Tag Archives: Jedi

sponge blob

October 10, 2014 By in teaching and coaching, tradecraft Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“when you can take the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave” – master kan, kung fu

one of the worst things for a new teacher to do is to surround themselves with only other new teachers…and in doing so, thinking that it’s gonna make them the best teacher in the world…it’s kind of like teenagers who expect to become mature, amazing grown-up people by surrounding themselves with only other teenagers…

the last time i checked, it takes about 3-6 years to go from an apprentice to a journeyman in the trades…

teaching is a trade, people…one of the toughest trades in the world…so, it’s gonna take some time to get it down, it’s gonna take some time to become skilled at it…

sure, there are old-timers who are “phoning it in” until retirement…to those types, to those guys and gals…i’ll say, time to clock out, buddy–get to steppin’, chica! but, what job doesn’t have people like that?!  all in all, those ‘hanger-on’s’ make up a small percentage of the larger teacher blob…

anyways, what new teachers need to do is to…spend time–lots of time–around seasoned instructors…ones who are tried and true...ones who are still creating, dreaming, and working hard…ones who are still committed and passionate about what they’re doing…

the last time i checked, it takes about 10 years to go from a padowan to a jedi knight…

i mean, any rookie can be fired up about this kind of work–for a minute…yeah, they’re good out of the gate…but, the best of the best do it year in and year out…so, my advice would be to…get next to those people, ask a lot of questions, learn from them–soak up as much as you can–be the sponge…embrace the teacher blob, for you and for your students!!! 🙂

[one of the current issues and challenges in teaching in america today is that…the average time that a new teacher spends in the profession of teaching, before leaving, is five years (walsh, 2014)…in my opinion, it takes about just that long, 4-5 years, to figure how to do the job well and get to a place where you’re on top of your work as an educator…so, if people are leaving at that moment in time…they are leaving just when some of the rewards can be reaped (i.e. when the hard work starts to pay off)–for them and for their students–and they are leaving just when they’ve become a skilled and valued member of the trade…if this trend continues, it does not bode well for the future of education in the u.s.]

“experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it” – steven wright

tradecraft…your voice (part II)

November 21, 2013 By in tradecraft Tags: , , Leave a comment

communication is one topic that is so important to working with kids (or to working with people, in general) that spending “just one” post on it won’t do…so, welcome to this mini-series on your voice…

and i can’t talk about the power of your voice without making mention of or tipping my cap to one of the most powerful voices i’ve ever met–the voice of my mother-in-law…

this woman can talk, i’m pretty sure she invented words–and, if not words, persuasive speaking…by merely saying, ‘hi, how are you?’ (press play on the minnesota accent) she has been moved (instantly) from coach to first class seating on a plane, been switched from an average hotel room to the penthouse suite, received free food and drinks, you name it…it won’t surprise you to know that her voice has had the same effect on our kids, their cousins, and other small ones…with her words, she can move and direct them in ways that i never knew was possible…it is unbelievable–she has a gift and it is something to see! one of the things that makes her voice so compelling is the fact that she uses it to (authentically) engage and connect with others–what happens is a kind of instant rapport…you feel like you’ve known her for years…

the way she talks is impressive, and honestly, it reminds me of something i’ve seen before…when a guy named obi-wan kenobi…used the jedi mind trick…

importantly, your voice is a tool you can develop and fine-tune, over time–something that will serve you well in this kind of work…whether a coach, youth director, juvenile justice worker, teacher, etc…your voice can redirect and focus, inspire and influence, de-escalate and manage,  instruct and build up kids that you are working with each and every day…your voice can be a powerful force…

tradecraft…processing

November 5, 2013 By in tradecraft Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

for the readers out there that are just beginning to practice youth work of some sort or might be interested in pursuing this kind of work as a career…this one’s for you!:)

let’s get one thing straight, this kind of work isn’t rocket science–but it’s not exactly common sense either…it is a trade..like carpentry or auto repair or hvac or being a jedi knight..and like any trade, there is an art and a science to what we’re doing here…there are skills and tactics–tradecraft–that can take you from apprentice to journeyman to–well, a tradesman in search of mastery…

it can take you from padowan to jedi master…

anyways…this entry highlights “the next steps” regarding skills/tactics following a disciplinary action…like the one i mentioned in the last post, where i sent a kid to the CLAS program for pickin’ on another student…

q: what do you do when that kid you sent out comes back?

one: follow-up with the dismissed student and ask them some questions…do you know why i sent you out? ask them what they plan to do from here on out; …how could you do things differently next time?

two: welcome them back and put what ‘went down’ in the past, this can be tough… especially, when the kid has demonstrated a knack for ‘getting under your skin’ and ‘pushing your buttons’…but, this is what it means to be a professional–a skilled laborer in this field…in the past, i’ve told kids glad you’re back, today is a new day, the past is the past, we’re movin’ on, etc…

this is known as processing…

and it is a way to get them thinking about what they did and why they should do it differently next time…it is also a healthy/positive way to assimilate them back into the group, to “mend fences”, to let them know yeah, i sent you out–i’ll hold you accountable…but i’m also willing to give you another chance…it’s a way to restore the relationship…

90% of the time, it takes between 5-10 minutes to “process” with a kid…

may the force be with you…