A View from the Bottom

Although some may argue my current physical build would disagree, I was actually both a track and cross country athlete in college. I have a couple of cross country training memories that stand out the most: interestingly, they both deal with hills. Most weeks, we had at least one day of intentional hill training, and many other workouts included some mildly famous inclines--at least they were famous to our team at the time. One was titled Killer Hill, and the other was simply called The Dip. Killer Hill was a stretch of twisting gravel road that escaped upwards into a forest at a consistently increasing incline. The Dip was a 10-mile loop with a giant U-shaped mile-long dip--hence the name--neatly carved into the middle of it. (The Dip also once included a dead, bloated Hereford cow beached on the side of the road, but that is a story for another time.) Killer Hill is where we will spend our time today.

We worked out at Killer Hill many times, but there was one instance in particular that strikes me: the Tuesday I was late. Due to a scheduled meeting with a professor, I knew I was going to have to play catch-up at practice that day. I knew we were heading to Killer Hill, so I left my meeting, hustled to the locker room, quickly changed, and took off to try to catch the group before they started to attack the upward 1-mile intervals. However, when I approached the starting line, the team was reaching the peak. Soon, they would begin their recovery jog back down the hill, but that would be minutes away. My coach greeted me, and we decided it was better for me to just get going, on my own, rather than wait for the team to come back down--and then be a full rep behind. So I set myself at the start and looked at the winding trail. I felt like the finish line immediately pulled away from me like a Hollywood dolly zoom out (think that famous Jaws zoom scene but only in reverse). The finish line seemed to double. Regardless, my coach gave me the signal, and I raced off. I was able to greet my teammates about halfway up, but after they disappeared into my blindspot, I again was faced with a formidable finish line. But I kept on. Greeted by another coach at the top of the hill, I completed my rep and began my slow descent. The piston-like passing by my teammates continued as we worked up and down Killer Hill, but one thing continued to change: each time I got to the bottom of the hill, the journey to the top looked longer, steeper, and more arduous. Typically, when the team would do this workout, I would grow fatigued, but the task itself would not vary in perception. I finished the workout slightly after the team, and there was one truth: it was not enjoyable when I was alone. Shortly after, I faced The Dip. Solo. In essence, the same experiences occurred: the run seemed longer, the miles more difficult, the hills steeper, and the overall task was less pleasant. I didn’t really think much of either of these events until recently. 
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About a year ago, I ran across some studies from the University of Virginia, and they dealt will--yep--hills. In an early study, they found that if people are looking at a hill they need to climb, and they are in a negative state of mind, they predict the hill to be 30% steeper than it really is. In a second study, researchers discovered that, when alone, a person perceives a hill to be 20% steeper compared to when standing next to a friend. Essentially, a person’s perception is reshaped by the presence of others. When I reflect on Killer Hill and The Dip, this concept was completely accurate. Without the physical and emotional influence of my teammates, the challenges looked--and felt--insurmountable. 

. . . And then I think about our classrooms and our schools. 

As administrators and educators, we can learn a lot from these findings. We can help foster a support system at the figurative “bottom of hills” with these 3 C’s: Connection, Collaboration, and Celebration. Below, I’ve included a few brief ideas in each category.

Increase Social Connection
Staff: 
Do your teachers connect beyond content?
Real strategies you can implement: 

• Connection Spot
  • Shoutout to my admin and staff: we have a room called “The Well” where staff can go to recharge and reconnect. It has places to both conduct work and relax. Staff members have brought in items like puzzles, oil diffusers, and muscle massagers. 
• Hallway Convos
  • Encourage staff to connect with each other in the hallway during passing time as they greet students. 
• 10th Hour
  • Host events out of school for staff to grow healthy relationships while having fun together. Our staff calls these events 10th hour, since we have a 9-period day. 

Students:
Do your students have time to connect within or between classes? 
Real strategies you can implement: 

• Positive Priming 
  • Taking a few minutes at the beginning of class to allow students interact and learn more about each other every day will help them learn better. You can read my full Positive Priming article here. 
• Power Hour
  • Have one longer passing time during the day where students can grab a snack and connect. We call ours Power Hour; it occurs after 2nd hour and is 15 minutes in length. The cafeteria offers snack and drink selections for sale. 

Increase Collaboration
Staff: 
Do your staff members have time to work together? 
Real strategies you can implement: 

• PLCs or Collaborative Teams
  • These are probably obvious strategies here, but they still are very influential. 
• A Googly Mindset
  • Think about how you use time on staff development days. In line with what Google does, allowing time for staff to work together to solve problems or create something new--together--can be very powerful. 

Students:
Do your students have chances to work together on a regular basis? 
Real strategies you can implement: 

• Get them Collaborating
  • Probably obvious here again, but increasing opportunities for students to work with each other will keep them from being “stranded on the bottom of the hill alone.” 
• Virtual Connection
  • This year, I’ve had a number of students learning from home while they have been quarantined. I think this whole situation causes students to feel alone, even if they are synchronously attending online. 
    • Each day, I welcome each virtual student and pan our camera around the room so their classmates can wave and say hello. 
    • In addition, we have students FaceTime in with their classmates during group work, so they can join in conversations. 

Increase Celebration
Staff: 
Does your staff have a way to congratulate each other or express gratitude?
Real strategies you can implement: 

• Shoutouts
  • My high school principal created a weekly Shoutout Google Form for staff to send positive messages of gratitude and congratulations. Each Thursday, he sends out a link to the Google Form, and each Sunday, he shares the results in our weekly staff newsletter. Our staff loves it and it helps breed a positive culture. 

Students:
Do your students have a way to congratulate each other or express gratitude?
Real strategies you can implement: 

• Student Shoutouts
  • This is a very very rare concept. I just created a Google Form for my students to give each other shoutouts similar to our staff ones. I’m going to pilot it with my college prep classes over the next month and I anticipate it will enhance our classroom culture. 

When I think back to Killer Hill and The Dip, I can now appreciate how much my teammates meant to my mindset and success. An intentional support system can yield huge dividends. If we intentionally implement Connection, Collaboration, and Celebration in our schools, we undoubtedly can help our students see challenges through fresh eyes. 

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