1 of 15

Growing Marigolds in Your Garden:

Growing Ourselves to Grow Others

Dr. Virginia Duncan & Marie Henderson

2 of 15

How do you grow yourself?

https://www.menti.com/9sijyverks

Go to menti.com and enter the code - 85 20 46 7

Live Results

3 of 15

Preparing the Ground

4 of 15

Preparing the Ground

Create/write your own professional learning goals both in line with and separately from your day job.

Questions to Consider:

When do you write your own professional learning goals?
Do you tie them to the ISTE-C?
Are they aligned to district-level or building-level teaching and learning goals?

GINNY - New ISTE-C standards -

Aligned to district-level, building-level goals: this part for me is about service to your district. As coaches, we no longer grade papers or make lesson plans, but we can give that time back to our district or building by serving on committees, volunteering to be part of the leadership team or site council - you stay in the know and contribute to the culture but you’re also able to set appropriate goals and keep the mission and vision of the district or building at the forefront of the work you do in your own professional learning.

MARIE - It’s also essential to set professional goals for oneself. Just like we do in the classroom when we set learning goals and use data to inform our teaching, as goals, we need to begin with the end in mind. Ginny is infinitely better at this each year than I am. I’ve learned so much from her about how to do this effectively.

5 of 15

Preparing the Ground

Tips for Finding a System:

If you don’t know where you’re going, you probably won’t get there.
Designate a time (even if it’s 10 min per day or per week) on the calendar. Make it a habit.
Decide that your personal PL is a priority - otherwise you stay in a comfort zone and do not grow.

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”

Recognize it’s necessary to have your own PL goals.

6 of 15

Cultivating Your Garden

7 of 15

Cultivating Your Garden

Never has it been more necessary to connect with other educators who support you. Consider who challenges you as a professional and/or who could hold you accountable for growing. Consider who you challenge and/or who you hold accountable for growing.

Questions to Consider:

Who do you go to when you have a new idea to bounce around or you’re wanting to try something new?
How does that person build you up?
Where do you perceive weaknesses in teaching or learning in your district or building?
How much knowledge or information do you have on that topic?
Is there appropriate training available (whether it’s local or outside of your district) to assist you in gaining the expertise you need?
How do you find that person/those people?

MARIE - We must think outside the box regularly. Consider how others may be addressing the challenges we all face. Think about how much we could learn from each other!! We can motivate, inspire, and rejuvenate each other through connections. Think about a person in your life who fills your bucket. When you’ve just finished speaking with that person or working with him/her on a project, you feel uplifted, empowered, ready to get things done. That person/those people are your marigolds. Make time to touch base with them. Make time to bounce new ideas off them and if they’re readily available to meet with them. With Zoom or other video-conferencing technology, we can meet with anyone.

GINNY - How do you find them? They may have the same position as you but in another district. They may tweet about things that interest you or join the same Twitter chats you join. You might meet them at a conference.

8 of 15

Cultivating Your Garden

Tips for Cultivating Your Garden:

Twitter - connections, chatting, searches.
Ask people above you - Who does your job in a different district? Where was my job description modeled from? What motivated the creation of my position?
Do the people I interact with align to district-level or building-level teaching and learning goals? Do they challenge me to be professionally better?
Be open to talking to and meeting new people at conferences - get out of your box. We’re comfortable hanging out with our “people,” - be open to creating new networks. Look for those connections everywhere.
Sometimes connections don’t always develop, and that’s ok. Casual connections vs deeper connections - both are valuable.
Revisit and revise your personal PL goals regularly.

9 of 15

Green-Thumb Coaches

10 of 15

Green-Thumb Coaches

Consider what you could learn today to impact teaching and learning in your school tomorrow.

Questions to Consider:

Are you that person for someone else?
Do you build up new ideas or try to get teachers to stay the course?

11 of 15

Green-Thumb Coaches

Tips for Green Thumb Coaches:

Be a model for teachers.
Be a Marigold for others.
If we want teachers to grow and change, we need to grow and change.
Be transparent, authentic, and vulnerable in your own struggle for growth and change.
Share your personal PL goals.

12 of 15

What steps can you take to be a Marigold for someone else?

13 of 15

Resources

14 of 15

Resources

Elena Aguilar - The Art of Coaching

Brene Brown - Dare to Lead

Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Hattie - The Distance Learning Playbook

Jennifer Gonzalez - Cult of Pedagogy “Find Your Marigold”

Stephanie Hirsh - “4 Cornerstones of Professional Learning”

Jim Knight - The Instructional Coaching Group Website; “Escape from the Zero-Learning Zone”

Katie Martin - “The Science of Happiness: 3 Practices That Changed My Perspective”

15 of 15

Connect With Us!

Dr. Virginia Duncan

@DrGinnyD

vduncan2251@gmail.com

Marie Henderson

@mhenderson621

mhenderson@usd489.com