you have missed the previous posts from my wonderful D100 colleagues, check out #D100bloggerpd on twitter or find the list of posts on Literacy Loving Gals blog here.

I have really enjoyed this book since it caused me to do so much reflection about myself and my district. So here it goes with some of my thoughts from Ch. 15 Stay in your lane, Ch. 16 Change the conversation to change the culture, and Ch. 17 Allow the runners to reap the rewards.

CHAPTER 15: STAY IN YOUR LANE

I think most runners and even joggers could relate to this chapter. Ron makes the point that runners often start to meddle with others jobs, or spend too much time helping others along to point that it is a detriment to themselves. Not only will this stop the runner, but it can slow the whole bus. He just wants to shout, "Stay in your lane!" 

There are times, when I remember thinking, "Man, I just want to teach and not worry about all these other things!" Now, I think back and in some cases, I really didn't need to be worried about some of those other things. Teachers never have enough time, so it is important to guard your time to focus on your responsibilities. It takes focus, focus, focus. He also reminds us that it takes loyalty, patience, and faith as well. 

Some runners even fall into the trap of doing the work for others to keep the bus moving. This will only cause more work for you and the others will get the benefits. One thing I have to keep in mind is that something may not be done the way I would have done it, or would like it done, but that is ok and I need to keep MY focus.

Now don't confuse mentoring and helping others with doing the work for them. Especially in education, mentoring and sharing is a huge part of our responsibility, but don't drag the unwilling by the hand to catch up with the bus.    

Remember to stay in that straight line from point A to point B with your eyes on the road ahead. Focus on your job and do it well!

via GIPHY

CHAPTER 16: CHANGE THE CONVERSATION TO CHANGE THE CULTURE

We have all been sucked into negative conversations or maybe even started them. I can admit that of course I have, too. It is human nature. Ron offers a simple solution to participating in negative conversation....JUST STOP. When we participate in negative conversations, it just causes us to "one-up" each other and the negativity spreads. In the best schools with the best teachers and the best students there is always going to be something to complain about, so just stop.

He refers to negativity as digging potholes. Instead of being a sponge and allowing others to carry on negative conversations with you, he offers three suggestions: ask a question, tell a positive story, or just walk away. Ron suggests saying, "How can we make this better?" or "Can I tell you something positive about my day?" The person that is being negative will definitely get the hint.  At the very least, they will stop talking negatively to you and who knows, maybe they will even start to look at the positive side and turn others around.

I have been fortunate to have several excellent leaders in my career. One of the reasons they are so great is that they are able to stay positive and impact the culture amidst negative energy.When a teacher thinks it just can't get any worse, I have seen them bring everything into perspective and keep the bus moving along without opening the emergency exit. I realize that these positive reactions are one of the reasons why they are in a leadership position.

  Ch 17: ALLOW THE RUNNERS TO REAP THE REWARDS

This chapter was brief and to the point, a good point. If you are not the one working the hardest, don't take the rewards from the ones that are. What is fair isn't equal to everyone. The people that are working the hardest should be rewarded for that. He reminds leaders to recognize those runners. There is no faster way to take the wind out of a runners sail, then to reward someone who is not working as hard. If you want the rewards, work hard for it. Step up your game and you efforts will be noticed. I have seen people act out of jealousy and start negative conversations instead of being happy for those that are working the hardest. Those negative conversations are only slowing the bus. You want everyone around you working at their best, so be happy when they are recognized for it.

These chapters really hit on some deep issues within any organization. I am walking away with some goals for myself. I plan to stay more focused on my goals, turn around negative conversations, and be motivated to work harder if others receive the rewards I want. If everyone did this, think of the awesome possibilities for the bus as a whole!  

Join the wonderful Leah O'Donnell at Responsive Literacy on Wednesday the 17th as she reviews Ch. 18 Exude a sense of urgency and Ch. 19 Find solutions. Also don't forget to check out #D100bloggerPD for all the "Move Your Bus" reflections and so many other books, too!