My daughters attend Greenhill School in Dallas. The following is from a recent email newletter from the Head of the Lower School. As the second paragraph demonstrates, even here, in burnt orange country, Coach Saban and his philosophy are resonating with people who understand what it really means to teach young people. Enjoy. I...
"Dear Families,
For those of you who wear the burnt orange I hope the sting has worn off enough that I can mention a quote from the Texas-Alabama football game that I found interesting and worth relating to what we do.
When asked about his approach to coaching, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said, "I'm not result-oriented. I'm more process-oriented. So every day, I'm thinking about what we have to do to continue to get better.” Nick Saban is an educator, because he coaches young people. But he’s not result-oriented? I’m sure he enjoyed the result—a National Championship—and is proud of the team, but he is describing his approach to achieving excellence in teaching his players and managing his team.
That focus on process resonates with us. For instance, in teaching writing, we focus on the process of continually improving one’s thoughts, mechanics, and expression. In math, we spend significant time examining thinking and sharing possible steps to solutions. Across the curriculum our teachers focus on taking the time to work with kids on doing things the right way and well, rather than just completion. Teachers push kids for new personal bests, and in order to do that they have to know their pupils well. They learn about their students by reflecting on every course of action with them, asking, Why did you do it that way? What were you thinking? How did that work out? Would you do it differently next time?
In addition, we have the advantage of being an independent school, which means we are not expected to administer the TAKS test. I celebrate the goal of improving public schooling but the state tests are a classic example, in my opinion, of putting the results first and the process second. Here at Greenhill we use standardized testing, which begins in third grade, differently: What questions does that set of “results” cause us to ask about our “process” and where can we improve?
You’ve heard all this from me before: when I was citing studies by Carol Dweck that show focusing kids on learning processes rather than grades or intelligence actually produces greater academic achievement; or when I was summarizing the message of the Positive Coaching Alliance, who teach coaches, athletes, and parents to focus on character and the sport first and let the scoreboard take care of itself.
Sincerely,
Michael Simpson
Head of Lower School
"Dear Families,
For those of you who wear the burnt orange I hope the sting has worn off enough that I can mention a quote from the Texas-Alabama football game that I found interesting and worth relating to what we do.
When asked about his approach to coaching, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said, "I'm not result-oriented. I'm more process-oriented. So every day, I'm thinking about what we have to do to continue to get better.” Nick Saban is an educator, because he coaches young people. But he’s not result-oriented? I’m sure he enjoyed the result—a National Championship—and is proud of the team, but he is describing his approach to achieving excellence in teaching his players and managing his team.
That focus on process resonates with us. For instance, in teaching writing, we focus on the process of continually improving one’s thoughts, mechanics, and expression. In math, we spend significant time examining thinking and sharing possible steps to solutions. Across the curriculum our teachers focus on taking the time to work with kids on doing things the right way and well, rather than just completion. Teachers push kids for new personal bests, and in order to do that they have to know their pupils well. They learn about their students by reflecting on every course of action with them, asking, Why did you do it that way? What were you thinking? How did that work out? Would you do it differently next time?
In addition, we have the advantage of being an independent school, which means we are not expected to administer the TAKS test. I celebrate the goal of improving public schooling but the state tests are a classic example, in my opinion, of putting the results first and the process second. Here at Greenhill we use standardized testing, which begins in third grade, differently: What questions does that set of “results” cause us to ask about our “process” and where can we improve?
You’ve heard all this from me before: when I was citing studies by Carol Dweck that show focusing kids on learning processes rather than grades or intelligence actually produces greater academic achievement; or when I was summarizing the message of the Positive Coaching Alliance, who teach coaches, athletes, and parents to focus on character and the sport first and let the scoreboard take care of itself.
Sincerely,
Michael Simpson
Head of Lower School
