No Nonsense Nurturer #1 - Keeping An Open Mind

 "I don't want to feel like a robot."

"I'm not putting that thing in my ear."

"I'm not allowed to say, 'Please' or 'Thank you' anymore after I give directions? How will we teach these kids manners?"

Have you read that article yet? (They usually mean this one, from NPR)

These are all variations of critiques I heard from colleagues in my district last year when No Nonsense Nurturing was first introduced to the PreK to 5 teachers in our district at professional development day early in the year. Everyone was on the hot take to chalk this one up to another edu-consultant that was out of the classroom and cashing in on a book they wrote. Those with an open mind (or even feeling positive toward the approach) were either few and far between, or were just unvocal. Positive educators actually tend to be like that - the negative train pulls up to the station, and they just get off. 

Here's my take on it, on the eve of my own official introduction to the program (and the live-coaching that comes with it). Anytime I start hearing people parrot the lines of something their friend said someone else said, sharing the same link in the top 3 results of a Google search, or repeatedly sharing the critiques they all read in the previously mentioned singular blog or news article, my first inclination is to find out what people IN FAVOR of it say. This works for politics, the profession, your favorite sports team's trade deadline deal, or even the restaurant down the street. 

Tomorrow I'm going to receive this book from my district - 

- and I'll find out for myself how I feel about being a "No-Nonsense Nurturer." Let's start with a premise we can all agree upon: we DO want to reach every student every day, right? The title of a book is an inadequately short summary of its conclusion, but it's enough to make me pick up the book.

Are we SERIOUS about making sure that ALL kids learn to the highest levels? We have to have an open-mind to any and all strategies and resources to make that kind of impact. 

We'll see how tomorrow's PD goes, but if you're looking for me, you can find me toward the front, with an open book and an open mind. "That one student," and "these kids" deserve it.