The FOR Teachers Podcast with Mike Conn: Recent Episodes
Mike Conn
We love teachers! This is a podcast where we encourage teachers and let them to feel seen and supported.
You are a PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR!! You are VALUABLE and VALUED! Our community is stronger because of you! Thank you for choosing to INVEST your life by investing in and educating our children and the students of our community!
Dear Administrators,
Your community is FOR YOU
This conversation today is for administrators. Today I’d like to share one of the greatest opportunities that you have to impact the entire school/building/grade level you have been entrusted with...and it’s the quickest way for the ship to sink…
It’s proven to be true in countless businesses and organizations outside of the education spectrum, but today in our climate--I believe it is possibly the biggest question we can ask of ourselves--and can be the greatest way to measure the morale and the BELIEF of the teachers in your “Locker room.”
The question is this: Who KNOWS you are FOR them?
Which teachers in your building KNOW you are FOR them?
Does the support staff know you are FOR them?
How would they KNOW (not hope) you are FOR them?
What evidence do they have to KNOW that?
I’ve talked with multiple superintendents and principals and they shared a concern about taking care of our teachers, and being mindful of their mental health...
I’m NOT saying our administrators are not doing a good job...please don’t hear me say something I’m not saying...I’m asking a question of leaders who have been entrusted to care for and lead leaders in the classrooms, locker rooms, sports arenas, fields, academic competitions...who feel the pressure of the mandates/regulations/policies that are both in your control and out of your control. While you can’t control how those will be received by every teacher in the district...my question is about what you CAN control.
What is one thing you and your staff can do to turn up the intentionality of how you treat, communicate, and celebrate your staff that report to you? What is one more way to celebrate what is good in your district!
Leadership 101: What gets rewarded gets repeated. What’s one way you can turn up the dial on getting caught being good for teachers in your district as well?
How can we as community investors help you? Many leaders in every community, I call them community investors, would be glad to help. I personally will help you any way I can!
I would love to connect with you! Feel free to send me an e-mail at mike@mikeconn.me anytime. So, as we will wrap this episode I want to remind you that we-your community are FOR YOU!
Have a wonderful weekend!
I am FOR you!
WE are FOR you!
We’ll see you next week!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mike-conn/message
I have had several opportunities recently to lead PD sessions for teachers that are as much personal discovery and development as professional development. I have been asking a series of questions:
1) What is 1 thing at work that you believe you are doing well?
2) What is 1 thing you wish your students knew about you?
3) What is 1 thing you wish the parents/guardians of your students knew about you?
4) What is 1 thing you wish your co-workers and teammates knew about you?
In today's episode I'm going to share the answers from 1 high school teacher.
We are FOR Teachers!
call/text Mike anytime 580.795.4575
e-mail Mike anytime mike@mikeconn.me
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mike-conn/message
Hear a message from Ciera Terry, a Sr. at Duncan High School, as she shares about the influence her teachers have had so far in her life!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mike-conn/message
What marker are you focusing on?
In long distance race you don't focus on the finish line from the beginning, you have some markers that are your focal points.
I believe the push toward Labor Day may be one of those markers for you!
Evaluation Metrics:
- What's Right?
- What's Wrong?
- What's Missing?
-I use blue for what’s right, green for what’s wrong because there is an opportunity to grow, and no color preference for what’s missing.
-If we only evaluate what’s wrong, we get stuck in the doom loop for our attitude and that’s all we ever notice.
-If we never evaluate what’s right, it will be difficult to reproduce...so let’s not only notice it, but record it/catalog it...google docs, voice memos, e-mails to yourself...there’s no limit to the creativity you can use for that...just don’t forget to notice it.
-The what’s missing piece of the evaluation can be the very thing that leads you to be more creative and take an idea that is already an 8 on a scale of 10 and turn it into a 9 or better!! Don’t assume you have thought of everything...been there, done that. It was no bueno.
I would love to connect with you! Feel free to send me an e-mail at mike@mikeconn.me anytime. And if you haven’t filled out the google form in the show notes please do. My team and I ask you a few quick questions that will help us be able to serve you well. We appreciate your help!
https://forms.gle/TDWHN5AYaUQjwk1s5
I am FOR you!
WE are FOR you!
We’ll see you next week!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mike-conn/message
You are a PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR!! You are VALUABLE and VALUED!Our community is stronger because of you! Thank you for choosing to INVEST your life by investing in and educating our children and the students of our community!
Two truths about organizations:
- Organizations don’t drift towards UNITY...they must be led there.
- Organizations move at the speed of TRUST!!
You (teachers) are primarily the ones who will lead them there.
- It doesn’t matter who you are, or what organization you are part of, the truth is, organizations move at the speed of trust.
- Organizations that lack trust don’t function at their highest level
- Trust can be fast tracked, but it cannot be rushed.
When I partner with organizations I break every organization down into 3 parts:
- Live--while you are doing your job
- Locker room--the way you interact with each other (teachers, support staff, and admin)
- Lab--where we get better: training, evaluations, PLC’s
The spirit of this episode is to concentrate on the locker room--the way you interact with everyone on your teaching team, in your hallway, in your building, teacher’s lounge, in other teacher’s rooms, on the field, in the actual literal locker room? I want to keep the locker room from becoming toxic!
What can you do to increase the level of trust on your faculty, staff team, and admin?
How can you show them that you are FOR them?
So, as we will wrap this episode I want to remind you that we-your community are FOR YOU!
E-mail Mike at mike@mikeconn.me anytime. Please fill out this google form so we can serve you well. We appreciate your help!
https://forms.gle/dWNKFxuPf4pEtQoD7
I am FOR you!
WE are FOR you!
We’ll see you next week!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mike-conn/message
We are FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS!!
- You are in the RIGHT place
- You will feel LOST
- You will BE GREAT
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mike-conn/message
We are FOR YOU
The greatest place to make a difference in EVERY community is the local school!!
On behalf of your entire community, we want you to know that we are FOR YOU!!
- If you teach early childhood WE ARE FOR YOU
- If you teach elementary WE ARE FOR YOU
- If you teach middle school WE ARE FOR YOU
- If you teach high school WE ARE FOR YOU
- If you are support staff WE ARE FOR YOU
- If you are admin WE ARE FOR YOU
My name is Mike Conn. I am an AMBASSADOR OF HOPEI’m a community investor.
I’m a professional speaker.
I’m a coach and consultant. I help people become better people, and get better at dealing with people.
I’m married to a teacher. Her mom and dad are retired teachers.
I know the sacrifice you put in during “contract time” and NOT during contract time. I know the money you spend out of your own pocket to get students things they need to be successful, and I know most people will NEVER know it. I know the smile on your face when one of your former students comes up to you and gives you a hug or a fist bump and thanks you for putting up with them when you had them in class.
I know the ways you second guess yourself when you are not connecting with even one student the way you want to.
I know when a parent/guardian comes up to you and says “don’t take this personally...but….” whatever they say after that you will definitely FEEL and take personally.
Since 2016 I have gone into schools and helped students navigate their social/emotional issues by leading sessions I call “Leadership Labs” and serving teachers and administrators in PD sessions. This year, I decided to up my investment in the ones who invest so much in our students and do this FREE podcast for teachers, support staff, and admin to let you know that we are FOR YOU!
This podcast is about what is RIGHT with teachers, how honorable your profession is, and what a worthy INVESTMENT of your time you have made, and are getting ready to make again this week.
- There is a google form in the show notes where I ask you a few quick questions that will help my team and I be able to serve you well. We would appreciate it if you would help us serve you by filling it out.
https://forms.gle/TDWHN5AYaUQjwk1s5
We will wrap this episode up where we started it:
I am FOR YOU!!
Your CommUNITY is FOR YOU!!
We are WITH YOU!!
Have a great week!!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mike-conn/message
We are FOR teachers!
We everyone who serves their community by working in the local school to feel seen and supported.
We want them to know we are FOR them!
If you would like us to read an encouraging message on the podcast about a teacher in your area send us an e-mail at:
weareforteachers@gmail.com.
Let's take every opportunity to help teachers know we are FOR them!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mike-conn/message