The Truth About the Powerful Impact of Teachers

We all want to make a difference for our community and our children. That’s why we teach, lead, and coach—be that in the classroom, on the stage, or on the field.

As educators, we create opportunities for our kids. We make space for them to use their creativity to express themselves or challenge them to learn new ideas and new ways of thinking. 

We encourage them with “Yes you can!” and “Keep going, you’re doing great!” as they try harder, learn to self-regulate, breakthrough their glass ceilings, and gain more confidence.

And it is in those moments- you make a difference. And let me emphasize that point.  You DO make a difference!

Creating Opportunities is Making a Difference

You made a positive impact when you opened doors for them that they would have otherwise walked past, missing the chance to feel supported and gain confidence in newfound skills. 

“The average child in our nation spends about 6.64 hours at school, every day for 180 days a year.” 

According to https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/tables/sass0708_035_s1s.asp, the average child in our nation spends about 6.64 hours at school every day for 180 days a year. That equates to kids being at school with us for about half of the calendar year. This is not counting after-school care or extracurricular activities!

For this reason, you are one of the people who have the opportunity to open new doors for our kids. To create new environments, help them experience new territories, and encourage growth; where they are in, they can succeed and overcome challenges.

A Real-Life Story of a Man Who Is Accomplishing Great Things

Nathan Martin is a man most of you don’t know, but he has accomplished great things and is right here in Jackson, MI. Nathan finished eighth at the NYC Marathon this year.  But two years ago, he did even more. 

According to a Runner’s World article featuring Martin, Nathan crossed the finish line of the 2020 Marathon Project in 2:11:05. Not only did he improve on his 2:14:34 personal best at the COVID-adjusted race in Chandler, Arizona, but it is at this race where he became the fastest U.S.-born African American marathoner in history. 

“Being able to use the record to either impact kids or give somebody some person to look at and say, "Hey, he's achieved that. I can too,”

"The outreach of people congratulating me or saying how awesome they thought it was that I broke the record, I'm like, WOW, maybe I'm not thinking about things correctly. Maybe I need to really figure out what this record means to me," Martin told Runner's World. "Being able to use the record to either impact kids or give somebody some person to look at and say, "Hey, he's achieved that. I can too," was really awesome... Hopefully, I can continue to be someone who can inspire people". 

How an Opportunity at School Changed His Life

In middle school, after running a required timed mile, a coach suggested that Nathan go out for the cross-country team. 

This is the kind of thing coaches do every day at school. Teachers of all stripes encourage children to pursue or try something they show some interest and aptitude for. That simple comment made a difference in the trajectory of Nathan’s life.

Nathan feels blessed by the opportunities running has provided for him. You might think that winning the Olympics would be his biggest goal, but his greatest desire is to help the kids he coaches at the local high school become better runners and better people. 

How A New Trajectory is Changing a Community

Nathan is now the one creating opportunities for students as a coach and substitute teacher.  His knowledge and skills make him an inspiration to his team and a great resource.  His attitude, compassion, and empathy make him a leader that kids want to follow.  

The full impact of his presence in the Jackson District Schools is not known yet, but it is certainly noticed by parents and administrators who are paying attention.  More importantly, it is noticed by the students. Their lives will be affected by this coach and teacher, Nathan Martin, in big or small ways.

How You Make a Difference

Nathan’s story reminds us of the power of people and the impact of intentional connection and care. Who can measure the value of creating a new friend, finding a special interest, or overcoming fear by trying something that seems difficult?  The opportunity to grow is presented daily.

Successful goal completion is one way you provide opportunities that build confidence and teach patience.  It all starts with presenting new doors to them, encouraging them to step forward through the ones that excite them and try the ones they are uncertain about. 

So continue to create opportunities and encourage kids to participate. Make it fun, make it challenging. Reach out and suggest new options for their sake. It makes all the difference.

Three Reasons We Do Things The Hard Way

 

“When we’re accustomed to doing things the hard way it’s like being blinded by the glare coming off the water”--Greg McKeown in “Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most”

 Does the glare blind you? Do you keep up the same routine tasks because you can’t quite see the big picture?  

 As instructors responsible for teaching our youth, we want to do things the right way. Most of us have not thought about it, but in the book quoted above, the author claims that we are confusing “the hard way” with “the right way.”  

 Why do we do that?

 These three misconceptions, or illusions our brains like to believe, give us a glimpse at the underlying causes.

1. There is a subconscious belief that doing things the right way means hard work and long work hours. Given that basic assumption, we never consider the idea that we can get the same outcome (which is the goal, right?) with much less effort.
2. Another way the brain tricks us is the idea that “we can’t afford to” do something that would make life easier. This belief ignores the vital idea that our time is valuable. The hours we spend grinding it out week after week have a cost. Could you choose to use your budget in a way that allows you to spend where you don’t think you can? Or would it be worth going to a few local businesses and asking for help, in exchange for a sponsorship, maybe? Or even worth spending less on that daily latte? We tend to see everything as either/or, and usually, many options allow us to reach our goal.
3. Finally, changing the way we do something requires us to learn new technology (assuming this is the opportunity to make things easier). You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. There are tons of solutions involving tech that can streamline your activities. Still, any tech we are unfamiliar with feels intimidating. However, all good apps and programs have lots of information on the web (Google?), in their knowledgebase of articles, and often have customer service that will walk you through getting past the unknowns. Good companies want to help you succeed, take advantage of the framework they make available.

If we aren’t thoughtful and purposeful, our brain will keep telling us to do things “the hard way.”

 

 What tasks or processes take up too much of your time that you could streamline?

A Reading Teachers' Motivational Tool

An Interview with Tina Slater, a Special Education Teacher

Name: Tina Slater

Position Title: Special Education Teacher

Grades: Fourth and Fifth Grades

School Name: Onsted Elementary School

Years Teaching: 27 years

Current Subjects: Reading, Math and Writing

How do you use tokens from Fitness Finders in your reading classroom?

In my reading resource classroom, students are awarded tokens after reading a leveled chapter book. Students are reading their chapter book 10-15 minutes each day so it can take 8-12 days to complete a book. During reading, the student and I talk about the text and I listen to them read. When the book is complete, we meet to talk about the book and their reading success. During this time I present a token to commemorate their accomplishment. 

 

How do you choose which tokens to use?

When selecting the token to award, I try to match the token with the book the student has just completed. I have a variety of animals, and objects to choose from. When students completed a book about Knights, I awarded them a key and a compass — which were two important objects from the Knights Quest. They were thrilled! Sometimes it can be more difficult to make a match - in those cases I may use the question mark token and make a connection with the predictions students made during reading or their use expression when reading aloud. 

 

How do you distribute tokens?

Tokens are presented by me to students in a private ceremony. I actually make a big deal when presenting the token and make a mini speech calling out the achievements the students made while reading the book and making connections between their reading success and the token. I am conferencing (video) with the student, but I am aware that others (family members) are listening. I try to call out as many positive reading behaviors as possible.

 

How do students display their tokens?

Students wear their tokens on lanyards during reading class (the laces from Fitness Finders). Each student selected their lanyard and the links (Lacelink) from the variety of colors and patterns Fitness Finders offers. When students aren’t wearing their necklaces they are displayed on hooks near our bookshelves. 

 

 

 Do you have a favorite token? 

I love all of the ANIMALS! Our school mascot is the wildcat — so all of the cats and paws are a hit with my students. 

 

 How has this changed your classroom environment or impacted student motivation? 

Rewarding tokens has brought a bit more fun and provided a visual that represents student success.  I love it when I hear a student say, “I can’t believe I have read this much,” as they are putting on their necklace before class.

 

Can you share any stories or quotes from students while using tokens in your class?   

5th grader Emma said, “When we get rewarded with tokens, it just makes us want to read more and work harder. It makes everything more fun!”

 

Do you have any plans specifically for reading month?

During Reading Month, students will be earning double tokens and we will be celebrating Wildcats Read with drawings for extra tokens. I’ll also be taking pictures of students reading while wearing their token necklaces to send home with their progress reports in mid-March.

 

❄️Treat Your Students To Their Own Run Through the Snow! ❄️

In honor of our  "Race With The Sled Dogs Program", we asked Coach White from Orion Elementary in Anchorage, what it’s like to operate a run club for students in Alaska. Here is what she said...

Do students run outside in the snow or inside the school?

We run outside in the snow. Getting fresh air is important, especially during the long, cold, dark winter months. On Dec 21st, Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year, we typically only have 6 hours of daylight here in Anchorage. The sun doesn't rise until about 10am and sets by 4pm. Further north in the Arctic Circle, they have several weeks where the sun doesn't rise above the horizon at all!

How cold does it get? 

I've seen it as cold as -20 here in Anchorage. Further north in Fairbanks it is common for it to reach -40 in the winter. Our typical winter temp is about 20 degrees for a high and in the teens or single digits overnight.

Do you use EZ Scan to scan laps? Does the tablet work when it is really cold outside? 

Yes, we use EZ Scan to keep track of our mileage during the running season. We keep our iPads inside the entryway in the window sill facing out so that kids can scan through the window after each lap and the iPads stay nice and warm!"

Interview Date: 2019

 

Mileage Club hits 250,000 miles!

Listen to Amy Nieuwenhuis (Teacher and Mileage Club Leader) tell us about her Mileage Club reaching a huge Milestone.

Developing a Reward System for Her Dyslexia Treatment Plan

An Interview with a Dyslexia Therapist

How a Visual Reminder of Their Accomplishments Keeps Her Students Motivated

An Interview with a Second Grade Teacher and Run Club Leader

Motivating Students to Do Their Very Best Every Day

An Interview with PE Instructors from Shady Hill Elementary in Florida 

Motivation and Habit Formation

I met a young middle school teacher a few months ago who wants to be successful. She has visions of her students coming back to visit her after they graduate high school and thanking her for the impact she made on their lives. Unfortunately, her day to day teaching experience makes her feel ineffective and frustrated. More and more of her students are disinterested, and sometimes even disobedient. To be a great instructor you need students who listen and desire to learn.

The solution to this problem is not new but requires planning, purpose, and some discipline. Successful students cultivate some or all of the habits that almost all successful people have: THEY EXERCISE, READ, SHOW UP (ATTENDANCE), AND EAT HEALTHY FOODS. The more habits students cultivate from this list, the more successful they will be.

A proven way to help create such “successful habits” is to create goals and then reward students when they attain the desired behavior. Teachers across the country find this works very well, and research bears this out.

That’s why we created the #1 selling award for run clubs, Toe Tokens® – colorful, plastic feet that kids love to collect.  Kids run miles and love it J, so they can get a Toe Token. 

Due to the success of Mileage Club®, and because of requests from teachers, we quickly followed up with awards for reading, attendance, and nutrition – which is also helping kids reach their goals.

 

Here is how it works:

1. Develop a plan to create routine activities around the desired goals for your classroom.
2. Layout the prescribed activities based on your goals and circumstances.
3. Following the idea of cue-habit-rewards made popular recently by Charles Duhigg (2012) and  now James Clear (2018), you then create:
1. A cue that tells the student when it is time to begin the habit/activity.
2. Clear instructions on what the activity consists of, without uncertainty.
3. An incentive plan to reward students at fixed intervals.
4. Design a system to measure progress.
5. Celebrate the goals met by distributing the awards earned.

Let’s look at how this works with Mileage Club (run club):

 

1.  Goal - my students will exercise more to increase their learning readiness and improve their health and mood.

 

• Create a program that allows every student to participate. 
• Allow each student to feel accomplished.

 

2.  Prescribed Activity – Start a running/walking club (Mileage Club).

• Create a course/track for the Mileage Club. (Our example will be a ¼ mile course around the playground.)
• Students run two times a week during recess (with an optional third day on Friday).
• Provide 20 minutes for each run.

3.  Cue - the recess bell.

• On Tuesday and Thursday, the students move around the track at whatever pace they can.
• Music can be played during this time to create a fun atmosphere.
• Incentive plan- every 5 miles (20 laps), a student earns a Toe Token.

 4.  Measuring – laps and total mileage will be tracked with the EZ Scan tracking software. 

5.  Celebration – awards day every Friday.

• On Friday, at lunch, all students who earned awards receive their Toe Tokens.
• A lanyard is also provided with the first Toe Token so a student can display their awards.
• Students who desire to run more may do so on Friday.

This goal/reward method has worked for decades across the country for run clubs, as well as reading plans, and behavior programs. Such programs are easy to create and implement. And, they help students create those necessary “successful habits.”

Stop being frustrated with your current efforts and start making a massive difference in your students' lives - just like you dreamed about in college - with Mileage Club, EZ Scan, and Toe Tokens! Fitness Finders has decades of experience to help you begin today.

References:

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg from 2012

Atomic Habits by James Clear from 2018