Meredith Essalat's Blog

How To Prepare For Next School Year

What Does Normal Even Mean Anymore?

After a year and a half of abnormal—remote learning, Zoom school, digital assignment submissions, and parents posing as teachers—do we even remember what a normal school day looks like?

Being the head of an elementary school in San Francisco, I find myself wondering if I will recognize my school come September. My students have grown. Their families have changed. Our methodologies and the way educators approach curriculum has evolved.

How can we bottle up this gratitude, appreciation, and resetting of the attitude scales and guarantee its presence in the Fall?

I shared 3 ways to prepare for the next school year with Thrive Global.

Are Teachers Being More Lenient This Year?

Teachers are used to being the ones who ask the questions. But, throughout the past 12 months, there have been many questions to which educators are on the receiving end:

How are you managing behavior on Zoom?How do you keep children engaged from behind a screen?Is there going to be an enormous achievement gap when the pandemic is over?

All valid questions and all in need of addressing as we come out of an unprecedented year in education. We certainly do have much ground to cover in the wake of not being with our students, in-person, for over a year.

Lessons put on hold that don’t translate well across a digital divide.

Strategies that, despite our very best efforts, refuse to land as they would have if we were sharing the same space as our students.

Wi-Fi failures and Zoom links going awry, or laptops dying and iPad screens fading to black—these moments continue to pepper the landscape of remote learning.

And, the bottom line is that most of these pitfalls along the way were and are out of everyone’s control. Sure, a kid might have snoozed once or twice through their first online class of the day. A teacher may have hit the proverbial wall and dismissed class early a time or two. But, in general, when things didn’t go according to plan, we were (and, are) at the mercy of the universe.

So, when I am asked if teachers are being more lenient this year, my answer is a resounding:

It’s complicated.

Read more at ThriveGlobal.com for my opinion on letting students off easy during this unusual school year.

9 Ways To Create A Positive Culture

To have a successful learning environment, we must have a positive classroom culture. Our roles as educators involve creating an environment where students can feel safe. Teachers often struggle with exactly how to do that.

Should I be strict and firm? Should I be fun and free-spirited?

We must remember that it’s the learning experiences we provide students are just as important as the information we are teaching.

Here are 9 ways we can create a positive culture inside the classroom:

Be excited - enter the classroom with the mindset you expect from your students.

Be optimistic - you are never too young or too old to live by the “glass half full” philosophy.

Be willing to laugh at yourself - not taking yourself too seriously without letting your guard down.

Embrace humor and the silly - you’re a teacher who works with kids, after all.

Welcome incentives and extrinsic motivators - help build positive morale and respect in the classroom.

Be authentic and vulnerable - helping your students believe in themselves and happy with who they are.

Enjoy what you’re teaching - if you have fun teaching, your students will have fun learning.

Set classroom expectations with your students - let them feel a sense of ownership in the culture of your classroom.

Build room for leadership opportunities for your students - our role in the classroom is to help our students find their inner leaders.

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading

Reading builds our kids’ brains. It enables them to think critically and to evaluate creatively. It builds their vocabulary which increases their capacity for communication. It reinforces lessons on character, conviction, and triumph over tragedy.

As a middle school teacher who specialized in Language Arts, I was determined to get creative in order to get my students to find the power of the pen as captivating as I did. And, while some kids were harder to win over than others, getting all of our children to love reading can and must be done. Their academic prowess depends on it.

How do we get our kids to love to read?

From the youngest children in our care to the most high-maintenance middle schoolers, here are some of my most well-oiled tricks and techniques for inspiring your kids to put down the gadgets and pick up a book instead.

Using Contracts With Your Teens To Establish Shared Expectations

In a recent webinar, I talked with parents about the importance of utilizing contracts with their teens. The idea is to enter into an agreement with them when the normal bargaining process has hit a standstill.

 

Deadlocked with both sides staunchly set in defense of their own points-of-view.

Schools have employed student contracts for years. Honor Codes, Attendance Agreements, Homework Policies. These all exist as ways to outline expectations for our kids to agree to so they understand that in every facet of their life’s journey, they will be given a set of parameters by which they are expected to adhere:

·      Job description

·      Lease agreement

·      Marriage

·      Buying a car

And, while most teachers and parents employ contracts for the here and now—using it as a ceasefire from the verbal slings and arrows that are often exchanged by both sides—it is a way to embed a life skill into the fibers of your student’s being to send them out into the world with knowledge on how to be mindful of what they need to accomplish to achieve success.

So, what goes into a successful contract between a student and their parent?

It should be written as a point of collaboration between everyone involved. Contracts are best served when our kids have input. They are far more likely to buy into expectations if they know that their own ideas, thoughts, and feelings are taken into consideration. And, we want them to feel that sense of ownership—that is how we draw them into making meaningful changes.

It shouldn’t be too long. We want our kids to be successful at meeting the expectations outlined in a contract. So, stick to the specific behavior you are seeking to modify with it. If it is about your student’s engagement in online learning, focus on that. Don’t stray to how they should treat their sibling or chores that you want them to help with. Be direct—you want them to:

a.     wake up on time for classes

b.     log-into all subjects

c.     not accumulate any absences unless preapproved by yourself (or another family member)

d.     check-in weekly, as a family, with their homeroom teacher to track progress; etc.

Be mindful of the time allotment. If you are facing a triage situation, make it a weekly contract that can be amended from one Sunday to the next based upon progress. If the contract is being created out of the desire for longer-term goals, then perhaps set it for a month, or a quarter, with predetermined dates to check-in on momentum and wins, or frank reminders on what you both agreed upon.

Everyone involved should sign and date it. This is an official agreement that you are drafting. Treat it seriously if you want your teen to.

The goal of any contract is to see meaningful and impactful change. This will come, over time, so be sure to celebrate the successes along the way. Be keenly aware of efforts made by your teen to meet its expectations, but also, hold them accountable. If you see them in violation of a contractual agreement, talk about it.

I’ve created a contract template to help you get started. Sign up now for your free download….

The Overly Honest Teacher’s Christmas List

After nine months of remote learning—sheltering-in-place, waiting out the pandemic, watching my students grow-up from afar-- all I want for Christmas is for life to get back to normal.

 

I know, I know. Earth-shattering sentiments.

 

In all seriousness, though—I’m pretty sure that Santa is finding the hope for a speedy recovery atop everyone’s holiday lists this year. And, while I know that he’s a well-intentioned guy, I thought that I should probably add a few other of my Overly Honest Teacher favorites to this year’s Christmas catalog, just in case he can’t deliver a global end to this pandemic quite yet.

Pens, pencils, binder paper.

Because, the second we restock our arsenal of classroom supplies, they’re gone.

Accessible wi-fi for students everywhere.

Because, even after remote learning is done, our kids still need to be able to learn at home successfully.

Wine.

Because… teaching.

Sneakers—any kind, any color.

Because, we need to be nimble, agile, and able to keep up with our students. Hats off to any teacher who wears heels all day!

A “Mute All” feature when we return to the classroom.

Because, it sure has been nice in distance learning to calm the classroom chaos and conversation with the click of a button.

All the winter wear essentials (aka parka, fleece, gloves, hat, scarf).

Because, let’s be real-- whether the classroom windows are open for ventilation from COVID or to air things out after a middle school P.E. class, teachers are chilly.

Board games.

Because, it’s essential that we engage our students in tactile, in-person activities that involve strategy, teamwork, and conversation outside of a screen.

A vote or two of confidence.

Because, despite our best efforts, teachers are always questioning ourselves—did we do enough, champion enough, strategize enough? And, positive reinforcement, in the form of an email, text, or virtual high five, really makes our day and fortifies us for the next.

And, finally, a hope for all of you. That no matter where you are celebrating, or how different this holiday season seems, I wish you safety, good health, and a dose of sanity as we keep on keeping on, together.

 

2021, we’re coming for you!

What Teachers Honestly Want to Say to Parents about Remote Learning

We know this school year isn’t easy.

As we find ourselves still staring into the abyss of remote and/or hybrid learning, there are a host of new things that I want parents to know. Things that will make homeschooling more successful. Students more independent. And, parents? Ideally less stressed and more at-ease.

Remote learning isn’t going to be here forever, but it’s also not going away anytime soon. The more that teachers and parents embrace this opportunity, together, to enable students to pivot when an unexpected hurdle blocks their lane of success, the better equipped those kids are going to be for life’s marathon. So, let’s get creative and work together to keep our students learning and growing in these unprecedented times.

Check out the article here on ThriveGlobal.com

How Middle Schoolers Can Make Friends During Remote Learning

I had the privilege to speak with Susan Borison from Your Teen Media. We chat about the challenges middle schoolers are experiencing during remote learning and I share how I am strategizing with my staff to build a community for our students.

What to Do If Your Child Gets Sent to the Principal’s Office

Kids are testing boundaries, pushing limits, and seeing what they can get away with. They are going to make choices that go against the integrity you have upheld in your home. They are going to pop off with a snarky remark that goes one step too far within the confines of respect for their teachers or classmates. They are going to bring the action figure to school you told them to leave at home; play with Pokemon cards in class; pass a note to a friend with an off-colored comment that lands in the grasp of their teacher, instead.

They are kids. Their actions are unpredictable, their decision-making often clouded by the impulsivity of proceeding without caution.

I shared a few tips and tricks with Thrive Global for navigating that moment when your child is sent to the principal’s office (a.k.a. my office).

I promise—my office isn’t nearly as scary as you might think.

How To Raise Resilient Kids Who Never Give Up

My jaw dropped and my pulse raced. There were so many things I wanted to say, but pragmatism took over, and I simply nodded. Anything else would have been combative and when is that ever productive to communication?

For reference, I was in the middle of a meeting with one of my Seventh Grade students’ parents when this was said:

“I don’t believe in making my children do anything they don’t want to.”

It takes a great deal to shock me; I have seen and heard pretty much everything. But, this moment is still blazoned into my brain. A memory that, to this day, continues to leave me perplexed.

For a split second I thought I was being pranked. That these parents would burst into laughter upon the utterance of something so preposterous. I think I recall chuckling a bit at first, but when my laughter wasn’t met in return, I uncomfortably squirmed in my seat and ceased to snicker.

Aghast, I chose my words carefully. My response was something akin to, “Well, the homework that I am asking of your child is important to their success in my class and their ongoing growth as a scholar.”

As an educator now for over half my life, I have come to realize how necessary it is that our kids work through problems, persevere when life is challenging, and spend time harnessing the creativity and tenacity required to approach difficulties and overcome obstacles. 

That’s what life is all about.

I am an optimist by nature, seeking to find the silver lining and glass-half-full perspective in all circumstances. And, even though I have been called Susie Sunshine a time or two, that has never prevented me from holding my students accountable to the reality that life is hard. Learning is hard. Trying new things, discovering hidden talents, putting forth our best foot time and time again, is hard.

And that’s okay.

The hurdles in life-- the piano lessons that they dread, the essays they disdain, the lunches they loathe—these temporary moments of angst are refining their perseverance. One day, when they don’t get the job they want, or they want to quit the job they have. When they finally get to play soccer, as they have been begging for months, only to discover that it’s much harder than they realized and want to try hockey instead. 

No matter how large the hurdle, encourage them not to give up.

I never did as a teacher, and I don’t as a Principal. It’s not easy. The eye rolls, the apathy, the lashing out. I’ve even been given the finger a time or two from an exceptionally onerous child.

I make a point of showing them that I am not easily swayed. Even though I may not like battling it out with them to complete their test, read their novel, participate fully in music class, I hold my ground so that they can grow.

So that they know that if they just sit with their challenge for a moment, they will be able to surmount it. 

How?

1. Utilize positive reinforcement to your advantage. Boost your child’s confidence and remind them of the times when they have succeeded.

2. Develop a contract around giving anything new the time it needs to take root. Unfamiliar experiences give our kids pause and often result in an immediate desire to turn around and run the other direction. It takes 14-days to form a habit—shouldn’t we require the same of a new hobby or activity they try?

3. Hold them accountable. Unless something is giving them hives or causing them emotional distress, encourage them to persevere. Just because they don’t like broccoli it doesn’t mean that the vitamins and nutrients in it aren’t essential for their development. Same goes for school, assignments, activities, and even friendships. Life isn’t always going to cater to their every whim—foster the resilience it takes to carry on nonetheless.

If I could go back in time to that conversation with my student’s parents, I wouldn’t stare at them blankly or nod my head and ignore their absurdity. No—if the past 14-years have taught me anything, it’s that my students aren’t going to always like what I have to say. They aren’t always going to be happy with the grades I give or the consequences I levy. Still, I will stay the course, confident that every moment that I keep them on the rails of responsibility will help steer them toward future success.