Rally Caps

So I didn't learn about the concept of a rally cap until I was at least in college, maybe even later.  I understood what rallying behind someone meant, so I kind of understood the central point, but when I saw the baseball players turn their hats inside out and backwards, I was more than a little confused.

Once I figured it out (or was told about it by either my friend Stuart or my husband, can't remember who), I started using the phrase frequently.  I think sometimes it feels more appropriate to talk about rallying from behind rather than "never giving up."  Because sometimes, honestly, we do give up a bit.  Not altogether, hands in the air and bounce, but we tell ourselves that we will get back to that "tomorrow," which often turns into next month, or sometimes, never.  We'd all love to be the one who says they don't have to rally, but we'd also be lying to ourselves.

Teachers, I feel like, experience more trouble with losing steam and having to rally than most.  We get extended breaks from work in between school years and we rest, recuperate and dream of what we are going to do next.  We get so excited about books we've read and changes we want to make.  Some of us even daydream about a period in our "new" classes and all the magical learning that is taking place in our heads.  And we start school with a work-adrenaline that helps us ride high through the first weeks of school, in blissful ignorance of the same old responsibilities that are slowly mounting.

Then it happens.  Our shiny new strategy or activity looks duller.  We can't plan for the next one because of the meetings or paperwork, or other school functions that demand our attention.  We say we'll definitely get back to it because we think it's important.  Then we move its priority down a little bit in our list for the other things we don't enjoy as much.   And there's that week of chaos, of altered school schedules, or a particular class of students who are struggling to get through the content quickly enough.  so so tired.


The inner struggle is real.  The lull that happens in your innovative instruction is real.  Your frustration with your job and all the things you want to do but can't is real.  But it doesn't have to derail your mission. Just put on your rally cap.

Rally caps help you acknowledge that you are slipping some, that things aren't going exactly like you feel like they should be in your room.  Usually it's because of the myriad of things you have employed in your room that the time in the day doesn't allow for.  But the thing I think is important about rally caps is that they show your willingness and drive to come back from being down.  It's one thing to say "woe is me, my class isn't working the way I want it to," but it's quite another to say, "it's not okay right now, but it's going to be."  It reminds me of a conversation many of us in my district had this past Friday about teacher agency.  You are the one in your room with the power to make the changes needed to see your vision come to fruition.  So it's up to you to decide when it's rally time.


Once the cap is firmly in place, backwards and inside out, it's time to prioritize somethings.  Look at all the things you have going on in class, and the reasons why you do them.  Look at the things that conflict and how you can h
elp them conflict less.  Look for how you can decrease the frequency of things you do so that you can continue to do them all, if their "why" is important enough for you.  Look for things that may need to happen now  so your days can flow more smoothly later.  It's okay to invest time early on in something that will make life easier as you go.

The biggest thing about rally caps though, I think, is that it's a reminder, both for others and for yourself, that you aren't giving up.  What you're fighting for is too important to lose heart over or to quit.  So don't let the lack of time, or pressure of other responsibilities take you away from why you're doing it.  It's time to rally like the Cleveland Indians* in 2001, so let's get to it.

*Yes I had to look that up.  In 2001, Cleveland came back from a 12 run deficit to beat Seattle 15-14 in 11 innings.

Turn and face the strange... ch ch changes

    Over the last year or two, I really stepped up my game in professional development attendance.  I wanted to get involved more in the process of change, because I had felt for a long time that some changes were necessary for our students to start experiencing more successes.  And in all the sessions I've attended on changing our vision of education, all the conversations with like-minded or semi-like-minded individuals, I often don't hear one point that I feel is pivotal--control.

    It is a fact that life is never certain.  It feels especially unpredictable right now, which causes us as humans to desire something concrete and tangible, something stable.  For teachers, it is most definitely their classroom.  No matter what is happening around the world, or what we or our students may be facing once they leave our building, when they are with us, we run the show and provide their education.  We need that structure.  And we tell ourselves that our students need that structure too.  They come from all kinds of situations, some of which are absolutely heartbreaking or tumultuous, and so they need the constancy of coming into our class and following a routine.



   And there is something to be said about students--children--needing structure.  We know that helps when they are learning how to interact socially with peers or understand the demands in a learning environment.  A routine can be helpful for them all through their years in education and beyond.  And goodness knows it helps us as well, because, real talk, "adulting" is hard y'all.  So it's totally understandable that teachers would want to ensure a solid and somewhat rigid framework is involved in their educational practice.  Even if you don't agree with the way education has been in the past, it is hard to compel yourself to change, when the underpinnings of the system were established for what we felt like was the good of the kids.

   The thing is, it is possible to do a great many more student-centered things in your classroom while maintaining organization for your kids.  We don't have to view student choice and classroom structure as mutually exclusive.  Students can feel safe and secure in your room, even if it sometimes feels noisy and disheveled.  But coming to this realization and accepting it is tough because it feels so backwards from what we are used to.  It's always difficult to change a mindset.  Something emotionally, mentally, or physically demanding often precedes a massive shift.  Many times, though, even through the struggle, we feel some sort of fulfillment with our new outlook.

     But you know what?  Not one of us has time for a huge, daunting, possibly terrifying change of ethos.  We have too many students, too many meetings, too much paperwork.  In homage to Elaine on Seinfeld, we "haven't a square to spare" of our time on something like student choice, especially when we as educators know our content better than students.  I mean, they're children, amiright?

    They are just kids, but I swear they are some smart and creative cookies.  They are resilient, funny, and full of initiative to make things around them better and brighter.  They want to make positive change, and any assumption to the contrary is our fault.  To be honest, I think we need to be more like them in some ways.  And we as teachers, definitely, at the very least, need to give them a chance to show us their capability.

   When we talk about students needing structure, we really just mean that they need clear instructions, goals, and parameters.  We do not have to be the "all-brilliant giver of knowledge."  Frankly we could ask them just about any question under the sun and they could get an answer for us.  (Their resourcefulness and access to knowledge via technology is downright impressive.)  So why not help them harness that talent, and do so in a way that does not make us feel like we are losing all authority of our classroom?

   You can experiment with all types of student-centered and student-driven learning ideas.  Project based learning, Genius Hour, self-monitoring, interest-based learning, there are so many ways to go.  But there is one checklist-type question that should be addressed with every one: do you have in place expectations for your classroom that are consistently adhered to by all, yourself included?  If you have clear procedures in your room that are continuously monitored, then the activities types don't really matter, because you students will value those expectations just like you do.

   Now I am not preaching here.  It is incredibly hard to relinquish freedom to students.  We are filled with "what ifs" about it.  What if it turns into chaos?  What if the lesson or project goes wrong?  What if my colleagues get upset with noise levels?  What if parents complain?  What if my Principal comes in and sees what he/she thinks is chaos?  The truth is those are real, though unlikely, possibilities.  Even if they did, though, a change like this is in the best interest of students.  You are making them better learners, better people, and that's an argument that no one could refute.

  I really don't know if I've made a case for you or not.  I hope I have given you enough reassurance to try something.  It is truly an amazing thing watching a student take charge of some aspect of their learning.  Their pride fills me with pride.  Education is not a bed of roses, but it's worth it for moments like that.