Often, especially when first beginning the process of collaboratively focusing upon the diverse needs of students, participants can become discouraged if they focus on factors largely outside of their control. In our experience, we’ve heard this fear manifested in comments such as “What can we do if his parents refuse to ever read with him at home?” “You know, he’s always 20 minutes late every day, missing important instructional time.” “He’s playing on three different sports teams – no wonder he can’t complete any assignments.” and so on.
When staff members place an inordinate amount of their focus on such factors, a feeling of hopelessness takes over and we resign ourselves to “fighting a losing battle.” Instead, school leaders must focus on what teachers in schools can control – after all, we typically have more than six hours a day to make a difference, which is monumental in relation to student learning.
Consider leading your staff team in a discussion regarding
- What is outside of our control (we can’t do anything about it)
- What could we influence (i.e. “Student forgets homework” – we could call home to have parents help remind the student, although this may or may not be effective)
- What can we control (i.e. “Student can’t read the textbook” – we purchase or create an audio version)
The purpose of this conversation is two-fold. First, it allows us to “let go” of things outside our control. Why waste our energy discussing or attempting to address things outside our control? Second, it highlights a number of things we do have control over; and, these are where we should be placing our energies. Specifically, we put energy into reasons for lack of student success that are completely within our control. By engaging in this discussion, it can serve as a powerful reminder to staff that we are in control of a great deal and can make a monumental difference once we recognize and act on what we can control.
Adapted from pages 127-128 of the book Collaborative Response: Three Foundational Components That Transform How We Respond to the Needs of Learners
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Sample developed by Clairmont Community School (Peace Wapiti Public School Division)
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