Again, you might have heard, I love Disney. Since it is summer, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about my favorite park. So, it is no surprise that I continue to seek inspiration from my favorite place.
My last inspiration (blog) was about the characteristics of the leader of the club. I am continuing with this Disney theme by recognizing the legend Marty Sklar. The then President of Imagineers, Marty created a list of key principles for leadership in the Imagineer program. I think we can adhere to any of these as leaders and educators. Here are the first 5 Commandments of Mickey according to Marty Sklar:
#10 KEEP IT UP! (MAINTAIN IT)
In a Disney park or resort, everything must work. Poor maintenance is poor show!
We can already start our list of what it means to maintain a school. I am thinking about physically maintaining it. I have always made sure to mention to new teachers and new staff that it is so important to get to know the maintenance staff and not simply for the purpose of asking for things. Really find time to say hello and ask how their day is going. Find out what their favorite treats are so that you can surprise them or thank them for their work. These are the people, mostly behind the scenes, making sure to keep the building working and safe.
I also think of maintenance as a term for checking in on the people. This can be students, employees, parents, and community business partners. If you aren’t checking in every now and again to make sure everyone is happy and getting what they need, the school will fall apart (even if it is in pockets). Maintain a good culture and build on the relationships.
#9 FOR EVERY OUNCE OF TREATMENT, PROVIDE A TON OF TREAT
Walt Disney said you can educate people, but don’t tell them you’re doing it. Make it fun!
This might be my favorite Mickey commandment. First of all, I love treats! Sour gummy candies are the best, but I don’t know if he was talking about actual treats as food. Teaching and celebrating should go hand-in-hand. If it always feels like work, people will get burned out or disinterested. We must make working and learning fun. Don’t forget to enjoy the little things and treat each other for the hard work that I know goes on at a school for both student and staff.
#8 AVOID CONTRADICTIONS—MAINTAIN IDENTITY
Details in design or content that contradict one another confuse an audience about your story or the time period it takes place in.
To me, this comes down to good communication and clarity. The best advise that I can give to a teacher who is having trouble with classroom management or parent relationships is to make sure you are communicating often and that the expectations and information are clear. This might mean repeating yourself, especially at the beginning of the year. Do it. It will pay off in the long run and set the tone. Just like a park, make sure your setting fits the school activities for the day. If it is a day for collaboration and group activity, then I would set up with desks or tables to reflect that. How confusing would it be to come into a class or professional development with single rows of desks only to learn that the expectation was for everyone to interact with each other. The same goes for leaders. Walk into the doors of your school from time-to-time with a different perspective. Is it clear what your school and community stand for?
#7 TELL ONE STORY AT A TIME
Stick to the story line; good stories are clear, logical, and consistent.
Oh boy, this is a great reminder to not spread ourselves too thin. In education, it often feels like ideas or teaching philosophies are constantly changing. There are trends with buzz words and a million acronyms. If you ever feel like this is the case for you, I would recommend picking 2 new things to stick to and get really good and comfortable with it. This might be using technology in the classroom or creating project-based lesson plans. If you try to learn and take on too much, you are setting yourself up for failure and your kids will be confused. There won’t be any consistency.
#6 AVOID OVERLOAD—CREATE TURN ONS
Resist the temptations to overload your audience with too much information and too many objects.
Have you ever had so much to do that you procrastinated just to avoid making the decision on what to start with for the day? That is because you are overwhelmed. Again, I would go back to my thoughts for commandment #7. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Try to keep things simple by either focusing on one thing at a time or by incorporating a new thing in your classroom slow and steady.
Always think about the big take away (the standards for mastery) for your lesson plans. If you try to throw too much into a lesson plan, your students will get overwhelmed and confused. A lot of times, we can feel pressured to teach everything in a unit, especially if the course has a state standardized test at the end of the year. Try to take a step back and really Marie Kondo the you know what out of it. Truly think about what is really necessary and what might need to be let go in order for the students to get quality time with the material.
Marty Sklar was a writer and often scripted speeches for Walt Disney himself and was a major contributor to the theme parks. He wrote a book called One Little Spark!: Mickey’s Ten Commandments and the Road to Imagineering. Sklar goes onto to mention in the book that Mickey Steinberg wrote to him once and talked about “the suspension of disbelief guests experiences in projects the Imagineers design” (Sklar). I want to end this blog with you suspending belief and dreaming big for our students. Imagine what it could be like if we helped “children really believe they are in a magic land” and that with support and hard work, the classroom (physical or virtual) can be a place to grow and learn.
It just takes One Little Spark! TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK…
See You Real Soon,
Erin
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