Running head: TEACHING AS MODELING 1

Teaching as Modeling

Paying It Forward

Rozanne Todd

North Carolina State University

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On Friday, October 18th I was asked to cover Ms. Shearin’s third grade class while she

led instructional rounds for Beginning Teachers at Combs. All other available Instructional

Assistants and support staff were spread across other needs and I welcomed the opportunity to

spend time with the students in the modular “palace” unit in the back of our campus. I was

responsible for leading the Morning Meeting, a classroom culture building time that begins the

school day in each class at Combs. The sub plans instructed me to lead a “back to back” protocol

in which all students found a partner to stand that way with until a question was asked of them to

discuss. I reinforced safe and kind behavior before beginning the activity, and all participated

with openness and joy. Immediately as this activity was wrapping up, a female student arrived

who was apparently having a difficult morning. She kept her coat on and sat in a very closed

position until I had a break during the next activity to talk with her individually to determine

what was bothering her. The last question of the Morning Meeting, addressing persevering

through challenges, intentionally transitioned into the day’s EL lesson, a review of several

mentor texts addressing that topic. Ms. Shearin’s plans directed me to choose students to read the

learning objectives and my heart broke when I chose a low reader, even though she was waving

her hand with enthusiasm. She was only able to read the very small sight words and required my

quiet prompting to decode the others. I made a mental note to arrange students in advance to

perform such public tasks and allow them time to practice before being in the spotlight. Before

summoning the class to the front carpet for the read aloud I asked students to review expectations

of carpet time and why these are important to support learning. Disability Awareness Month was

being observed in the classroom through the mentor texts, including the one to be used that day,

Thank You Mr. Faulkner. Ms. Shearin asked for it to be presented through the YouTube link at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abN2aP_Dzd0 and students were especially interested when

the main character experienced bullying due to her inability to read. This displayed the fruits of
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the ingrained social-emotional curriculum of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that is

infused in all programs at Combs. While the video link was playing I was able to talk with the

late student who was still sitting at her table away from the other students at the carpet. She

shared that her Dad was yelling in the morning and how sad that makes her. I listened

empathetically and reassured her that we will help her have a good day now that she is at Combs.

I offered her a copy of the text to hold and follow along with at her desk to ensure access to the

learning experience while allowing her the space she needed to process her unsettling morning.

While I was talking with this student, a boy who I often observe struggling following directions

in the halls started walking around the back of the room while still attending to the video. I had a

quick decision point regarding asking him to sit, but decided that as long as he was not

distracting others and watching the book reading on the screen I would allow him the movement

that he appeared to need. I explained my expectations and he truly adhered to them while

continuing to pace and sit in different flexible seating choices. After the book reading ended, the

sub plans directed me to dismiss the class back to their table groups to discuss the lesson, or

theme, of the story. All groups engaged in rich discussions regarding the story elements,

demonstrating the collaboration and communication of the 4 C’s in the mission statement of

WCPSS. Teams determined the story lesson within a few minutes and I was required to quickly

craft a meaningful learning activity to fill the remaining 30 minutes until snack time. Fortunately,

Ms. Shearin’s cabinet was stocked with large construction paper and I drew a template on the

board for teams to illustrate the lesson, characters, and settings of Thank You, Mr. Falkner as on

a poster. Displaying the Synergy that they have been coached to employ in group work, all

groups efficiently divided tasks and promptly engaged in the task. Classroom procedures and

expectations were evident in the effortless transitions and work behaviors. When I observed that
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only two peers were able to realistically work on the poster at the same time, though, I grabbed

white paper for each student to illustrate a time they overcame struggles using perseverance.

Several lessons surfaced as I reflected on this energizing experience. The importance of

explicitly reviewing classroom expectations before each activity was illustrated in the

maximizing of instructional time after performing this classroom management task. Allowing the

wiggly student to exercise his agency on where to be in the room may have allowed him to

engage more thoroughly in instruction and avoided power struggles that could have distracted

from instruction or escalated to his being removed from the class. Low readers should also be

given the opportunity to participate in public reading opportunities only after previous practice

has been provided. The stigma of low reading skills, as in Thank You, Mr. Falkner, causes

anxiety and decreases the self-image of students who struggle with learning differences or are

English Language Learners. Adults should be cognizant of not furthering the deterioration of

students’ often already damaged self-image. To improve the social-emotional health of all

students in the class, I commonly employed positive reinforcement and verbal praise for

substantive products or actions. The class connected with me quickly as a result and I truly

enjoyed the time with them. Behavior struggles are also often circumvented when teachers

succinctly state the reason why a directive or structure is in place, a lesson that will be useful as I

continue to serve as an instructional coach.

Working with Ms. Shearin’s students provided a valuable opportunity for me to email the

next day her with compliments for her class and structures, dubbed a “Deposit” in the Covey

lingo of Combs. In the email I also affirmed Ms. Shearin’s contributions to Combs and thanked

her for allowing me to spend that time with her wonderful students. Her response to my email

was one of surprise and appreciation. Authentic praise and validation are important actions for

administrators to build in their practice to continue to foster trusting and productive relationships
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with staff. Another follow-up activity I engaged in was to make contact with the guidance

counselor to ensure the sad student in on her radar. Many students experience rough mornings,

but this student’s reaction was amplified from typical responses. The guidance counselor had, in

fact, worked with this student previously and I will continue to build a positive relationship with

her for future support opportunities.

As administrators, continually engaging in opportunities that remind us of the challenges

and joys of our staff will keep us grounded in expectations and realistic in planning new

initiatives. Many innovative ideas that play well in a planning meeting are often not achievable

in practice. Staff also appreciate administrators who demonstrate service leadership and a

willingness to support all activities in the building. Leaders who demonstrate this service by

helping in any ways needed increase the support and buy-in of their staff. Additionally,

opportunities for administrators to work with students in invaluable in fostering relationships that

will then facilitate more positive interactions in the future with discipline concerns and in

general. Throughout my future career carving time to spend leading classrooms will ensure I

remain grounded and connected, two essential qualities of exceptional school leaders.

Link to Reflection Video: https://youtu.be/IY-4bkbjQxs

I challenged myself to create this on the Friday afternoon of the observation, and to complete it

in one take to prepare me for efficiency with video production as an administrator. I also focused

on enunciating the endings of all words and using less repetitive gestures, feedback from prior

videos.
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