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I received this somewhat shocking email a while back. A mother contacted me to let me know that, after I offered academic and social safety nets in my college class to her son, "allowing" him to fail was one of the best things that could have happened to him as he transitioned from high school to college. It contains a powerful message.  This student’s mother who emailed me (possibly unknowingly) has inspired me to care even more for my students by keeping my expectations of students high.  I’ve held on to it privately, but thought it might also inspire others in the field. This emails along with countless parent teacher conferences, phone calls, and communiques have solidified my view that students should always opt to take "tough" classes in HS and elsewhere.  The alternative, waiting for college to challenge themselves, holds fewer advantages for the kids. If memory serves, our conversation on this topic continued with a few more exchanges.  I think we witnessed each others struggle and walked away both having a better mindset on the topic of rigor in the classroom. Mr. Cooper, As a parent of a former (and current) student, I wanted to express my appreciation of the responsibility and consequences you are teaching your students.  My son, xxxxxxx, had you for government last fall  (as a senior taking a dual credit college course) and had a less than desirable outcome.  By him making a "D", he was unable to transfer the credit and disqualified him from taking an additional 6 hours in the Spring.  Knowing his receiving 12 hours prior to high school graduation was now non-existent was hard for us and him to swallow. Although I was disappointed at the situation (loss of $$ and time), I believe it was the best "shot in the arm" you could have given him.  Should he had taken advantage of his resources (such as coming to you or asking someone to look at his paper), the outcome may have been different.  As a parent, you can only talk about how to study, when to study, what happens if you don’t; but we are dealing with kids who think they have all the answers and "everything is fine" mentality.  It is when they live through the experience and walked in "the shoes" that they realize mom and pop have been there and they know what they are talking about! Today, Xxxxxx is a freshman at Xxxxxx in Xxxxx, getting his basics before he heads off to Xxxxxxx.  Based on his experience in your class, I truly believe he is doing better than if you had "given" him the "C".  The experience in your class made him realize that nothing is handed and everything is earned.   He is going to tutorials, having his papers looked at by his aunt (who is editor of a small town newspaper!), and has even been on the helping side of a classmate who was having difficulty in math.  He is still learning the process but he is headed in right direction and I have you to thank. In addition, I believe his experience has trickled down to Xxxxx who witnessed the outcomes of Xxxxxx’s shortcomings and think she is a better student because of it.  I am encouraged she will finish more positively in your class!   Thanks, Xxxxxx    Filed under: In The Classroom

MATH Give kids a number & task them with coming up with as many different equations or ways to get to that number. Then, in whole class group, have students mark through any equation they write that others did too. No points are received for equations that other individuals or teams wrote down. Only original equations ( ie. equations no one else wrote down) get a point. Do a few rounds to determine winner. Allowing all to participate in this competition works out the high & low kids brains. Striking through duplicate equations pushes kids to invent new, more complex ones. In more complex courses, give kids equations, bigger numbers, or complex variables that challenge that group. Students still have to come up with equations in competitive environment :) Other Areas The same idea can be used in other disciplines: synonyms, antonyms, characteristics of a (hero, villain, success, failure, etc,), elements of a culture, amendments, mnemonic devices, and so on.Filed under: In The Classroom

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Do you remember being a child and seeing your teachers out at the local grocery store? It was absolutely jarring, right? As a child, you thought, don’t they live at the school? In the same way, many senior leaders lock themselves in the corner office. Employees never see them—and never connect with them—expect on a business level. As CEO, I feel it’s my job to be visible to my employees, not only as a leader, but also as a human being. How do you do this? Here are three ways below: Walk the halls I learned this lesson from my father, John. Dad worked at Phillips Petroleum and in 1975, he was sent to run a manufacturing subsidiary. His job was to turn operations around at two brick factories. The general manager who ran the brick company was never on-site. In fact, he ran operations from a suite of country-club-like villas miles away from the industrial complex. He was described as aloof and dictatorial, and drove to the office in the latest model company Jaguar when he was required to be there. My dad operated differently. Upon arriving on site, he moved his office from the adjacent town onto the cramped, factory grounds. He took away the fancy company cars and gave everyone, himself included, the same Ford sedan. But most distinctly, my dad walked the factory floor daily. He talked casually with the workers, alternately telling jokes, bonding over a beer or two, and asking for their opinions about manufacturing issues. Productivity and morale improved and the company, once in danger of being shut down, was able to take control of their own destiny. Each day, I try to get out of my office and walk the halls. I take time to say hello to my employees in the hallways and in the break room. I ask them how their families are doing—their spouse, their kids, their pets—and what they did that week. I ask how the program we just completed went and if there was feedback. I casually check-in. By walking the halls, I’m able to build relationships. CEO’s, by the nature of our work, can find ourselves cut off from our employees in ways that make us unapproachable. By being visible and chit-chatting, I hope my employees feel that I’m available whenever they need. Be social and sociable I run a small company, so I know this isn’t feasible for everyone, but there’s nothing I love more than sitting down in our breakroom and having lunch with our employees. The conversation is about a variety of things, but it’s always entertaining. I also get to see employees who I don’t usually see because of the location of my office. During the recession, we saved money on our holiday party by holding a potluck supper at my house. When times improved, the suggestion of returning to a catered event at a nice restaurant was emphatically overruled. Everyone loved getting together in my home where they see the complete me, along with the dog, pictures of my kids and—when looking for the corkscrew—see that the boss has a "junk drawer" too! And no matter the social function, make that extra effort to connect with those you don’t often interact with at work. Listening to and telling personal stories in a personal setting builds bonds of teamwork and increased engagement. Get on social media Employees—not just the younger ones—are on social media. They are active on Facebook pages and will share big stories to their own personal networks. I’ll be honest, I’m not the best when it comes to social media, (throw me a bone and follow me on Twitter) but I understand its power. We don’t do business with any of the people below, but I do appreciate how they authentically engage with their communities on social media. Tom Erickson, Acquia Acquia CEO Tom Erickson personally answers almost every review made about his company on Glassdoor. What impresses me most is Tom’s transparency is that he even takes the time to answer the negative ones. He explains his positioning, talks about future opportunities, and thanks employees for their feedback. Employees—and prospective employees—see that the CEO is listening and let know their voice is heard. Santa J. Ono, University of Cincinnati University of Cincinnati President Santa J. Ono has a unique ability to genuinely connect with his students, alumni, faculty, and parents and bring the Bearcat community together—all via Twitter. If you scroll through his feed, you will see his replies to students inviting him to attend games, lectures, plays, and more. Yes, his tweets tout the university’s research achievements, but it’s when he reaches out to upset students to see if they can come to a solution together that really hits the mark. Santa took the helm in 2012 and enrollment grew to 42, 656 in 2013, and 43, 691 in 2014. I’m not sure if Santa’s tweeting is having a direct effect on this growth, but one thing is for sure, something’s working.   Don’t be an email that your employees just send a report to. As a senior leader, get out of your office and show your human side. The post Do Your Employees See You…as Human? appeared first on Ariel Group.          CommentsSean, I agree. Many times I have had those jarring moments of ... by Mary LahtiRelated StoriesHow to Influence Without AuthorityThe Employee Engagement EquationClaim It until You Make It 

We’ve all been there. You’re sitting in what feels like a never-ending meeting, and some brave soul calls for a bio-break. At last! As you leave the confines of the room—perhaps over a cup of coffee, powdering your nose, or reaching for a snack—you say what you really think about the presentation to one other coworker. Or maybe you share the latest football score. Or a joke you heard in the bar the night before. The weather. The soaring price of milk. Whatever it is, you’re finally speaking your truth, showing what you’re passionate about, sharing an unguarded moment…and building a relationship. How can we recreate those shared moments in the virtual world? Because it is in those seemingly insignificant moments when we often unknowingly build relationships, get to know someone and most importantly, build trust. As Tsedal Neeley says in his recent HBR article, Global Teams That Work, creating these shared moments is important, especially when the social distance is far and the emotional connection is high. Think about all of the moments you get to build a relationship and get to know someone in the bricks and mortar world: the pictures in their office, what time they come and go, the car they drive, what’s in the car they drive, how they take their coffee, what they eat for lunch. You learn the simple truths (or untruths) about them that are shared in the break room, in the elevator, over a cigarette, standing at a shared printer. Truths that can only be known—and shared—in those "shared" spaces and moments. Can we build trust and relationships virtually? People say it can’t be done. Certainly not in the same way, but you can come pretty darned close if you make an effort. We underestimate the amount of effort required, which is why so many virtual relationships fail or feel dissatisfying. Here are things I do in my virtual practice to build strong relationships: Make time to check in with virtual colleagues. My colleague Kate Nugent talked about this is in a blog last year. I encourage you to make it a personal check-in. Really listen. Stop multi-tasking. If you’re checking-in on web chat or via email, stop and absorb the information your coworker is sending you. It’s not only your job to listen to them (within the business context of the conversation) but think what this means personally to the other person. Listen to appreciate. When a person speaks, you can you hear the other person’s personal values and strengths in what they are saying. Be sure to reflect back what you heard so they know you were listening and you appreciate their point of view. Book a time for a virtual coffee break. How could you replicate a shared drink at the bar at the end of the conference in the virtual world? Step outside, away from your desk and computer…and then make the call. Get out of the office to have a virtual meet-up. Do something un-virtual. What do you get in the mail? Bills? Do you ever get anything good? Send a handwritten note (mail will still deliver from Boston to Tokyo!), or send them a bar of their favorite 80% chocolate to a virtual coworker. Emailing a link to a relevant blog or an article will still show you were thinking about them, but mail will stand out. Share office celebrations with virtual team members. Make sure remote workers know about the birthdays you’re celebrating, the engagement, baby shower, promotion, new hire or other event. Make the announcement personal and include a picture (think "Facebook"). If there is a cake, send your virtual workers a cupcake so they can share in the celebration too. Next time someone passes you the milk before putting it back in the fridge because they know that you will want to use it too, think hard about what you need to do to recreate that moment (and all of its myriad of sub-text) in the virtual world—a "deliberate moment," as Tsedal describes them, of building relationship. The post The Virtual Coffee Break: The Importance of Relationship-Building Moments in a Virtual World appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesThe Employee Engagement EquationHow to Influence Without AuthorityCommunicating Virtually? Body Language Counts 

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