"Teachers work hard, but they're not surgeons"
Just a reminder that I won’t send my weekly email this week. We’ll pick back up after the holidays on Dec 31st. However, I will send my Semesterly PD email this Sunday!
Hi there,
My buddy Steve is pretty good at home improvement. I call him occasionally and ask him for advice on cement work or to borrow a tool. He’s also a Blazer fan and likes to explore Oregon forests with his family on weekends. Not much about him seems unique at first glance.
He also happens to be a world-class surgeon.
It’s sometimes hard to imagine him being so good at what he does because we don’t really talk about it much. Our conversations focus on everyday topics … house stuff, family stuff … that sort of thing.
But during the week, he’s quite simply a hero.
He works in the neo-natal ICU and operates on premature babies. More specifically, he’s an expert in lung development in tiny, little bodies. He’s been through med school, a prestigious fellowship, and remains one of the only people in our state that can do what he does.
I’ve learned from Steve and a few others that top-notch professionals usually aren’t very braggy about it. They don’t lead with their profession when they’re at the pub.
But when people start asking questions and discover what Steve does, the perception of him changes. He goes from being just another guy in a flannel shirt to someone who can manage a real crisis. He’s admired for his rare and precious skill. And rightly so.
Most of you know that my day job involves interviewing ridiculously good teachers. I either seek them out on my own or work with school districts to identify their top instructors.
I’m fortunate enough to sit down with these individuals for an extended time and ask hundreds of questions. I get into the weeds of what they do. Deep into the weeds.
Through hundreds of hours working with some of the best educators in the country, I’ve realized that many of these folks are as specialized and skilled at their job as my buddy Steve is at his.
Some of you may say, “Well, of course that’s the case.” And others will no doubt protest, “That’s ridiculous. Teachers work hard, but they’re not surgeons.”
To both parties, I’d clarify that I’m talking about elite instructors. It’s dangerous to suggest that “every teacher is amazing.” Because the honest truth is that teaching is hard, and excellence doesn’t come without a lot of work. To claim that all teachers are already great should be a little insulting.
It also diminishes the fact that there are some genuinely world-class great teachers out there. I’m talking about the top five percent or so. And, make no mistake, they’re the teacher equivalent of a premie lung surgeon.
So, how would you know if you have one of these teachers on your staff?
Well, if you have one, you probably know it. But that may not actually be the right question. The truth is many teachers are on their way to becoming exceptional. They’re already good, and they’re getting better every day.
What we should be asking is, “How can my teachers keep getting better?”
Will they reach the top five percent? Probably not. But they might make it to the top twenty percent. And that would translate into an incredible impact on students.
So, how do we do it? How do we help teachers progress toward mastery?
There are a lot of answers to that question. But one often-overlooked strategy is to defer to our promising teachers as experts.
The big difference between the highly-esteemed physician and the unmatched instructor is recognition. You can’t get too far in a highly-specialized medical career without standing out. Not if you’re really good.
But in education, you can operate at the peak of your career without being in the spotlight. This can be especially true of educators who don’t self-promote and avoid district politics.
The really amazing teachers are not the ones with large Tik Tok followings. I promise you.
To that end, I thought I’d share this podcast episode with you. I was honored to sit down with the great Darrin Peppard and discuss this very topic. Here’s a three-minute clip on how you can honor those teachers that need a little validation. I promise this advice can inch them further along the path to greatness.
You can listen to the entire episode here.
And if you want some help identifying your really talented teachers and raising the bar with your entire staff, just reply here. I’d be happy to brainstorm with you.
Talk soon,
Mike