Flex Day
October 12, 2012
Taylor Mali: What teachers make
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http://www.ted.com/talks/taylor_mali_what_t
eachers_make.html
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So, what’s Taylor Mali talking about?
Outcomes and how he gets them
 Expectations—high ones for himself,
for his students, and for their parents
 Why teachers (counselors, librarians,
all educators) are important to student
learning
 Can you be him? Use his methods?
Get his outcomes?
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Maybe? Maybe not? But you can have
higher expectations for your students
that will lead to better outcomes.
 “And how is that?” you ask, doubtful
that what I am about to say is true or
possible.
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A story about the past 6 months.
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What did I learn from all of this?
 1. Everyone out there has a
connection to Delta College—it’s all
positive.
 2. Everyone out there loves (true!)
Delta College. They think it’s theirs
and they want to protect it!
 3. Everyone out there wants the Delta
College president at his/her event—
others can come, but there’s no
substitute for the President.

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All of this is great—and I really knew it
anyway, but what I really learned was
this:
In addition to learning a content area or
a trade or occupation, what employers
and others really expect us to teach
our students and their potential
employees (and even their transfer
students) is the “soft skills.” And what
in the heck are they?
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Soft skills are positive personality traits such
as common sense, responsibility, integrity,
and a sense of humor.
Soft skills are abilities such as teamwork,
perseverance, leadership, communication,
good manners, negotiation skills, empathy—
people skills, “desirable behavior”—show up;
show up on time; meet expectations; treat
others with respect; stay off the cell phone at
work; turn in your work on time, etc.
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The teaching of soft skills is a multi-million
dollar business. Companies and individuals
pay to teach people how to work well with
others and behave well in a work setting.
Soft skills, or the lack of them, is what we all
complain that our students don’t have! So we
and the employers out there agree.
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What does our mission statement say about
the teaching of “soft skills”?
Nothing, specifically. But what it does say is
that it’s our mission “to provide excellent
post-secondary education that serves the
needs of students, and the District
community through continuing, transfer,
career and technical education, and economic
development.”
Well, if students need them, and the external
community needs students who have them,
shouldn’t we consider teaching them?
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1. It’s not my job. I am a subject matter
expert!
2. I tried in 1962; it didn’t work.
3. I’ll get student grievances; administration
(evil empire) won’t back me up if I make
demands on students.
4. Students shoulda learned it in high school,
middle school, elementary school,
kindergarten, nursery school, etc.
5. etc.
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1. Most students don’t respond well to
“arbitrary” rules and regulations. Simple
demands for obedience don’t make sense to
them. They want to know why, and “’cause I
said so isn’t a very satisfying answer.”
2. It’s easier to have high expectations and
hold students to them if the students
understand the reasons for them. “I will
penalize you for late work because your
future employers will expect you to turn your
work in on time.”
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We can provide you with information and
quotations from local employers that will support
your rules as reasonable and necessary. “Our
employees are not allowed to use their cell phones
except on their breaks.” “Our employees work in
teams; each employee must do his/her part to
reach the team’s goals successfully; we can’t afford
to keep employees who can’t work in teams.”
We will be better able to support the consequences
you mete out for offensive or inappropriate
behavior if you’ve explained why you have certain
rules, what the consequences are for breaking
them, and why you are enforcing them.
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You will do the students a great service
because they will understand better how to
behave in a work setting and they will be
more successful.
If all or most instructors would
“contextualize” the behaviors they want to
see in their course information
sheets/syllabi, everyone can feel supported,
and overall, students will be held to higher
expectations and the outcome will be better
prepared students and employees.
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