Learning targets take some good-natured abuse these days on TikTok and Instagram reels. And hey, I can chuckle at some of the shots.
No, learning targets won’t save your life. They won’t solve your classroom management problems. Simply posting them on the wall won’t be enough to magically improve your students’ engagement and learning.
But I will absolutely insist that learning targets CAN save you time, mental energy, and sanity.
Here’s why and how in a nutshell. They can reduce, simplify, and focus your assessment activities.
Less is more.
You’re not a street sweeper, teachers. It’s not your job to inhale everything in sight.
No, you’re an eagle-eyed detective. Instead of grading everything and every part of what your students do, you’re only looking for particular pieces of evidence.
And that, my friends, can make all the difference in the world.
Let me show you what I mean.
Example 1: A sixth grade solar system activity
Let’s take this hypothetical learning activity for sixth grade Science students. I’ve asked students to 1) label each planet correctly and 2) use the text box feature to add one interesting fact about each planet, moon, and star.
Those are the activity instructions. But pay close attention to the learning target.
It’s taken from our sixth grade Science curriculum: 🎯 I can … identify the position and components of our solar system in our galaxy.
Now here’s the key. Does the learning standard require that students describe each major component of our solar system? Nope. That skill may appear elsewhere in the curricular documents, but not in this particular standard.
So am I going to take valuable minutes to verify each fact that my students decide to include for each celestial body? No, I am not.
All I need to do here is complete a quick scan to confirm that students have correctly identified the components of the solar system. That’s IT. That’s all the evidence I need.
So instead of taking 2–3 valuable minutes per student to carefully review (and research) each completed solar system poster, I’m taking about 5–10 seconds to verify that the names of the planets appear correctly.
I just cut my hour of assessment work down to two minutes, which may also mean that the assessment can be completed and recorded during class time (it depends on how you plan to use the data, of course).
Am I conning or cheating students by operating this way? Absolutely not. To suggest so is to suggest that asking my students to learn more about each planet is a waste of time.
It’s the old grades-as-wages mindset that says that students must be paid for any and every completed activity. It’s a terrible paradigm and it reinforces backward thinking about the value of learning.
Don’t fall for it.
Example 2: A fourth grade English activity
Let’s say that you’re teaching fourth grade English and you’ve just completed some learning around literary devices. You want to assess student learning against a classic learning target: 🎯I can … use similes properly in my writing.
Many kinds of learning activities would provide the evidence we need to assess student proficiency against this curricular standard. But let’s say that you choose to go with something quick and simple that requires students to do some writing: write three paragraphs about your family, using at least three similes effectively.
Students begin their writing, and — because you used the Google Classroom ‘Make a Copy for Every Student’ feature — you’re able to jump from one student’s work to the next in real time while they write, offering feedback and assessments of their learning as they write.
You read that correctly: you’re making assessments — not in the late hours of the evening after you’ve put your own kids to bed — but as they write. Here’s what I mean.
Let’s say I hop into Narissa’s Google Doc. She’s writing away, perhaps 1–2 paragraphs in. I’ll make sure to give her some quick encouragement. But I don’t have to stop there. If I can already spot three similes used effectively in context, I can assess her proficiency, record it, and move on.
Is Narissa’s third paragraph wasted if I don’t read it or never come back to it? Not at all. To suggest so is to suggest that students can’t benefit from writing by themselves, which is absurd.
Of course they can. Our students need to write so much more than they do today.
As teachers, we offer feedback, guidance, and encouragement when and where we’re able. But it’s silly to suggest that they can only grow when we’ve put their work in its entirety under our sacred magnifying glasses.
The big idea: learning targets tell us which evidence to examine
Remember: we’re not street sweepers, teachers. We’re detectives.
The next time you assess your students’ work, start with the learning target. Precisely which pieces of evidence do you need to examine carefully and thoughtfully?
Spend your mental energy on that, and — at least for this particular learning activity — ignore the rest.
You’ll be saving your sanity in the process.
Even better? Your students will receive feedback and assessments that are actually helpful.
They may not remember what their teachers taught them, but they will always remember if their teachers enjoyed teaching them.
Image (of Teacher) Source: Canva Stock Library
When it comes to names I trust in education, Danny Steele and Todd Whitaker are near the top of that list.
They love people. They’re passionate about learning. They’re bold and don’t hesitate to tell it like it is.
Essential Truths for Teachers isn’t a book about instructional practice. It’s not about classroom management techniques, the best uses of technology, or assessment.
This book is more of a manifesto. It’s about the fundamental beliefs and values that teachers need to own in order to be successful.
It’s a quick and easy read. I have no affiliation and gain nothing from sales of this book, but I highly recommend it.
What follows is just a sample of the essential truths that every teacher in the world needs to hear (in bold), with my reflections in plain text below each quote.
17 Quotes from Essential Truths for Teachers
1. The positive energy of the teacher is the single most important factor in determining the climate of the classroom. When teachers realize their own attitude affects the motivation of their students, it can be a game changer.
At some point in my own teacher journey, I realized the intense power of this idea.
On most days, positive energy is a choice. It boils down to deciding to be positive.
Try pretending three things — and I do say pretend, because one, two, or three of these may not be true for every single day of your teaching practice: 1) you are thrilled to be in that particular classroom, 2) you absolutely love the students you’re working with, and 3) you find the content incredibly fascinating and enjoyable.
Once students believe that one, two, or three of those things are true, you’ve got them. And if you weren’t having fun before, you’ll start to then.
2. They may not remember what their teachers taught them, but they will always remember if their teachers enjoyed teaching them. They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
It’s so true. Name one of my teachers, and I can probably give you at least a vague impression of whether or not they enjoyed being in the classroom each day. I can also give you a sense of what they thought of me as a student.
Think about that. Our students crave our approval, our smiles, our engagement. This stuff matters.
3. Some students need us to be their cheerleader more than they need us to be their instructor. Students are not motivated by lessons; they are motivated by teachers.
I have a teaching friend who finds it hard to get passionate about curricular standards, instructional practices, or progressive assessment. He’ll never voluntarily read a book about pedagogical theory.
What he ispassionate about is kids, and wow — do they love him for it. His following is cult-like. And at some point in the journey I realized that some kids — many kids — need exactly that kind of teacher.
They may not get the absolute best instruction in English, Math, or Science. But how much does that really matter in the end?
Those kids will know that they are deeply loved. They’ll have fun. They’ll laugh. They’ll feel safe. They’ll enjoy the feeling of someone believing in them and trusting them enough to allow them to take risks.
When you zoom out for a moment and think about school as a vehicle of formation for life, you realize this teacher may be the very best outcome possible for a child.
4. The best learning happens when students are pursuing answers to their own questions. Schools can compel the attendance of students, but teachers must understand that the learning is always voluntary.
I appreciated this nod to inquiry-based learning. Make it student-centered and you’ll activate new powers in students.
However it happens, we need to give students opportunities to answer their own questions.
For some, that’s the point of ignition.
5. Do not have rules you are not going to continually and consistently enforce. Do not threaten to call parents. Call parents.
The idea that we can coerce students into good behavior through threats is an enticing one for new teachers. As the misbehavior increases, the threats get bigger.
Bad idea. Teachers end up making threats that they don’t actually want to deliver on — they’re just hoping the threat is scary enough to produce the desired behavior.
So what happens when the student commits said misbehavior? Now it’s all eyes on the teacher to see whether they will follow through on the threat or let their credibility take a blow. Unfortunately, the threat in question was often poorly thought through and damages the teacher-student relationship without properly addressing the root issue.
I’ll be blunt: I don’t make threats anymore. Not at all. Never. Nada.
Instead, I keep things vague. Any predictions or warnings I make are couched in “I may” or “I might.”
Best of all, I don’t promise anything specific. I borrow from the Love & Logic philosophy to make vague pronouncements like “If someone is bothering someone else, I may need to do something.”
Don’t make threats, and you’ll keep the cards you want to have when trouble shows up.
6. Do not leave compliments left unsaid. When we are proud of our students, we should tell them. When they are making progress, we should encourage them. They will remember our kind words longer than they will remember our lesson. We are not just offering our students an education; we are offering them hope.
Carol Dweck taught us to compliment behavior and effort, not ability and intelligence. Build a growth mindset — not a fixed mindset that becomes so intoxicated by “you’re smart” that it’s unable to risk that identity by stepping into discomfort or uncertainty.
Fine. But I think it’s fair to compliment representations of learning, as well. One way that I try to do this is by whipping out my phone and adding student work to my Instagram stories, ooohing and aaahing all the while. I make it a big deal.
We see amazing work every day. Let’s not hesitate to let our learners know when we’re blown away.
7. When a student is misbehaving, the teacher needs to make sure the student is the only one misbehaving.
I’ll never forget my high school science teacher. Nice guy. The only trouble for him was that he had a very short fuse.
Get under his skin, and things would start to unravel. He would raise his voice. His skin would start changing colors. He would throw chalk at students. He would smash his speaking podium on the floor.
All of this was highly entertaining for his 16-year-old learners. For one of my classmates in particular, it became a bit of a daily ritual to try to get this teacher to lose his mind.
What’s the takeaway? Just that angry teacher behavior never, ever yields positive results.
We’re the professionals, colleagues. Modeling self-control and respect no matter the circumstances is what we do. It may be the most important trait of an effective teacher.
8. Technology has replaced a lot of things in the classroom. It will never replace a smiling teacher greeting kids as they walk into class. A genuine greeting at the door can set the tone for the class, it can put the student in a positive frame of mind, and can even change the trajectory of a student’s bad day.
Listen, teachers. I get it. We’re busy. We’re behind. We just came back from the restroom, or we came from the other side of campus. We’ve got to rush around to set up a few things to prepare before the bell.
We can’t always greet students at the door as they come into our class, and I would never lay that burden on teachers.
But let’s do it when we can. It’s such a difference-maker.
9. Kind, caring, intelligent, interested in you, challenging, energetic. All of these things are powerful and important. But one thing seems to regularly arise: That is that the best teacher they ever had was fun.
We can be highly competent. We can nail the curricular standards. We can follow the best instructional practices, use the best technology, and adhere to the strongest assessment methods. But if our kids are never having fun, we’re missing the mark.
This hasn’t always come easily for me. I mean, I love to have fun and laugh with kids. I think I’m pretty good at both.
But at times, I’ve had to give myself permission to set the script aside for the class or the afternoon or the day. I’ve had to risk some chaos in the classroom in order to allow the laughs, interest, and emotional capital that I knew we would need to succeed in this unit of study.
The authors are right. When kids are asked for their favorite teachers, time and again they point to the ones who were fun. Think about that.
10. Having a sense of humor is helpful in life, but it is essential in the classroom.
Sometimes this means laughing at my own jokes. Sometimes it means laughing at my own mistakes. Often, it means laughing at student humor, despite our better principles.
Let laughter be heard in your classroom. Laughter = life.
11. We begin to encourage innovation when we teach students to recognize that failure presents new opportunities to learn. We encourage it when we validate the effort, not just the result — when we value the process, not just the product.
Did a student take a risk and try something daring? Shout that out, and let everyone know why you’re making a big deal.
Walking around and pointing out evident successes is fine. Students need examples to aim for and be inspired by.
But let’s praise the process, too.
“Oh cool, I see what you’re trying to do there!”
That’s an innovation-builder.
12. When a great teacher is in a bad mood, only one person knows. When a bad teacher is in a bad mood, the entire school knows.
I’ve taught middle schoolers while working through a divorce process. I’ve taught them after surviving a house fire and finding myself temporarily homeless. And of course I’ve taught while feeling stressed, underslept, or ill — just as you have.
Whoever said teachers just need to be 100% authentic with their students didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. We are professional actors. Pretending to be balanced and measured and happy and excited and friendly is an important part of the job.
Sure, we’re going to have our days when it’s just too hard to fake it. Our students notice we’re off and it may be appropriate to give them some insight on where we’re at.
But learning to function well even when we’re stretched, stressed, or hurt is a sign of emotional maturity. It’s a tough demand on any human being, but for teachers, it’s a skill that must be mastered.
13. The best teachers have three things in common: They are all about the students; they always bring positive energy into the classroom; and they are relentless about getting better. These are qualities that endure.
What a great list.
Relentless about getting better. I especially like that phrase.
It doesn’t mean we’re always getting better. Growth is not linear. We all have our ups and downs.
But we remain curious. And hungry. And committed.
That’s a teacher on fire.
14. Good teachers are relentless in encouraging their students. They give out compliments on a regular basis. They avoid sarcasm. They control their own negative emotions.
Our tongues have great power — power to build up, and power to tear down. Our words have incredible impact.
Our students are always listening and watching, which means they’re taking mental notes on the ways we talk about others. Most of us know better than to speak ill of administrators, staff members, or students in the building — those are no-brainers.
But even the ways that we ridicule celebrities, professional athletes, or politicians can make an impression on a child. It’s funny to speak of others this way can be the unintended takeaway.
Next thing we know, we’re pouring fuel on the savage trolling culture that has become common online and in public discourse.
Let’s make it our mission to always always always speak life, and when we must criticize public figures to do so in respectful, dignified ways.
15. Innovation thrives in schools where teachers are free to fail.
Do you have the freedom to try unfamiliar things as a teacher? Do you feel safe enough with your administrators to take risks in the classroom or attempt new initiatives? Do you have the room to establish new traditions?
I hope you do.
Feeling safe, respected, and trusted as a professional is so important to teachers that it can keep them in their schools even when compensation and other environmental advantages aren’t what they should be.
Our students need the freedom and autonomy to try new things, too. If we want innovation to thrive in our learning communities, we need to create the freedom to fail.
16. Optimism is contagious. So is pessimism. Which one do we want to permeate the school?
What if the climate of your school building is the net total of all the optimism and pessimism of its staff members put together?
I think we need to operate on that assumption.
17. You are leaving a legacy that transcends grades and test scores. Your impact on kids will be felt in the little moments — the handshakes, the high-fives, the hugs, and the quiet conversations. Do not forfeit any of those moments; your kids will remember them.
Whenever I have escapist moments in education — and let’s face it, we all have moments when we dream of quiet, predictable, 9 to 5 jobs — I remind myself of this fact.
I get to say hi and smile at children every freaking day. I get to engage with them. I get to ask them questions. I get to encourage them, congratulate them, surprise them, and make them feel special.
I won’t be a teacher forever. But as long as I am, I’m going to treasure these moments.
Note: In a couple of cases above, I have rolled two quotes together even though they appeared in different places in the book.
We are so grateful for your service to our school communities. You keep the wheels of learning turning when our teachers cannot be present in the classroom. Thank you for being present and for caring for our young learners.
Here are a few guidelines, hopes, and expectations to keep in mind while you serve at your local school. We know that you’re human and you may still be new to formal educational contexts, so embrace the grace of knowing that none of us are perfect. Consider the list of practices and principles described here as a set of commitments to aspire to.
1. Student safety and welfare is number one.
Every decision you make in our learning environments should pass through that filter. If you’re uncomfortable or unsure about a situation, feel free to ask a nearby administrator, teacher, or paraprofessional. But if you’re keeping our students safe, happy, and well, you’re already on the right track.
Student safety also requires that we refrain from ever touching students as a way to guide or correct them, except to avoid an emergency. In case of student injury or illness, call the main office immediately for first aid support and seek help from a colleague. In case of a serious or life-threatening emergency, call 911 and then the school office.
2. Model the values of the school community.
Most school communities extol the virtues of industry, innovation, kindness, generosity, hospitality, inclusiveness, and respect. My school’s mission statement describes transformation of character through excellence and service.
Whatever the mission, vision, and values of the community you’re in, you’re an ambassador for the brand. Model the values of the school in everything you say and do while you’re on campus.
3. Be friendly and smile. A lot.
You may be new, which means some students won’t know what to make of you for a while. Smiles and laughter go a long way to let students know that they are safe with you and you are happy to be learning with them, so smile early and often.
Act as if your day just took the best turn ever when you learned that you’d be spending part of it with these students.
4. Be punctual.
Aim to arrive at your school 20–30 minutes before your job begins. This allows for bad traffic on the commute, heavy parent or bus traffic around the school campus, human traffic in the halls, and other congestion or disruptions that appear before the first bell of the day.
During the day, aim to be at assigned rooms before the bell that signals the beginning of the period.
When you’re running late, stress and anxiety skyrocket and problems multiply. You’ll enter classrooms feeling flustered, behind, and out of sorts. It’s not a good look and it doesn’t feel good for you or anyone around you.
5. Mingle, circulate, and establish proximity during learning blocks.
Be present and visible during class periods. If students are working on pre-assigned tasks, circulate frequently through the classroom.
Talk to students, ask curious questions, look over shoulders, and maintain awareness of your surroundings. Circulation is an easy way to gently remind students that you exist, you care, you have expectations for their learning, you’re supporting the absent teacher, and this class time is not a free-for-all. Try to limit your own phone activities to the essentials.
6. Monitor student activities on devices frequently.
Most schools frown on allowing students unrestricted free time online. Once students have finished a learning task, encourage them to engage in other learning or creative activities or shut computers off entirely. Gaming, social media, or YouTube surfing are not acceptable uses of class time.
7. Always speak respectfully.
You’re working with impressionable minors, which means you’ll need to avoid coarse language and speak with discretion at all times. It also means that we never insult, negatively label, ridicule, or use sarcasm with students (ex. “You’re lazy” or “That was stupid” or “Great idea, genius”).
If students use defiant or inappropriate language with you, refuse to return it in like fashion. Take the high road, keep it classy, and represent the profession with dignity.
8. Remain physically present at your assigned location.
One exception to that would be a washroom break, but if you do leave the room temporarily for that purpose, let another staff member know.
If you decide to leave the building for lunch, it’s also a good idea to let office personnel know, even if it’s just by text.
Educational assistants may be present to support the students in your learning environment if you need to step out of the room briefly, but the overall safety and operation of the class is still your responsibility.
9. Dress professionally.
A number of factors will affect attire decisions, including weather and learning environment. Aiming for semi-professional attire in the classroom and new(ish) athletic wear in gymnasiums is a good place to start.
Dressing well is a way to show respect for the learners you’re serving and the colleagues you’re serving beside. It says this work matters to me.
10. Support the teacher’s intentions for the class.
Listen, we know that you’re often coming into the teacher’s lesson plans cold and with little lead time, and we’re grateful that you’re doing the best you can.
But avoid the temptation to shortcut the teacher’s intentions (ex. “Oh, let’s just skip that”) or contradict a teacher’s call in front of the class. Be mindful of the fact that teachers often invest considerable time and mental energy to prepare for your day, and what happens in their classes matters to them.
11. Start your day well.
Start by covering your bases. If you’re opening a school day with a class, you’ll need to (1) warmly welcome students and introduce yourself, (2) record attendance (hopefully the teacher has left you a class list), (3) communicate your attendance with the office by phone, paper message, or online system, and (4) share relevant announcements with students.
12. Finish your day well.
When you end the day with students in a given classroom, help them to take reasonable steps to clean and tidy the learning space. This looks like stacking chairs, picking up belongings, putting away trash, closing windows, and wiping down whiteboards.
Don’t frustrate neighboring teachers and contribute to chaos in the hallways by dismissing your students early before the final bell.
13. Leave notes for the teacher.
Whoever left your plans for the day will want to know how the period(s) went: were students on task, were they engaged, did they behave themselves, did you experience any difficulties, and did you achieve the instructional goals of the lesson.
Write brief summaries for each period to that effect. You can do so by commenting directly on the digital lesson plans, by writing some notes in an email, or by leaving handwritten notes on or in the teacher’s desk. The best medium will vary by context.
14. Bring back-up activities.
Always plan for the worst case scenario: a room full of students but no lesson plans, resources, or information of any kind (or a sudden loss of wifi for an all-online lesson).
Take the time to photocopy and pack a full day’s worth of logic puzzles, sudokus, mapping activities, writing prompts, short stories, Math worksheets, and similar items x 35.
This isn’t the time to worry about the world’s gold standards for pedagogical approaches. This is about making sure you have the tools to survive any resource disaster.
15. Ask questions.
If and when you’re not sure about something, don’t hesitate to ask an administrator, teacher, or office assistant. Everyone in the building wants you to have a successful experience while you’re at their school, and people are generally happy to help in any way they can.
Thanks again, and good luck.
Again, we’re incredibly grateful that you’ve made the commitment to support teachers and schools during this season of life. You’re playing an important role in the life of our learning communities, and we appreciate you.
Take a deep breath, my friend. You’re going to make somebody’s day today.
Now get into that school building with a smile and have some fun.
I just know that some teacher out there is going to look at this title and ask “Why can’t all of your learning be fun?”
Come on. Let’s be real for a second.
Yes, we always want learning to be fun.
We bring the hype and the noise and the smiles and the interactivity and the creativity and the technology and the gamification whenever and wherever we can.
But the reality of your typical classroom is that students aren’t calling it fun every single minute of every day, even if they like you, they’re grateful for the class, and they’re glad to be there.
You can live in denial of that fact or you can accept it. It’s a fact.
By “fun activities,” I’m talking about the Big Fun Deals, or BFDs. The stuff students talk about in the hallways.
The crazy review games. The slurpee treats. The movies. The mind-blowing projects. The spontaneous walks outside of the school. The potluck lunches. The pizza parties. Dance-offs. Ice cream sundaes.
There can be times and places for all of those things. But let me give you this tip: give your teaching team a heads up before doing them.
This is my 23rd year of teaching, and I’ve been on both sides of this equation.
Sometimes I’ve been the teacher suddenly doing a Big Fun Deal with my students.
Sometimes I’ve been the neighbor teacher who is doing “normal stuff” while the classroom next door suddenly explodes with loud music, smells of pizza, and roars of laughter for an entire block.
Not every class will always be doing the exact same thing at the exact same time, even within a grade level. That’s just school life.
And some teachers will ultimately become known as “the fun teacher.” More power to them. Those reputations are generally earned through consistent sacrifice, kindness, smiles, laughter, and emotional generosity.
Just give them a heads up first
But the point of the post is this: when you’re planning a Big Fun Deal in your room, give your teaching teammates a bit of a warning.
That gives them a chance to mentally prepare. To plan a similar version of your Big Fun Deal. Or even to join in on it.
It’s not to say that if they don’t have the advance notice, catastrophe will follow. Not at all. They may be totally cool with your BFD and simply encourage their own students to carry on with whatever their planned learning activity is at the time.
They may cheer you on and that is that.
But the other possibility is that they may feel sideswiped. Like you’re trying to one-up them. Like you’re trying to carve out a lane as Hero Teacher by carefully crafting your Big Fun Deal out of sight so that they can’t take part or they’re left looking boring.
That may not have been your intention at all, but that’s how it can come across.
This message doesn’t come from any recent experience — just a couple of decades in the biz.
If unity and cohesion is important to you and your teaching team — and I sure hope it is — keep your colleagues in the know.
And then lean into that Big Fun Deal like it’s 1999.
How I walked three middle schoolers through the aftermath of a war of words.
I received an email a couple of weeks ago alerting me to some harsh expletives and slurs being exchanged between some of our students on Discord. The email contained a screenshot of a particularly offensive exchange.
The same morning, I received a phone call. I heard more concerns about the nature of these interactions.
Then another email, with more screenshots.
It was clear that hurtful stuff was flying back and forth between some of our students.
Here’s the thing. Our middle schoolers use Chromebooks during the school day. Phones and personal devices are prohibited and cannot access our school’s wifi network. A network filter restricts access to gaming and social media sites.
So it’s fair to say that students are not on Discord during the school day. They’re not accessing it with school devices, and they’re not using it with personal devices on the school’s wifi network.
Yet this is the third consecutive year that student behavior on Discord has made its way to my vice-principal’s desk.
What IS Discord?
It’s funny: the word discord actually means disagreement, or fighting. Older versions of the Bible warn about those who sow discord like seeds. Their gossip, slander, and insults can take root and grow into serious strife and division between friends.
I have a Discord account, technically. I don’t use it often, but it exists. I think it’s a good platform with a nice interface — despite the shaky choice of name. I’m simply not a gamer and I don’t have many friends who use it.
If you work in a middle school or high school, you’ve at least heard of Discord. Created in 2015, the app originally gained popularity in the gaming community as a way for gamers to chat by voice and text.
Today, the platform’s membership continues to grow beyond the gaming community as the platform goes up against messaging giants such as MS Teams and Slack. I hear YouTubers, podcasters, and business leaders like Gary Vaynerchuk inviting followers to join them on their Discord servers.
Like I said, I’m not a gamer and I don’t use it often. But Discord is a big deal, and it’s an especially big deal for our students.
Schools can’t referee online activities happening outside of school
Let’s be clear: it’s not the role of schools or educators to referee what is going on in online spaces between students on evenings and weekends. To try to do so what be an infinite task, a fruitless mission, and a terrible use of the time that we are entrusted with.
Parents, that stuff is on you. And on me — I’m a parent of teenagers, too. Digital literacy for families is a massive topic and challenge worthy of its own blog post.
Online strife has a way of spilling into the classroom
On the other hand, educators hold a professional duty of care to the children that we serve each day. Like it or not, we can’t turn completely deaf ears and blind eyes to the online exploits of these young people who rely on us for guidance, growth, and mentorship.
The online word wars have a way of entering our spaces. And sometimes, we have to face them head on.
How I addressed the latest discord on Discord
So it was with some sadness that I called a meeting with three of the lead Discordians involved in the latest conflict.
The online exchanges that had been shared with me were too bitter, too mean-spirited, too inappropriate to simply ignore and move on. These were students who worked together, learned together, and shared the same physical spaces with each other. Feelings had been hurt and some anger was clearly simmering near the surface.
We needed to address the harm caused, restore relationships, and commit to doing better together.
Here was the outline I followed for our conversation.
1. We started by naming the harmful online behavior.
I didn’t want to park here for long, and I certainly wasn’t interested in conducting an in-depth investigation of every line, every word, every term that had come to my attention in the screenshots I had received.
The point here was to simply name it: I wanted each student to acknowledge that their words had crossed some lines. Thankfully, they did so willingly.
2. A reminder: our online behaviour has a way of sticking around.
I told them the recent story of a would-be politician who was haunted by screenshots of his social media behavior. The candidate’s hateful tweets from eleven years prior had been discovered and were being circulated by his political opponents.
His campaign was toast as a result.
Twenty-five years into the internet, there are countless reminders like this one. Comments made online have a way of sticking around indefinitely.
It’s a good reminder to all of us: be kind to future You when you conduct yourself online today.
3. Just as corporate logos bring values to mind, we each have a personal brand.
I showed the students some major corporate logos and asked them to name the values that came to mind.
What do you think of when you see the Apple logo? How about Nike?
When I showed them the golden arches of McDonald’s, we agreed on words like tasty, salty, greasy, and fast.But we also agreed that customer service doesn’t belong on that list, or at least not as a core value.
4. A post-it writing activity: What are the core values that you want to be known by?
We had just finished brainstorming the core values that come to mind when we see the logos of some of the world’s most famous companies.
Now it was the students’ turn.
What were the values that they wanted to be known by? What were the words that they wanted to come to mind when people saw their face or read their name?
We took 2–3 minutes of quiet reflecting and writing to consider this question. I participated, too.
Then we went around the circle and shared our responses. It did my heart a lot of good to be reminded of the values that my young friends actually aspire to. And I think it was good for their classmates to hear those values, too.
5. Committing to do better by aligning our values with our online activities
We concluded our time together with a round of commitments. What would each student do differently, I asked, to make sure that their online activities aligned with the core values that they wanted to be known by?
What would that look like at school? What would that look like on Discord?
Again, students participated willingly. Perhaps a good portion of their answers were performative — that’s somewhat inevitable.
But I think it’s important to actually say out loud what we intend to do differently, and to do so in front of others that we’ve wronged.
Our mission of growth continues
With that, I warmly thanked these students for our discussion and sent them on their way.
This won’t be the last time that discord on Discord makes its way to my task list, but that’s just part of the job.
It’s part of the job because it’s part of our mission: supporting the growth of the learners in our care.
And in 2022, that growth includes responding to discord on Discord.
Teachers on Fire 