March Madness

Sports fan or not, it seems like everybody follows NCAA March Madness.

Some Elite Stats to ponder:
$12 Billion: Worldwide wagers on the NCAA Tournament
$1.9 Billion: Hourly wages lost to unproductive or distracted workers during the tournament
19%: Increase in Pizza orders among losing fans vs winning fans

But all this thinking about talking about March Madness got me thinking about how can I apply March Madness to Teaching.  So here are my Final Four Teaching Lessons Learned through March Madness.

1) Brackets - like teaching - are never perfect

Don't get obsess about trying to be perfect.  Accept failure as a valuable learning opportunity.  Take time to reflect on what happened and how you can improve next time.  Each year, each class, each student provides the opportunity to try again.  Practice, Practice, Practice...we are always learning and improving.  Because guess what?  Nobody picks the perfect bracket because it's essentially impossible: the odds are one in 9.2 quintillion!

2) Quality Matters

Yes, there are long shots that pull off upsets, but the truth is no 16th seed has ever defeated a No.1 seed, and no 15th seed has ever won two consecutive games.  In general, good teams, like good teachers are the best bets.

When it comes to teaching, don't just worry about getting students to pass a Post Test, focus on teaching them that understanding the concepts and Standards are how they can become successful.  

3) Don't underestimate the Underdog

Every year there is that team that is the "Cinderella of the Ball"  and the underdog that nobody picked.  The lesson here is that we can't underestimate ourselves.  Belief in yourself will help you to overcome many obstacles (#SEPJHDaresGreatly).  Find what you like to do, what you are good at and it will increase your chances of success.  No matter how big the challenge, or how far you are behind, the "Underdog" never gives up, and never loses faith.  The only way you lose in teaching and life is if you quit on yourself.

4) Social Competition

One of the greatest parts about March Madness is the Bracket Challenge.  Many conversations are had on topics ranging from: Comparing brackets, Celebrating victories, Consulting each other in defeats.  What would happen if we had these kinds of conversations about our teaching and lessons.  Teaching can not and is not an isolation occupation.  One thing I have learned this year is how much teachers need to communicate and discuss with each other.  Even the littlest thing for one teacher could be a life saver for another, and if we close our doors and keep to ourselves because we are FINE, then we are missing out on one of the greatest parts of teaching, aka the Bracket Challenge.  The joy of the Tournament!

Math Problems vs Life Problems

One week away from Spring Break, and I don't know who is more excited...the students or the staff!  Both are climbing up the walls, ready for some nicer weather and a break away from work.

But as I think about the upcoming break, (and I do feel that staff probably need it more then students maybe it's the "winter blues" but there is definitely a negative vibe in the air as we are heading into Spring Break) I can't help but wonder, if we approached our Life Problems more like Math Problems we would have a better attitude towards school and would we not want to take a Spring Break.  Like Math, if we can teach kids not to always focus so much on the problem and freak out about how complicated it LOOKS, but rather focus their attention on how to reach the solution.  When teachers do this students discover that they are capable and maybe even enjoy math.  It's that fear, which leads to a negative attitude towards math.  But if a math teacher can connect and show a student that math problems aren't the end of the world, and if broken down into simpler steps can be accomplish, that negative attitude can be converted.
So let's start teaching all teachers how to do Algebra....or using Instructional Coaches to show teachers that students aren't getting worst, education isn't falling apart.  Things may look scary and complicated, but working with an instructional coach, can show you how to break that complicated problem into simpler steps in order to gain the most out of your students and also grow and learn as a teacher and individual.  Let's start converting those NEGATIVES into POSITIVES! Turning those scary, complicated Math Problems into Great Accomplishments!