THE 7 Habits OF Highly Affective Teachers
THE7 HabitsHighly AffectiveTeachersOFWant to make yourschool a better placefor everyone? Makeemotional health a habit.Rick WormeliAnxious, overconfident,curious, indifferent, angry,amused, lonely, hopeful,embarrassed, empowered,afraid, excited, diminished—teachers have seen all these emotionsemerge from students as they engage withclassroom content. Emotional responses tolessons often go through students’ mindsbefore they even begin to think about thematerial: This stuff is stupid/awesome/beyondme. I’m not comfortable with this. Finally,something I’m good at. Maybe somebody willnotice I can’t read. Let’s see her find a mistakein that one—it’s perfect. Does the teacherknow I didn’t study this last night?10Educational Leadership / October 2015Some of us deny this reality and claim wearen’t trained to guide children’s emotionalhealth. We think our purpose is to teachcontent and skills only, not to deal withthe touchy-feely stuff. This attitude turns ablind eye to the developmental nature of thestudents we serve, and it runs afoul of howminds learn. Unless we’re the most severe ofsociopaths, we all have emotional responsesthat affect what we do.Adding to the messiness, our individualperspectives and experiences may put usout of sync with others’ emotional states,even as the institutional nature of schoolsdemands emotional synchronicity. Theresulting miscommunication, blame,anxiety, and frustration are not the bestingredients for a good day at school.
PHOTOS SUSIE FITZHUGHILLUSTRATION THEROMB/SHUTTERSTOCKASCD /w w w . ascd . o r g11
test. We whisper a triumphant, “Yes!”when Carl finally contributes substantively to a class discussion. We get alittle misty-eyed when Larrinda’s teamplaces first in the robotics competition,knowing how hard they worked, howmuch they learned, and how happytheir families will be.2 Cultivate perspective SUSIE FITZHUGH / THE IMAGE WORKSand reframe.Teachers who deny the emotionalelements of teaching and learning canbecome exhausted from ceaseless confrontations with students’ emotionalstates, often blaming their personalstress and students’ failure to learnon students’ lack of motivation ormaturity. They grow disconnectedfrom students, creating an almostadversarial relationship with them: Ineed to get them to shape up. It’s themor me. These students are hopeless; whyshould I bother? It’s the parents whocreated this situation. This attitude canbleed into daily interactions with students and colleagues.It doesn’t have to be this way. Wecan develop constructive responsesto our own affective needs as teachersand equip our students to do thesame. These responses take mindfulness and practice to become dailyhabits. Borrowing and modifying thepremise from Stephen Covey (1989),let’s explore the seven habits of highlyaffective teachers.121 Find joy in others’ success.Climbing the mountain ourselvesand resting at the top while othersstruggle below isn’t the goal; gettingeveryone to the top is. Our choice tobecome teachers is reaffirmed withevery student’s success. Do we experience genuine joy in our students’intellectual milestones? Do we let students see our encouraging smile andrising respect for their work? Or do weinterrupt a student’s clumsy attempt ata classroom demonstration and just dothe task ourselves because it’s easier?We don’t just present curriculumand document whether students sinkor swim with it; we put skin in thegame. We take a personal stake inGabriella’s use of proper dance technique and don’t see it as a sacrificeto work with her a couple of times aweek before or after school. It isn’t animposition to recommend an onlinetutorial to Cristian when he requestsour input as he studies for an advancedEducational Leadership / October 2015Perspective is often the differencebetween empowering optimism anddefeatist isolation. When a student isdisrespectful to us, instead of takingit personally, we realize that he’s 14and has only an occasional filter onimpulse control. We focus on thepositive young adult he’s becomingand help him see how his words andactions have consequences, guidinghim in making amends and restoringtrust, with tomorrow as a fresh start.A change in perspective can alsohelp us deal with daily challenges.When parents complain about ourassignments, we can reframe theproblem this way: How can I communicate more clearly and in a timelymanner so parents aren’t frustrated, andhow can I get an honest sense of howassignments are impacting students’home life? Instead of whining aboutstudents’ distractibility in class, we canseek ways to make our lessons developmentally responsive and meaningfulso students are engaged. Hall dutybetween classes isn’t such a hardshipwhen we realize it’s an opportunity toconnect with students outside class.Think about whether it’s better tobe right or to be kind in our inter actions with students and colleagues.Sometimes our students need a winmore than they need a correction,so we might be kind today and righttomorrow. Perspective provides hopewhere there is little, and it helps uscommit to the long haul. Teacherswho have seen formerly frustrating
students come back to visit assuccess ful adults trust in the wholeenterprise of schooling and growingup. Setbacks are momentary flashesof concern, not dictates of a locked-infuture.3 Ditch the easy caricature.Ever since the days of hunters andgatherers, humans have been knownfor categorizing, much of it for survival. This is still true today: Will thisperson hurt me or defend me? Is thisperson going to require a lot or a littleof my energy and time? Do I belongin this group or in that other one? Wepigeonhole others: Eudora is thecontrarian, Dave wears rose-coloredglasses, Hassan is deep and philosophical, Steve is a sycophant, andLiz always has to see the numbers.We make these categorizations daily,and they affect our interactions withothers.When we see people as fullydeveloped thinkers, they becomemore to us than our quick categorization reveals. They have value. Asa result, we are less likely to dismisstheir ideas as not worth consideringor to assume nefarious intent ontheir part. When we visit students’homes and make other efforts to reallyunderstand who they are beyond theclassroom, they become someone’sson, daughter, brother, sister, mentor,surrogate parent, or inspiration. Whenwe see them play in a soccer game,swim competitively, program computers, paint with finesse, perform ina concert, celebrate a religious milestone, or get a new scout badge, we seetheir extended effort and intellectualfortitude.When a student becomes more tous than the class clown, mean girl,drama queen, geek, or jock, it is easierto remember that each student mattersand is worth our time. They are notjust one more paper to grade. Wethink of them specifically as we planour lessons, and we look forward towatching them progress. Time in theircompany is time well spent.4Explore the ethics ofteaching.We know that massive packets ofworksheets don’t teach, that oral dictation spelling tests are not tests ofspelling, and that lectures with noopportunities to process content areineffective—yet we rarely confrontthese practices in ourselves or others.Are we open to critique, or do colleagues see us as set in our ways? Andwhat goes unlearned among our students when we play it politically safe?Candor is hard, but when offeredconstructively and in a culture whereit is safe to hold different opinionsfrom those of our colleagues, it’sinvigorating. When we open up ourpractices to the scrutiny of respectedcolleagues and analyze the meritsof our decisions, we may find ourstrategies lacking, but wrestling withpractice like this breathes new lifeinto our work. And we may find ourpractices validated by others, whichcreates camaraderie. An unexaminedpedagogy can hinder learning, butan examined pedagogy empowerslearning and gives our students theclassrooms they need.To what degree do we allow peopleuntrained in teaching to tell uswhat to do? For example, educatorsoften agree that percentage gradesdistort the accuracy of grade reportsand should be abandoned (Guskey,2013), but many districts keep thembecause parents want them. Someteachers count homework as 50percent of the report card grade, eventhough we know how much thisskews our reports of student performance against standards. Do we saysomething and change the practice?If we do nothing, we are effectivelyWe can developconstructive responsesto our own affectiveneeds as teachersand equip our studentsto do the same.ASCD /w w w . ascd . o r g13
5 Embrace humility.To accept a new idea, we have to firstadmit that what we’re doing is lesseffective than we thought. This can betough because, for many of us, the waywe teach defines much of who we areas individuals. If someone critiquesour teaching, it feels like they’re critiquing us. In humility, however, wegrow comfortable with the idea thatwe may be wrong. One of the signsof an intellectual is the willingness torevise one’s thinking. As modern educators, we are intellectuals, and henceopen to revision.Doubt can be our greatest compassrose, providing direction whenneeded: My colleague posed a provocative question about that strategy I use,but I dismissed it as having no merit—Have I grown complacent? Could therebe another interpretation of that classictext that’s just as correct as mine? If Iask for assistance with this student, willthe administration think less of me?14 STEFANIE FELIXagreeing to distort the grade report.Discover the energy that comes withcandid exploration of ethical issues.Consider how your handling of issueslike these may affect your students’well-being:n An English language learnerknows the content but cannot expresshis expertise because he has languagelimitations. Should he be allowed totake the test in his native language?n A student is late with a project.Should her grade on the project belowered? Or do we give her one gradeon timely attention to deadlines and adifferent grade on how well her projectmeets academic standards?n You want to honor diverse opinionand community values, but you teachlife science and evolution in a community where a significant numberof families are creationists or believein intelligent design. How do youproceed?Let’s invite administrators, parents,and students to evaluate us at anytime. Let’s let students and parentscomplete report cards on us, ones thatthey design but that we augment toinclude elements about which we’dlike feedback. We might even wantto share, discuss, and respond tothis feedback publicly to show ourwilling ness to learn.6 Value intellect.Teaching the same age group the sametopics five periods a day year after yearwithout intellectual stimulation breedscomplacency. It’s easier to pull out lastyear’s lesson sequence and go throughthe motions than it is to breathe newlife into the unit and respond to theunique nature of the individuals beforeus. This problem has existed for ages,as an 1895 report attests:The deadening influence of routinein teaching is well known; . . . Saida college professor, “What can bemore deadening to all intellectualinterest than to read year after yearthe same classic author with the successive classes of students? I plead fora frequent change of authors.”. . . NoEducational Leadership / October 2015teacher can afford to dispense with goodscholar ship; for without it he fails inhis chief desire, which is to be of thehighest service to his pupils. . . . A goodtest of the intellectual condition of theschools is to take an account of thestudies the teachers are carrying on forthemselves. (Seaver, 1895, pp. 21–22)Teacher Diana Senechal writes onher blog (2013),Teachers need room for their ownlives and interests, even if they devotemost of their time to school. Schoolsand policymakers should recognizethat those outside pursuits enrich livesand translate into better teaching. . . .Teachers and students thrive in relationto substantial, beautiful, meaningfulsubject matter.A well-nurtured intellect ignites us,deepening our passion for the field.Let’s build that intellect. Here are justa few ideas to get you started (formore, see Wormeli, 2013, 2014):n Start or participate in an Edcamp.To find an Edcamp near you, visithttp://edcamp.wikispaces .com.n Write for education publications.Analyzing and explaining what youdo can clarify and transform yourthinking.
n Reconsider unit sequences. Shoulda later unit be taught earlier, or canyou move through all the topics historically, rather than treating them asdisconnected units?n Reflect on how you’re differentthan you were 10 years ago and whereyou’ll be 10 years from now. Identifydecisions you’ve made to get to whereyou are today and what you still needto do to achieve your current goals.n Write a personal grading philosophy statement listing all yourgrading policies and a rationale foreach one.As you grow through these experiences, think about how you can useyour learning to encourage and sparkgreater learning in your students.7 Maintain passionand playfulness.Having fun with your subject andyour students will give students permission to engage, even invest, intheir learning, and it will elevate yourspirits. There’s so much stress involvedin teaching today’s students; momentsof true passion and playfulness bringback much-needed humanity.Save your sanity, then, by incorporating students’ names into yourtest questions and their communityculture into their projects. Use propsin lessons, take on the manner of a different character from time to time asyou teach, and add something startlingto two of your lessons this week.Invite a colleague to burst into yourclass at a specific time and blurt something related to the lesson then leavequickly as you respond to the commotion with, “That was bizarre, butby good fortune, we can use the information!” Put a mysterious box in themiddle of the room with yellow policetape around it and a sign that says,“Warning: Open one week from today,only in the presence of an adult.”Activities like these build a sense ofShow students youdon’t take yourselftoo seriouslyby daring them tofind a mistake inyour lessons.wonder and curiosity in students.Show students you don’t takeyourself too seriously by daring themto find a mistake in your lessons.Insert random humorous slides intoyour media and lesson presentations,and embrace non sequiturs fromstudents and yourself. Let studentsstep into your shoes by teaching aportion of a lesson (perhaps using afamily-friendly puppet you have onhand). Or have a student emcee a unitreview game while you take a seat as a contestant.Speak with just as much enthusiasmabout your topic during 7th periodas you did in 1st period—after all, it’syour students’ first time hearing thislesson. Find ways to turn seeminglyboring material into a great romanceor heroic drama. Get manipulativesinto students’ hands, and ask themto build physical models of abstractand intangible things (justice, algebra,metaphor, or genetics).Ask students to think creatively byranking a cantaloupe, a beach ball,a suitcase, and a copy of the MagnaCarta in order of importance to oneof the characters in a book. Or havethem compose a dialog between twopunctuation marks about who’s moreimportant. Make learning fun foryourself and your students wheneveryou can.And One Bonus HabitAll these habits together create afeeling of emotional wellness, but theyare habits, not incidents. Like musclesthat atrophy in disuse, these habitshave to be used frequently to achieveemotional health benefits.Fortunately, as we practice theseseven habits, we discover an eighthhabit, perhaps the most important:Self-renew. We need to consider whichelements are ineffective and need to bedropped from our practice, what weneed to change, and how to generatehope for today’s students and ourprofession. Taking this time to renewwhenever we can will enable us tomove forward in positive ways.Stephen Covey declared that ourcharacter is the composite of ourhabits. Let us then compose virtuousaffective habits that will ensure thesuccess of the next generation. ELReferencesCovey, S. (1989). The seven habits of highlyeffective people. New York: Free Press.Guskey, T. H. (2013). The case againstpercentage grades. EducationalLeader ship, 71(1), 68–72.Seaver, E. P. (1895). Eighteenth annualreport of the superintendent of publicschools of the City of Boston (SchoolDocument no. 3). Boston: Rockwell andChurchill, City Printers.Senechal, D. (2013, November 15).Turning our attention toward interesting things [blog post]. Retrievedfrom Diana Senechal: On Education andOther Things at http://dianasenechal . rd-interesting-thingsWormeli, R. (2013). Take time foryourself—and for learning. EducationalLeadership, 70(9), 14–19.Wormeli, R. (2014). Teacher coach:Teachers’ intellectual lives. AMLE Magazine, 1(9), 39–40.Rick Wormeli (rwormeli@cox.net) isa longtime classroom teacher turnedwriter and education consultant andtrainer. He is the author of several books,including Summarization in Any Subject(ASCD, 2004) and The Collected Writings(So Far) of Rick Wormeli (AMLE, 2014).Follow him on Twitter @ r ickwormeli2.ASCD /w w w . ascd . o r g15
habits. Borrowing and modifying the premise from Stephen Covey (1989), let’s explore the seven habits of highly affective teachers. 1 Find joy in others’ success. Climbing the mountain ourselves and resting at the top while others struggle below isn’t the goal; getting everyone to the
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Le genou de Lucy. Odile Jacob. 1999. Coppens Y. Pré-textes. L’homme préhistorique en morceaux. Eds Odile Jacob. 2011. Costentin J., Delaveau P. Café, thé, chocolat, les bons effets sur le cerveau et pour le corps. Editions Odile Jacob. 2010. Crawford M., Marsh D. The driving force : food in human evolution and the future.
Le genou de Lucy. Odile Jacob. 1999. Coppens Y. Pré-textes. L’homme préhistorique en morceaux. Eds Odile Jacob. 2011. Costentin J., Delaveau P. Café, thé, chocolat, les bons effets sur le cerveau et pour le corps. Editions Odile Jacob. 2010. 3 Crawford M., Marsh D. The driving force : food in human evolution and the future.
