In this bonus episode, I wanna talk about the idea of a teacher holding their classroom as if they were holding it in the palm of their hand versus a tight fist.

As brand new teachers, we are in the process of holding our hand so tight around that classroom. We imagine that in order to manage that classroom, we have to be in control, and control a lot of times looks like holding our hand in that fist.

I've recently had several conversations. Guests about that idea of classroom management, making a fist in terms of how I keep my classroom in control, and I've started to wonder if it's a benefit.

We're often told don't smile until Thanksgiving. You don't want to let them know that you have a heart. I wonder if that's really good advice there's this underlying message that you are in charge. You are in control, and I'm not sure that's the message we wanna give.

When I speak with Shane Lawrence in the near future, he mentioned that as a new teacher, he also felt like he had to hold his hand in a fist. With more experience the less he held his hand so tight and started to open it up and open palm with his students, allowing them to engage with empowerment and the student voice in the classroom.

Do I wanna push people away with control? It gives you this false sense of comfortability and lack of vulnerability. But in the end, you're really putting barriers up for yourself and for those around you. And as a teacher, the last thing that we should wanna do is to put a barrier between us and the students.

If you have a classroom and you control it with a closed fist, you will not have the kind of relationships we want. I also think of Ross's interview. And his experience of being bullied and feeling so alone, he was connected to teachers that had open hands, but I don't think enough of us understand how important opening our hands and empowering our students.

This whole podcast is geared toward student voice.

How do we engage student voice?

How do we empower students to use their voice?

If you chose to engage and talk with your students. You are absolutely tapping into a valuable resource, our students are an incredible resource. I don't think we use them as a resource enough.

I encourage you to try. Try one lesson. Operating with a hand that's open. If nothing else, recognize the lack of energy that you have to put in holding onto your fist and the energy that comes out from those students. What a beautiful place that could be.