The Black and Yellow Hats
There was a recent situation where I feel I wore the black and yellow hats. I wore these hats as I processed the situation with family members. I did not have an opportunity to wear these hats with the direct people involved. Here is the situation.
A co-teacher planned to take her 13 advisory students on a trip to Madison, WI this spring. She received support from our principal and presented her proposal to the school board which voted to approve her trip. I had first heard of the trip the evening before she presented to the board. The trip was not communicated with our team members as the teacher felt it didn't affect the group of six teachers.
Yellow Hat- Positive and Optimistic
What an incredible experience for those 13 kids! Some of these kids would not have the funds or the means to take a trip like this. The teacher who planned the trip in an incredible travel planner and very knowledgeable when in comes to the Madison area. She has a good heart and cares about these kids and wants what is best for them. A great deal of time was spent planning the itinerary which includes multiple museums, Camp Randall, the university, and the capitol. It will no doubt, be an incredible experience for those thirteen kids.
Black Hat- Potential dangers, Areas to be careful and to use caution
Isn't middle school philosophy including everyone and giving all the chance to try and experience new things? As a middle school coach, we have sign ups for athletics and clubs and everyone gets to participate who chooses to. Middle school students have specific needs at this time in their life, and one of them is to have things fair. They can handle a situation when they perceive that it was done fairly. They are the first to tell you if something is not fair. My advisory would fall into this category as they would like to go to Madison and don't perceive the situation as fair. While I understand fair is not equal and life is not always fair, I don't think this is the appropriate way for us to teach this important life lesson.
A great deal of time is spent planning advisory for each team. We have two representatives who meet every Monday to plan our advisory. Then, every Thursday all the sixth grade advisors meet to communicate the plans for the upcoming week. This way every advisory gets to do the same cool things- same daily news, same greeting, and same activity. Kids don't leave bragging that their advisory is better because they did something better than the next group.
I also have some black hat thinking when it comes to the liabilities of taking kids on a road trip, staying overnight in a hotel, and exploring a major city. Another area for black hat thinking is the work I will need to do to help these thirteen kids make up their math work either before or after their trip since it is during three school days.
In this situation my black hat wins. I don't like to think I am a critical person, but I think there could have been ways that my yellow hat would have been victorious. There could have been an open invitation to any sixth grader to make this trip. Yes, it might mean more chaperons, but it would meet the criteria for meeting our middle school philosophy and the entire class would see it as fair. The trip could have been taken during Christmas break or another time slot where school is not in session. If these things could have happened I believe my yellow hat would have won out.
If we discus this situation I feel more prepared to comment after I spent a great deal of time reflecting. Using these hats makes me consider possibilities I might have missed. The hats somewhat structure my thinking. Another area I would like to use the six hats thinking would be on the topic of finishing our basement. My husband and I can wear these different hats as we make this big decision. He is open minded and I think he would be up to try thinking from these different perspectives. Once I have finished reading about the green and blue hats we might give it a try!
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