When I was an elementary school principal, Madelyn Hunter was one of several educational gurus that I followed. She had a model for effective teaching that outlined the important parts of a good lesson plan. I encouraged my staff to use her model. Some did, some didn’t, but most at least gave a look see when they knew I was going to conduct a formal observation for evaluation purposes.
I don’t know if the model made a difference, or not, but at least we had a common set of discussion points.
One of Hunter’s ideas that’s stuck with me through all my years, including current events, is the concept of “bird walks”. If you look it up, you might find something like this.
“Bird walks” are conversations that may distract attention from, rather than enhance, understanding of more important issues. A typical example is, “By the way, that reminds me of something that happened. . .. ” If “what happened” will help students understand what is being presented, by all means use the example. If “what happened” is only loosely related, don’t waste time by introducing it. If you have loads of extra time or comic relief needs to be introduced to brighten up the lesson, a bird walk might be forgivable, but most of us find that time and energy are in too short supply to be expended on loosely associated material or random exchanges between students and teachers.
When I was teaching, I had students who tried to get their teachers to take bird walks. They wanted us to tell stories rather than focus on the lesson at hand. Some of us were easy to get off target. Others avoided it all cost. I took my students on several. And while the focus of the lesson sometimes got lost, we both enjoyed the journey.
As I’ve gotten older, I sometimes find myself taking bird walks in my daily conversations. Someone will say something that triggers a memory and off I go. I had coffee with a lady the other day and during our conversation she started to tell a story and wandered off to another. I told her “You just took a bird walk.” She wasn’t familiar with the concept, so I explained. When we met a second time, she pointed out one I took during a story I was telling. That just proves that once you find a concept to be interesting, you can learn it easily. I used the term once and she’s got it now.
As we get older, the things we experience, no matter if they’re good or bad, stack up in our memory. If we haul them out every once in a while, they remain there. If we don’t relive them, they may disappear. If we take them out for a bird walk, they become stronger. I’m not saying that’s a good thing or bad thing, but I know my stories live longer with a retelling. That’s why I’m writing. I want my stories to live, and I want them to live through my extended family. That’s my primary audience.
I’ve published each year’s stories in a book that I have printed for each of my kids and their families. I received a text from my granddaughter, Eva, when her family received a copy of my 2023 yearbook. This is what she said.
Hi, TGO. I was just reading some of your blog posts and I will probably read your book when I’m done with the one I’m reading right now. But I wanted you to know I’ve been thinking about you lately and I wanted to say I’m really proud of you for your achievements in writing. Even if it might not mean much, I want you to know, and I’ve never gotten the chance to tell you. I really love hearing your stories and advice because I take that kind of stuff with me in my day-to-day life.
My reply was simple. It means everything. You, Brady and Jackson are the people I’m writing for. I love you all.
And that’s no bird walk.