Back by popular request, Dr. Todd Whitaker, one of the nation’s leading authorities in the education field, returned to Poplar Bluff to speak with faculty about classroom management during Collaboration Day on Friday, Oct. 6, at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.
“Great is the standard here because it’s so important,” said Whitaker, opening the initial session with teachers over grades preK-6. “In other professions, we settle for below standard. In education, we really do have that imprint – since that’s what everyone wants.
“That’s what makes it so hard,” he continued, “but that’s what also makes it so special.”
Whitaker, an author of over 60 books, originally served as keynote speaker for the 9th annual PB Connect in January. In soliciting feedback following the district’s internal workshop, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Patty Robertson said Whitaker’s message, “What Great Teachers Do Differently,” really resonated with faculty.
Booking Whitaker to speak to the entire staff split among two groups was deemed the most economical option for the professional development budget, according to Robertson, when inquiring about a future virtual session or book study with the education leader.
During his visit this month, Whitaker provided strategies for dealing with students misbehaving in class, including redirecting the attention so educators can keep teaching and not disengage the rest of the students who remain on task. “Great teachers know that’s the least important kid in the room while they’re misbehaving,” he said.
“Everything a great teacher does is prevention, not revenge,” Whitaker went on. He talked about establishing his own positive referral program, similar to what Poplar Bluff practices with positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and Capturing Kids’ Hearts. “My philosophy of education is the same as my philosophy in life: Raise the praise. Minimize the criticize,” he concluded.
Piggybacking off Whitaker’s comment that “High achievers are the only ones who want everyone to be successful,” Poplar Bluff Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman quoted John Mason’s “An Enemy Called Average,” stating: “Remember in the eyes of average people, average is always considered outstanding.”
In thanking the speaker for providing some more ‘Whiti-cisms’ for staff to reflect upon, Cornman noted that Whitaker’s “Shifting the Monkey” made an impact on his early career in the superintendent ranks. Whitaker’s original speaking engagement last school year happened to be Cornman’s introduction to the R-I district, having attended the conference prior to beginning his superintendency in Poplar Bluff.
Robertson recalled first hearing Whitaker speak back when she was an administrator at the former 5th & 6th Grade Center. A lifelong educator, Whitaker still serves as a professor of educational leadership at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
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Cutline: Dr. Todd Whitaker speaks to certified staff members, grades preK-6, on Friday, Oct. 6, at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center – followed by a session for educators over grades 7-12.