Although educators and leaders want to push those within their sphere of influence, we often get much more done with a flashlight instead of a hammer, metaphorically speaking.
I love how this Upshot article describes the way we can help change family trees, but I find it alarming that so much research is out there about "the poor." I've always believed great ideas know no people group, and so these strategies will ring true even with "the rich," or those so poor, all they have is money. Nevertheless, give the article a chance. Listen to the message, not just the messenger or with the lens of a specific target audience.
Small Nudges
As the new school year, begins, I strongly encourage everyone to connect with their students and families with remind.com, a safe one-way text messaging system. The messages are prevalent because they are not via a social networking site that requires a login.
Moreover, how does it feel to be more than accepted? Wonderful, yes? Every child needs to feel nudged because that's a common language we all understand. We know we are more than tolerated when we are actually noticed. "Being gotten" is what creating a tribal classroom, AVID family, or whatever you want to call it is really all about. Although small things are generally overlooked or even "throwaway" lost time in the eyes of many, they are actually moments people remember forever.
Be intentional about how you can lead small, teach small, think about the little things and design opportunities for teachable moments...or at least learn to immerse yourself when those moments present themselves.
Also, check out this video about explicitly teaching "study skills" or "soft skills," which often seem like minutia or obvious to adults but are not so for many children.
It is never a mistake to give a little (or all).
Recently I spoke at our LCS Best Practices professional learning week about the concept of #allmeansall. The theme of noticing ALL people and the idea of "seeking first to understand" is prevailing and worth ... noticing ... as we embark on a new adventure this school year. To read more, you can see the transcript of my speech here: "It's not about you or me."
And finally, for good measure, the best quote on the planet: