Differentiated Coaching for Educators

I recently spent several days in the heart of Washington DC. As I walked to and from the NCTM conference, to restaurants and museums, I watched the seconds tick down on the walk/don't walk clocks at each street corner. The time allotted for pedestrians to cross ranged from 12 seconds at one corner to 60 seconds at another.

I pondered the wide range of times. They weren't related to the width of the street or the average number of people standing there (some corners, especially around Chinatown, were definitely busier than others). Instead, the signals were timed to accommodate the vehicle traffic whizzing through the green lights that corresponded with the walk signals.

When I mentioned this to another conference attendee, she said, "You know, I thought they were timed for people! I was thinking that it would help people with disabilities know whether or not to cross." She agreed with me, though, that 12 seconds would not be enough and that the signs were indeed for the convenience of cars, not people.

Think of the observations/statistics/precision that goes into calibrating each corner walk sign separately. There was more variety than just 5-second increments!! In terms of personality type (popularized through the MBTI), it's a sensing/thinking system--emphasizing details, systems and things. What a far cry from an intuitive/feeling system--the opposite way of considering information and decisions--that would factor in people, values and individual choice (anyone prefer pushing a "walk" button to change traffic so you can proceed on foot???).

Then, ponder that this city, running its traffic this way, creates our laws. NCLB is all details/data/thing-oriented. Where does it capture whether our children are becoming lifelong learners, excited to go beyond requirements? If we truly want to be world class in education, we have to create environments where children learn that solving problems and thinking outside the box are key to giving life meaning and purpose. Truly, would any educator, scientist, or other dedicated professionals continue their work at a world class level if they didn't find that kind of fulfillment? Let's think school reform in terms of how to motivate students to engage in their own self development. Tests are convenient for measurement, as are seconds at street corners, but they may not get us where we need to be. And, if you're working in a city that thinks in 1-second increments about what is good for traffic, you may not easily find the big picture of what might truly create excellence in our students.