One Stoic Rule For Teachers, Parents, and Students.

In the school community, we tend to lose sight of our role within it. We divert each other into attending to what is beyond our control. We begin to dream that we have power that far surpasses our actual abilities.

The teacher might believe he can optimize the learning experience for every student. Consider every variable. Perhaps he imagines that his class and his teaching ability will be the sole determiners of whether the children in his class have a successful future. But he can’t.

A parent may believe they can ensure absolute safety, comfort, and success for their children. But they can’t.

The school administrator thinks she should be able to develop a system that keeps all complaints to a minimum. A set of rules that everyone will follow without question. If she just writes the perfect email or adopts the latest initiative she will have found the answer. She might believe that she should be able to ensure that every teacher is consistently getting better at their craft. But she can’t.

The student, being the most vulnerable of all, tends to feel everything is happening to them. They have no power over their situation. But they do.

Focus on what is within your control — Stoicism’s first and most important rule. This simple but not easy guideline would increase performance and humanity in any school community if it was practiced by all stakeholders.

What is in your control?

Take out a sheet of paper. Draw a line down the middle of it. On one side write down everything that is within your control. Whatever you write cannot depend on anyone else. You have complete agency. Whether or not it gets down can only be up to you.

On the other side of the paper, write out the things that are not fully within your control. They depend on someone else’s reaction, work, or cooperation.

Now. The things that are within your control. That is what each member of the school community can and should focus on.

Teacher:

Plan to deliver effective lessons.

Lessons in which you have a clear objective, model/teach, offer guided practice, check for understanding, and make decisions about future lessons based on the information you collected. At a minimum.

Treat each student as you would like to have been treated or at least do nothing to a student you would have hated if it had been done to you.

Officer guidance that is calm, clear, and consistent. Communicate the standards and expectations of your class consistently. Model those standards and expectations daily.

Parents:

Reiterate the job of a student to your child every morning. Listen to the teacher, do what you are supposed to do, have fun with your friends, and try your best.

Have conversations with your child about what it means to try your best.

Consistently discuss behavior in terms of the golden rule.

Ask your child questions about their school day and school work. Do they need extra practice?

Make sure your child knows that they are loved regardless of outcomes.

Model civility for your children. Teach your child to be civil.

Teach them to advocate for themselves.

See yourself as a teammate of the teacher. Not as an antagonist or judge.

Leader:

Minimize the amount of work that teachers are required to do outside of planning, teaching, and caretaking their students.

Minimize initiatives. Communicate a clear vision with a limited number of priorities for the year. Preferably one, no more than three. Don’t add anything in the middle of the year or two-thirds of the way through.

Ask teachers for their input on what is working and what is not.. Every 6–8 weeks. Let them help you find your blind spots.

Make time in your calendar to check in with teachers. Ask them how they are doing. Find out what is important to them. Encourage them. Remember that they are people you should get to know.

When it comes to their work 80% of the conversations you have with teachers should center around five questions: What are the students learning? To what degree? How do we know? What is most challenging to you right now? How can I support you?

Research and provide PD teachers need and are asking for.

Be a fan of your teachers.

Be a fan of your students.

Make time to engage with students without enforcing anything. Just say hello. Be interested in their experience.

Do your best to be available and approachable to all stakeholders.

Students:

Treat people as you would like to be treated. What does this mean in school?

When someone is teaching, listen and try to understand.

When work is assigned, give it your best effort. Do the work.

If someone needs help, be willing to offer it.

Be kind. We all need kindness so give it.

Be honest. We all want to be around people we can trust, so be it.

If you are not being as successful as you would like to be, ask for help. It is a sign you are not giving up.

Find out what other successful students are doing and try that.

School communities are in crisis. We all have a responsibility to create environments where we can do great work and feel good doing it. Let’s follow one of the most pressure-tested pieces of wisdom. Focus on what you control. If each of us truly takes responsibility for our part and models this for others, we can improve the quality of the educational experience for everyone.

What would the impact on the greater society be?

We would not only be promoting college and career readiness. We would promote life readiness. For all stakeholders.