The sun is shining and a new day has begun. The teacher centers herself before the
students arrive, preparing her body, mind, and spirit for the day ahead. She has a keen awareness of herself and realizes each day must begin with a
specific routine; otherwise she feels disconcerted. She begins by assessing her energy level to
determine what she needs before the day begins.
She prepares her material prior to class, but uses the morning to
prepare mentally for the day ahead. She
also takes a quiet moment before the students arrive to consider what their
needs may be and how she may come alongside and serve them. She is the servant teacher.
She was hired to teach the pullout program for her
neighborhood gifted program. The
students in her gifted classroom spend one full day a week with her for
enrichment opportunities. She has both
an educational background and experience in serving gifted students. Thanks to her education, her experience, and
the wisdom of her Personal Learning Network made up of gifted educators, she
realizes that best practices in gifted education can benefit all students. Her school provides her with instructional
support, but she wants the school to adopt her ideas throughout the district
because she wholeheartedly believes an educational revolution is needed to
change the hearts and minds of both teachers and students. She believes that continuing to plant seeds
with hope and intention will cause other teachers to notice she is doing
something differently and ask how they can do the same in their classrooms.
She knows the students as she knows herself, and she is in
tune with their individual needs. She
keeps detailed notes on each child are in her computer, and they are accessible
to her from anywhere. She has data on
the students’ unique interests and aptitudes, strengths and weaknesses, and
learning and personality profiles. This
allows her to conceptualize the
learners in order to meet them where they are in the learning process. She has been with this particular group for several
years now and has built a relationship with their families. She has a history with these families based
on mutual trust and respect. Parents trust her as a steward of their child's time, space, and resources; she takes this
responsibility to heart. She is the
families’ ally in the educational
journey.
The teacher moves through the space in her classroom. Like an architect,
she has designed each space with a different purpose in mind. As she passes through the classroom, she
makes sure to flip on the power stations to make sure that all of her computer
and audio-visual equipment is ready to go.
Next, she visits each unique area to be sure the proper tools are in
their places so students have the materials they need in order to do their
work. She notices that the printer needs
to be refilled and that the art supply station could use more construction
paper. Like most students, gifted
students thrive on order in their environment, and she is mindful of that when
she “zens” the classroom, her way of purposefully preparing the space so
everything is in its place. The
classroom space speaks volumes, and she wants to be sure it is free of
distractions when students arrive. She
adds a few apples and oranges to the fruit bowl, and the room is ready for the
day.
She is aware
that she must create spaces to meet the wide variety of learning styles within
her classroom. There are formal learning
areas with conference-style seating as well as informal learning areas with
soft, movable spaces that students can enjoy alone or with others. The spaces are suited to meet individual
learning styles, projects requirements, and moods. The teacher realizes that gifted students,
especially students in the profoundly gifted range, tend to be introverted and
need quiet spaces to rejuvenate, and that they sometimes just prefer to work
alone.
The teacher prepares the content prior to the students’
arrival in class. She is aware of each
student’s learning contract, and she aggregates
content that she will either push out to the students or offer as direct
instruction. She trusts that students
will also pull in their own information as their independent study projects
move forward. Students have the
necessary training to find the resources they need in order to move through the
independent study process systematically.
The teacher has a large personal learning network she can access when a
student’s needs move beyond her own expertise.
She is masterful in her ability to connect her students with
passion-area experts.
Although students arrive at different times throughout the
morning, the teacher builds community
by greets each student by name with warmth and enthusiasm. Students are valued for who they are, not for
what they can offer the classroom. The
teacher knows her students better than she knows her own content area. She recognizes the tired looks on the faces
of the students who are night owls and worked late into the night on their
projects; she sees those early risers who probably made progress before arriving
at school this morning. She understands
their strengths and weaknesses, and teaches to their strengths whenever
possible. She knows that gifted students
flourish when they are encouraged to focus on their strength areas. She empathizes
with the self doubt of one young man and offers encouragement and reminds him
of past successes as he prepares to seek reelection in the upcoming assembly
later that day. “Ren, remember when you
conquered your public speaking fear and presented your findings to the school
board? That is evidence that you have
what it takes to present your campaign materials confidently at the upcoming
assembly.” Her students trust her to
believe in them, even when they do not always believe in themselves.
The teacher understands her own weaknesses and humbly asks
students to help her grow in those areas.
“Riley, could you please show me how you are using Tumblr for your
blog? You are using it in creative ways
that I have experienced before.” She
learns as much from her students as they learn from her, and they appreciate
her noticing their unique skills and abilities.
Students enter the secure space and prepare for the day by
choosing their work, deciding what goals they would like to set for themselves
based on their individualized learning contract, and choosing the tools they
need to reach those goals. The teacher
provides a high level of autonomy in
the classroom. Students are energized by
the choices before them. For some, this
might mean firing up their Mac and working on their iMovie. Others might be gathered around a surface
computing device, learning anatomy by pulling back the layers of skin on the
virtual cadaver they are controlling with the touch screen. Small groups of students might be storyboarding
an idea on the wall-to-wall whiteboard space, capturing their ideas in both
words and pictures. Individual students
may be reading from a book or an e-reader, or listening to the latest podcast
by an expert who shares their passion.
Students may access a variety of tools based on their individual
learning styles, the learning requirements, or their mood when they walk
through the classroom doors. For all
students, the resources aggregated by
the teacher and brought forward to the students, means unrestricted access and
complete autonomy within the learning
architecture the teacher has built.
As the students work, the servant teacher seamlessly
glides around the classroom, quietly listening
to needs expressed through both words and actions. She checks in with students about where they
are on the learning continuum, because many of them have moved further along in
the project between the time they left school and arrived back again this
morning. This empathetic presence demonstrates a deep understanding of the gifted
child and expresses appreciation for the curiosity and wonder they bring to
every learning experience. “Grace, you
are on the right track. Your layout is visually pleasing, the content is easy
to follow, and the graphics in your invitation pop. You may want to add some vocal spice by
adding a sound bite to your invitation.
You have a beautiful voice and it might add that extra something that
you feel is missing. Let me know if I
can help.” The teacher is fully present
when students need her, offering specific feedback on their work. Her presence is calming and her encouragement
authentic.
She is masterful at guiding students to the appropriate
tool for the job. Like a builder, she
realizes that a framing hammer would be a better option than a sledgehammer in
situations that require more precision.
She gently persuades students
to consider the best tool for the job at hand — which may or may not involve
the use of technology.
By mid-morning all of the students have arrived, and they gather
for a morning meeting. This generally
takes place in one of the soft spaces around the classroom. The meeting consists of the group members’
reconnecting with one another and sharing any particular needs, challenges, or
successes they have. This sacred time is
a chance for the group to build community.
At times, the morning meetings become a place of healing because classroom culture
promotes authenticity, genuine caring, and respect for every student. The teacher encourages the healing process, perhaps healing brokenness in students caused by
years of feeling alienated and radically different from their age-appropriate
peers. The students know when to speak
and when to listen. They are trained in
the art of listening from a young
age; that knowledge comes from a shared commitment to active listening that is promoted both at
school and at home. The students value this
process because it is through listening
that they truly understand those around them, and they are truly understood.
The teacher listens
to the students’ words as well as their body language. When the students are ready, she shifts the
conversation from one of healing to
one of action. Students share their action plans and commit to their
accountability partners for check-in time later that day. The volume in the classroom during the
morning meeting is like a wave, and when the wave hits the crest, the maximum
point of positive energy before it comes crashing down, she celebrates their
time together with high-fives all around and turns on a familiar song that
signals to the class that they are ready to move back into independent study.
Gifted students are more different from one another than
they are alike, but in their gifted class, they can likely find an intellectual
peer with a shared affinity. Students
are independent workers, but they are also interdependent with others within
the classroom community. The more experienced students help the less
experienced students, and that interchange is different from project to
project. These interchanges are evident
during the work time. The gifted
scientist may help the struggling artist when they are studying anatomy, but
the artist might become the mentor when they create sketches of the various
organs. Every member of the community,
including the teacher, contributes their unique gifts and talents to others
within their sphere of influence. They
are committed to each other’s growth.
Not only does the teacher see the big picture, but she
also has the foresight to be mindful
of where children are on their learning continuum and where they need to
go. She offers wisdom to move them along
the learning journey toward greatness by encouraging them to build on their
unique strengths, rather than focusing on their weaknesses. She notices a
younger boy needs inspiration to take a difficult step required to move his
project to the next level. She gently
touches his shoulder and points up to the banner on the wall above them. “Talon, look up and reflect on the quote by
Harriet Tubman as I read it to you. ‘Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the
passion to reach for the stars to change the world.’ I know you can do this.” While nurturing the student’s gifts, the
servant teacher encourages the child to dream great dreams and begins to help conceptualize the picture of unrealized
potential.
Throughout the day, the teacher manages the content
delivery to her students. If direct
instruction is needed on a particular topic area, students have choices, so
they can pull the information in a form that best supports their learning
style. For instance, Grace needs to know
how to mail merge her invitation and send it to her audience. As a visual learner, she can access the screencast
her teacher recorded last week with step-by-step directions on how to complete
the mail merge.
The teacher also has the capability of pushing the
information to individual or small groups of students based on student
needs. For instance, Ren and Riley both
need to know how to capture their audiences’ attention with a strong opening
paragraph. Their teacher realizes that
their projects are completely different, but at this moment they both need
exactly the same content.
The boys are encouraged to move to a space in the
classroom where they can interact with one another comfortably, and the teacher
pushes to their mobile device a podcast outlining how to grab a reader’s
attention, followed by practice scenarios for mastering the skill. Directly following the podcast, the boys
practice together using the scenarios provided.
Finally, they craft their opening paragraphs for the content areas they
are working on. The teacher understands
that hands-on learners need a safe place to practice before creating their
content. Once they are confident, Ren
writes his opening lines on his notecard, and Riley transfers his ideas
directly into his blog with the option of turning his content into a podcast of
his own.
Finally, the teacher would like to push a live lesson to
the entire group. “Class, I realize that
all of you have plans for posting your projects to the class wiki. There is no need to move; please just take
out your personal device or move to an area where you are connected, and I will
walk us through the process.” For
students out of earshot due to illness or travel, this message comes in a text
format over their mobile devices. The
servant teacher understands that her learners may need to access this content
again when it is time for them to upload their projects. She uploads the content from today’s lesson
into an online library of resources that are housed in a permanent location in
the cloud.
The servant teacher understands the needs for frequent
breaks and is adaptable based on the
needs of her students. Although there is
not an established time for rest in the classroom, students can take breaks
when they need them. Some students take
a much-needed break from their work to enjoy lunch, while others prefer a
working lunch. The schedule is based on
each student’s individual needs, which change from day to day, month to month,
and grade to grade.
The afternoon continues in much the same way it began,
with the teacher managing the ebb and flow of content and the students driving
the learning based on their skill, ability, and energy level. The teacher realizes that for a short time,
she has been tasked with the great honor and responsibility of stewarding these gifts and helping each
child reach his or her full potential.
This teacher pushes students to practice critical and creative thinking,
uses higher-order thinking skills to solve problems, and seeks out information
through inquiry. She encourages students
to take risks, make mistakes, and seek innovative solutions to problems. The students are ultimately responsible for
the learning, while the servant teacher is responsive to every student.
Like a train engineer, a wise teacher realizes it is very
difficult to stop a moving train, and a lot of energy is required to get it
moving again. It is much more effective
to slow it down or speed it up when needed.
Ultimately, keeping this type of learning train at a constant speed
requires the least amount of energy.
Keeping students at a constant speed throughout the day requires a fluid
connectedness between the content areas and the elimination of
distractions. Hard stops, like breaks
between classes or long periods of teacher-driven instruction, can disrupt the
students’ state of flow. Flow is present
when a student is free of distraction and has ample time to work on an area of
passion in an environment conducive to learning. Flow is the state of learning the servant
teacher strives to create for each student.
Students say their goodbyes throughout the course of the
afternoon, and the school day is over.
The teacher feels rejuvenated even though her day was full because the
school provides her with trained educational support personnel supporting her
throughout the day by joining her in the classroom and enabling her to rest
when needed. She understands that in
order to give to her students fully, she must take care of herself first.
With another day behind her, she takes a few moments to
reflect on her day, jot down important notes about where students are in the
learning process and what the next steps may look like, and note the things she
is grateful for: her students and their families, her school, and her ability
to serve. These are all precious gifts
to the servant teacher.
This classroom is far from traditional. Students are not bound by time, as is
evidenced in the structure of the beginning and the end of the day, which is
based on the needs of the students. The
content is student-driven, and projects are chosen by the students. Students are encouraged to work on real-world
problems that require critical and creative thinking. Rather than discussing an imminent collision
of Train A and Train B both leaving the station at 3:15 p.m. and traveling at
60MPH, students are on a collision course for autonomous learning and are
served up by a teacher who listens,
heals, empathizes, understands, conceptualizes, plans, stewards, commits,
builds a community, and provides tools and training that empower students
to arrive at their desired destination — on time and ready for the next leg of
the journey of life. This is the life of
a servant teacher.
