Doug Lemov's field notes

In November, two of our facilitators, Erica Woolway and Sadie McCleary, made their way to the Southeast to visit and train a group of leaders and teachers in Fayette County Public Schools, about 20 minutes south of the ATL airport.

Fayette County Public Schools invited us to do a Direct-to-Teacher workshop, where we discussed and practiced various Engaging Academics techniques with a focus on Everybody Writes and Cold Call.

Though many schools invite us to their campus to work directly with their teachers, Fayette County asked us to train principals from each school in the district plus teachers the principal had identified as those who would champion (pardon the pun) the work back at school

The groundwork that Brian Butera, Principal of Whitewater Middle School, and several of his teachers had begun to lay to build investment in improving teaching via shared techniques was particularly impressive. In anticipation of the TLAC training and recognizing that he had limited professional development touchpoints with all his teachers, he launched an opt-in book club for his team. They came up with a name for their group – Champions of Academic Techniques, or CATs for short – especially appropriate name since their mascot is the Wildcats – and got matching shirts (never underestimate the power of SWAG!).

Brian Butera (far left) and his group of fantastic CATs.

They began meeting after school monthly in January 2025, choosing a technique to focus on, and then trying it out in their classrooms between the meetings. A common challenge that we hear from principals is that it can be hard to keep professional development learning alive throughout the year. We thought it might be helpful to hear directly from Brian on how he’s done this so well!

1. What advice would you give other leaders about investing teachers in TLAC techniques?

The biggest advice I would give leaders is this: don’t start with a mandate.  

Our first Champions of Academic Techniques (CATs) group was intentionally small and voluntary. I invited teachers who were already “ready and willing” to grow. We read, discussed, practiced, implemented, and then debriefed, and we did this over and over. Because the work was low-risk, collaborative, and directly connected to their classrooms, teachers began to see real results with students. That success created momentum.

When we opened enrollment the following year, teachers wanted in, not because they were told to, but because their colleagues had sold it to them. Why? Because they had seen the impact on student engagement, behavior, and learning.

I also learned that teachers invest when they feel safe to try, fail, and refine. We treated TLAC techniques as tools, not evaluations. The goal was growth, not perfection. That psychological safety made it easier for teachers to experiment and reflect honestly.

Finally, we focused on one technique at a time and built them deeply. Teachers weren’t overwhelmed, and they could see immediate payoff.  

Three lessons: Voluntary vs mandated; Practice vs compliance; Bite.sized.chunks…and one last piece of free advice, if the group gets too big, the psychological safety isn’t there. Next time, I will likely start another group rather than add to the group we already have.

2. What was the best part about the TLAC workshop you and your teachers attended?

For me, from the very beginning of the workshop, I was wowed. There was no down time, no time to get off task, and no “icebreakers.”  The learning started immediately. The presenters are real people, real educators, with real experiences, and our team came out energized and ready to tackle the world. Techniques are taught and practiced, and then there are videos from the TLAC repository. The presenters were prepared and focused, AND one of the coolest things is that there was on the job coaching from one presenter to another during our learning! That was so powerful for a group of educators to see. We wrote, we discussed, we practiced, we learned and we had fun.  I am looking forward to them coming back to our district to present again!

Whether you’d like us to come directly to your campus and train your teachers or you’d like to explore an option like Fayette County did where we train leaders and standout teachers, find out more and request a meeting to discuss here: https://share.hsforms.com/1w8SlL9vPRuq30hsy_6JUWgs3y4d

Our workshop descriptions and pricing available here: https://teachlikeachampion.org/wp-content/uploads/TLAC-Workshop-Descriptions-2025-26-v6-17-25.pdf

We would love the chance to come work with you and your teachers or your leaders this spring or summer, wherever that may be!