David Wing

[𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 @DrBradJohnson]

Veteran teachers don’t struggle with feedback because they’re unwilling to grow.
The issue is the system treats a first-year teacher and a 20-year teacher the same. That doesn’t make sense.
A new teacher is building a foundation. They need structure, modeling, and direct feedback. A veteran teacher is in a different place. They’ve taught thousands of lessons, worked with hundreds of students, and refined their craft. They need someone who can challenge them and understand their level.

But the system applies the same rubric, checklist, and process to everyone.

And it’s not working.
Large-scale evaluation reforms haven’t shown meaningful gains in student achievement. In another study, only about one in four teachers said feedback actually improved their teaching.

That should tell us something.
The strongest research points elsewhere. Instructional coaching shows significant improvement in both teaching and student outcomes. Why? It’s ongoing, specific, and grounded in real classrooms. It meets teachers where they are.

That’s the difference.
You can standardize evaluation, but you can’t standardize growth.

We’ve tried to fix weak feedback by making it more standardized. The problem isn’t the form. It’s the fit.
This isn’t about administrators doing something wrong. Most are doing what they’ve been asked to do. The system just doesn’t match the complexity of the work.

A veteran teacher doesn’t need more boxes checked. They need someone who understands what they’re trying to do and can think with them at a high level.
Evaluation should be less about judging and more about helping.
More aspirational. More conversational.

Not “Here’s what to fix,” but:
What are you working on?
What’s been effective?
Where do you want to grow?
Because growth is voluntary. You can require evaluation, but you can’t force improvement.
That comes down to credibility and relevance.
Teachers act on feedback when they believe the person giving it understands their work, content, and students.

That’s why coaching works. It’s ongoing, specific, and built around real practice. It creates ownership, not compliance.

Veteran teachers don’t ignore feedback because they think they know everything. They ignore feedback that doesn’t match their level.

After enough years, you learn to filter what helps from what just checks a box.

Because growth isn’t one-size-fits-all.

And pretending it is doesn’t make it better. It just makes it look more organized.

References:
National Bureau of Economic Research
American Educational Research Association / American Educational Research Journal
Review of Educational Research

[David Wing @dwwing33]

@UniversalORL hey in single rider at Mario kart and it’s not moving. Line out the door. Something wrong??? This is not normal

[FHSAA @FHSAA]

🏈🏆Class 7A Football State Championship🏈🏆

The Venice Indian band is in full force!

[Melissa Turkington @Leftovers_Movie]

You know it’s almost Election Day when the Sesame Street characters have to run a coordinated campaign to keep us from doing another Civil War.

[David Wing @dwwing33]

@Delta 6 hours waiting for a co pilot, is truly ridiculous. Unprofessional. Have not seen a manager or anyone to satisfy your customers needs. Sent to another gate only to be sent back. Truly shocked by this and your lack of care.

[Kevin DeShazo @KevinDeShazo]

Holding people accountable doesn't mean you're against them, it means you're for them. It means you're fighting for their best, that you care enough to not allow them to settle for mediocrity.

The key is in how you hold them accountable.

Call people up, not out.

[U.S. Department of Education @usedgov]

As many schools head into winter break this week, a special "Thank you!" to all the teachers who have worked so hard in 2023. We hope you use the time off to rest & recharge for 2024! 🔋

#ThankYouThursday #HappyHolidays

[David Wing @dwwing33]

@VeniceIndianFB the Marching Indians are honored to play for you each week at every game! Keep you heads high! We love you! Go Indians!!!

[David Wing @dwwing33]

Straight Superiors for 3rd year in a row! We are making progress every year changing the culture of this program! Still have much to do but its getting better!

[Jason Helmes @anymanfitness]

Last year, my daughter got cut from her 7th grade volleyball team.

She made the first cut, and thought she had a good chance. But on the second and final cut, they called her name, and she put her head down and walked out to the car where her mom and I were waiting.

She opened the car door, sat down, and started bawling. It was so hard to watch. She wanted to be on that team more than anything. I thought she was good enough, but the coach didn't.

My heart went out to her. But we didn't sugarcoat things for her. We told her we understood how much it stings. I've been cut before. Her mom had been cut from sports before, too. It's an ego shot and a gut punch.

We told her to go ask the coach what she could work on for next year. The coach gave her good feedback. And told her she was the "first girl cut". Which sounded promising, but only added to the sting. She said to me, "If only I had been a little bit better and made a few more serves..."

We told her she had a few choices. She could let this be the end. Or she could use this as fuel and fire. And to use it as motivation to work hard to make the team next year.

For a solid year, she practiced 4-5 times per week minimum. She went to every camp, every practice session she could find, found a travel team she could play on, and spent her entire summer at camps, practices, or in our backyard smashing the volleyball against our house (and denting our siding lol).

She had her tryouts this week. In the first tryout, she unleashed her new jump serve and hit 20 straight volleyballs over the net. The coaches were stunned. She said all the coaches came up to her immediately in the first 5 minutes with their clipboards and said, "What's your name?"

They started using her as a demonstrator, saying "Hey, Brooklyn, can you show everyone how to do this?" Even over the returning starters.

I asked her how she did when she got back. "Hey, you've been around a lot of volleyball in the last year. How did you do? Were you in the upper half of the players?"

She's a humble girl. And she proudly said, "I was the best player on the court."

She made the team, obviously. I'm beaming as a father this week.

I told her how proud I was of her. But not just because she made the team, or she's a great player now. But because she didn't give up. She didn't cry about it (after that first day). She didn't ask mom and dad to go lobby for her to be on the team.

She got after it and worked hard for a full year, taking no breaks. Her other volleyball friends were for sure taking it easier. Chilling out and vibing during the summer. She was attending camps and practicing and getting better while they were relaxing.

Sometimes as a parent, you hope you're teaching your kids how to do things.

But this was a case where she taught me how to do things. 100%.

[Zach Groshell @MrZachG]

Banning phones is shockingly easy to achieve. It’s way harder to get kids to use kind words, walk calmly in the hallways, and participate fully in lessons than it is to implement a phone ban. The people who say it’s impossible or not worth the effort have not done it before.

[Emily 🍎🌟 @EDUwithEmily]

When was the turning point when kids started to only do things for points and rewards rather than just having intrinsic motivation?

[Meghan Lawson @Meghan_Lawson]

As educators, it’s hard to shut it down at night. The work is important and complex and never-ending. We don’t have to figure it all out tonight. Trust that you will figure it out. Taking a moment away is part of the work. Rest can bring clarity. Trust yourself and be at peace.

[David Wing @dwwing33]

@Anthonytank2025 Very much appreciated Anthony!

[Anthony Tanaka (Tank) @Anthonytank2025]

Giving some love to our great band

[David Wing @dwwing33]

@john_p34 Heard it’s coming in March for next season. The maintenance people were telling us when they were fixing something in our concession stand.

[David Wing @dwwing33]

@NicKorn1 We gotta expand our pallet dear. That’s crazy talk coming from me!!!

[Kevin DeShazo @KevinDeShazo]

Your standard is not the behaviors you talk about, it is the behaviors you accept - from yourself and from others.

Level up.

[David Wing @dwwing33]

@Chief__Leif It’s amazing. Too bad they don’t show it as much as they should