Lesson from the Fire Truck: Choose one of the lessons from the fire service that apply to education and write about why this lesson is importantfor you, for you students, and/or for your colleagues.
When the bell rings (fire or school) we have to be ready for game time. As teachers, we have each others back and support each other in the ups and downs. In a small school, we sometimes team teach and definitely bounce ideas off of eachother. It is important for us to show the kids the camaraderie and how important working together is. We set the example for them and also expect teamwork in our class. We need to teach the students to have each others back as well. When one student has an "emergency" (could be coming from a bad situation at home, etc) we need to let the students know it is ok to help that student with encouraging words or a friendly smile. If we don't have our colleagues back, we are definitely not going to have our students backs!
The lesson that really sits heavy with me is team work. I find too often we try to change education with just one person. We need a team and a team with the same goals. When the whole staff works together for common goals, I feel we truly could change the culture for our students and be the best school we can be.
I we cannot get the whole staff, then start with departments. Have same goals, best practices for students and overall assessment goals. If a department is strong then the relief of easy and hard teachers is eliminated.
I strongly believe each lesson from the fire truck is equally important for an impactful and success educator. However, the one that stands out the most would be teamwork and camaraderie. When I was teaching, we were a team of three in our "pod" and the friendship and togetherness that we had was extremely powerful for us, and most importantly for our students. We shared our three classes as the students would rotate. All three of us teachers were always on the same page with content, expectations, consequences, pretty much everything. This made our days so much easier, as we also always had each other to lean on for questions or advice. We always had each other's backs and the students knew that. This helped us be better educators and role models for our students as well. Our "togetherness" made our team successful and our students school year a success as well.
One lesson from the fire service that really applies to School Counselors and those working in education is the importance of staying calm and flexible in high-pressure situations. I appreciate this because, as we often say in our office, we work like firefighters, having to put out whatever comes our way. Flexibility in our schedules is incredibly important, and being prepared for a variety of scenarios that could arise at any moment is something we must do in School Counseling. Of course, not the same, but similar to what firefighters do, in different ways. When students come to us with urgent or sometimes emergency situations, we must remain calm. It’s our job as School Counselors to provide support, encouragement, empathy, and attentive listening while helping students find the best solution for their situation. This lesson reminds me that adaptability, and a steady mindset are essential, not only in our effectiveness, but also as we created a safe and responsive environment for students and in supporting my colleagues in the same way.
Teamwork and camardie is something that plays a part every single day. We have got to figure out the best way to work together for our students and their families. We all should be working on goals that have been established and not be afraid to ask others a manner in which to get to the goal. I am constantly looking for new lessons or changing ideas from one class to the next in order to make a lesson run more effectively. I know that corrective feedback is a helpful component to learning and growing. I am always flexible with my schedule when I can be, too. When classes get invited to different programs or events in the community over the time I am to have the class, I try to change times. I know that they are also flexible and will work with me if my schedule of a sudden changes due to an emergency situation or a call to another building.
I feel that if people start to divide and have an us versus them mentality and it can really put a damper on the culture and climate of a building. I try to maintain neutrality and work with everyone in the same manner as I am about what will work for the student. I do not want to get involved in “drama” as that takes away from the mission of the school.
Teamwork & Camaraderie is crucial in school leadership by driving students and improving student and teacher performance. Working together allows schools to move faster towards common goals. Working together gains deeper insights into student's strengths, weaknesses and learning styles. This understanding helps teacher methods to help personalize learning experiences for each student.
The lesson from the fire service that is important to me is decision-making. With the group of students I have in my classroom, the scenarios can change on a dime and I need the support of both my boss and the administrator to have my back when I have to make a decisions in the moment, to allow my classroom to get back on track. I also need to allow my students to make course correction, right or wrong when they are having a melt down. I need to teach them to make this decision without the approval from me. As for my colleagues we need to allows all of us to make those snap decisions in the middle of an emergency without question asked.
When the bell rings (fire or school) we have to be ready for game time. As teachers, we have each others back and support each other in the ups and downs. In a small school, we sometimes team teach and definitely bounce ideas off of eachother. It is important for us to show the kids the camaraderie and how important working together is. We set the example for them and also expect teamwork in our class. We need to teach the students to have each others back as well. When one student has an "emergency" (could be coming from a bad situation at home, etc) we need to let the students know it is ok to help that student with encouraging words or a friendly smile. If we don't have our colleagues back, we are definitely not going to have our students backs!
ReplyDeleteThe lesson that really sits heavy with me is team work. I find too often we try to change education with just one person. We need a team and a team with the same goals. When the whole staff works together for common goals, I feel we truly could change the culture for our students and be the best school we can be.
ReplyDeleteI we cannot get the whole staff, then start with departments. Have same goals, best practices for students and overall assessment goals. If a department is strong then the relief of easy and hard teachers is eliminated.
I strongly believe each lesson from the fire truck is equally important for an impactful and success educator. However, the one that stands out the most would be teamwork and camaraderie. When I was teaching, we were a team of three in our "pod" and the friendship and togetherness that we had was extremely powerful for us, and most importantly for our students. We shared our three classes as the students would rotate. All three of us teachers were always on the same page with content, expectations, consequences, pretty much everything. This made our days so much easier, as we also always had each other to lean on for questions or advice. We always had each other's backs and the students knew that. This helped us be better educators and role models for our students as well. Our "togetherness" made our team successful and our students school year a success as well.
ReplyDeleteOne lesson from the fire service that really applies to School Counselors and those working in education is the importance of staying calm and flexible in high-pressure situations. I appreciate this because, as we often say in our office, we work like firefighters, having to put out whatever comes our way. Flexibility in our schedules is incredibly important, and being prepared for a variety of scenarios that could arise at any moment is something we must do in School Counseling. Of course, not the same, but similar to what firefighters do, in different ways.
ReplyDeleteWhen students come to us with urgent or sometimes emergency situations, we must remain calm. It’s our job as School Counselors to provide support, encouragement, empathy, and attentive listening while helping students find the best solution for their situation. This lesson reminds me that adaptability, and a steady mindset are essential, not only in our effectiveness, but also as we created a safe and responsive environment for students and in supporting my colleagues in the same way.
Teamwork and camardie is something that plays a part every single day. We have got to figure out the best way to work together for our students and their families. We all should be working on goals that have been established and not be afraid to ask others a manner in which to get to the goal. I am constantly looking for new lessons or changing ideas from one class to the next in order to make a lesson run more effectively. I know that corrective feedback is a helpful component to learning and growing. I am always flexible with my schedule when I can be, too. When classes get invited to different programs or events in the community over the time I am to have the class, I try to change times. I know that they are also flexible and will work with me if my schedule of a sudden changes due to an emergency situation or a call to another building.
ReplyDeleteI feel that if people start to divide and have an us versus them mentality and it can really put a damper on the culture and climate of a building. I try to maintain neutrality and work with everyone in the same manner as I am about what will work for the student. I do not want to get involved in “drama” as that takes away from the mission of the school.
Teamwork & Camaraderie is crucial in school leadership by driving students and improving student and teacher performance. Working together allows schools to move faster towards common goals. Working together gains deeper insights into student's strengths, weaknesses and learning styles. This understanding helps teacher methods to help personalize learning experiences for each student.
ReplyDeleteThe lesson from the fire service that is important to me is decision-making. With the group of students I have in my classroom, the scenarios can change on a dime and I need the support of both my boss and the administrator to have my back when I have to make a decisions in the moment, to allow my classroom to get back on track. I also need to allow my students to make course correction, right or wrong when they are having a melt down. I need to teach them to make this decision without the approval from me. As for my colleagues we need to allows all of us to make those snap decisions in the middle of an emergency without question asked.
ReplyDelete