Chasing Down the C. A. T.: Creating Culture and Tone in Classrooms to Support Behavior and Improve Student Achievement How Effective Teachers Think

Chasing Down

The C.A.T.

Creating Culture and Tone in classrooms to support behavior and improve student achievement

How effective teachers think

Arthur F. Tobia

Book cover design by Brent Pruner

www.brentpruner.com

Copyright © 2013 Arthur F. Tobia.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-7649-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-7651-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-7650-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013911001

Balboa Press rev. date: 8/28/2013

Contents

Introduction

1 What is Culture and Tone?

2 Developing Culture and Tone The Story of Two Teachers

3 A Look at The Organization

4 Seeing Culture and Tone

5 Belief Systems Staying on Purpose

6 Knowing What to Expect: Rules and Parameters

7 Building A Foundation

8 Communication

9 Consistency

Part II The Thinking of an Effective Teacher

Hello,

How long have you been a teacher? A month? A year? Ten years? Twenty five years? Are you searching for effective ways to meet the needs of students to minimize the interference of your teaching and the students learning?

This book is written with the express purpose in mind of helping you unlock doorways, enabling you to create a Culture And Tone in classrooms and schools that will make teaching and learning easier, fun and more rewarding.

Have you ever been somewhere and experienced a strong feeling or emotion that seems to come from the place you are in? Whether it is positive or negative the feeling is powerful. Regardless of the word you use, atmosphere, ambience, setting, surroundings, aura, climate or environment, your reaction is driven by a variety of stimuli that may include specific individuals. Your sense of congruence or incongruence is largely dictated by the conventions, customs, attitudes, mores or beliefs that prevail within the space to create a specific culture. The culture is rounded out by a spirit, quality, mood, air or manner, which sets the tone.

Together, Culture And Tone are powerful, sometimes underestimated forces that influence work, productivity and commitment. Culture And Tone affects the quality of our lives. Whether there is a conscious awareness and commitment to the development of the Culture And Tone or complete indifference, Culture And Tone exists. There are ways to ensure the Culture And Tone you long for is always present. To be an effective teacher or educational leader you can’t afford to leave it up to random happenings. Take an active approach to developing the Culture And Tone you desire.

Then hang on, as you and your students grow to new levels

Chasing Down The C.A.T.!

Introduction

Chasing Down the C.A.T.

My first experience in a classroom came twenty six years ago. I wasn’t even really interested in being a teacher. It just seemed like a good job that allowed me freedom, free time, summers off that type of thing, to pursue my entertainment interests. I had missed the exam to finalize my license in late August, so I found myself going to the district personnel office in early December, the 6th to be exact. I have all my paperwork in order, I said. I was told to wait a minute and from behind a cloth partition I heard, I have your 6th grade teacher here. I will send him right over.

The next thing I knew I was headed over to meet my principal. As I drove over, I prepared myself for all the right answers to the multitude of questions I was sure were about to be hurled at me in my interview. At the exact same moment I began to question what exactly I was doing and what made me think I could teach . Somehow, there I was having successfully climbed the stairs with my wobbling knees, now trying to think of everything I had ever learned in school. If I got the job, they would only be 6th graders and I was certain that at least I would know more than they would. The principal emerged for a moment, indicating that she would be right with me, and it seemed like an eternity. Still, I was relieved for the momentary stay. I pondered how I would answer her questions. Did I mention that I had not a single education credit to my name other than an educational Psychology class? (Which I took because this cute girl said she was taking it, to whom I paid more attention to than the teacher.) The principal called me in, looking pretty business like. I took a deep breath hoping my mind would not become a blank slate. You are their third teacher. I don’t expect you to teach them, just keep them under control. The secretary will show you to the room. That was it.

As she led me down the hall, my mind was racing again about what to do. She opened the door and as I turned to ask her a question she was already halfway down the hall pushing through the double doors. She simply raised her hand in the air and said, Good luck, never looking back, never breaking her stride.

There I was standing alone in this room, having been left by the secretary who obviously thought it was safe to leave me, or perhaps had run out fearing the pending arrival of the class. My class trickled in one at a time sizing me up. In the moment I found myself thinking about a mouse about to be swooped up in the talons of a hawk. I said nothing other than a quiet greeting. Despite my uncertainty the teacher in me stepped up. Referencing every teacher I ever had from kindergarten through college (as well as my siblings and parents), I watched them file in.

After a few minutes, I got the first question: Are you our new teacher? I am not sure why I just ignored the question and continued to watch and greet the students as they entered the room. Then as I gave a few directives, trying to look like I knew what I was doing, out came the first challenge. A student said, That’s not how Miss Walsh has us do it. For a second I froze; it felt like a lifetime. I turned to address the student, who was now gesturing toward the wall. I looked to see what he was pointing at, and there, on the wall, in beautiful penmanship, handwritten by Miss Walsh, was Miss Walsh’s Rules . The next action I took, though at the time I did not know it, became a defining moment for me as an educator. I turned, walked over to Miss Walsh’s Rules, ripped them off the wall and crumbled them up into a ball. At the same moment with all the certainty and confidence I could muster I said, This isn’t Miss Walsh’s classroom anymore. It is mine! and slammed dunked Miss Walsh’s rules into the garbage can to punctuate my statement. To my surprise they bought it and in that moment I laid the first block of a new foundation in establishing a new culture and tone for those children that had not been created by the previous two teachers. I had produced a new paradigm that caused them to have to change their behavior.

In the end, I not only was able to control them, an exhausting proposition, but I also was able to teach them. They were a great bunch of kids not without their flaws and I not without mine, but we had a wonderful year. In fact, the entire class went on an overnight trip to Washington D.C. which was a great way to cap off the school year.

That first year of experience was far from perfect and I recognized I had a lot to learn, but it set me up well for the years to come.

My First September

The following September I was sent to another school because of seniority rules that gave my position to tenured teachers returning from sabbatical. Oddly, it was the school I was supposed to begin at the year before but could not because of my missed test. The first important thing I realized was the difference between starting in September as opposed to December. It was here that I had the next significant development in my educational life. The principal was old school, an autocratic leader who had things her way or you were gone. In fact all of us new teachers were shocked and probably motivated largely by the fact that she fired one of the other new hires in a matter of days because she did not like the way she taught.

As the year went on so did I. I realized how much I really liked this whole teaching thing. It became clear that what I did not possess in pedagogical knowledge and skill, I made up for in my ability to work with the most challenging of students. I also noticed that many teachers, who were a lot more knowledgeable, were not getting to the teaching part of their day because they were engaged with the problems instead.

It was the springtime when we were all in a staff meeting. Somehow, despite the fact that I was not saying anything, the principal singled me out. The exact comment at this point I do not remember, but I know it got me very angry. I got up to walk out of the meeting and probably the school, but was stopped by someone who convinced me to stay. The next day I went to see the principal, because I did not believe in just letting it go, as many of the senior members of the staff told I must do. Keep in mind that I was not tenured. I am sure some recall of my dismissed colleague from September was also lingering. It was probably a bit of reckless youth and some arrogance, but it was mostly my upbringing and self-respect that gave me the courage to follow through with her. She initially played coy, making out that she wasn’t even sure what I was talking about. As it became apparent to her that I was not going to back off or let her off the hook so easily, eventually she came around. She actually apologized, which was a surprise because everyone said she never would. She also pointed out to me that had I walked out of the meeting she could have fired me. I think it was the next thing that I said that sealed my fate with her. I told her very clearly, Don’t ever hold my job over my head again because I am young, intelligent and very aggressive. I don’t need this job and I will find another. We ended the conversation seemingly in an amicable way and the school year moved ahead.

My Real Beginning

Toward the end of the year the principal called me into her office. I went in on the assumption I would not be back. In my mind I wondered was she still stinging from our previous conversation. She asked me in and sat me down. I waited. What she said next would become the next important step in my journey to writing this book. She told me she was very impressed by me. She asked if I remembered the day I came in and spoke with her. I said I did and prepared for the worst because even though I said I would find another job, I had really grown to love this one. Plus, the idea of being fired would not have played well with my parents or for that matter my own self-esteem. She then told me, If you can stand up to me you can stand up to any one. I want you to be the Crisis Intervention Teacher. I was not sure what it was, but it sounded like fun.

The following year my role as the Crisis Intervention Teacher for the entire school of close to 1200 students, 150 teachers and the parents in the Bronx set me on a road that has shown me a variety of experiences. In the days prior to the students’ arrival we had a plenary session in a beautiful conference center with the entire staff. The principal recognizing the changing population and new staff decided to train the staff in Lee Canter’s Assertive Discipline model. This is a program that has very clear discipline measures that can be taken by staff and administration alike creating a clear consistent model for children. The school was in bad shape as far as the culture and tone and needed to be taken back from the students. In retrospect it was nothing compared to what we see today, but I suppose all things are relative. The power of the program for our school was that it delivered a consistent model for all staff and students alike. It served us well and made a difference.

The notion that there were such programs for schools was fascinating to me. I started looking at all kinds of materials and programs, beginning a self-education in understanding people, achieving success, school organization and of course discipline, a term I have since very consciously moved away from using. While not subscribing to any one program in its entirety, I began to pick and choose the aspects of each that I felt worked well for me. I tailored them to my needs and setting. I also developed my own ideas to fill in what I perceived as flaws or gaps in the work that had been conducted in this area. It was a significant year of growth for me personally and professionally.

Taking some course work the following year would become the next significant event on the journey. Like many new teachers I needed to accumulate credits for my salary differential. I had taken a few credits when someone recommended some courses they had taken with a private education group that was approved by New York State for college credits. The classes were taken over two weekends. I remember going the first weekend for class and leaving there feeling totally energized. I was not only learning but having my beliefs, approaches and techniques validated and in some cases challenged by the course work. I suddenly found through this validation a confidence in my interactions with the students. My new confidence encouraged me to move forward with my work. I had become turned on to a number of authors and once again found the writing on the topic to be fascinating. I ended up taking a few more courses and came to believe very strongly in what they had to teach. There were many things I was doing, self disclosure, use of proximity to mention a couple, but I hadn’t realized them to be identified techniques that could be learned by teachers and for that matter taught to them. I was learning about active listening, I messages, the communication model. I decided that I would reach out to the company that offered the courses to see about bringing them to our school. I also inquired about teaching for them. A few months later they contacted me. It was an important event, because while I had made the inquiry I wasn’t really sure if I could actually teach the courses. I said I would be interested and began the application process. After some careful consideration and an initial rejection, I began teaching on the graduate level.

I taught all over New York State, from Buffalo to Long Island working usually with fifty students in a class. My students were mostly teachers, from different areas, elementary, middle and high school and occasionally the college level. They brought with them a wealth of experiences, frustrations and triumphs. I had guidance counselors and school psychologists, as well as an occasional administrator who was interested in finding solutions to the challenges of their school. I recognized the opportunity was far beyond the experience of