I am a teacher of teachers that wasn’t
the plan I was supposed to be a diplomat
and I have the undergraduate degrees to
prove it but that’s a subject for
another TED talk 20 years ago I walked
into a classroom for the first time at
Cardozo High School in Washington DC and
I fell in love I knew that was exactly
where I was supposed to be and exactly
what I was supposed to be doing and so
in my career since as a teacher a coach
a principal a coach and supporter of
principals I’ve learned that everyone in
a classroom everyone who is pushing
students thinking or driving their
learning forward it’s a teacher and so I
am a teacher of teachers I want to take
you on a short journey with me I want
you to think back to the teacher in your
history who had the most profound
positive impact on you the teacher who
pushed you beyond what you thought were
your limits the teacher who didn’t give
up on you even when you gave up on
yourself the teacher who taught you
things that you didn’t even know existed
imagine yourself right now in that
person’s classroom again visualize what
was on the walls look at what’s on the
desks in front of you see that teacher
walking back and forth the classroom and
in the classroom in front of you with
that teacher in your mind’s eye consider
these questions what was she like
outside of school did he had a family
what were her hobbies what kept him
committed to work showing up for his
students every day driving them to
strong outcomes I’m asking you about
this other side of the teacher because I
don’t think we pay enough attention to
teachers beyond the classroom and as we
know they’re people just like us with
hopes and fears expectations and
challenges
but teaching seems to be more and more
difficult undertaking now more than ever
teachers now the most effective ones are
looking at students who speak different
languages who have different learning
needs different challenges outside of
school and the most effective ones can
meet the needs of each of the 25 or 30
students in front of them every day
regardless of all those other needs that
students have the teachers that we see
that are the most effective teachers are
held accountable for some really high
expectations expectations that sometimes
are measured in a 40 question test that
students take in the last 10 days of the
school year in addition to these high
expectations that we have for teachers
we’re seeing the teachers are facing a
lot of challenges we watch teachers
striking across the nation this year
demanding better pay better benefits
better education funding we know the
teachers work 10 to 11 hours a day but
some of them have to work two or three
jobs and donate blood plasma to make
ends meet we’ve even seen our teachers
blocking bullets with their bodies
sacrificing their lives for the lives of
our children the challenges and
expectations for teachers have gotten
incredibly incredibly high I think
teachers are under attack and I want all
of you to help me do something about it
I want you to join me in being
no-nonsense nurturers for teachers here
in Charlotte I know what you’re thinking
bataki what is a no-nonsense nurturer
well I’ll tell you
on the one hand teachers who are
no-nonsense nurturers on their
no-nonsense I have incredibly high
expectations for themselves and for
their students they believe that every
child is capable of achieving at high
levels and they do whatever it takes to
get every child they’re on the nurturing
side they hold themselves accountable
for ensuring that their students can
meet those high expectations doing
whatever it takes to build the kinds of
relationships with their students that
drive them to their high outcomes when
no-nonsense and nurturing sites come
together teachers are more effective
than they could have been with just one
side or the other and students reap the
benefits they achieve at high levels I
get to see the impact of how no-nonsense
nurturers know the difference between
supporting students and toddling them or
holding students to have really high
expectations and never letting those
expectations drop but it occurs to me
that I and the team of folks I work with
shouldn’t be the only people who get to
do that I want all of you to join us as
no-nonsense nurturers for teachers at
ct3 I work with an amazing amazing group
of educators and we coach and support
principals and teachers across the
nation to be no nonsense nurturers what
we get to see is how teachers hold
themselves to higher standards so that
they can move their children farther we
get to see the impact of a teacher who’s
no-nonsense and nurturing on our
students in ways that benefit us just
not right now but our future is as well
I want all of you to help me make those
teachers understand how much we support
and care for them in their work after
all our children spend more hours a day
with their teachers than we do our
children spend more hours a day with
their teachers than we do
it is incumbent upon us as a community
to ensure that those teachers get the
support and care that they need to drive
students to high expectations if they
don’t what happens to our future so no
you’re making the tacky that’s all great
yep
makes sense nice but how do we do that
what does that look like what even is
no-nonsense nurturer
so the no-nonsense nurturer approach was
created by kristen.clow guerrero and lee
canter they went into the classrooms of
teachers who are achieving strong
results with their students both
academically and culturally what they
saw in those classrooms became the
no-nonsense nurture approach the
approach itself is pretty
straightforward teachers give students
precise directions they noticed aloud
who’s following those directions these
consequences and incentives to drive all
students to to those directions but the
most important piece of that approach is
that they build the kinds of
relationships that are life altering
that lets students know that somebody’s
got their back all the time now you
probably can’t do the entire model but
you can certainly join me in helping us
build relationships with teachers
relationships are important not just
because they’re strong and it’s nice to
have them they’re life-altering a few
minutes ago I asked you to think about
the teacher who’d impacted you and I
can’t see you all because of the lights
but I’m guessing you had to go back at
least a decade 10 20 30 40 years ago
that memory stays with you something
about that relationship that was built
with that teacher has lasted so
relationships aren’t just important
folks they’re life-altering so I want
you to help me build those kinds of
relationships with our teachers so that
they know that we’ve got their backs
they have students backs and their
community has theirs now I know what
you’re thinking maitake I don’t work in
a school I don’t even have school-aged
children neither of those are
prerequisites for showing up for
teachers to let teachers know
that we support them a hundred percent
you can be a no-nonsense nurturer by
building relationships with the teachers
in your colleagues children’s schools in
schools that you drive by on your way to
work a school you read about in The
Observer it doesn’t matter there are
teachers and schools everywhere in the
city working their fingers to the bone
doing the best for our children for our
futures its incoming upon us to ensure
that they have the support that they
need so let’s talk about the house the
first step choose a school any school
doesn’t matter I guarantee you there’s
some teachers there amid second step is
to go to the school’s website find the
list of email addresses for the
principal and the teachers the third
step email the principal let the
principal know hey I want to show up as
a no-nonsense nurturer for the teachers
in your building I’m a community member
and I want to ensure that your teachers
know that we’ve got their bags fourth
choose a nurturing activity that is
close to who you are so maybe you love
to volunteer you’ve got the time and
capacity to volunteer sign up at the
school districts website volunteer read
to students for an hour invite students
to come to York it’s your place of
employment for a field trip go into a
teacher’s classroom and offer an hour of
help teachers have a to-do list that is
a mile long having somebody come in and
just put the papers in the folders and
go home with children once a week is one
thing they can knock off that list it
cost you an hour and it saves teachers
probably more time but maybe you’re
nurturing activity is that I’m on email
all day and it’s hockey great email the
principal and say listen tell me which
teachers in your building are doing the
best jobs send those teachers an email I
just want to let you know as a member of
your community I’ve got your back I
heard from your principal that you’re
doing a great job with reading scores
that’s wonderful
how else can I support you what can I do
to let you know that your work is
critical to the future of our nation and
I’m here to support it maybe you like to
buy
please come see me afterwards if that’s
the case if you like to buy things find
out their teachers do they have a wish
list on Amazon do they have something on
DonorsChoose teachers can put a list of
here all the things I need from my
classroom because they’re spending money
out of pocket to buy it if they can put
that stuff on a website you can go to
the website you can purchase it for them
and say listen I know you’ve got a
bajillion things to do I’m hoping that
my purchase of these things on this list
help you out a little bit perhaps you’re
an activist find out from the principal
what is the item that is most important
to the school that’s coming up at a
school board meeting show up at the
school board meeting speak on behalf of
that issue for that school for the
principal for the teachers the school
board will be excited to see a community
member who doesn’t maybe even have
chosen in the building speaking on
behalf of something that matters maybe
you love to write note cards if that
teacher in your memory is a fourth grade
teacher write a note to all the
fourth-grade teachers at that school
tell them about the impact that your
fourth-grade teacher had on you and
hoping that they’ll have a similar
impact on the fourth graders in front of
them every day there are a million
things you can do all that you’re
limited by is your own imagination
whatever you decide to do commit to it
just do it make sure that teachers know
that there are folks in this community
who may not even be parents in that
building who support their efforts quite
frankly our country depends on it show
up let them know you’ve got their backs
sometimes your gift card your school
board meeting notes all of those things
might be the difference between a
teacher who is saying yeah I think I can
commit to this for a little while longer
because I know my community has my back
what you do could have an impact that
literally alters the direction of a
teacher’s journey which means it alters
the direction of hundreds of children we
have to make a commitment to ensure that
our teachers are supported regardless of
what community if they’re in and
regardless of which students they’re
serving we have their responsible
to ensure that our teachers know that
we’ve got their backs think back to that
teacher in your memory commit to
ensuring to that teacher that I’m gonna
stand up for teachers I’m gonna support
teachers and have their backs if you can
reach out to that teacher via email or
social media do just let them know that
listen I just need you to understand the
impact that you had on me and that I’m
committing to be a no-nonsense nurturer
for teachers in my community to ensure
that they understand that the community
has their backs
[Applause] [Music]
the plan I was supposed to be a diplomat
and I have the undergraduate degrees to
prove it but that’s a subject for
another TED talk 20 years ago I walked
into a classroom for the first time at
Cardozo High School in Washington DC and
I fell in love I knew that was exactly
where I was supposed to be and exactly
what I was supposed to be doing and so
in my career since as a teacher a coach
a principal a coach and supporter of
principals I’ve learned that everyone in
a classroom everyone who is pushing
students thinking or driving their
learning forward it’s a teacher and so I
am a teacher of teachers I want to take
you on a short journey with me I want
you to think back to the teacher in your
history who had the most profound
positive impact on you the teacher who
pushed you beyond what you thought were
your limits the teacher who didn’t give
up on you even when you gave up on
yourself the teacher who taught you
things that you didn’t even know existed
imagine yourself right now in that
person’s classroom again visualize what
was on the walls look at what’s on the
desks in front of you see that teacher
walking back and forth the classroom and
in the classroom in front of you with
that teacher in your mind’s eye consider
these questions what was she like
outside of school did he had a family
what were her hobbies what kept him
committed to work showing up for his
students every day driving them to
strong outcomes I’m asking you about
this other side of the teacher because I
don’t think we pay enough attention to
teachers beyond the classroom and as we
know they’re people just like us with
hopes and fears expectations and
challenges
but teaching seems to be more and more
difficult undertaking now more than ever
teachers now the most effective ones are
looking at students who speak different
languages who have different learning
needs different challenges outside of
school and the most effective ones can
meet the needs of each of the 25 or 30
students in front of them every day
regardless of all those other needs that
students have the teachers that we see
that are the most effective teachers are
held accountable for some really high
expectations expectations that sometimes
are measured in a 40 question test that
students take in the last 10 days of the
school year in addition to these high
expectations that we have for teachers
we’re seeing the teachers are facing a
lot of challenges we watch teachers
striking across the nation this year
demanding better pay better benefits
better education funding we know the
teachers work 10 to 11 hours a day but
some of them have to work two or three
jobs and donate blood plasma to make
ends meet we’ve even seen our teachers
blocking bullets with their bodies
sacrificing their lives for the lives of
our children the challenges and
expectations for teachers have gotten
incredibly incredibly high I think
teachers are under attack and I want all
of you to help me do something about it
I want you to join me in being
no-nonsense nurturers for teachers here
in Charlotte I know what you’re thinking
bataki what is a no-nonsense nurturer
well I’ll tell you
on the one hand teachers who are
no-nonsense nurturers on their
no-nonsense I have incredibly high
expectations for themselves and for
their students they believe that every
child is capable of achieving at high
levels and they do whatever it takes to
get every child they’re on the nurturing
side they hold themselves accountable
for ensuring that their students can
meet those high expectations doing
whatever it takes to build the kinds of
relationships with their students that
drive them to their high outcomes when
no-nonsense and nurturing sites come
together teachers are more effective
than they could have been with just one
side or the other and students reap the
benefits they achieve at high levels I
get to see the impact of how no-nonsense
nurturers know the difference between
supporting students and toddling them or
holding students to have really high
expectations and never letting those
expectations drop but it occurs to me
that I and the team of folks I work with
shouldn’t be the only people who get to
do that I want all of you to join us as
no-nonsense nurturers for teachers at
ct3 I work with an amazing amazing group
of educators and we coach and support
principals and teachers across the
nation to be no nonsense nurturers what
we get to see is how teachers hold
themselves to higher standards so that
they can move their children farther we
get to see the impact of a teacher who’s
no-nonsense and nurturing on our
students in ways that benefit us just
not right now but our future is as well
I want all of you to help me make those
teachers understand how much we support
and care for them in their work after
all our children spend more hours a day
with their teachers than we do our
children spend more hours a day with
their teachers than we do
it is incumbent upon us as a community
to ensure that those teachers get the
support and care that they need to drive
students to high expectations if they
don’t what happens to our future so no
you’re making the tacky that’s all great
yep
makes sense nice but how do we do that
what does that look like what even is
no-nonsense nurturer
so the no-nonsense nurturer approach was
created by kristen.clow guerrero and lee
canter they went into the classrooms of
teachers who are achieving strong
results with their students both
academically and culturally what they
saw in those classrooms became the
no-nonsense nurture approach the
approach itself is pretty
straightforward teachers give students
precise directions they noticed aloud
who’s following those directions these
consequences and incentives to drive all
students to to those directions but the
most important piece of that approach is
that they build the kinds of
relationships that are life altering
that lets students know that somebody’s
got their back all the time now you
probably can’t do the entire model but
you can certainly join me in helping us
build relationships with teachers
relationships are important not just
because they’re strong and it’s nice to
have them they’re life-altering a few
minutes ago I asked you to think about
the teacher who’d impacted you and I
can’t see you all because of the lights
but I’m guessing you had to go back at
least a decade 10 20 30 40 years ago
that memory stays with you something
about that relationship that was built
with that teacher has lasted so
relationships aren’t just important
folks they’re life-altering so I want
you to help me build those kinds of
relationships with our teachers so that
they know that we’ve got their backs
they have students backs and their
community has theirs now I know what
you’re thinking maitake I don’t work in
a school I don’t even have school-aged
children neither of those are
prerequisites for showing up for
teachers to let teachers know
that we support them a hundred percent
you can be a no-nonsense nurturer by
building relationships with the teachers
in your colleagues children’s schools in
schools that you drive by on your way to
work a school you read about in The
Observer it doesn’t matter there are
teachers and schools everywhere in the
city working their fingers to the bone
doing the best for our children for our
futures its incoming upon us to ensure
that they have the support that they
need so let’s talk about the house the
first step choose a school any school
doesn’t matter I guarantee you there’s
some teachers there amid second step is
to go to the school’s website find the
list of email addresses for the
principal and the teachers the third
step email the principal let the
principal know hey I want to show up as
a no-nonsense nurturer for the teachers
in your building I’m a community member
and I want to ensure that your teachers
know that we’ve got their bags fourth
choose a nurturing activity that is
close to who you are so maybe you love
to volunteer you’ve got the time and
capacity to volunteer sign up at the
school districts website volunteer read
to students for an hour invite students
to come to York it’s your place of
employment for a field trip go into a
teacher’s classroom and offer an hour of
help teachers have a to-do list that is
a mile long having somebody come in and
just put the papers in the folders and
go home with children once a week is one
thing they can knock off that list it
cost you an hour and it saves teachers
probably more time but maybe you’re
nurturing activity is that I’m on email
all day and it’s hockey great email the
principal and say listen tell me which
teachers in your building are doing the
best jobs send those teachers an email I
just want to let you know as a member of
your community I’ve got your back I
heard from your principal that you’re
doing a great job with reading scores
that’s wonderful
how else can I support you what can I do
to let you know that your work is
critical to the future of our nation and
I’m here to support it maybe you like to
buy
please come see me afterwards if that’s
the case if you like to buy things find
out their teachers do they have a wish
list on Amazon do they have something on
DonorsChoose teachers can put a list of
here all the things I need from my
classroom because they’re spending money
out of pocket to buy it if they can put
that stuff on a website you can go to
the website you can purchase it for them
and say listen I know you’ve got a
bajillion things to do I’m hoping that
my purchase of these things on this list
help you out a little bit perhaps you’re
an activist find out from the principal
what is the item that is most important
to the school that’s coming up at a
school board meeting show up at the
school board meeting speak on behalf of
that issue for that school for the
principal for the teachers the school
board will be excited to see a community
member who doesn’t maybe even have
chosen in the building speaking on
behalf of something that matters maybe
you love to write note cards if that
teacher in your memory is a fourth grade
teacher write a note to all the
fourth-grade teachers at that school
tell them about the impact that your
fourth-grade teacher had on you and
hoping that they’ll have a similar
impact on the fourth graders in front of
them every day there are a million
things you can do all that you’re
limited by is your own imagination
whatever you decide to do commit to it
just do it make sure that teachers know
that there are folks in this community
who may not even be parents in that
building who support their efforts quite
frankly our country depends on it show
up let them know you’ve got their backs
sometimes your gift card your school
board meeting notes all of those things
might be the difference between a
teacher who is saying yeah I think I can
commit to this for a little while longer
because I know my community has my back
what you do could have an impact that
literally alters the direction of a
teacher’s journey which means it alters
the direction of hundreds of children we
have to make a commitment to ensure that
our teachers are supported regardless of
what community if they’re in and
regardless of which students they’re
serving we have their responsible
to ensure that our teachers know that
we’ve got their backs think back to that
teacher in your memory commit to
ensuring to that teacher that I’m gonna
stand up for teachers I’m gonna support
teachers and have their backs if you can
reach out to that teacher via email or
social media do just let them know that
listen I just need you to understand the
impact that you had on me and that I’m
committing to be a no-nonsense nurturer
for teachers in my community to ensure
that they understand that the community
has their backs
[Applause] [Music]
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