MAC Week 4 Comment-Jennifer Kubeczko

Jennifer said:

Benjamin Zander’s Art of Possibility has filled me with enthusiasm and new vision for being a quality leader. He has this to say in Chapter 10: “We often use reward and punishment to regulate accountability – the carrot and the stick… Apportioning blame works well enough to keep order in a relatively homogeneous society that boasts commonly accepted values and where everyone is enrolled in playing his part. It appeals to our instinctive sense of fairness. However, its effectiveness is likely to be circumscribed in communities of divergent cultures and widely varied resources.”

Wow. WOW. So that’s perhaps why I loved living in Japan so much. It was ordered. I knew my role, and we all worked together, “enrolled” in our efforts to support the community and the country by succeeding in our places. America is not homogeneous. Not even close. Were we ever? That’s a good research topic. But, I have strayed. Back to the reading: Instead of being a piece of a game such as chess, Zander says to be the board itself, the “framework for the game of life around you.” (p. 146) Yes! Now being the board gives you the “power to transform your experience of any unwanted condition into one with which you care to live.” Keep in mind he says “your experience and not the condition itself.”

The action of the game, the point is that you now make room for “all the possible moves.”

Think on THAT people.

I replied:

I AM thinking on that! I loved reading this chapter probably more than any others. The idea that instead of wallowing in our own self pity and lamenting the things that happen to us, we assume a position of power where we control the things that happen in and around us, or at least how we respond to them.

I love that you mention how this attitude is pervasive in Japan, but absent from our culture here in America. I think we’re seriously lacking boards in this country and having more people choosing the be them will make a huge difference in our cultures, and our schools

MAC Week 4 Comment-Erin Lodes

Erin wrote:
The controversy surrounding the Obama hope poster is pretty interesting - there seems to be no real argument that the artist's actions are legit. He says in his interview that he found the image online and used it. What's silly is that had he asked the photographer if he could use the photo, there's a decent change he would have said yes. How many amateurs wouldn't? When someone wants to use your work its a compliment, and many people are excited to contribute to the greater artistic community. The illustrator and photographer would have been co-artists of the poster.

Because he did NOT ask permission, a silly situation is created. Both parties are trying to sue the other on loose grounds. It's not fair that the artist claims full credit for an image that is based on someone's artistic photo. It's similarly silly that the artist, when blamed decided to "sue back" rather than apologize and ask permission, which could have a far better result.

I've ended up teaching my students a lot about copyright, creative commons, and fair use at school this year. It's a necesarry addition to my music technology class, since the students manipulate music and images every day, and maintain their own websites. The hardest point to make with them is based around OTHER people mis-labeling copyright. For instance, all of these images are shared under creative commons copyright on flickrcc.bluemountains.net:

It's hard to convince my kids that these images are NOT fair use, even if somebody thought they should post them on creative commons. It's so complicated!

In the "band director" world, a strong example that I think of when I'm feeling hesitant to ask if I can use something is New York City's PS22 Choir (check them out on You Tube:

This is a fifth grade choir which sings all current pop music. Because the kids know and like the songs, they are more passionate and it's resulted in an amazingly successful program. This music teacher shares in interviews and on their choir blog how he is amazed over and over as artists give permission for their songs to be used. But seeing these videos and how "into it" these kids are, who wouldn't want their songs to be sung by these young people?
Creative commons copyright truly needs to be our future. And - I think this goes back to some of the messages that the Zander's share in their book - don't be afraid to ask, let those around you be a contribution, live passionately and empower others with that passion, share in the energy of everything (and all the art) around you...
I responded:

Erin, I had not heard anything about the Obama Hope poster before this. I did a little research, and was actually quite stunned to find that in this day and age, someone would seriously just swipe something off the internet and alter it for a profit and/or mass distribution without consulting the originator of the image/video/audio, etc. From the comments of the photographer, one can see that he likely would have agreed to the use for the purposes, and this whole thing could've been avoided. I think that in the digital age, there are so many blurred lines in regards to copyright and even with creative commons licensing, there's some gray areas. Like all the images you shared from Flickr, one doesn't necessarily own the image if it's a screen shot or photograph of another image, but again, there needs to be a lot more clarification for the public at large, and specifically students.

MAC Week 4 Reading-I Am the Board

In reading Chapter 10 in The Art of Possibility I was reminded of a famous quote,

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it"
-Charles Swindoll

See, being the Board is all about choosing to take control of every situation in life. It's about avoiding blame and accusation, and resigning to the fact that things happen in our own universe and we always have some sort of control over the outcome and how if actually affects us, versus how it perceptually affects us.

I have to admit that while I was reading about "Being the Board", I thought back to this week's discussion board posting about the things standing in the way of being in my dream job. My post was riddled with blame on school districts and legislators for not understanding the importance of educational technology and "old school" people who think things should stay the way they are. But sadly, in all of my ranting, there was no place where I acknowledge the finger pointing back at me.

How do I contribute to the ignorance about educational technology? Do I write my representatives and school board members to inform them? Do I run for public office myself? Do I conduct in-services and trainings to provide seasoned teachers with the support they need to adequately integrate technology? No, no, and no. I don't do any of those things, so at the end of the day, I am allowing myself to be a product of the things that happen around me, as opposed to choosing to take control of the things that happen in my playing space.

I am also going to adapt this chapter to be a mini-lesson in a character education series about taking responsibility. Unfortunately, this is a concept that many students are unfamiliar with and it's exclusion from our students' lives only leads to a greater level of apathy and overreaction. Being the Board is the zen way to approach life. I think we'll all be a lot happier once we take control.

Looking at things from a different angle can offer new solutions

MAC Week 4 Project-AR Publishing/Leadership

Composing my presentation for the leadership/publishing project has actually been one of the most reflective and valuable experiences for me in the entire AR process. It was only at this point that I analyzed the value of my AR project in terms of the future of education, and why other educators should attempt similar projects. See, if I can’t see the importance of anyone else doing this project, isn’t the project itself sort of worthless? I think so.

I decided to do a keynote presentation as opposed to an article because the project itself is difficult to explain in words. It is the images and the video testimony and the links to articles and the explicit procedure that make this project easy to replicate. It would have been impossible to put all of that in a single article that would be concise enough for submission to a magazine or journal.

As I was putting together my presentation, it was important to me to put as few words on each slide as possible, while conveying the message mostly through my speech and meaningful photographs. I enjoyed the feedback I received after presenting in Wimba, as it was a way to informally present and then make necessary changes.

As I finish up the publishing project, I added one critical piece of media that my project would be worthless without; the student reflection. Two of my previously lowest performing students give a touching summary of the project and how it has affected them. If that’s not compelling, I don’t know what is.

I made a decision to submit a proposal to present this leadership/publishing project at the 2011 UCF Literacy Symposium. Teachers, education students and other education professionals gather at this annual conference to share best practices and research advances in educational media as it relates to literacy instruction. I had presented in 2009 with two other teachers on the topic of engaging the reluctant adolescent reader, which was nervewracking and exciting. However, I look forward to the possibility of presenting the project solo at next year’s Symposium. Teachers who attend this conference are always looking for ways to engage and excite reluctant and striving readers, and this project has certainly achieved not only engagement, but improvements in achievement levels as well. I do hope this project and it’s foundations in challenge-based learning and character education will be the beginning of the next generation of education, one that is student centered with a focus on educating the whole child.

MAC Week 4 Other-A Round of Applause

This week, I witnessed one of those moments that restores your faith in humanity. One of those moments that make your eyes well up with tears of compassion, understanding and an incredibly profound shared experience. I was attending my little sister’s graduation at Florida State University. It’s taken her a long time to get her bachelor’s degree, because she chose to triple major. In the last 6 years she’s been faced with financial, emotional and physical stresses that could break any one of us, but she has persevered. Our family was delighted and excitedly cheered for her as she crossed the stage. Naturally, at a commencement ceremony of over 1400 graduates, attendees wait in anticipation for their graduate to cross the stage, then zone out for the remainder of the 2 hour ceremony. However, this commencement had something unique in store for us all.

Shortly after my sister’s name was called, a stunned silence filled the crowd, and then a roar of applause and cheers from both the graduates, their families, the faculty and friends. An auditorium of 20,000 people, cheering wildly for a stranger. There, at the front of the stage, stood a girl and her dog. A girl and her service dog.

I cannot imagine being this young lady’s parent or sibling at this moment. Certainly, they must have had some fear or apprehension at letting a blind student go off to a big university all by herself. Or even some anxiety during this young lady’s childhood, as they hoped for the best but prepared for the world. And now, in front of thousands, they recognized the power of will, drive and desire, and they didn’t recognize it alone.

20,000 strangers, with their cheers and applause sent the message to one young lady; “you accomplished something big and tough and we are proud of you”. In one moment, a girl and her dog, an unlikely pair on a graduation stage, were on top of the world, for they had accomplished the implausible, and everyone knew it.

MAC Week 3 Other-Free Hugs

At our school, part of our Small Learning Community Grant requires us to have weekly TASK (Teachers Assisting Students Knowingly) meetings. In structure, TASK classes are like typical homeroom classes, and we meet with those student 30 minutes on Mondays. Each grade level decides on a TASK activity (teachers take turns creating the lessons) and all do the same thing for that week.

I believe the intention of the grant was for it to be something thought-provoking, engaging, fun, different, and community-building. However, thanks to the never-ending pressure of legislation and standardization, this year TASK has been highly academic. Students have moaned and groaned as we taught Literacy Logs and Cornell Notes through TASK and completed reading assignments. And really, who could blame them? Students expect a bit more fun out of an ungraded class where attendance doesn't count. It's no wonder our TASK classes have such a high skip rate!

So, this week was my third go-around at creating a TASK lesson, and I was determined to make it fun, meaningful, memorable and all-together invigorating. I knew I wanted to do something involving character education, tolerance in particular, but that it would have to have an academic component to please whoever is in charge of being pleased.

I stumbled upon Free Hugs and so "Embracing Diversity" was born. The lesson included watching the video and having a class discussion, then following up with a 2 page excerpt from Juan Mann's e-book The Illustrated Guide to Free Hugs. After reading Mann's reasoning for the Free Hugs movement, teachers were supposed to ask students a variety of higher-order thinking questions to get those wheels turning, both academically and emotionally.

I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. The bell rang, and as I walked to my door and saw the signs and the hugs in the hallways, I could smell the sweet sweet aroma of success. Teachers and students commented all day on how much they enjoyed the lesson. My only hope is that nay-sayers and old-schoolers look at the lesson and consider that there may be more than one way to skin a proverbial cat. I believe it was quite evident through the lesson that there are educational and academic benefits to educating the "whole child".

Innovative-use-of-music-media-and-technology-to-fulfill-multiple-educational-purposes WIN!

MAC Week 3 Comment-Hardy Reeves's Blog

Hardy wrote:

Looking through the presentation choices that we were able to look at, I found Podcamp (http://podcamp.pbworks.com/) and was really intrigued with what they are doing. Instead of a regular conference, they call Podcamp an UnConference. What got my attention is that it’s usually free, and covers everything that has to do with social media, blogging, podcasting, video on the net items that teachers might not get a chance to do in the classroom without training. This type of even would allow me to present to like-minded educators and possibly parents and put the idea that these types of skills would be possible in the classroom if we trained teachers on how to do it. Can you imagine parents advocating for teacher training in technology or even offering to train teachers on campus how to use these skills in the classroom?

While my presentation might not fit their usual requirements social media, podcasting, etc it might fit in the way that we look at how it might be used by specific groups with a few rearrangements, arguing that by training teachers to use these tools students and parents would have access to more material, but we need to look at training teachers to do it? From what I can find, the only requirement to add your name and they will make sure that what you are presenting is informational (no commercial presentations) and fitting their needs. It also sounds like they will work with you to fit your informational presentation with their UnConference.



<--Picture of psychedelic coat from Hardy's blog at http://web.me.com/hardy399/MediaAssetCreationReeves/Week_3/Entries/2010/4/6_Wk_3__Publishing_Leadership_project_part_2_of_3__Presenting.html

I replied:

Hardy,

This is SO cool! I had never before heard of Podcamps, but am excited by the fact that they are holding them all over the place. It's so intriguing to me to see that they are combining social media, new media, and traditional conferencing to create an "unconference" that's really relevant to today's culture. I think this could be a great way for people to share their AR projects with like-minded people, and have the ideas spread. Great find!

P.S. Love the psychedelic coat in the picture :)

MAC Week 3 Comment-Van Manson's Blog

Van Wrote:

This entire post is a shout out to HARDY REEVES!!! As I have discussed in last week’s post I have been stressing out about obtaining a job and was contemplating the military as my last resort. But an
unlikely person posted the below comment on the post and it changed my entire perspective on life after full sail.

Hardy

Van,

I found this site:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2007-05-20-advice-for-graduates_N.htm

with many different "words of wisdom" from many different successful people. What it all boils down to is finding your passion. What is it you want? I agree that you shouldn't settle and look for a job that you want, but it also sounds like you might "settle" for a military position.

As far as the passion for educating, this does go and come. I have been teaching for 8 years now and all I can tell you is that you have to choose your attitude for that position. Were there days I would have loved to call it quits? Sure-but that's true with any job. Serving your country doesn't have to be just military-you can serve your country by teaching students to have the passion that you have for film, the passion you have for life, and being there for students who need someone that "gets" them. From what I've seen in your work and what you have shared with us in previous classes, you would be an asset to any educational system and a great mentor for many students for many years to come.

Saturday, April 17, 2010 - 07:08 PM

I had never thought about education as another just as equally rewarding career path to serve my country in. After reading Hardy’s comment my thoughts of the military have almost completely dissipated. I now have somewhat of a new outlook on life after Full Sail. Furthermore, even though I am still stressed at obtaining a new job and where I actually go to after all of this is said and done, I kind of have a new spark inside me. I do not know another way of describing it. It is a spark that I lost during the course of this degree, and with each day it is slowly growing. I think this spark is for my passion on teaching students about subject material I love so much. I think the spark is education itself. Who knows where this will take me in the near future, but I like it.

So thank you Hardy for taking the time and reading my post, for sharing your insight, and for making a comment however small that truly has changed my outlook on life after full sail. Thank you!

Passion is: waiting 365 days to fly.
My son waits for it every year at our annual "Pig on the Pond" festival

I responded:

Van, I think you've been through a whole heck of a lot over the past year. It's easy to get caught up in what has been, and feel sort of hopeless for what is to come. I think Hardy said it well. The only downside to being an educator, as opposed to a soldier, is that you often get blamed for all of society's shortcomings, as opposed to being praised for it's successes. But, such is life. Whatever you end up doing in life, make sure you're doing something you're passionate about. Without passion, any career is just another job. :)

MAC Week 3 Project-AR Summary: "It was the best of times

it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way"

-Charles Dickens

It was this opening line from A Tale of Two Cities that I couldn't help but run through my head as I wrote my AR summary. Really though, it was both the best and the worst of times. The best because of the change I saw in my students and how my AR focus changed my view of education completely. The worst because of all the fighting with "the powers that be" and the sneakiness of implementing the project because it was so against the grain. To think that students could actually learn SO much about reading, and improve their reading scores when I didn't teach to the test. To think that using the adopted textbook as a doorstop, and giving students authentic texts was more effective than teaching by the scripted curriculum.

As I began comparing my (tentative) results to my Literature Review, I noticed that I had not only achieved what I had hoped for in this project, but so SO much more. My students became better readers, thinkers, learners and carers. What more could I ask for? One thing I didn't expect though, that may be problematic for others was the continual nagging question, "Man, why can't all my classes be like this one?" The question mostly came from the students, but it also echoed in my head on a daily basis. Why can't all their classes be like this one? Why can't all their teachers find a way to incorporate character education and challenge-based learning within their content area? Why can't all their teachers shift the focus from teacher-led to student-directed learning? WHAT THE HECK ARE WE AFRAID OF???

Do we believe that teaching student to actually think and be compassionate global citizens will be too detrimental to test scores to bother wasting a minute on? Do we believe it's the parent's job and by the time they reach us, it's just too late? Do we believe that we've been teaching these classes too long and been doing things the same way, so there's no use in changing now?

Don't we believe the students are worth it???

I do. And my AR project proves the kids do. My next step is to design a presentation so compelling, that everybody else does, too.

MAC Week 3 Reading-Chapter 9: Lighting the Spark

I loved this chapter, I really did. I loved it because it was not just about passion, but about sharing the passion. Chapter 8 wonderfully explained how important passion was in daily life, but Chapter 9 beautifully embodied living the passion. How do I make others feel as passionate about a subject as I do?

Passion is the name of my game. Not the uncomfortable behind closed doors kind of passion. But the giddy jump out of your skin excited kind of passion. My students laugh at me. They do. I get excited about EVERYTHING. Ok, not everything, but most things. My students love to watch me light up about the new box of pencils I bought that are pre-sharpened, or the great new article I found for us to read. They love my excitement about books, and how I could almost burst out of my skin when I teach them to use podcasts. They love the way I jump up and down when nobody is absent or everyone made it to class on time. I am probably the only person in their lives who sends them the message that every minute fraction of their education is important and valuable and exciting to me.

The reason they love my passion is because it's infectious. As I get excited, so do they. My educational mission is for kids to not be able to stop talking about my class...in a positive way of course. I love when teachers or other students come to me and ask me what's going on in my class that my kids are so excited about. I love when my students come into the classroom eager to learn. Or when they comment on how my excitement makes them excited.

I am proud to light the spark, spread the possibility, infect others with the passion. Kids don't get excited about workbook pages and story maps. So I don't do them. Call me crazy. It takes a lot of work to teach the skills in an exciting, engaging way. But I press on with the hope that others will join me. And one day, every classroom will be filled with passion, and so many will be lighting sparks that we'll have a wildfire of possibility in our schools.

MAC Week 2 Reading-Chapters 4: Be a Contributor

There were so many sections of Chapter 4 in The Art of Possibility that spoke to me, but none more so than the story of Marianne. See, when the author described how this woman, so formed in her habits of begging for her tax-shortfall from her mother, finally chose to change her perspective and allow both herself and her mother to contribute to her family's long-term well-being, I recognized how incredibly life-changing the power of perspective can be. Until it was pointed out to her, Marianne failed to see the big picture, and only did as much as she had to do to get by. When she opened herself up to seeing the possibilities not only was she rewarded, but so were those closest to her.

I considered how this same principle could apply to many of the educators I work with. Forever discouraged by their seemingly hopeless situations, teaching seemingly hopeless students, for a seemingly hopeless salary, they go through the motions, being bystanders in their own careers. I can only imagine the results we would see if these talented educators chose to be contributors instead of bystanders; to find value in the situation in spite of it; to contribute to a greater mission or purpose in order to advance the lives of those students they aim to teach daily.

I also loved Ben's idea of having students reflect on their contribution to the class. At our school, students are expected to do a daily literacy log for each class. I have had a tough go of getting my students to move from "what did you do today" to "what did you learn today". However, perhaps if I changed the Lit. Log question to "how did you contribute to the class today" students would have more ownership of the idea and better internalize their role as learners. I'm going to consider making that change this week, and see what type of outcome it yields.

MAC Week 2 Other-Digital Medicine

Today I had one of those "aha!" moments when I suddenly realize how technology has radically changed our world. My adorably clumsy 2 1/2 year old Mia did a faceplant on the tile and proceeded to bleed profusely from the mouth. Instead of panicking, I sprung to action. I took a look in her mouth and realized she'd severely lacerated her frenulum. So, while holding a wet towel to her face, I quickly googled "lacerated frenulum:"
After following some of the directions on the page, I realized I'd reached the point where I should probably contact a medical professional. So, I quickly turned to my cell phone, and fired off a quick text message to my kids' pediatrician. That's right, a text message. See, in lieu of hiring an answering service, our pediatrician takes triage via text on the weekends to avoid an additional expense, and save her patients unnecessary trips to the ER. So, a couple of seconds after my text, I got a text back with a few questions, texted her again with details, and then a return phone call with some final directions and a comforting phrase "she's going to be fine".

After all was said and done, my sweet Mia was A-ok. She'll be staying away from citrus for a week or so to avoid pain, but it will heal on it's own. I couldn't help but wonder how parents did it before technology. I mean, really, without google and medical websites and text messages and cell phones, it's a miracle we're all alive and our parents were able to use plain old intuition to get us all the way through our first 18 years.

Somebody's feeling better!

MAC Week 2 Comment-Roxanne Santiago's Blog

Roxanne wrote:

As I read Zander’s book about Rule #6 (Don’t take yourself so damn seriously!), I felt that I was always a person who followed this rule not knowing it existed. When my friends come to talk to me about problems in their lives and repeat things over and over again, I tell them how it is and that they need to move on. It truly is that simple. Dwelling on a problem just isn’t worth it.

Then I decided to look further, maybe there are times when I do take myself too damn seriously! I realized that there are times when I do and sometimes so seriously that it causes me to have anxiety! The past 10 months have been intense and I start off each month worrying if I am going to do well in the new course that I am entering. My anxiety would build and then I would be reminded that it was the 5th or 6th month and I have done it before and will do it again. I then take a deep breath and begin my new month’s journey.

I just need to keep reminding myself that everything will work out in due time. Stressing over things just isn’t worth it and most importantly, “don’t take yourself so damn seriously!”

Me and my son Liam, trying not to take ourselves too seriously!

I wrote:

Roxanne, I share this sentiment! I can't even think of all the times I start getting all caught up in my problems until I realize that I need to lighten up. I've always thought of myself as a pretty laid back person, but I've noticed lately that I can take myself WAY too seriously when I'm focused on something...and 'serious me' SUCKS! It was really sobering to read Chapter 6 and realize how the happiest people in life really don't take themselves so seriously, roll with the punches, and are better people for it!

MAC Week 2 Comment-Erin Lodes' Blog

Erin wrote:

While I was unable to attend the copyright session "live" Wednesday night because being a music teacher in the spring means that you live at play practice, I enjoyed downloading and watching later on. I think that this should be a required part of our degree program early on - it has frustrated me throughout the program to see people use copyrighted material over and over, while others are very careful. It's such a confusing topic that I understand copyright is difficult to follow - I just wish we had been more clearly educated early on.

I teach copyright extensively in my music technology class, where we create and publish media to the Internet every day. I feel that it's my responsibility in that teaching role to show my students how to use creative commons and to understand what they can and cannot fairly publish to the Internet.

In response to Joe's first Wimba on copyright, I think that all of the "automatic" copyrights get confusing, such as the example of a poem written by a student. It seems clear that if you really are concerned about copyright, that you need to make your work visible (like posting online) or to take the extra step of obtaining legal copyright.

I really enjoyed Joe's conversation about common copyright myths, using a checklist created by Brad Templeton. Thankfully, I didn't feel that much of this information was new to me. I think that as a music teacher and musician I am particularly sensitive to and aware of coyright issues. However, I recognize that many of them are common misconceptions, especially among my students. I will enjoy repeating some of Joe's examples and sharing Brad's list with my own students next fall (I'll give you credit Joe, don't worry!). Furthermore, I'm interested in sharing some of the documentary that he shared with my students (Good Copy, Bad Copy). I think that as I try to make my students "media savvy" that these topics are important - we start our tempo unit with a music mash-up project that I love because it allows students to use their own music, but brings in a lot of copyright issues as kids manipulate another artists' work. Adding parts of this video to that unit will give us a good ground for conversation.

As an FSO student and middle school teacher this year, I have e-mailed and obtained permission from several artists to use their work in my curriculum, almost always with successful results, so I encourage people to heed Joe's "11th misconception" and not to give up and declare that there is no hope for using copyrighted work for your great idea.

Image obtained obtained under Creative Commons license from

http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/geekandpoke/2006/10/copyright_and_a.html

I replied:

I often wonder as I'm printing a class set of a newspaper article whether I'm following the letter of the law in reproducing the materials. I think the public is generally misinformed and under-informed when it comes to fair use and copyright issues, and it would be great to see more "Copyright for Dummies" type information out there for us not so savvy folks

6:14 PM

Lindsay said...

And wow, the whole top half of my comment got left off, awesome.

What I was saying was that I really appreciate your expertise in the field of copyright, and your acknowledgment that many of us, particularly those in education, really don't have a clear understanding of what copyright and fair use is. Most people know the basics like, don't call someone's work your own, and don't reproduce another's whole work without giving them credit/royalties, but the lines get so blurred. Many of the copyright laws specifically refer to print media, and as digital media has and continues to evolve, I think that people will become even more confused on copyright issues.

6:17 PM

MAC Week 2 Other-The Veto Pen Saves the Day

As teachers across the state of Florida gritted their teeth and braced for the worst, Charlie Crist stepped in on Thursday afternoon and saved the day with his veto pen in hand. Unfortunately, pundits fired back with insults against teachers suggesting that we don't want to be compensated on our performance like "the private sector" or that we prefer to get paid for "time sitting in our chairs instead of actually improving student performance." The reality is that when you try to tie teacher's pay directly to student test scores, you are tying teacher's pay to someone else's performance, that is affected directly by many factors above and beyond teachers.

How many people would support paying Drs based on the rate of patients who remained healthy? Or dentist on those patients that remained cavity-free? How about we pay firefighters on the number of fires they put out before damage is caused to the structure? Or maybe police officers based on the crime rate? Most politicians would balk at any of the above...including tying their own pay to the success of their legislation, because there are SO many factors outside of their control. Well, are there no factors in education outside a teacher's control? Are there not 18 hours a day where teachers cannot control whether their students get the proper amount of support, nutrition, rest, guidance, and love?


Yes, we need some reform in education. Yes, there are really bad teachers out there and we need to figure out a better way to get rid of them. But for Pete's sake, lets not forget that it takes a village to raise a child, and to pin it all on the teachers, without any implications for the parents, community members and other stakeholders, you will NOT improve student achievement, you will only send teachers another notch down the totem pole and effectively kill any morale that they have left.

So, thank you today to Charlie Crist and his veto pen for understanding that meaningful reform cannot stem from games of "Pin the Blame on the Teachers" but from looking at all the factors that affect a single student's education, and delving out accountability accordingly.

MAC Week 1 Other - Thoughts on AR

Just a rambling video blog on my thoughts on Action Research

MAC Week 1 Comment - Erin Lodes's Blog

Erin said:

After reading the first three chapters of Ben and Roz Zander's Art of Possibility, I feel both intrigued and confused. I am enjoying the writing style - it's easy to read while using an accurate academic vocabulary. I also really enjoy the stories; perhaps especially because I am a music teacher and experienced an education in music and performance, and understand the pressure cooker of a music school.

The multiple stories shared in the "Giving an A" chapter seemed to tie together the catch-phrases of all three chapters. While I was feeling interested in the ideas all along, they just started to "click" at the end of this third chapter. When Rosamund was sharing about her relationship with her father, and the process of "giving her husband an A" in their relationship, then I started to see a glimmer of clarity. Giving an A is about my relationship with someone - "inventing" a role that I expect, looking at the full "universe of possibility" for what is possible, and choosing to "give an A" in that relationship. Instead of measuring that person's actions against what I would do or what others do, I can ignore all of that and just expect that they will give the best they can offer to whatever they're doing. Whether this is expecting that my co-workers are trying to do what's best for kids just as much as I am, assuming that the barista at the coffee shop down the street is giving me the best service she can, or assuming that my husband knows, loves, and can hear me as much as I need him to, I allow all of these people to show and demonstrate these things in their own way when I leave out my own measurement and just look for the "A work." So I think I am starting to get it, and starting to see how it is different than a simplified optimism or phrase like "look at the bright side." Like in the final parable of the monks, I will enable people to better greatness just by expecting it from them.

Perhaps this practice of "giving the A" is what is modeled in some of the movies of great teachers: Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver, Erin Gruwell in Freedom Writers, or Morrie Schwartz from Tuesdays with Morrie. All of these teachers are upheld for expecting great things from discarded people and thus enabling them to do those great things. Perhaps these are some of our cultural models of "giving the A."

I replied:

Erin, I REALLY liked that you tied in the "movies of great teachers" because in the end, I, too, feel that "giving an A" is simply about expectations and eliminating preconceived notions.

I imagine if we go into our classrooms and treat each student as though they are doing the very best work possible, and model that "A" ourselves, we can foster an environment of genuine learning for learning's sake in our classrooms.

MAC Week 1 Comment - Jamie Sibley's Blog

Jamie said:
In Chapter 1 of the reading, the author states, “All of life comes to us in narrative form; it’s a story we tell.” I really related to this because my school has been focusing on a school wide writing program for the past 3-4 years. We are being trained 1grade level at a time per year. The program we are using is Lucy Calkins, Writer’s Workshop. One of the areas she focuses on is narrative writing and having students tell a story. Even in the other areas of writing Lucy teaches she has the student focus on small stories. I’m starting to embrace Writer’s Workshop more, as my students prove to me that they become better writers through small increments of writing instead of a big overall prompt.

Have you ever stopped to think that you are not the only one to have problems, issues? I bet you haven’t, or if you have, it was only a fleeting thought. I don’t know about you, but I can get very overwhelmed at the problems in my personal, professional, and educational life. I do try to put things in perspective and do my best to not “overreact.” As the author states, “Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view.” That should be our goal, to have the right frame of mind when attempting to solve a problem. But, those darn emotions and stress get in the way many times when I try to be rational. How about you?

I responded:
You know what I thought about when I read that part of the book, Jamie, not really me personally, but my students! How many of them cannot see past their own situations to choose to be successful despite their circumstances. I know your population and I know that's likely a problem for your students as well. I wonder if there's a constructive way to take some of these lessons and put them in kid-friendly language to teach our students?

I think that it's such a critical life skill to be able to take a step back and say, wait a minute, this is not the end of the world, how can I work around this. I really connected with the story of the Me'en people and how a photograph held absolutely no meaning for them because it hadn't been assigned meaning. Imaging how many of our students feel the same way about our content because of the minimal background knowledge they possess when they walk through our doors. Then, consider how we have the ability to shape and mold them, and provide them with a more profound world-view. It's incredible to think about!

MAC Week 1 Reading-Oh my "A"ching heart!

I think I'm hyperventilating.

I mean, I started off reading The Art of Possibility with nods and agreeable gestures, but by the time I reached Chapter 3, "Giving an A", my heart was racing, each breath became shallower, and my insides were jumping out of my body as the things I've been studying and reading and thinking for the past year were validated by professionals who were asked to write a book by Harvard!!!

Zander's idea of giving all students an "A" with such a profound string attached was completely exhilarating! I cannot express how joyful my teacherly little heart is to hear that simply by eliminating the anxiety-inducing extrinsic reward to get down to the real business of learning for learning's sake. Reading through the letters, it was completely evident that removing the grade was life-changing for these students, because they were able to truly evaluate themselves, and judge themselves on their own merit instead of some outward "invented" standard.

One part that really stood out to me, was at the beginning when he mentions something about the students being so anxious about their performance assessment that they never took the risk of actually feeling the music. Can that not be said about our students and these high stakes tests? The poor kids are so stressed about getting a passing score to be able to move on to the next grade level, get out of intensive reading or math, or get a high school diploma, that they cannot stop to enjoy learning, explore passions and think deeper about a subject. Isn't it about time we let everybody have an A so learning can finally begin?

MAC Week 1 Other - Beyond the Workday

Back when I was a kid, teacher workdays were exciting. Students saw it as a day off of school, and in our minds we imagined the teachers showing up in jeans and tube tops, drinking cocktails in the teachers' lounge, blaring awesome 80s tunes on the PA system. It was a nice delusion.

As a teacher, I've discovered workdays are much more dull than I once imagined. In fact, they actually involve "work". But the worst type of "work" one can experience on a teacher workday is the dreaded WORKSHOP (insert Alfred Hitchcock creepy bathroom opening music here). Ok, so not ALL workshops are bad, just 99% of them. They usually involve monotonous speakers, regurgitating information participants already know, Death by Powerpoint, mandatory sign-in sheets and limited lunch breaks. All attributes that pale in comparison to cocktails, tube tops and 80s tunes.

Fortunately, last week I had the pleasure of attending an awesomely awesome workshop by a Toby King from the Florida Inclusion Network. Sadly the term inclusion has become as taboo to teachers as merit pay, standardized testing and charter schools combined. Yeah, it's that bad. Now as one of those idealistic ones with less than 5 years under her belt, who still enjoys teaching a variety of students, even tough ones, and prides herself on the changes of an individual student both academically and socially, the idea wasn't so bad...but the "seasoned" teachers had really scared the bejesus out of me, having me thinking that inclusion meant being Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds.



Little did I know how much I would get out of it, and how my viewpoint would change. The presenter did an excellent job at forcing the participants to assume different roles and look at inclusion from someone else's shoes. What kind of classroom would you want for your child, or grandchild?

I was even more excited when the book we were gifted turned out to embody my entire Action Research project, and then some. Pearson Education's book, Building Inclusive Schools, gives a good action plan on how to change from the traditional classroom that actually educates a minimal number of students, to one in which all students can learn. I especially liked the underlying theme that EVERYONE HATES LECTURES!!! Seriously...if half your audience is sleeping or texting, it's time to switch up the game plan.

So, I walked away from this (all day) workshop last week feeling like I had just had the most productive teacher workday in 3 years. It was reaffirmed that YES, project-based learning is the way to engage learners and YES, teachers should act as coaches and facilitators for learning rather than regurgitators of information and YES, an inclusive classroom will sometimes look like organized chaos and YES, kids need to be taught soft skills and the desire to learn.

See, these are things I already knew, but now 25% of our faculty also knows them. So if we don't get anywhere now, then we should've just stuck with the margaritas and Wham! because the workshop was only worth it if we can take it beyond the workday.