“WIIFM?” Are you new to WIIFM? It is not a radio station and it is not a TV station, at least not one that is widely known. WIIFM stands for what’s in it for me. Although at first this has a negative connotation, it can evolve from WIIFM to WIIFUs, What’s in it for us? Based upon experiences as part of the NJ Character Education Commission, as an educator, an author, a volunteer, and a professional development provider, I have been witness to and part of this fluid process. Read, write, reflect, post, collaborate

WIIFM-Read:

As educators and as parents we have heard and read numerous articles regarding the importance of parent-teacher communication and parental involvement in education. Sit back and read one of the numerous notices that are sent home, one that you have written and one from the administration. Is it wordy? Is it to the point? If you were not among the school personnel, would you clearly understand the notice? Reading what we want others to understand requires the ability to put yourself in the reader’s position. You know your administrators and secretaries. In which ever is the most tactful method, recommend tips to transform the notices from those that are ignored to those that are read. Increased understanding of notices is one way to facilitate communication and involvement. WIIFM is one less roadblock to parental communication; WIIFUs is one more understanding family.

WIIFM-Write:

Across the grades and beyond, people need to be literate. They need the skills that will enable them to read and write today and in the future. Writing is a process. There are thoughts to gather, there are words to gather that will facilitate the understanding of the thoughts and there are illustrations that further aid in comprehension. The goal of literacy is comprehension, to understand the meaning of the message that is being expressed. When we engage people in the educational process, their participation should not be taken for granted. Write thank you notes to students, parents and volunteers who provide assistance over and above what is expected. Send get-well cards to students when they are absent for a few days. Send congratulatory notes to families that adopt a child or experience the birth of a child. When a student’s family experiences a loss, send a condolence card. Due to a death in the family, my daughter missed a week of school. On one of those days, she received a card from the PTA acknowledging the event. I was surprised because I had not had this experience before. She was touched because someone had cared enough to acknowledge the loss of her uncle. WIIFM is conveying a sense of decency and respect to another person; WIIFUs is the feeling of goodwill that is being fostered.

WIIFM-Reflect:

If you are asked to reflect about “x”, what will you do? What is your method for reflection? Some techniques include talking to yourself, writing your thoughts, talking with another person, daydreaming, and sending letters to Dear Abby or Ann Landers. Why is reflection necessary at all? Reflection is the time you take to think about the lesson, the event, or the experience and to self-evaluate it from the perspective of the teacher, of the participant and of parent. These are moments well spent when you are a life long learner. What was the teachable moment? When did you know the kids got it or were lost? How could you re-teach the lesson? What would you repeat, what would you change and why? This is when you step back and look to the future. There are alternative ways to look at a situation and it is important for us to convey this to our students. To reflect is to problem solve, to be your own critic. Engaging students in the process will enable them to reflect upon their reactions, their alternatives and to make choices, and to think back to those choices and re-evaluate the effect.

WIIFM-Post:

Do you have a bulletin board, a wall or a cork strip where you can post your students’ work? How do you choose which materials are to be displayed? Why do you display your students’ papers or projects? Do you display your work or your accomplishments? What mechanism is available for you to post your work? This is like the artist who attends the opening of his own gallery. You are laying it all out on the line. Many of us have heard the following exchange, “What do you do?” “I am a teacher.” “I don’t know how you do it. I would be so nervous talking in front of people all day.” “I am actually more nervous speaking in front of adults than in front of my students.” Whether you talk in front of the class, from behind a desk or sit down with the students, you put yourself on the line each minute of the school day, and in some communities you are in public 24/7. Show your pride in your students by displaying their accomplishments. Show you are a qualified professional by displaying your degrees and certificates. Approach the administration to set aside an area for all staff to participate is this act. Not only will you be learning more about your colleagues, you will also be promoting teaching as a necessary and respected career to the students and the community members who come into the school. It is during the post period that you can develop networks of students and of adults who are interested in exchanging information and in pursuing further endeavors together.

WIIFM-Collaborate:

This is the team building process. Now is the time the “me” begins to accept the “us” theme. Me’s are not losing individuality or uniqueness, they are adding that to the mix. This is important to reinforce and to demonstrate. Collaboration is similar to a collage, each piece adds to the whole picture. Think of the terms team, collaboration and consensus. What comes to mind? Reflect upon your experiences as an educator and as a student, athlete, volunteer or member of an organization. When was collaboration necessary and also successful? When was a team approach and team mentality necessary but not achieved, why and with what outcome? Reaching a consensus does not mean that everyone agrees on each point. Consensus implies that the people in the group have come to a mutual understanding and they can respect each other’s viewpoints and will work for the betterment of the group. This takes practice and patience. As teachers, we should not assume that our pupils know how a group functions. As teachers, our administrators should not assume that at any given time, we are ready to jump into the “us” mode. We need to set the stage and to model how groups function, how each contributes to the whole picture. This can be done through having students solve board puzzles and then relating that experience to team work and collaboration. This can be done through group projects where each person chooses or is assigned a role and the evaluation of the finished project depends upon the sum of the parts.

One for all and all for one! Use the book, “The Crayon Box That Talked”, to demonstrate the me and the us. Bring in the band, an acapella choir, a defense team and a set of alphabet flashcards in order to show how the parts become part of the whole, each with an important function without which the “us” could not exist. As you engage in the read, write, reflect, post and collaborate process, take the time to recognize the steps and to recognize the steps being taken by your students and colleagues. As a life-long learner, you are on the right path.

Hope Blecher-Sass welcomes your input at http://TEAL3.idc-tx.com , blecher-sass@idc-tx.com and your participation through professional development offerings via http://www.idc-tx.com

– Hope Blecher-Sass