Perspective

Sue Swaim

The Importance of Being Highly Qualified and Highly Effective

August 1, 2005 is a memorable day for my husband and me. That's the day we brought home the newest member of our family: an eight-week-old yellow lab puppy we named Cody.

We had carefully selected him from the litter, attracted to his energy, curiosity, and early independence. Somehow we overlooked the fact that he was five times bigger than the other puppies.

Despite what some might have called red flags, we fell in love with Cody. We had no clue how much our lives would change in the next few months. His stubborn independence and his quick intelligence caused us to wonder more than once who really was the alpha dog in our house.

In his early days he was a chewer and nothing was safe. After he chewed up the computer flash drive that contained the final manuscript of a book my husband had just completed as well as a rather large insurance refund check he had plucked from the kitchen counter, we decided it was time to seek some dog training expertise—something we'd never done with any of our other dogs.

Luckily, we found a wise trainer who had the knowledge, skills, and patience to teach all three of us what we needed to know to enjoy a long life together.

This isn't the first time I've written about Cody. In the April 2006 issue I shared that Cody reminded me of the yellow lab whose life story is shared in a wonderful book by John Grogan entitled Marley and Me. At that time, I found myself agreeing with Mr. Grogan that even a dog has life lessons to teach us. Nearly a year later I am positive that is the case.

What's the life lesson this time? Well, Cody now weighs 105 pounds and his height and weight must put him at the top of any dog growth chart. We've watched him struggle with his lack of coordination during rapid growth spurts. His constant hunger and singular focus on finding new food sources have prompted some unique eating experiences. His curiosity, which more often than not gets him into trouble, constantly amazes us. I wish I could magically bottle the energy he expends on a good run in the woods.

And through it all he gently seeks out the quiet times with us. Cody doesn't understand that he no longer fits comfortably on our laps, he just wants to be a part of the family and please those he loves most.

Does that remind you of any young adolescents in your classroom?

I think of students whose curiosity and energy levels seemed to propel them out of their seats and off the walls, and of the young adolescent girl who waited by my office door every morning hoping for a chance to visit or do errands for me.

And, how do we respond to the unique needs and characteristics of the young adolescents we teach? We start with a good dose of patience blended with a belief that given time, every child can and will learn and succeed. We understand that it's important to really listen to what they have to tell us, to give them opportunities to follow their passions and explore the world around them within a safe and nurturing learning environment. We recognize that consistent and high expectations are what they need and that they will rise to the occasion if they believe a person cares about them.

And that brings me back to the lessons learned with Cody. We were "highly qualified" to train Cody but discovered that we weren't being "highly effective." Through some professional development we rediscovered what we knew but had ignored.

Consistent, high expectations and accountability were what this puppy needed. He wanted to please us but couldn't without clear communication from us. He also needed time to realize that our home was his safe haven. We wouldn't give up on him. Cody helped us remember these life lessons in new ways.

Highly effective middle level educators know these life lessons and put them into action every day. They value their own continuous learning and are role models for students and colleagues.

Once we have attended to these priorities, the academic growth and achievement we seek for each of our students will flourish. In the urgency of improving test scores we cannot afford to set aside our commitment to these important life lessons if we are to truly touch the learning hearts of our students.

It's a new year with new opportunities and challenges awaiting us. Now is the time to focus on how to be highly effective middle level educators.