High Performance Teachers 2.0
By: Ben Ehrlich
Tags: Teaching, Learning And Development, Teachers, Sport Psychology, Education

Sport psychology isn’t just for athletes. It’s really performance psychology, and we’re all performers, one way or another. That’s one of the things I most value about the position I have at our high school. As much as I love sports, my role and experience would be incomplete without everything else I get to do. I’ve spent time with academic classes (every level- self-contained through AP), performing arts groups (choir, band, dance, theater), and a random assortment of others (student government, tech and learning coaches, teachers, rifle team). The time has led to some of my favorite connections with others at our school and has allowed me to learn from being a guest in their cultures (What can I say? I’m an anthropologist.). If you’re a coach and only learning from other coaches in your sport, you’re missing out on great opportunities to improve yourself and your team. I’m a better mental coach, teacher, and person for all I’ve crossed paths with. The role and environment we have at our school also allow me to “just do it.” If I have an idea, I’ll run it by our principal or athletic director but don’t think I’ve ever been told, “No.” I value that freedom and support quite a bit. One such idea was to work with a group of staff, and I’d like to give you a glimpse into why we did it, how it was set up, and what we did.

About 3 years ago, we did a High Performance Teachers group. It went really well overall but became a program that didn’t make the cut for me moving forward for where my time and efforts would best be invested. One of the most common pieces of feedback I got from that group was how they enjoyed getting together with other teachers in a low-pressure environment and sharing their experiences. This shared learning was one of my favorite elements, as well. Over and over, I’ve learned mental coaching, done well, is a two-way flow of knowledge. In the past spring, however, COVID hit our school and turned it upside down. Colleagues shared that one of the most challenging aspects of the experience was missing the connection with others. We no longer had the stop-and-chats in the hallways, the lines to the copier, or the lunches in the breakroom. And we missed it. Coupled with a never-ending feeling of needing to do more, the lack of connection was an opportunity. The “why” of the group was born. We’d do a High Performance Educators (wanted to expand it to be more inclusive of any staff). The purpose would be to provide staff a chance to connect with others and learn about performance elements that’d help them perform and enjoy.

Next, the “how” was going to be really important. We were virtual at the start of the year so the meetings would take place on zoom. One of the most critical steps in the process was, after sending an email to see who was interested and getting feedback on what they wanted. I think that’s important with any group you work with as a coach or consultant. It’s essential in working with adults. They don’t want to be told what to do, and that’s one of the significant shortcomings of so many professional development initiatives. Using the feedback, I decided we’d meet every other week. We initially had about 35 people say they were interested, so I split them into two “teams.” Something a few people mentioned in pre-planning was how they liked knowing ahead of time what to think about to be prepared for a session. Others mentioned wanting ways to participate outside of the live sessions. From both of those ideas, I created a Slack group. A few days before sessions, I’d send the topic and two to three questions to contemplate and share thoughts. This was helpful early on and led to some fun interactions. Unfortunately, it fizzled out once we were back at school. Slack was blocked by our district for some reason. The help provided at the beginning was still well worth it.

The last important element of the how was the plan and setup for the sessions. The topics were based on feedback from the staff who showed interest, and I decided on the theme of “Control What You Can Control: And How to Do It.” “Control what you can control” is such a buzz phrase in coaching, but it falls short, in my opinion. We need help with how to control what we can control. Also, my coaching why is, “Empowering others to perform and enjoy.” The natural fit was essential and, again, is a lesson learned over the years. If you don’t feel like the work will allow you to be who you are as a mental coach, it’s likely not going to go well. The sessions’ actual setup involved wanting to blend opportunities for participants to share with each other and provide relevant applicable info. In the feedback I’d gotten from our original HPT group a couple years ago, 23/24 responses were all super positive. This made me feel good. One was pretty scathingly negative. After getting over my, “Well, why the hell did you keep coming if you thought it was so bad?” amygdala-triggered response, I realized the person made points worthy of consideration. They’d felt the topics were too obvious and didn’t give enough specifics about implementing them in the classroom. This made me better. With that feedback and continued learning over the years in mind, I really wanted to deliver and stay true to who I am and what I believe. I made sure to include tangible ways and activities to apply the learning before, during, and after our sessions.

So, what did we do? We ended up with seven sessions throughout the fall. The topics were An Intro to the Program/Your Why, Self-Awareness, Values, Confidence, Stress, Communication, and Process. All relate to the general idea that the more we understand and take responsibility for ourselves, the more we “control what we can control.” In total, probably about 23–24 people ended up attending at least one session. There were around 12 who made it consistently. As much as I’d have loved for everyone who signed up to make every session, the reality of the fall made that unrealistic. I found myself grateful to anyone who made it to even one. The smaller groups actually ended up being one of the most common positives in feedback afterward. People appreciated the chance to get to know the group members more. That wouldn’t have happened with larger groups — a great lesson learned for me. I really tried to mix things up as much as possible while keeping some of a basic structure. We had activities, scenarios, video clips, and even a guest instructor for our stress session. Thanks to my good friend Zach Brandon for that. I ended up needing to wait an extra week after his so people would forget how great he was so it wasn’t a letdown to get back to me!

Now, to what is really most important. What did participants think? I decided to send a request for feedback to those I knew came at least somewhat regularly. Should I have sent it to everyone? Maybe. Maybe not. I felt like if they came to at least two or three, they’d have enough of a feel for what we did that it’d be helpful to hear from them. In all, that meant seventeen people, and sixteen responded. Participants had the option to share their name or not. I let them know it was to help me reflect on the fall and plan potential next steps forward. Of those who responded, the feedback was very positive. Here’s a summary:

Did you learn from coming to the sessions? 100% Yes

Did you enjoy the sessions? 100% Yes

Did the sessions help your performance in any way as a teacher? 100% Yes

Did the sessions allow you to enjoy what you do a little more as a teacher? 100% Yes

Did the sessions allow you to feel a little more connected with colleagues? 100% Yes

Did the sessions help with navigating the uncertainty of the fall? 75% Yes, 25% No

Would you recommend other teachers attend sessions similar to these? 100% Yes

Would you be interested in more sessions at some point in the future? 100% Yes

There was a time where I’d apologize for posting positive feedback like that. Now, I’m grateful. I’m grateful to teachers investing so much time in something extra. I’m not an administrator. There was no offer of continuing education credits or certifications. Attending meant more on their plates, not less. These teachers came because they wanted to be there. That means a lot, and I think it’s an important element of adult learning. I find adults traditionally to be more challenging than teens to work with. “What could I possibly have to offer these people who are already so great at what they do? Why would they want to listen to me?” Imposter syndrome is real. I’m also grateful for all I learned from the educators who took part. Getting to sit back and listen to how these great people apply the concepts we talked about was cool. I found myself wanting to listen more and more. Yes- I’m proud of what we did. A lot of time and effort went into the sessions. The group was reflective of far more than the last few months. It makes me feel good knowing experiences, both purposeful and random, allowed for creating something to help other people. Plus, it was fun.

Finally, where do we go from here? My hope is we do more. When I say we, I mean we as the fields of education and mental performance. It’s no secret there is a real crisis when it comes to teacher recruitment and retainment. The past ten months did not create the problem, but, like so many others, it’s magnified the issue. I have grown in realizing the importance of people in political positions of influence (sorry for being late to that party). I think expecting more from them will only be helpful over time if it’s coupled with helping teachers to better help themselves. That is where mental performance comes in. Educators are elite high performers. Consistency and understanding what makes us good are requirements, not luxuries. We need support and coaching. Teachers need to better understand ourselves and how we perform. More schools need to be willing to take a chance on doing something different.. In reflecting on some of the other ways districts have spent on professional development in the past, I think it’s a chance well worth taking.