SamTastic Weekly Tip: 6/30/25 - Ask Good Questions.

This week’s tip: Ask Good Questions

You make a point of asking good questions in feedback sessions and in your SAM Daily Meetings. Getting a person to reflect on how they can be better is key to improving practice. 

The questions you ask when interviewing candidates for teaching and support staff positions are important, too.  The questions must reveal a candidate’s attitude, commitment, professionalism, skills, and knowledge.  The questions you ask also tell the candidate what you value and what it will be like to work with you if they are selected.

Mike Rutherford, an accomplished principal professional development presenter and thought leader, suggests twelve questions when interviewing teacher candidates:

Question 1: Can you identify a curriculum goal or standard that students find especially difficult to master? How might you go about teaching this standard differently?

Listen for… speed and ease of recall. Skillful teachers know which areas of the curriculum are more problematic and adjust accordingly.  crucial.

Question 2: Describe a portion of curriculum where the sequencing of the learning is critical.

Listen for…specific examples of dependent curriculum sequences. Skillful teachers know what parts of the curriculum require a specific order of instruction.

Question 3: Is there any curriculum you’d like to teach if there was more time in the school year?

Listen for…speed and ease of recall. Skillful teachers teach only a fraction, perhaps 20%, of what they know from the curriculum. It should be easy to give examples from the other 80%. 

Question 4: As you think about a future episode of teaching, talk about specific learning goals that are most important to you.

Listen for…clear and assessable verbs such as diagram, solve, create, and discuss. Be wary of fuzzy verbs such as understand, know, appreciate, and experience.

Question 5:  Describe some strategies you’ve found effective in increasing students’ ability to remember what they have learned. Follow-up with:  How do you think that this strategy works? or, Why is that approach so successful?

Listen for…specific instructional approaches. Skillful teachers teach according to principles of learning that enhance memory and can describe how the principles of learning operate.

Question 6: Are there strategies that you’ve found successful in accelerating learning, actually causing students to learn faster?

Listen for…specific instructional approaches. Skillful teachers teach according to principles of learning that accelerate learning and can describe how the principles of learning operate.

Question 7: Describe a time that the classroom environment either helped or hindered the learning in your classroom.

Listen for…a specific element of the physical or social/emotional classroom environment and the teacher’s understanding of environment cause and effect.

Question 8: Can you describe any other principles of effective teaching that you rely on for successful learning?

Listen for…specific conceptual or theoretical instructional approaches. Excellent teachers don’t follow recipes. Rather, they teach according to scientific principles such as mental models, personal relevance, locale memory, etc.

Question 9: For you personally, what is the most fulfilling and satisfying thing about teaching?

Listen for…genuineness and sincerity. High efficacy teachers derive genuine fulfillment from their work.

Question 10: Describe one of your favorite teachers…what made them especially successful?

Listen for…specific characteristics of compelling nature such as the ability to connect with students, genuine enjoyment of the work, accomplishments that were due to skillful practice.

Question 11: Describe a time when you found yourself so wrapped up in something that you lost track of time.

Listen for an example form the teacher’s work life. One proof of high efficacy is regularly getting lost in the moment of an interesting and challenging task. Be wary if all the examples of this come from leisure time or hobbies.

Question 12: Teachers who establish a personal connection with students seem to be more effective in teaching them. Why do you think this is so?

Listen for…the teacher’s understanding of compelling nature as the ability of the teacher to connect with students, draw them toward self, and, in so doing, connect them to the work at hand.

You can find more great information at Mike’s website:  www.rutherfordlg.com

Mike has been a keynote and breakout session speaker at the annual National SAM Conference.  Use this link to see his inspiring keynote session Ten Unforgettable Classroom Visits:  https://bit.ly/3wm3plY

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Haven’t received an invoice yet for SAM services for next year?  You can request an invoice now by using this link:  https://bit.ly/40GtA33

2024 SAM Team Performance Report:   Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM  https://bit.ly/48OCjCm

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 6/23/25 - Don’t Accept Rude Behavior.

This week’s tip: Don’t Accept Rude Behavior

It might surprise you to learn that surveys consistently show Americans respect school principals more than any other leadership position in the country.  Why then do an alarming number of parents, staff and students resort to rudeness when talking with principals?  Importantly, can you do anything to make this better?

Dale Carnegie suggested that assuming a good intent, even when it is apparent the intent is not good, is a sound move.  Giving the other person the benefit of the doubt, and a good reputation to live up to, makes sense.  But how?

Authors Kathy and Ross Pertras suggests eight ways to control rude behavior:

1. ‘You seem frustrated. Is something wrong?’

This is a classic redirection tactic. You’re centering the conversation on the other person, not you. Sometimes people just need a little reminder that they’re actually acting out about something completely different than the matter at hand. And often, getting the opportunity to reflect upon this or talk about it changes the entire situation.

Similar phrases: 

1. “Are you going through something right now that’s affecting you like this?”

2. “Are you having a problem? Do you want to talk about it?”

3. “Have I done something to upset you?”

2. ‘I’m surprised you feel comfortable saying things like that.’

Addressing someone’s rudeness head on is a key component to dealing effectively with incivility. By using this phrase, you’re telling the speaker that what they’re saying is unacceptable, and that perhaps they need to reassess their words. Research studies discovered that reminding someone that they’re being rude can make them realize they need to correct their behavior.

Similar phrases:

1. “Are you listening to yourself here?”

2. “Do you realize what you’re saying, and how you’re saying it?”

3. “Are you aware that you’re coming across as harsh and abrasive?”

3. ‘Could you repeat that?’

This is similar to the previous phrase, except you’re not saying it straight out — you’re implying that you don’t like what they just said. Phrases like this stop the conversation in its tracks and force the speaker to rethink what they’re saying, while also making it clear that you won’t allow it to continue.

Similar phrases:

1. “Why are you using those words [or that tone] with me?”

2. “How you’re talking [or what you’re saying] isn’t very helpful.”

3. “Can you lower your voice [or change your attitude]?”

   
   

4. How can we focus instead on making this work well for the both of us?’

This is an example of setting boundaries, a main aspect of coping with rudeness. You’re calmly letting the person know you refuse to continue with the current situation, and you’re redirecting the negative energy onto a positive path.

Similar phrases:

1. “Can we address this more productively?”

2. “Let’s stop with the negativity and focus on finding a solution.”

3. “Why don’t we continue this when we can be respectful of one another?”

5. ‘I see your point.’

Saying that you understand what someone is saying in spite of the manner in which they’re saying it defuses the situation by acknowledging them. Often a big cause of rudeness, especially in the workplace, is the fear of not being noticed or paid attention to. The simple “I see your point” gets past that obstacle.

Similar phrases:

1. “I’m glad you’re sharing your perspective with me.”

2. “That’s definitely a way of looking at it.”

3. “I hear you.”

6. ‘I can tell you’re upset about something. Could you explain the issue more calmly to me?’

Here’s another “I acknowledge you” statement, with an added “stay cool.” You’re inviting the person to continue speaking, but (and this is important) stressing that the conversation can’t continue the way it began. It’s boundary-setting and defusing at the same time.

Similar phrases:

1. “Let’s reset the tone a bit so I can really focus on what you’re saying, not on how you’re saying it.”

2. “I know you’re frustrated, but we can work through this if you dial it down a notch.”

3. “It’s clear this is important to you, but let’s step back and take it slowly.”

7. ‘Please stop.’

This very simple request can stop rude behavior or conversation in its tracks. The key, though, is saying it quietly and politely. Matching rudeness with rudeness only escalates things.

Similar phrases:

1. “Don’t say [or do] that, please.”

2. “Could you quiet down?”

3. “Please give me a chance to speak.”

If all else fails, say nothing or walk away

That’s right. Saying nothing at all, and just looking at the other person in silence, can sometimes be the most effective method of shutting down aggressiveness or rudeness. It’s difficult for someone to amp up the situation when there’s nothing to fight back against. Finally, if you feel your anger rising and can tell that you’re about to fight fire with fire, it’s best to physically remove yourself. This way, instead of escalating the situation, you’re giving yourself — and possibly the other person — the time and space to cool down.

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Haven’t received an invoice yet for SAM services for next year?  You can request an invoice now by using this link:  https://bit.ly/40GtA33

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SamTastic Weekly Tip: 6/17/25 - Interruption Control

This week’s tip: Interruption Control

SAM Teams successfully use First Responders to decrease interruptions that pull the principal, and other school leaders, away from work to improve teaching practice and student outcomes. 

How do you deal with a different kind of interruption?  You are in a meeting, you are trying to make a point, but no one will let you finish? 

Here’s advice from Jefferson Fisher, a popular communications pundit:

#1. Before you start: set the expectation.

Before you even get started, ask them not to interrupt. It's like at a graduation when they say, "Please hold your applause to the end."

Say something like, "I have a lot of thoughts on this. Bear with me and hear me out, then I'd love your take."

#2. If they interrupt anyway: keep talking.

Don't stop. A lot of times they'll think, "Oh man, I interrupted" and let you continue.

There's nothing wrong with finishing your thought.

#3. If it gets bad: lower your voice and use their name.

"Matt, I can't hear you when you interrupt me. I want to hear what you have to say, so let me finish, and then I'm all yours."

Most people don't interrupt to be rude. They interrupt because they're engaged. Handle it with that in mind.

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Haven’t received an invoice yet for SAM services for next year?  You can request an invoice now by using this link:  https://bit.ly/40GtA33

2024 SAM Team Performance Report:   Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM  https://bit.ly/48OCjCm