Month: April 2015

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We Have to Stop Pretending

on April 27, 2015

imagesI was challenged today, challenged by a great teacher who tagged me and four other educators worth keeping an eye on if you’re on Twitter. Third grade teacher, Lisa Nowakowski, also known as @NowaTechie and author of Nowa Techie, directed her challenge towards me, Kevin Ashworth, Andy Losik, Rae Fearing and Travis Phelps. The shout out is part of the #MakeSchoolDifferent Challenge which originated in a post on Scott McCloud’s blog dangerously ! irrelevant. Educators across the nation are tagging one another to acknowledge five things in education we need to stop pretending. That’s the easy part. The hard part is coming up with solutions to trends that educators are acknowledging in their posts.

So here it is. Five things we need to stop pretending…

  1. That school is engaging our students
  2. That our students see the relevancy in what they’re learning
  3. That class size doesn’t have a meaningful impact
  4. That standardized testing is bad
  5. That it isn’t okay to acknowledge that taking care of the teacher is putting students first

 

Here’s the thinking behind each of the bullet points.

  1. Students sit, sit and sit throughout their school day. As Alex Wiggins noted in his blog post after shadowing a student for two days, sitting is exhausting. I sat with our students on the same uncomfortable bench without a backrest for a 45 minute assembly on the use of social media last week. I found the topic very interesting, but we just sat and listened for 45 minutes. I started to become more aware of my need to stand up, stretch, urge to share a comment and started to look around. As I looked around, I saw students distracted in a variety of manners and I understood why. It wasn’t that the content wasn’t interesting, there just wasn’t an opportunity to engage/interact with it. Kids want to learn! They need to be able to interact with the learning and we need to create classroom structures and environments that will make them feel welcome, comfortable and allow them to interact with one another and move around as they learn.
  1. It continues to be a tradition honored by each generation of students that attends school to ask, “Why are we learning this? Why do I need to know this?” As a profession, we continue to struggle with showing our students the relevance of much of their classroom instruction. My anecdotal observations show that teachers who take a project based learning approach to classroom instruction have students who have a greater understanding of the relevancy of their learning.
  1. John Hattie’s research, as published in his book Visible Learning for Teachers, shows that there is a limited correlation between class size and student achievement. One thing we don’t pretend is that a teacher’s job is so much more than a focus on student achievement. As a profession, most of us share an interest in teaching the whole child and having strong school to home relationships. It makes a difference if an elementary teacher has 25, 32 or 38 students assigned to their class. It makes a difference if a secondary teacher has 150 student contacts per day or 200 or 250.
  1. Standardized testing has earned a bad rap. Politicians and the media have taken what can be useful data to evaluate student progress over time and program effectiveness and turned the testing results into a way to judge and punish schools and to create a perception that some schools are better than others based on a snapshot of academic testing. The truth is the data from these types of assessments do give us useful information. It is unfortunate that these tests have been given the power to negatively judge our schools and that the results are so often used to criticize or are misused when making comparisons.

5. Every educator will tell you, “It’s about the kids first.” This phrase is also used to stop a counter argument in it’s tracks.The quickest way to win an argument in education is to imply in any way that the other’s person’s opinions are not putting kids first. Taking care of our teachers and all educational professionals is putting kids first.

imgres I now challenge some of my colleagues who I have great respect for to join this challenge and to share their posts with us on Twitter. Ken Durham, Kaleb Rashad, Dr. Eric Chagala and Sammie Cervantes what do you think?

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“Stepping Very Much Away from the Traditional”

on April 12, 2015

I enjoy starting my mornings with a look at my Twitter feed. There’s always something there that is intellectually stimulating, thought provoking and entertaining. Some posts stand out more than others and some continue to resonate well after the initial reading of the post. Eric Saibel, assistant principal at Hall Middle School and author of the blog Principals in Training, shared the video A Tour of Copenhagen’s Noma with Chef Rene Redzepi this morning. The analogy of the chef’s observation of his professional field were stunningly similar to those of the education profession.

The story of Chef Rene’s kitchen begins as he describes the kitchen’s reliance on local resources, not unlike the classroom and the LCAP, as well as changes that have been implemented in his kitchen the past couple of years, not unlike changes occurring in our classrooms as the impact and possibilities available through the use of 21st Century tools are continuing to work their way into classroom pedagogy. There is a lesson in Chef Rene’s insight on the importance of the design of the working environment to support openness, light and creativity that can have a powerful impact on the learning environments we create for our students.

“We almost ruined our own trade by making it too tough, too hard… People are entering our trade for the wrong reasons and are surprised when they work 85 hours and then they feel tired one day and they’re out. We need to change this.”

It is important to employees in all industries that they feel valued and invested in, yet it is not uncommon to see teachers’ passion for education being taken advantage of as evidenced by the recent economic downturn in which many of our schools survived because of the furlough days and pay reductions taken by the professionals in our field. A July 2014 report from the Alliance for Excellence in Education showed an annual turnover rate of 20% for teachers in the education profession correlating to 1 in 5 teachers leaving the profession every year. While the reasons vary among those leaving the profession, the most often cited reason is “dissatisfaction with working conditions.” This high rate of turnover is costly bringing with it a national annual price tag $2.2 billion to replace the vacated positions.

“We work a lot in the trade. There’s no way around it. You’re going to work your ass off and so do we, but with a little less of the pressure…”

There continues to be a myth that has run through generations that educators are done by three, have weekends off and enjoy long summer vacations. Every teacher will tell you about the late meetings they stay for, the committees they serve on, the lessons they plan and the papers they grade at home during the evenings and on weekends as well as the work they do over the summer to prepare for the upcoming year and investing in their own professional development. Yes, educators work their asses off which makes Chef Rene’s next quote also fitting to the industry.

“It’s a business where you work so much for very little money that it needs to be very inspiring, it needs to be very cool. It needs to be family. It needs to be a tight team.”

What would happen if we truly invested in the on-going professional development of educators allowing teachers to take the lead in the decision making of the direction of their professional growth? What if we designed classrooms and teachers lounges to support 21st century tools? Would they become, as Chef Rene describes of his staff, more confident? Would they make more decisions, be less afraid to try new things, to be creative and innovative? What can we do to make our industry/our passion cool? How do we create tight teams that feel like a close and supportive family so that members don’t want to leave?

“It’s the cook that cooks the food that creates the magic it’s not the recipe.”

translated…

It’s the teacher that the teaches the lesson that creates the magic, it’s not the script.

There are quotes throughout the interview that are open to analogies with the education profession. I hope you enjoy watching the video, consider sharing your favorite quote and it’s analogy to our profession and your ideas for making life in education “cool” so that we grow together as we educate each group of students that come through our classrooms.

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What’s Your Work?

on April 10, 2015

This is a though provoking guest post from Sammie Cervantes aka @principalnheels. How do we help our female students see themselves as beautiful?

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Well, Dove has done it again.  If you haven’t seen their latest ad, check it out here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DdM-4siaQw.  It’s worth the watch.  In short, women in four cities across the world face two doors.  One says “average”; the other says “beautiful”.  I would love to say that we live in an era where women from across the globe routinely choose the latter, but as evidenced by this video, we have a long way to go.

Let me be clear……the irony is not lost on me. The fact that Dove, owned by the billion dollar company Unilever (who also owns such well known products as Axe, Ponds, Suave, Tresemme, and Vaseline just to name a few) has created a campaign that has lasted longer than a decade aimed at “starting a global conversation on the need for a wider definition of beauty” is quite perplexing for me.  On the…

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Traveling a Road of Accessibility with a Desire for Independence

on April 8, 2015

imgres-1A few years ago I had the opportunity to find out what it’s like to live with a physical disability. The experience was eye-opening, stunning and a gift as I was overseeing the special education programs for the County Office of Education in San Luis Obispo which included services for the orthopedically impaired. I spent six weeks in a wheelchair and four weeks on crutches and discovered that what might meet the legal requirement of being handicap accessible and what meets the functional requirement of being handicap accessible are two very different things particularly when it comes to parking, navigating entry through a closed door and using the restroom.

There were some more challenging and memorable highlights both in schools and in public places at that time that I was reminded of yesterday. My favorite of the challenges I faced was going to use the restroom in a facility specifically designed for the orthopedically impaired. Upon rolling into a restroom, I discovered it was being used for storage. I rolled in, the door automatically shut behind me, there were no sensor lights so I found myself in the dark and because of all the boxes in the restroom could not turn the wheelchair around. I had to wait several minutes before I heard someone outside the door to whom I could call for help.

I traveled to a lot of different school sites throughout the county and was surprised to find how many handicapped parking spots are at the bottom of a hill and how many parking lots and sidewalks leading up to our schools have cracks with large bumps in them. Looking uphill and knowing the amount of upper body strength it would take to get where I needed to go often felt daunting. Scarier was looking downhill and being conscientious of not gaining too much speed and being able to come to a stop. I gained a new appreciation for why people in wheelchairs wear gloves.

I was also surprised by the parking available and people’s perception of handicap parking. In the downtown area of a town I spend quite a bit of time in, all the parking at that time was in alleyways. In addition to receiving a very clear message that there was a community interest in hiding the disabled, the other challenge was that the culture of the community lent itself to a lot of four wheel drive trucks that also parked in these alleyways. It was not uncommon to get out of the vehicle and realize that the truck pulling out directly behind my car could not see me at wheelchair height. I quickly realized that going downtown was not a wise idea. I am however proud of this community as it has since that time changed it’s handicap parking layout and curb accessibility.

At one of the school’s I frequented a couple of times a week, I was originally impressed by the forethought put into the handicap parking. The parking lot sat quite a distance away from the campus, but just in front of the bus loading and unloading zone was a blue handicap parking zone with two easily accessible ramps with well designed inclines that took out the daunting feeling that often came with the uphill haul at other facilities and the speedy downhill trips. I soon discovered though that the culture of the school community, viewed the handicap parking zone as the principal described to me, “a suggestion.” It was agreed within the school community that the parking lot really was quite a ways away and it was easier for parents to just be able to park in the handicap zone.

I’m finding myself temporarily on crutches again and not able to bear weight on my right hip. After a week of being home and mostly bed bound, I was able to venture out into the world again yesterday. My husband and I had a three and a half hour trip each way to get to a follow up appointment which meant stops to use the restroom, stretch and grab a bite to eat. Our first stop quickly took me back to some of the experiences I had a few years ago.


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The parking was great at our first stop. It was easy to get out of the car, there was plenty of room and the sidewalk was easily accessible, but…

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…I soon found myself with the first hurdle. I was lucky enough to have my husband with me, but wanting to be independent created a roadblock. How do I pull open one of these doors without bearing excessive weight on my hip and still holding on to both crutches while also moving forward as gravity starts closing the door? The weight of the door will make a big difference to the success of this task. This door however – too heavy for success. I was blessed with one of the kindest moments from a stranger as I stood to take a picture thinking about the blog post I wanted to write. A very kind gentleman, who I soon discovered spoke a limited amount of English, looked at the situation and used one word, “Help?” The moment felt like a blessing, not because of the offer of help, but because of the kindness and compassion that was in this gentleman’s eyes. I wish I could share my mental picture of this man. Challenges can bring out the best in humanity and this gentleman exuded goodness. 24 hours later and my heart is still warmed by the kindness not only of his gesture, but the expression of it.

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The next obstacle – how do I push down on that handle, push the door open, stay on my crutches and protect my hip? Hmmmmm, I’m glad my husband was with me.

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This one was a little tougher. The door was closed when I walked in, and the hinges slightly off center, caused it to stick. Once I got the door open, it didn’t start to come back and close automatically like many doors of handicap accessible facilities. Once in the stall that door was going to need to be closed – a slow but sure process. Darn, wish my husband could come in here with me.

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Next, two doors to navigate to get out. The first one sticks which normally wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but crutches are a game changer. Next, I found myself eyeing the handle on the second door thinking, “Seriously, what is up with the handles around here?” As I got the door open to exit the restroom, one of the store employees had come in to check the toilet paper. She snuck around to my right, navigating around my crutch and thanked me for opening the door for her. Hmmmmm.

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Ah, almost out of here. I can totally navigate this door with a little left hip action. Whoops, I forgot how heavy this door is and it’s not going to happen. God bless my husband who’s on the other side of the door, being patient with me and my photo shoot, knowing that it’s best to let me discover that I need his help before stepping in and opening the door for me.

It’s hard to lose one’s ability to move around independently. I’m glad my glimpses into the world of physical disabilities have been temporary and short lived. I am however struck, that given the assistive technology at our disposable and our knowledge of physics concepts, how difficult it can still be to get around independently. It is my hope that by sharing my experience, someone will hear or read this story and use the content to consider design and the associated physics concepts when creating accessible environments. I also hope that it assists us in stepping in to help others with compassion and an understanding of the desire for independence on the part of those who find themselves with physical limitations, whether they be temporary or permanent, when they require assistance in gaining access to the places we normally take for granted.

*As a side note, I’d like to share a shout out to Jack in the Box. The rest of our stops for the day were at Jack in the Box locations. At each location, the ramps were easy to access, the doors were light and easy to push through and also closed gently on their own. While I’m not usually a fast food kinda gal, I know Jack in the Box will get my business whenever we’re on the road out of my respect and appreciation for their accessibility design.

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Tools of the Professionally Connected

on April 7, 2015

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My Professional Learning Network continues to grow and I’m loving it! I noticed on my Twitter profile page today that I’ve been active on Twitter since April 16, 2011 – four years. Four years, 4,674 tweets, 1,763 followers, 1,760 following, 3,079 favorites, eight lists and numerous weekly edchats. While my venture into the PLN began with Twitter and Twitter continues to be my favorite source for connecting with like minded professionals and for professional learning, I’ve been enjoying my Google+ and Linkedin Connections as well and have mostly recently added Voxer to the mix.

Voxer has added a whole new element to professional learning and relationship building with colleagues who share the same passion for education, technology and leadership. Jon Corippo (@jcorippo) recently introduced me to the Rule of 150 which originated with anthropologist Robin Dunbar and was made more widely known in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Tipping Point. The Rule of 150 is based on the premise that 150 is the threshold for the number of relationships we are able to maintain within any subgroup. So, while I love the growing numbers of my Twitter PLN, I also know that my regular interactions are with a much smaller subset of followers.

Screen Shot 2015-04-06 at 7.33.26 PMVoxer, which allows users to send texts, voicemails and pictures has been a great tool for breaking down this larger network into more manageable subgroups. While this tool is still relatively new to me, I’m enjoying the more specific and funnier conversations that can be had with a smaller group that also isn’t posted publicly on the web. I’ve been able to connect with a subset of of innovative school administrators doing great work around the country, empowering teachers and having a blast engaging students. I’ve been able to connect with a subset of female education leaders who let the girl and the bling shine through in this venue. Next, I’m hoping to connect our SLO CUE professional network in some smaller ongoing conversations around the great work teachers are doing in local classrooms and finally I’m looking forward to trying Voxer out with family as we share pictures and voice messages and take our current texting conversations to the next level.

I invite you, the reader, to check out Voxer on your mobile device and share ideas for using the app both professionally and personally.