Running Toward the Chaos or Opportunity?

There is a commercial for the United States Marine Corps showing Marines running towards a conflict or the chaos of the moment rescuing and leading the way for others. I believe that is the perfect theme for what some believe  is happening in education. The chaos or the dragon in the distance is the oncoming approach of change in 21st Century Learning methods. 


"Google announced Wednesday that its Play store will offer digital textbooks through partnerships with several major K-12 publishers. Laura Hazard Owen at GigaOm reports that, beginning in early August, students will be able to buy or rent textbooks from Google Play..."1

The headline above is typical of the push to capitalize on the digital textbook phase of transitioning to 21st Century Schools. This fall more and more schools are moving to 1:1 learning models distributing tablets, netbooks, and computers for students to actively use in their classrooms. Online Learning Systems will be the way for the future, not the oneway instructional model so many have advocated in the past. 

Learning will become more experiential, more active, and classrooms will be flipping faster than hotcakes on a breakfast griddle. There is a storm brewing on the horizon of public education, and while more and more schools are actively pursuing this mode of learning and instruction, others will still be wrestling with the efficacy of such a change in learning. 

While these schools and states ruminate on the fate of to go digital or not, other schools will be leading the way because of visionary thinkers in the classrooms that are reading the writing on the wall. 

Kudos to those teachers and school leaders paving the way for the others.

1.    K-12 Publishers Will Sell Textbooks via Google Play. (2013). Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/bookmarks/

School Leaders Need to Be NICE

Being a school leader is a challenging role to play. The  change and vision we desire most for our school organizations may take years if not a career to truly achieve. The frustration for being a place holder and not an innovator can be extremely demoralizing when the best of intentions are at the forefront of your progressive thinking and intentions. 

Leaders that attend to their organization with the philosophy of "It's my way or the highway." may tend to create faster change, but at what expense? School organizations are human service companies. They cater to the needs of people, whether they are students, staff members, parents, or administrators. The "bottom line" in these companies are people, and to effectively lead change, school leaders need to shepherd people.

From Doug Johnson's May 2005 blog in Head for the Edge he writes a wonderful list of suggestions focused around the theme of niceness, something that is truly missing in our schools due to the crunch to test, test, test.

"Here are some traits I admire in others and try to cultivate personally.

1. Having great listening skills.

This is tough for guys. (We are, after all, guys.) I can offer advice even before I know the dimension of the problem. But I know that hearing people out is sometimes even more important than being able to help. Harvey Mackay, a business columnist states:  “You’ll know you’ve attained your goal (of being a good listener) when you can utter two sentences in an hour-long conversation, and the other speaker thanks you for input and adds, ‘You always have so much to say!’” That’s my goal.

2. Being empathetic.

A former principal who had been a guidance counselor had this system for dealing with people who were upset. He would paraphrase their statements and ask if what he just said was what they meant until they would respond with, “Yes, that is exactly what I mean.” It was only then that he knew the other person was listening and there could be a conversation. Try it sometime – it works.

3. Assuming any request is possible.

I love people whose automatic response to an idea is “anything is possible.” Now the following conversation might involve the nitty-gritty details about while although that idea may be possible it may not be advisable or describe some of the implementation challenges. But I appreciate the positive attitude. (I also like being treated as though I have a functioning brain and being given the respect of a good explanation when something can’t be done. Citing “policy” does not qualify as a good explanation.)

4. Responding in a timely manner.

We coach our tech staff to always respond to e-mails and phone calls in as timely a manner as possible. Even if it is only to say, “I got your message and I will be there on  _________” or “I don’t know the answer to your problem, but I am working on it.” Putting off responding to people never makes things better, only worse.

5. Looking for the win/win solution.

This is still the best of Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” As he reminds us, a good course of action is never giving in or even compromising, but continuing to talk it over until both parties agree that the action is a “win.” Keep searching for the “third way.”  It is always there.

6. Giving the benefit of the doubt.

Library media specialists who give kids the benefit of the doubt have a special place in my heart. The response to the assertion “I brought the book back last week” should be a trip to stacks, not a dirty look. I’ve found too many books that somehow failed to get back checked in to suspect the veracity of any student.

7. Passing on compliments.

The teacher, the administrator or parent who lets me know when one of my staff did something nice for them puts the person offering the compliments on my list of nice people.

8. Analyzing before emoting.

I’ve found that a short temper has never worked in my favor – ever. In fact, when somebody gets me mad, they have “won.” Diligently practice the common definition of a diplomat: A person who thinks twice before saying nothing  - and then tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip."1.

1.Johnson, D. (May 2005). A Secret Weapon- Niceness. Head to the Edge. Retrieved May 27, 2013 at http://ht.ly/lq286.

Four different cups...Four different learners

There is a Buddhist story of a young zealot desiring to learn everything he can about Zen. He reads many books, and articles and desires nothing more than to learn everything he can. He reaches an epitome of sorts when he requests a meeting with a Zen priest of renown and knowledge. He meets with the Zen master and proceeds to tell him everything he has learned about Zen Buddhism. The Zen master gazes and listens intently to the young man, espousing all he knows. Finally, the young man asks the Zen master, what else can he learn. The teacher offers the young man tea, and performs a patient and delicate tea ceremony where the young man watches and observes intently the actions of the teacher. The Zen master offers tea to the young man, at which the eager student bows in humble acceptance. The Zen master pours tea into the cup in front of the young man, and when the cup has filled continues pouring the libation, flowing over the cup and onto the table and eventually flowing to the floor. Finally, the young man screams "Stop! Stop pouring! The cup is full- no more will go in!"

The master stopped pouring and said: "Just like this cup, your mind is full of your own opinions and preconceptions. How can you learn anything unless you first empty your cup?"


Sound familiar? How many people does this sound like in your organization? Many experts, and still no solution to the problem? School learning organizations are filled with the experts, and few genuine learners willing to understand the core issues and apply sound logic to solve a problem.

There is another Buddhist parable about four cups that symbolize four kinds of students. One cup is upside down, representing the student who is there to learn, but pays no attention. Pouring tea (which symbolizes knowledge) over this is wasted and lost. The second cup is right side up with a hole in the bottom. We hear what's being taught, but we forget it all too soon. The third cup is also right side up and doesn't have a hole in the bottom, but is covered in dirt. When the tea is poured into this the instruction is cloudy symbolizing the manner we distort what we hear, interpreting, and editing it to fit into our preconceived ideas or opinions. The fourth cup represents the ideal way to be a student. Upright, receiving what is taught. Clean and open to learning something new. 

Which student are you, and how do you promote learning in your environment?

A Well Taught Child Can Move Mountains

Michelle Rhee is a very interesting young lady. She is a public figure dedicated to improving urban education, at the expense of any people that get in her way. Her aggressive manner of management created a battleground in the Washington, DC schools, to the point where in-fighting, dirty politics, and shocking rates of student failures never really improved. She is part of the current education culture of testing before anything else, which feeds my notion that some people look for ways to promote the best, shoot the rest rather than educate to the learner's ability.

In a recent story about her presentation in South Carolina where she lambasted and put down teachers, the following comments were made by her:

"The bottom line is: 
the system did not become the way that it is by accident.

It operates exactly the way it was designed to operate,

which is in a wholly unaccountable, dysfunction manner.

So, when you seek to change that dynamic including going

after low performing teachers 
you're gonna have a whole lot of unhappy 

people on your hands. When you stop that gravy train,

somebody is going to be unhappy." (1)

The interesting thing about this attack on teachers and teacher unions is that it is indeed hypocritical of her very comments since she was paid $50,000 for the presentation. So, speaking of a gravy train, she has hooked an audience of "Kool-Aid" drinking political bigots into accepting her brand of educational change at the expense of their pocket books. 

The fact is, politicians should remove themselves from attempting to run schools as corporate machines with bottom-lines and "zero" tolerance for mistakes. Schools are learning environments about children,  like a perfect stew, need time and quality care to become a successful contributor to the future.

I would put my money behind the teacher that gets poor test scores, yet inspires children to move mountains!

(1)     Thomas. @TheChalkFace, "Rhee's "Gravy Train" of Hypocrisy." Last modified April 14, 2013. Accessed April 15, 2013. http://goo.gl/4rDk6.

"Be All That You Can Be..."

Years ago, before the US Army was "Army Strong", there was a recruiting commercial that was popularized that went something like "Be All That You Can Be." It was a motivational theme that encouraged fulfillment and achievement on your terms as a human being, and not according to the dictates and mandates of a higher authority. Now, we all know that's not possible in the Army, with a drill instructor or bureaucratic governance of individual rights being so prevalent. But, nonetheless, the message was clear: be all that you are capable of becoming. What a wonderful motto to use in our schools.

The State University of New York had a similar battle cry: "Let each become all that he is capable of becoming." Beautiful, optimistic, inviting.

My high school in Schenectady, NY had a similar theme: "Enter to learn, go forth serve". It was emblazoned over the massive stage in the auditorium. It made you consider the purpose of this endeavor, we call education.

The current trend for our public schools has changed this stream of optimism to threats:
"Be all that you can be, after you take the test that evaluates your abstract thinking, and then conform to our plan of global competition."!!!!!!!

 Where are the optimistic messages that will invite learning, exploration, and service? Are they hidden in the standardized tests children are forced to take each year? Are they subliminally sent in the actions of wayward governmental authorities dictating how we must teach, and how they must learn?

This week, I applaud the state of Florida for reversing its decision from 2007 of "one-size-fits-all" graduation requirement on all children, to adapting more of a "be-all-that-you-can-be" model for future generations.

       "Florida lawmakers on Friday sent Gov. Rick Scott a sweeping education bill that rolls back graduation standards that just three years ago were hailed as reforms that would help students compete globally.
          
         Instead, college-bound students could opt to take tougher courses and earn a high school diploma that includes a "scholar" designation. Students would also be allowed to take career education courses or enroll in work-related internships."1

And this movement is also being seen in Texas (2), as well as other states attempting to  reexamine the question "Does one size, really fit all?"

As a retired school superintendent, I can still see the faces of disenfranchised students that wanted out because they saw no future in struggling with Algebra, or reading Shakespeare and taking assessments that affirmed they were poorly prepared for the world. Their focus was not on succeeding on tests and going to college, but doing other things, such as learning a trade, exploring the world on their terms, and learning as you go. No doubt, there are those that condemn this way of thinking, but when you need a mechanic to fix a car, would you rather have someone who knows trigonometry and calculus, or someone who can work with their hands to solve a mechanical problem? When your plumbing backs up in your home, would you rather have a scholar that can recite Chaucer and Shakespeare, or a plumber that can analytically think through a structural problem that involves getting your hands dirty?

This is not to say some tradesmen are not capable of pursuing abstract thinking, but as researchers have stated, every individual learns at their own level of motivation. Ramming mandates for global competitiveness down the throats of all children will not support and maintain a free society. 

1.     "Florida Legislature passes sweeping education bill." The Daytona Beach News Journal, April 12, 2013. http://goo.gl/QIht6 (accessed April 14, 2013).

2.     "Texas Considers Reversing Tough Graduation Requirements ." Headline Bug. (2013). http://goo.gl/yhhFf (accessed April 14, 2013).

Tools for Success as a School Leader

I've often been intrigued when a successful person has attained their goals and achievements. They possess the characteristics of success that are unparalleled with others. I found this wonderful slide presentation that summarizes these attributes. I hope you find it interesting:

Best wishes for your success...

21st Century School Leader Gazette

Today's edition of the 21st Century School Leader Gazette is out for your professional reading.