you <\/em>observe?\u201d is all it takes to make magic happen?<\/p>\n\n\n\nWell, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You see, what really makes a great teacher isn\u2019t necessarily the tools they use. It isn\u2019t the latest and greatest tech that they bring into their classroom. Now, teachers who strategically use technology as a tool to enhance their learning might have a leg up on those who are not using any tech at all, but the tech isn\u2019t the magic trick. That\u2019s just a whiff of smoke, a reflection from the mirror that may be hiding the true act of teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No, teachers aren\u2019t hiding their secrets, especially teachers like Becky Schnekser; she\u2019s not the teacher that hoards ideas. I\u2019ve taught with teachers who act like the Keeper of Knowledge and Wisdom, reluctant to share what they have learned, ultimately scared to see another teacher better their craft because then they become obsolete, when in reality the more we share and collaborate the better we all become. But I can count those teachers on one hand; most of the teachers I have worked with want to collaborate and share their tricks. The problem is that we all have different understandings of what the magic trick is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Question: What\u2019s the term we use when we amp up our lessons, twice a year, to something we very rarely do because of the pressures of those unfair evaluations?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Answer: (All together now\u2026) THE DOG AND PONY SHOW!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We call it that because it\u2019s an over-done performance designed to sway or convince someone of something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Eh-hem, smoke and mirrors.<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe have called that lesson that we put on for our principals twice a year a show. A magic show, if you will, full of tricks designed to prove that we are exceptional teachers. Which you are! Those dog and pony shows are important and needed at school, by the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when people ask for tips and tricks, that\u2019s what they are referring to. The dog and pony show. I argue that they are actual being deceived; that what they see as the show, the trick, is just smoke and mirrors. There is magic actually happening, but it\u2019s not necessarily what they think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought about the magic trick I observed. A simple question. Is this really all there is to it? Obviously, no, but it might be a good start; like a beginners teacher magic set. I started the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nInstead of, \u201cLook at this\u201d I asked, \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Yeah. A small, simple, but immediate change that worked! I know that it worked because the work I started receiving from my kids changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enter stage right: Amanda (pseudonym).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amanda started the year off on the right foot, and she kept putting one foot in front of the other. She was turning work that I assigned, and she turned in it how I asked. Until I started asking things like, \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d This is where Amanda goes punk rock and decides to do things her way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I love this part!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s now that I take notice that Amanda is turning in video presentations. Nothing new; she\u2019s done this once or twice before. Only now she\u2019s not saying, \u201cThis is what I learned today, Mr. C.\u201d No. Every video starts off with a very excited, \u201cHey everyone! It\u2019s me!\u201d (She\u2019s going to end up being a YouTuber or a T.V. journalist, I swear!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amanda was studying roses. Each video (she made four) would for sure show Amanda doing these two things. The first is that after her introduction, she would ask a question or pose a thought. \u201cI was wondering why roses have thorns.\u201d \u201cWhat animals eat rose bushes?\u201d She\u2019s showing her curiosity, which is where learning starts. This kicked off what she would do or talk about next (usually what she learned, observed, or explored after posing her question). She\u2019s off to a great start so far!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second thing she did was tell everyone to, \u201cGo check out my other videos! Bye!\u201d She is suddenly very excited to share knowledge and learning. She\u2019s excited because, in my opinion, the learning is being guided by her<\/em> question. I just showed her how to do that. I didn\u2019t give her the question, just the permission to ask the questions she had!<\/p>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s how real teaching magic works! It\u2019s a small, simple, and immediate action that transforms the lesson into and experience. It\u2019s that small magic trick that opens the door for authentic learning to take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All the over-the-top lessons and activities will create space for learning. There is a time and place for them. Honestly, I think they should be done as often as you want or as the learning experience calls for (more often than we realize). But remember that\u2019s not what makes you a great teacher. It\u2019s the small magic tricks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talking kindly to your students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Giving students a choice of how they will turn in work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Showing up to the sporting event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contacting families to report the good, not just the bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asking instead of telling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letting kids ask their own questions related to the content being covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the small tricks that matter. All that other stuff is just smoke and mirrors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Back in the day illusionists would use smoke and mirrors to give the illusion of something extraordinary happening, such as conjuring up an entity from the spiritual world. The use of smoke and mirrors would ultimately blind the audience from what the illusionist was actually doing. It was a tool that distracted the audience, without […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,19],"tags":[21,14],"class_list":["post-330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-education","tag-blog","tag-shut-up-and-teach"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=330"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":638,"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions\/638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elijahcarbajal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}