Another school year is about to begin in many parts of the world. "Back to School" sale signs have been out and about since late June or early July, encouraging parents to buy their school supplies, while kids and teachers have been psyching themselves out worrying about another school year.
The opening of any school year is a time of great anxiety, and apprehension. What could certainly be a great opportunity for a school administrator can be seen in how the right tone for starting the school year is necessary. Here are some simple suggestions for adventurous school leaders.
1) Begin the school year with a "Bang!"
Have an exceptional opening day meeting with faculty, and energize the creative juices of the teachers and staff ready to start the school year.
2) Provide a luncheon for everyone on day 1. Even if you have to pay for it yourself. Nothing builds team effort life a meal.
3) Have a small gift for each employee, such as a coffee mug, a pen, a pin; something to remind them of why they are an important part of the team.
4) Greet each and every employee at the opening day, and make sure you shake a hand, give a hug, and look them in the eyes telling them how special they really are to the school.
5) Lastly, make all of your faculty meetings special, fun, and team oriented.
Schools will survive in the future beyond the testing nonsense, and what will be remembered will be the sense of camaraderie, team work, and sense of family that will be important features of a learning community.
Have a great school year!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Helicopter Parents
Being an educator that has worked in suburban public schools for my entire 38 years, it is interesting to have dealt with overbearing, intensive parents. Ending my career as a school superintendent showed me the lengths and stress these type of parents bring to covering for their children and hoping for the best.
As I am presently retired, I cannot help seeing these "helicopter parents" still hovering in my daydreams, and wondering how their children are turning out after all of the grief they gave to so many well-intentioned, and effective teachers.
On Sunday, August 5, 2012, an interesting article in the NYTimes discussed this very phenomenon.
Levine, M. (August 5, 2012). Raising Successful Children. New York Times,
"The central task of growing up is to develop a sense of self that is autonomous, confident and generally in accord with reality. If you treat your walking toddler as if she can’t walk, you diminish her confidence and distort reality. Ditto nightly “reviews” of homework, repetitive phone calls to “just check if you’re O.K.” and “editing” (read: writing) your child’s college application essay.
Continued, unnecessary intervention makes your child feel bad about himself (if he’s young) or angry at you (if he’s a teenager)."
I will never forget a young girl that fit the description of an over-achieving student that rose to be ranked valedictorian of her class drop out 3 days before graduation. Her reason, to get back at her parents for pushing her so hard.
As the author of the article states: "A loving parent is warm, willing to set limits and unwilling to breach a child’s psychological boundaries by invoking shame or guilt. Parents must acknowledge their own anxiety. Your job is to know your child well enough to make a good call about whether he can manage a particular situation. Will you stay up worrying? Probably, but the child’s job is to grow, yours is to control your anxiety so it doesn’t get in the way of his reasonable moves toward autonomy."
Here's hoping that parents will accept their children for who they are.
As I am presently retired, I cannot help seeing these "helicopter parents" still hovering in my daydreams, and wondering how their children are turning out after all of the grief they gave to so many well-intentioned, and effective teachers.
On Sunday, August 5, 2012, an interesting article in the NYTimes discussed this very phenomenon.
Levine, M. (August 5, 2012). Raising Successful Children. New York Times,
"The central task of growing up is to develop a sense of self that is autonomous, confident and generally in accord with reality. If you treat your walking toddler as if she can’t walk, you diminish her confidence and distort reality. Ditto nightly “reviews” of homework, repetitive phone calls to “just check if you’re O.K.” and “editing” (read: writing) your child’s college application essay.
Continued, unnecessary intervention makes your child feel bad about himself (if he’s young) or angry at you (if he’s a teenager)."
I will never forget a young girl that fit the description of an over-achieving student that rose to be ranked valedictorian of her class drop out 3 days before graduation. Her reason, to get back at her parents for pushing her so hard.
As the author of the article states: "A loving parent is warm, willing to set limits and unwilling to breach a child’s psychological boundaries by invoking shame or guilt. Parents must acknowledge their own anxiety. Your job is to know your child well enough to make a good call about whether he can manage a particular situation. Will you stay up worrying? Probably, but the child’s job is to grow, yours is to control your anxiety so it doesn’t get in the way of his reasonable moves toward autonomy."
Here's hoping that parents will accept their children for who they are.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Have you ever played "Pickleball"?
This morning I had a wonderful experience. I played "pickleball" with my wife and our neighbors. I had no idea what to expect when I accepted the invite to attend this match, and after an hour and a half, I came away convinced that this was fun, energizing, and educationally relevant for people to learn to play.
According to the grand oracle, 'pickleball" is a racquet sport which combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. The sport is played on a court with the same dimensions as a doubles badminton court. The net is similar to a tennis net, but is mounted two inches lower. The game is played with a hard paddle and a polymer wiffle ball.
The game started during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island at the home of Congressman Joel Pritchard, US House of Representatives for the State of Washington. He and two of his friends, returned from golf and found their families bored one Saturday afternoon. They attempted to set up badminton but no one could find the shuttlecock. They improvised with a whiffle ball, lowered the badminton net, and fabricated paddles of plywood from a nearby shed.
The unusual name of the game originated with Joan Pritchard, who said it reminded her of the "Pickle Boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats." The popular story told today is that it was named after the family dog. Joan corrected this story in interviews but the story persists. As the story is told, the whiffle ball belonged to the dog. Whenever an errant shot happened, Pickles would run and try to get the ball and hide it. They named the game for their dog’s ball, “Pickles’ Ball”, then it became Pickleball. It's a good story, but the truth is the Pritchard family didn't get the dog until 1967. Actually, the dog was named after the sport.
Whatever the truth of the story, I bring this game to my readers attention because it is an example of something that was created from what was lying around for the purpose of getting people involved, active, and learning. Isn't that what true education is all about in the end? Are people learning, contributing, active within their environment? There was no state exam to test conceptual and perceptual understanding, just a few people playing a simple game with simple rules,and enjoying themselves.
We need more inventive, and creative people to do the same thing with education. We need people willing to create and be creative with children, and not succumb to the belief testing is the only way to learn.
By the way, my team won 3 out of the 4 matches this morning. I love to learn.
According to the grand oracle, 'pickleball" is a racquet sport which combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. The sport is played on a court with the same dimensions as a doubles badminton court. The net is similar to a tennis net, but is mounted two inches lower. The game is played with a hard paddle and a polymer wiffle ball.
The game started during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island at the home of Congressman Joel Pritchard, US House of Representatives for the State of Washington. He and two of his friends, returned from golf and found their families bored one Saturday afternoon. They attempted to set up badminton but no one could find the shuttlecock. They improvised with a whiffle ball, lowered the badminton net, and fabricated paddles of plywood from a nearby shed.
The unusual name of the game originated with Joan Pritchard, who said it reminded her of the "Pickle Boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats." The popular story told today is that it was named after the family dog. Joan corrected this story in interviews but the story persists. As the story is told, the whiffle ball belonged to the dog. Whenever an errant shot happened, Pickles would run and try to get the ball and hide it. They named the game for their dog’s ball, “Pickles’ Ball”, then it became Pickleball. It's a good story, but the truth is the Pritchard family didn't get the dog until 1967. Actually, the dog was named after the sport.
Whatever the truth of the story, I bring this game to my readers attention because it is an example of something that was created from what was lying around for the purpose of getting people involved, active, and learning. Isn't that what true education is all about in the end? Are people learning, contributing, active within their environment? There was no state exam to test conceptual and perceptual understanding, just a few people playing a simple game with simple rules,and enjoying themselves.
We need more inventive, and creative people to do the same thing with education. We need people willing to create and be creative with children, and not succumb to the belief testing is the only way to learn.
By the way, my team won 3 out of the 4 matches this morning. I love to learn.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Cults ...
Blog Post 7/24/2011
Much has happened this weekend. Friday morning, a crazy individual breaks into a packed theater to disrupt, and kill people that came to watch the premiere of another cult movie of Batman. Sunday morning the wrecking crews at Penn State took down the revered statue of another cult-like personna to remove any reverence for a man that"turned the other way" while children were being harmed. And this morning we have the verdict delivered by the athletic consortium of the NCAA that controls to some degree educational offerings as well as sports programs in higher education, another cult that has become a big business in the US.
The key word that resonates in my thinking throughout these events is the word "cult". The dictionary defines the term as "a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure of object." Cults draw people who are in need of a relationship with something or someone. Whether it is watching a Batman movie, or cheering for a big time college football team, cults are like magnets that draw people to their cause, hero, or various personna. In many similarities, religious cults are equally magnetic and quite persuasive. But, regardless of the intent, it points out to me the desire that people wish to belong to something, greater than themselves.
Education has a job to make people aware, and informed of reality, and to teach people to make appropriate decisions about their desire to seek relationships with such things. Unfortunately, we do not win that battle very well when the interests of children are in competition with each other, from family religious extremes to private sector advertising media drawing people to themselves, or schools of higher education promising the world to student athletes, only to find that college athletics are a threshing of talent from desire, leaving many individuals to be discarded when they are no longer useful.
For all the good intentions in the world, music and athletic programs offer great benefits to children in their educational development, but are we teaching kids to become professional musicians or athletes? The desire to compete or to perfect a talent is an excellent discipline to develop in all people, but do we go too far in promising the world? How many Division I hopefuls are there and how many students are let down when the world comes crashing in on these dreams and hopes?
My heart goes out to the victims and families from the heinous acts committed by one deranged individual at a movie theater in Colorado. But, then I am confronted by the persistent thought of what type of a person goes to see a movie at 12:00am with young children? How many crazies or questionable individuals are out at that time that might create the kind of chaos that we saw on Friday?
Then again, what type of parents allow their children to attend a sports camp with a known pedophile working in a position of influence? Don't people ask questions first, or are they blinded by the hope that their child is being groomed for a scholarship to the notable college? But, what is there to worry about, right? St. Joe Paterno will keep an eye on this!
There are major lessons to be learned from all of these events, but will people truly ever learn? The desire to belong to something is a real psychological need, whether it is going to a late night Batman movie, or getting into an elite school of higher education, or going to church on Sunday.
Kudos to the NCAA for hammering Penn State. Hopefully someone will learn from this tragedy.
Much has happened this weekend. Friday morning, a crazy individual breaks into a packed theater to disrupt, and kill people that came to watch the premiere of another cult movie of Batman. Sunday morning the wrecking crews at Penn State took down the revered statue of another cult-like personna to remove any reverence for a man that"turned the other way" while children were being harmed. And this morning we have the verdict delivered by the athletic consortium of the NCAA that controls to some degree educational offerings as well as sports programs in higher education, another cult that has become a big business in the US.
The key word that resonates in my thinking throughout these events is the word "cult". The dictionary defines the term as "a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure of object." Cults draw people who are in need of a relationship with something or someone. Whether it is watching a Batman movie, or cheering for a big time college football team, cults are like magnets that draw people to their cause, hero, or various personna. In many similarities, religious cults are equally magnetic and quite persuasive. But, regardless of the intent, it points out to me the desire that people wish to belong to something, greater than themselves.
Education has a job to make people aware, and informed of reality, and to teach people to make appropriate decisions about their desire to seek relationships with such things. Unfortunately, we do not win that battle very well when the interests of children are in competition with each other, from family religious extremes to private sector advertising media drawing people to themselves, or schools of higher education promising the world to student athletes, only to find that college athletics are a threshing of talent from desire, leaving many individuals to be discarded when they are no longer useful.
For all the good intentions in the world, music and athletic programs offer great benefits to children in their educational development, but are we teaching kids to become professional musicians or athletes? The desire to compete or to perfect a talent is an excellent discipline to develop in all people, but do we go too far in promising the world? How many Division I hopefuls are there and how many students are let down when the world comes crashing in on these dreams and hopes?
My heart goes out to the victims and families from the heinous acts committed by one deranged individual at a movie theater in Colorado. But, then I am confronted by the persistent thought of what type of a person goes to see a movie at 12:00am with young children? How many crazies or questionable individuals are out at that time that might create the kind of chaos that we saw on Friday?
Then again, what type of parents allow their children to attend a sports camp with a known pedophile working in a position of influence? Don't people ask questions first, or are they blinded by the hope that their child is being groomed for a scholarship to the notable college? But, what is there to worry about, right? St. Joe Paterno will keep an eye on this!
There are major lessons to be learned from all of these events, but will people truly ever learn? The desire to belong to something is a real psychological need, whether it is going to a late night Batman movie, or getting into an elite school of higher education, or going to church on Sunday.
Kudos to the NCAA for hammering Penn State. Hopefully someone will learn from this tragedy.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
End of Week Notes July 20, 2012
Quotes of the Week
Inspirational: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.
Humorous:
* The hypothalamus is one of the most important parts of the brain,
involved in many kinds of motivation, among other functions. The
hypothalamus controls the "Four F's":
1. fighting
2. fleeing
3. feeding
4. mating
-- Psychology professor in neuropsychology intro course
Events and Happenings
1) Education Week Webinars. Register at http://goo.gl/Gys5
- Transitioning to a Weighted Student-Funding Formula
July 24, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET
- Math Practices and the Common Core
July 26, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET
- Changing Mindsets
Aug. 11, 2012 @ 2:00pm ET
Notes and Jokes
1) The needs of suburban school districts are as challenging as any other seen in urban and rural school districts. A consortium of large suburban school districts have formed an official network to address these needs and issues particular to the suburban schools and students. In an excellent article by Christina Samuels in Ed. Week the details on this network. http://goo.gl/6a9nd
2) Summer educator humor: Do teachers work in the summer!?
3) A report by PBS's Frontline examines the work of Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Robert Balfanz, who suggests there is a key period in middle school that determines whether a student will eventually drop out. http://goo.gl/6a9nd
4) Summer educator humor: I would say it is hot as hell, but I don't believe in heat.
5) Wonderful article on why school leaders need to be connected, and using social media such as Twitter and Facebook could be a positive force for creating change and modeling leadership. http://goo.gl/UIPo7
6) Summer educator humor: It might look like I am doing nothing, but on a cellular level I'm quite busy.
7) My blogs from this past week:
Meaningful activities for professional development July 18
Creating animosity not accountability July 17
Begin with the end in mind. July 16
Turn the statue around...make him look the other way July 13
8) Thus ends another week in the summer of 2012. Hope you find these items interesting and useful for your future work as a 21st Century School Leader.
Thank you forall you do for the students of your schools.
Inspirational: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.
Humorous:
* The hypothalamus is one of the most important parts of the brain,
involved in many kinds of motivation, among other functions. The
hypothalamus controls the "Four F's":
1. fighting
2. fleeing
3. feeding
4. mating
-- Psychology professor in neuropsychology intro course
Events and Happenings
1) Education Week Webinars. Register at http://goo.gl/Gys5
- Transitioning to a Weighted Student-Funding Formula
July 24, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET
- Math Practices and the Common Core
July 26, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET
- Changing Mindsets
Aug. 11, 2012 @ 2:00pm ET
Notes and Jokes
1) The needs of suburban school districts are as challenging as any other seen in urban and rural school districts. A consortium of large suburban school districts have formed an official network to address these needs and issues particular to the suburban schools and students. In an excellent article by Christina Samuels in Ed. Week the details on this network. http://goo.gl/6a9nd
2) Summer educator humor: Do teachers work in the summer!?
3) A report by PBS's Frontline examines the work of Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Robert Balfanz, who suggests there is a key period in middle school that determines whether a student will eventually drop out. http://goo.gl/6a9nd
4) Summer educator humor: I would say it is hot as hell, but I don't believe in heat.
5) Wonderful article on why school leaders need to be connected, and using social media such as Twitter and Facebook could be a positive force for creating change and modeling leadership. http://goo.gl/UIPo7
6) Summer educator humor: It might look like I am doing nothing, but on a cellular level I'm quite busy.
7) My blogs from this past week:
Meaningful activities for professional development July 18
Creating animosity not accountability July 17
Begin with the end in mind. July 16
Turn the statue around...make him look the other way July 13
8) Thus ends another week in the summer of 2012. Hope you find these items interesting and useful for your future work as a 21st Century School Leader.
Thank you forall you do for the students of your schools.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Meaningful Activities for Professional Development
Each year administrative teams and professional development committees at school districts around the world attempt to develop meaningful experiences for their faculty. The summer is an excellent time to begin planning such activities or hosting the activities, but nonetheless, some useful pointers by professional development experts might be a useful place to start in planning for a new school year.
One thing to keep in mind is that faculty members- who I assume are adults(!)- really have the attention span of children, especially after a long day of teaching and other sundry activities that stress an individual's mind. It might be beneficial to keep that in mind while considering optimal activities for their professional development time. From my own seat time experience as a teacher, lecture presentations do not work, especially after a long day and just before dinner.
Instead, use the following guidelines developed by Sally Zepeda from her book on professional development as a starting point in creating meaningful professional learning.
Eight Strategies to Engage Adult Learners
1. Make learning both an active and an interactive process.
2. Provide hands-on, concrete experiences and real-life experiences.
3. Employ novelty, but also connect to the adult learner's prior experiences and knowledge.
4. Give them opportunities to apply the new knowledge to what they already know or have experienced.
5. Be aware of the diversity in an adult group. Use a variety of approaches to accommodate different learning styles and experiences and use examples that reflect the diversity in the group composition.
6. Use small-group activities through which learners have the opportunity to reflect, analyze, and practice what they have learned.
7. Provide coaching, technical assistance, feedback, or other followup support as part of the training.
8. Give adult learners as much control as possible over what they learn, how they learn, and other aspects of the learning experience.
Zepeda, S. (2012). Professional Development: What Works. (2nd Edition). Eye on Education.
One thing to keep in mind is that faculty members- who I assume are adults(!)- really have the attention span of children, especially after a long day of teaching and other sundry activities that stress an individual's mind. It might be beneficial to keep that in mind while considering optimal activities for their professional development time. From my own seat time experience as a teacher, lecture presentations do not work, especially after a long day and just before dinner.
Instead, use the following guidelines developed by Sally Zepeda from her book on professional development as a starting point in creating meaningful professional learning.
Eight Strategies to Engage Adult Learners
1. Make learning both an active and an interactive process.
2. Provide hands-on, concrete experiences and real-life experiences.
3. Employ novelty, but also connect to the adult learner's prior experiences and knowledge.
4. Give them opportunities to apply the new knowledge to what they already know or have experienced.
5. Be aware of the diversity in an adult group. Use a variety of approaches to accommodate different learning styles and experiences and use examples that reflect the diversity in the group composition.
6. Use small-group activities through which learners have the opportunity to reflect, analyze, and practice what they have learned.
7. Provide coaching, technical assistance, feedback, or other followup support as part of the training.
8. Give adult learners as much control as possible over what they learn, how they learn, and other aspects of the learning experience.
Zepeda, S. (2012). Professional Development: What Works. (2nd Edition). Eye on Education.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Creating animosity not accountability
A good friend of mine, a wonderful music educator, composer and arranger wrote a disturbing post on Facebook the other day where he was attacking the NYS teacher evaluation system, and in so doing made a troubling remark that administrators should be teaching everyday and evaluated the same manner teachers will be evaluated to know what it will feel like to be put under the microscope. He states:
"Poor evaluations could/should/ would result in demotion/ losing an administrative position or being fired from a district."
What my esteemed friend misses the point on is that this very thing is happening to a much greater degree than what he realizes already, but in a different context.
Before addressing this, allow me to explain that many school administrators, including department supervisors, building principals, district administrators come from the ranks of teachers before assuming managerial responsibilities and supervision of children and faculty. On many occasions as a supervisor, principal or superintendent, I found myself teaching kids in a variety of classes by invitation, subbing for a teacher, instructing faculty on myriad numbers of issues, and helping departments and programs whenever it was needed. I had many administrative friends who felt the same way, since there is nothing more rewarding working with kids, and how I wished there were more opportunities to do more of that.
But, back to the issue of accountability. The NYS teacher evaluation system requires teachers to be evaluated on a number of different points, including classroom observations, test scores, professional development and other negotiated items. The administrators of buildings and districts are responsible to complete these evaluations in conjunction with bargaining units creating an appropriate appeals process. The bottom line of suitable accountability means teachers can be removed from their assignment if things are not working out well, but only after an improvement plan process has been established to rehabilitate the teacher's weaknesses. What some people fail to understand is that the administrator is also being evaluated and being held accountable if the building does not show adequate improvement, meaning my friend's assertion that they could be demoted or lose their job could be a reality, as well.
The problem here is that the cry for better accountability is being sounded as an election day tool to rouse public furor over something that appears to be broken, if you really think that is the case. But, as I have stated often in this blog, politicians love to scapegoat education and schools because it is easy to bully an institution that cannot fight back. Furthermore, it masks more important issues that are in need of attention, such as the economy, jobs, the environment. Nonetheless, here we have an example of what politicians love and that is the infighting between teachers that think the administrators are incompetent and unable to fulfill this charge effectively.
The truth is that anyone involved in education is victimized by this approach, and especially the children. There are better ways to prove accountability in education, and I hope that reality will be discovered someday.
"Poor evaluations could/should/ would result in demotion/ losing an administrative position or being fired from a district."
What my esteemed friend misses the point on is that this very thing is happening to a much greater degree than what he realizes already, but in a different context.
Before addressing this, allow me to explain that many school administrators, including department supervisors, building principals, district administrators come from the ranks of teachers before assuming managerial responsibilities and supervision of children and faculty. On many occasions as a supervisor, principal or superintendent, I found myself teaching kids in a variety of classes by invitation, subbing for a teacher, instructing faculty on myriad numbers of issues, and helping departments and programs whenever it was needed. I had many administrative friends who felt the same way, since there is nothing more rewarding working with kids, and how I wished there were more opportunities to do more of that.
But, back to the issue of accountability. The NYS teacher evaluation system requires teachers to be evaluated on a number of different points, including classroom observations, test scores, professional development and other negotiated items. The administrators of buildings and districts are responsible to complete these evaluations in conjunction with bargaining units creating an appropriate appeals process. The bottom line of suitable accountability means teachers can be removed from their assignment if things are not working out well, but only after an improvement plan process has been established to rehabilitate the teacher's weaknesses. What some people fail to understand is that the administrator is also being evaluated and being held accountable if the building does not show adequate improvement, meaning my friend's assertion that they could be demoted or lose their job could be a reality, as well.
The problem here is that the cry for better accountability is being sounded as an election day tool to rouse public furor over something that appears to be broken, if you really think that is the case. But, as I have stated often in this blog, politicians love to scapegoat education and schools because it is easy to bully an institution that cannot fight back. Furthermore, it masks more important issues that are in need of attention, such as the economy, jobs, the environment. Nonetheless, here we have an example of what politicians love and that is the infighting between teachers that think the administrators are incompetent and unable to fulfill this charge effectively.
The truth is that anyone involved in education is victimized by this approach, and especially the children. There are better ways to prove accountability in education, and I hope that reality will be discovered someday.
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