I came across one of those Facebook posts recently: “Teaching hills you’re willing to die on.”
It was clearly written for an American audience, but I couldn’t resist going through the list and considering where I landed on each one.
One of the things I enjoy about education is continually testing my own thinking. Which beliefs have held up? Which have changed? And which things have we perhaps made more complicated than they need to be?
So, with a little Australian translation along the way, here’s where I landed…
- Calling home for behaviour is admin’s responsibility – Disagree. Whilst it is time consuming, the classroom teacher should always be the first to contact home for behavioural issues in their class. If the issues persist, then Executive (AP/HT/DP) or “admin” should intervene.
- Least restrictive environment does not allow for one student to ruin the learning for 20 others – Agree. Least restrictive environment might be an American term I’m unfamiliar with, but I understand the sentiment, and it seems centred around fairness for all learners.
- It really is the iPads. Tech replacing parenting is what’s causing behaviour issues – It’s complicated. This is a broad generalisation to make, however I certainly agree that excessive screen time could be leading to less active parenting (acknowledging this as a parent myself), and therefore contributing to behavioural issues in schools.
- Zero’s don’t belong in the gradebook (although this one had a poll image stating 9% agree, 91% disagree) – Disagree. Assessment should reflect what a student has actually demonstrated against the relevant criteria. If a student submits nothing, or demonstrates none of the required outcomes, there needs to be scope for the result to reflect that.
- Strict due date except for extenuating circumstances. 2 x late submissions permitted per year across all subjects – Broadley agree. Deadlines matter, as does learning to manage them, particularly for high school students. Genuine extenuating circumstances deserve flexibility, but flexibility works best when it doesn’t make deadlines meaningless.
- Kids need to take old fashioned notes. Graphic organisers are making them helpless – It’s complicated. I’m increasingly convinced that handwriting and working with pencil and paper have an important place in learning. But this doesn’t need to become another technology-is-bad argument. Purposeful technology remains enormously valuable. The question is whether we’re choosing the tool because it improves learning or simply because it’s available.
- Admin need to regularly sub for teachers – Wholeheartedly agree. Not because school leaders need reminding that teaching is hard, but because spending time in classrooms keeps leadership decisions connected to the daily reality of the school. It also sends a pretty powerful message when leaders are willing to step in when needed, and as I’ve written previously it doesn’t take long to lose touch with the classroom if you’re not actively teaching on a regular basis.
- If one child disrupts learning for 20 others, they need to be removed. Period. – It’s complicated. I strongly believe every student has a right to learn in a safe and productive classroom. But simply removing a disruptive student doesn’t solve the underlying problem either. Finding effective alternatives between repeatedly returning a student to the same environment and suspension remains one of the hardest challenges I’ve encountered in schools.
- Teach spelling – Agree. No brainer!
- Kids need to learn to walk quietly, in a line, in a hallway. – Agree. Self-regulation is a critical skill and safety within the school is important for everyone, especially in primary and still relevant for Stage 4 and 5 students.
- Kids need to be left behind – Disagree. Assuming this is referring to learning, processes need to be in place to assist students with their learning, or else disengagement will quickly set in and behavioural issues will emerge. Learning never stops!
- Kids need to be held accountable for their behaviours. Stop hiding behind an IEP – Agree with the first sentence; uncomfortable with the second. Individual learning/support plans should help us understand behaviour and make appropriate adjustments, not remove every expectation or consequence. Accountability and support can, and should, coexist.
- PD presenters who haven’t taught since pre-Covid have zero credibility – Disagree, but I understand the sentiment. Recency in the classroom can provide enormous credibility, particularly when offering practical advice to teachers. But expertise can also come through research, system leadership and deep specialisation. For me, the bigger question is whether the presenter genuinely understands the context of the people they’re speaking to.
- We need to go back to pencil and paper – Agree. But as per #6, purposeful use of technology remains as important as ever, at developmentally appropriate times of a child’s education.
- Extra credit is only for students who do the actual credit – Agree. Although this is not familiar to me in Australian education, it aligns with my thinking re “zero” grades where the mark a student receives must be the mark they deserve as per the rubric/marking criteria.
- If parents can see grades online I shouldn’t have to call or email when their kid is failing – Agree. If information is already clearly available to families, we should be very cautious about creating a second administrative process for teachers simply to communicate the same information again.
- This “edutainment” push is garbage. Engagement matters, but I’m not a clown. – Agree. Engagement matters enormously, but engaging learning and entertaining students aren’t the same thing. Great teaching can be fascinating, challenging, creative and fun, but students also need to develop the capacity to persist when learning isn’t immediately entertaining
- Always say yes no questions asked when a student asks to go to the bathroom – It’s complicated. Students should obviously be able to use the toilet when they need to, but teachers also know that requests to leave class aren’t always about using the toilet. In fact, this is a simple avoidance trick employed by many especially in high school when changing classes/teachers 4 or more times per day. I’d rather build trust and use professional judgement than adopt an absolute rule either way.
- Discomfort is not trauma – Agree, with an important caveat. Discomfort, disappointment, challenge and failure are not inherently harmful. We should listen carefully when young people tell us they’re struggling, while also helping them develop the capacity to work through appropriate discomfort rather than removing it altogether.
What I enjoyed most about going through this list wasn’t deciding whether I agreed or disagreed. It was noticing why.
Some of my views are much stronger than they were ten years ago. Others have softened considerably. A few probably contradict what I would have said earlier in my career.
I think that’s healthy.
That said, I’m still teaching Year 7 how to spell “rhythm”
