A responsive teacher listens to the needs of students. With the work I have been doing with the UDL guidelines, I had the vision of helping students make meaningful goals. However, in the process we built community and helped with engagement too. When you begin working on one area of the guidelines, it truly leads to developing others.

When we returned from winter break, we wrote goals. Then I wanted the students to be able to share their goals with each other. Bringing an audience to a goal, can help you achieve it. Also, I wanted students to be able to express how their classmates could aid in new growth as they worked on the goal. However, what we noticed was there were several students with the same goal, “I want to be able to focus better.”

Once I noticed a theme, I asked the kids if they wanted to create a committee during our Passion Time to see if we could develop new strategies together and meet the need to improve attention together.  Our first few meetings were just talking about what happens when you feel like you lose attention.  I coached with three questions: “What is it like for you to lose attention? Do we have a common experience? What do you notice?”

Our next few meetings were talking about strategies they have tried or want to try. My goal was to help the kids options for self-regulation and brain breaks. Many talked about the use of fidget items, which are helpful and welcome. However, we also got into the emotions of frustration that come when you have lost attention. Some students recognized that a change in attention needed movement to improve.  Also, it became clear that sometimes to lack of focus was due to what feelings they were carrying about themselves or tensions in their lives.  Then we moved to the conversation of what we could create as a hallway refocusing station.  In contrast to some of the early childhood designs, the kids wanted something that looked appropriate for 5th grade.  We did a lot of searching together for a process that would fit their age.

Here was the plan:

• Wall sits
• Wall push ups or just pushing on the wall to get rid of stress
• High five, low five
• Refocusing tracing
• Breathing strategies

Once the hallway refocusing station was developed, we made a teaching video to share with the rest of the kids. Now all students have to do is recognize when they are loosing focus and use the hallway for a short break.  Our committee will need to revisit how students like the station.  Reflection will be necessary on how it is working or if there are any further adjustments.  Collecting data and thinking about how they are doing on focus will be important in approving their attention.  Responsive work with students means that you are prepared for changes with flexibility.

My goal as a future building leader is to use this same listening and sharing to help staff and improve a school.  When a building leader is responsive, classroom teachers can meet students needs and collaboration helps staff feel supported. Flexibility is part of leadership.  We grow together and respond with a collection of ideas.