Ten Truths about Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is a skill that everyone needs. It is also a skill that can always be improved. However, colleges and universities do not teach conflict resolution to new teachers. New teachers are woefully ill-prepared to talk with an angry parent or to resolve any but the simplest conflict. Because conflict resolution skills are considered soft skills, many educators and many people in general underestimate the need to develop these skills, scoff at the suggestion that they need to develop these skills, and reject all efforts to improve these skills. These same people most often exhibit the exact opposite skills that would result in conflict resolution--entering into debates and arguments when they should be looking for resoluton.

I suggest that there are Ten Truths about Conflict Resolution and that if a person begins by accepting these truths, then that person will move a giant step toward becoming a skilled in conflict resolution.

The Ten Truths about Conflict Resolution are:

1. It is better to talk face-to-face than to talk over the phone. It is better to talk on the phone than to communicate through an email. It is better to communicate through an email than not to communicate at all.
2. When communicating through email, keep the message short and stick to the facts.
3. Meeting with people face-to-face not only helps to resolve conflict but also helps to develop relationships important in resolving future conflicts.
4. Parents have a right to be upset, angry, or frustrated. They want what is best for their children and love their kids. Let an angry parent talk. Let the parent express the emotions for a few minutes. Not only will the parent unburden himself of the frustration, but you will also be able to identify the problem.
5. Find the facts. When an angry parent calls, the problem may be wrapped in many layers of emotion. Listen carefully for the real problem.
6. You are the professional, the calm voice in the meeting. Remain calm and listen carefully. Identify the issue and when you have the opportunity to speak, restate the problem as you understand it. This will let the other person know that you are listening.
7. Take notes. It will help you to stay focused.
8. Be proactive. If a teacher has had a problem with a student during the day, the teacher should call the parent at the earliest convenience. The parent is more likely to believe the first story that he/she hears, and if that happens to be the story that the student tells, it will be more difficult for the teacher to convince the parent otherwise.
9. Invite the parent or other person to provide a solution. Ask the other person what he or she would like to see happen to resolve the issue. This does not mean that what that person proposes will be the solution, but it again communicates that you are willing to listen and to work toward a resolution that both can agree to.
10. It is not about winning. It is about resolving the issue.

Protocols

I have been the principal of my high school only since July 1, 2009. In that short time, I have encountered more than a few instances where a parent, having a concern regarding the way a teacher or coach has handled a situation involving the parent's child, has gone directly to the superintendent or a school board member first, without ever addressing the issue with the teacher, with the coach, or with a building-level administrator. The worst part about this behavior is that the superintendent or school board member does not insist that the parent take the concern or complaint to the teacher or coach first. This is a violation of proper protocol.

The proper protocol for dealing with complaints, concerns, and issues involving the relationship between the student and the teacher or coach is to first contact the teacher or coach. If the complaint, concern, or issue is not resolved through this process, then the parent should contact a building-level administrator--the principal or assistant principal or perhaps a guidance counselor. If resolution is still not established, then the parent should contact the superintendent or assistant superintendent. If resolution is still not established, then the parent may take his or her concern to the school board.

It is not entirely the parents' fault that such a violation of protocol has become the culture of a school district. Any time that a school board member or a superintendent responds to a complaint, concern, or issue registered by a parent without redirecting the parent to contact the teacher or coach, the superintendent or school board member is guilty for creating such a culture. I will, however, forgive the superintendent or school board member, suggesting that these individuals have not considered the appropriate response to parents and are, therefore, not prepared properly. (However, as the top professionals of the district, they have a responsibility to be properly prepared.)

I suggest that when a superintendent or school board member has a parent address a complaint, concern, or issue to him or her directly before talking to the teacher or coach, the first question that the superintendent or school board member should ask is, "Have you talked directly to the teacher or coach about this concern?" It will be likely that the parent will say that he has not and the parent will provide a rather convincing argument as to why the parent believes talking to the teacher or coach will not resolve the problem. Whatever the parent's reason is for not talking to the teacher or coach, it is imperative that the superintendent or school board member insist that the parent do so, regardless. By not forcing the parent to confront the teacher or coach, the superintendent or school board member is enabling the parent in avoiding conflict resolution, is expressing a lack of trust in the teacher or coach in having the ability to resolve the conflict, and is breaking protocol. If a parent is absolutely unwilling to address the complaint, concern, or issue directly to the teacher or coach, then the superintendent or school board member should express that nothing can be done to resolve the conflict.

Stating that nothing can be done to resolve the conflict at this point may sound callous and counter-productive; however, what is actually being expressed is a strength of resolve to follow the proper protocol. Through following the proper protocol, the superintendent and school board are expressing a trust in the professionals that they have hired to do their jobs effectively and allowing these professionals the opportunity to meet the challenges of their jobs.

People do not learn to resolve conflict by avoiding conflict resolution. Teachers and coaches cannot become proficient at conflict resolution by having the superintendent or school board member passing judgment from on high.

My final point is that I have heard that parents have expressed that they take their concerns to the superintendent or school board member because they are "tired" of taking their concerns to the building and nothing ever being resolved. The irony here is that I am a new principal and these parents have not given me the opportunity to resolve their issues. Granted, there are times when issues are not resolved to the satisfaction of the parent--and in response to this I will suggest that the parent's satisfaction is unreasonable. But this does not provide a sound reason to violate protocol. To allow a parent to bypass protocol for any reason is to enable that parent to avoid learning to resolve conflict and to teach the student the method of avoiding conflict resolution. It is the teaching and reinforcement of a bad habit that has been translated in our society that everyone is entitled to get their way.

This has got to stop and the only way that it will stop is if everyone, from the teacher to the school board member, makes a commitment to follow the proper protocol and to practice proper conflict resolution.

Do Whatever Is Needed to Help Students Succeed

I was recently at the Indiana Association of School Principal's fall conference. One of the keynote speakers was the author of If You Don't Feed the Teachers, They Will Eat the Students. The statement that rang truest with me was that we need to do whatever we can to help students succeed. Schools can have whatever mission statements and vision statements they have. But the motto of all teachers should be that statement.

So, what does this mean?

Success means something different to each person, without a doubt. Still, we can all agree that the opposite of success is failure. Therefore, any student earning an F in any course as a final grade has not succeeded. The question, at that point, is whether the teacher, the counselor, the administrator, or anyone else has done whatever was needed to help the student succeed.

When a student fails a class, it is usually because the student did not complete the homework assignments. This usually affords teachers an opportunity to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the student's failure, pointing out that the student had not learned to be responsible. But a very important reality of a student failing because he did not do his homework is that, often the teacher allowed the student not to do his homework. What did the teacher or anyone else in the school do to encourage or force the student to do his homework? Were there any calls to the parents? Were there any meetings with the parents and the student and the teacher and the counselor or the administrator? Was the student assigned any detentions for not doing his work? Was the student allowed to play sports in spite of not doing his homework? Was the student allowed to participate in any extra-curricular activities in spite of not having done his homework?

We need to do whatever is needed to help students succeed. If we are not, then we are allowing students to fail, which means we are allowing them not to learn. That is educational malpractice.

Teaching to the Test

Since standards became conspicuous (I believe we always had standards; we just were not as consciously aware of them as we pretend to be today.), I have heard many teachers complain that they are being forced to teach to the test. Those who advocate a focus on standards often provide the caveat that they are not advocating teaching to the test. The Department of Education in Indiana goes to great lengths to make it known that teachers are not to be teaching to the test. But teaching to the test is exactly what a good teacher does at all times.

Consider the process of designing a lesson. First, a good teacher determines what it is that students are expected to learn. Then, the teacher determines how students will show that they have met the expectations. Only then does the teacher decide the activities, strategies, and methods used to meet the expectations. In other words, after deciding what will be on the test and the type of assessment that students will complete, the teacher then teaches to the test.

Teaching to the test is what a good teacher does.

Defining Dropout

The latest educational cause that has educators and community leaders and business people and politicians linking hands and singing together is reducing the number of high school dropouts. It is good that everyone wants to get behind this noble cause. However, in Indiana the definition of a high school dropout may actually be a barrier to reducing the number of dropouts. Consider the following scenarios:

• A student earns his high school diploma but takes five or six years to do so.
  
• A student leaves the public high school and earns his GED.
• A student forgoes finishing high school because she has been accepted to a prestigious college where she begins working on her bachelor's degree. (Yes, this really happens.)
• A student, because of disabilities, is unable to meet the requirements for a general diploma but completes four or more years of high school, earning what is called a certificate of attendance.

Each of these students is defined as a dropout by Indiana standards. Yet one has to recognize that each of these students is successful. The first student took a little longer to earn the diploma, but he did earn his diploma. It is not unusual for a college student to need an extra semester, an extra year, or an extra two years to earn a degree; why should Indiana schools be punished because a student needs more time. Differentiated instruction would suggest that some students need more time to learn, but the state punishes schools for following best practice.

In the second scenario the GED is good enough to allow a student to enter community college or other universities, but is considered a failure by Indiana legislative standards.

Considering the third scenario, it does not follow that a student who is accepted by a university should be considered a dropout.

In the last scenario, it could be argued that the students do not earn a diploma, but these students finish four or more years of high school. This cannot be called dropping out by any standard.

When one drops out, one does not continue working toward the goal. To dropout means to quit, to give up, to stop working toward the goal.
If the State of Indiana is serious about working to reduce the number of dropouts, the first step is to change the definition of dropout. I do not suggest this as an easy way to increase the number of students being successful, but as a means of providing options for students who need options. For one reason that students dropout is that they feel they have no other option. As we are for charter schools to provide people with choice, we should be for changing the definition of dropout, to provide choice and to support students in earning the high school diploma.

The President's Speech

President Obama plans to address the students of the United States on Tuesday, September 8th with a message stressing the importance of graduating from high school. The entire speech has been made available for everyone to read.What should never have surprised me is the fact that many people are demanding that schools not allow the speech to be heard or seen in the schools and that students not be "exposed" to the President's message. One could argue that regardless of the President's party affiliation or stance regarding such issues as health care or war, all Americans owe the President the respect of hearing his messages. But that is not the position I want to take. My point is that it is wrong to pass judgment on any text without first having read or heard the message. What many people are advocating is contrary to the development of reasoning and critical thinking, which should be the primary goal of schools.

Understand, schools are neither Democratic or Republican. Schools are non-denominational with regard to religion. Schools are neither liberal or conservative. Schools must be neutral. By showing the President's speech, a school is not saying that it supports the President's position on health care or on the war in Iraq. The school is allowing a text to be presented so that the students may consider the text and weigh it against what they already know or what they thought they knew. Students may also get to hear opposing views so that they may learn to appreciate the varying perspectives that exist regarding an issue. This is key to critical thinking.

Preventing students from hearing a speech or from reading a text because of the adults' prejudices is a violation against the educative process. Such practice also stresses that intolerance is preferred to tolerance; is it any wonder that prejudice, racism, and hatred still exists in America?

The President's message is that students should stay in school and get their diploma. I've heard self-proclaimed conservatives on the television state that they are opposed to President Obama's views and do not want their children to hear his speech. This can only be interpreted that such conservatives do not want children to stay in school and believe that it is not important for students to earn their high school diploma. Okay, I'm sure that is not their position, but isn't that what it sounds like?

Don't make an uneducated decision. Suspend judgment until you have the facts. You may arrive at the same conclusion, but you will have done so intelligently.

To learn more about President Obama's address to our nations children, go to http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html.

100% Together

One of the greatest frustrations for a teacher or administrator is to be working toward the enforcement of a school rule or policy or toward the achievement of the school's goals and objectives and to realize that other faculty members are not. School dress code may prohibit a student from wearing a t-shirt that advertises alcoholic beverages. Still, a student wearing such a shirt may get to third, fourth, or even sixth or seventh period before anyone takes issue and confronts the student. Is it any wonder that the student responds by saying nobody else said anything to him, suggesting that it was okay to wear the shirt?

The examples abound. One school decides to try a sustained silent reading program, having everyone reading for twenty minutes of every day. This goes over well in several classes, but a few teachers don't like the idea and communicate indifference through their body language and their actions. Students in their classes recognize that the teacher does not support the program; therefore, they don't take it seriously. Consequently, the program fails to meet its expectations. The non-compliant teacher is vindicated. But the reality is that the program was never fully implemented; therefore, there was no genuine failure in the program, only a failure in getting 100% commitment from the faculty.

Arguments are made consistently against any and all educational reform efforts and new practices, with the primary argument being that a school can never get 100% of the teachers committed to the new practice. But the bottom line is that these same teachers were hired to work as a team with the existing faculty and with the faculty that was hired after them. A personal and conscious decision not to comply with an established school policy or practice is a violation of the trust of the contract that the teacher entered into with the school. And this is grounds for dismissal.

This is not to say that one cannot disagree. Everyone should be allowed a time and opportunity to express his or her sentiments regarding a proposed policy or practice. Naturally, it would be in that person's better interest to provide the research that supports the opposing view; when opinions are presented without support, they are easily dismissed. Regardless, when the decision is then made regarding the policy or practice, the teacher or administrator has no other recourse than to be in 100% support of the implementation of the policy or practice.

Emerson stated that "Conformity is the hobgoblin of little minds" and that is true. And to some extent it is appropriate for a system to experience brief bursts of nonconformity. But when it comes to the system making a commitment to a practice or policy that has been well researched, well discussed, and well considered, it is in the better interest that everyone commit to the success of the policy or practice. There are times when conformity can be the better choice.

A Poem to Share

I have been reading Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline. The book was written with the business world in mind, but the ideas are applicable to the education world and to those who hope to lead a school. In the text, Senge writes about stewardship and references a poem by Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese poet. The poem is incredible. I hope you enjoy it.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
They come through you, not from you.
And though they are with you, they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot
visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but strive
not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows
from which your children as living arrows are
sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and
he
bends you with his might that the arrows may go swift and
far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as he
loves the arrow that flies, so he loves the bow that
is stable.

The Last Five Minutes

In my last post--Lesson Design and Classroom Management, June 14, 2009--I stated that teachers need to find ways to engage students during the last five minutes of class as much as students are engaged in learning throughout the class period. When faced with finding something to engage students during that time, all teachers are initially over-whelmed with the task and uncertain as to what to do. Perhaps this blog can serve as a forum for teachers to begin posting ideas as comments. If it happens, I will then compile the suggestions into a later blog for easier access.

Thinking about the last five minutes and considering what I would have students do, I came up with the following, which is directly related to teaching grammar--as I was an English teacher. I believe the basic idea could be applied to other disciplines:

As I enter the last five minutes of class, I turn on the overhead projector or pull off a sheet of paper that had been concealing the task as written on the board or hand the assignment to students, copied onto a half sheet of paper. The assignment contains two sentences; for instance, "Larry asked that I keep the information between he and I." and "Larry asked that I keep the information between him and me." The assignment states that one of the sentences is correct. Students are to determine which sentence is correct and write a single paragraph (100-300 words) explaining their reasoning. The assignment is due as they leave.

This would certainly cause a bit of hysteria at first, but as students became accustom to this, they would engage immediately and be able to complete the task successfully. The writing is important. It is through the writing that the teacher is able to assess the reasoning skills of the student. I suggest that this would be used no more than twice a week, but that it would definitely be used at least once every week for the entire semester.

What are your ideas?

Lesson Design and Classroom Management

Although a lot of people are calling for data before they make a decision in education and some are even using the call for data as a means of denying the validity of good practice, we must admit that there are good teaching practices that we can recognize through observation, through practice, and perhaps through intuition. I have not done any research on this topic, but I know that there is a direct correlation between good lesson design and good classroom management. In other words, if a teacher has prepared a lesson to engage students for the full time that they are in her class, she is less likely to have classroom management issues.

The school that I am leaving and the school that I am going to both use a traditional bell schedule, with each class lasting approximately 50 minutes. I have noticed--over the years in my own classroom as a teacher and through observing other teachers--that it is common for teachers to lose the first five minutes of class and the last five minutes of class to minutia, to fumbling around, to getting started, to packing up. It has become a part of the student culture to expect that nothing happens in the first five minutes, therefore validating tardiness, and nothing happens in the last five minutes of class. Once this has become a part of the culture, it is difficult to change, but this has to change.

Consider the above. A teacher loses the first and last five minutes of class. That is ten minutes per day. Classes are held five days a week. Simple mathematics establishes that the teacher is losing 50 minutes of instruction per week by allowing nothing to happen during the first and last five minutes of class. Fifty minutes is equal to one entire day's instruction. Multiply this by the number of weeks that students attend school (36) and we find that our students are missing out on 36 days of instructional time. The irony of this is that the teacher will then go to the administrator and say that she does not have enough time in the school year to teach the curriculum, to meet the standards, or to help the struggling students. The answer is in preparation.

I firmly believe that we move from awareness to preparedness to confidence. Becoming aware that we can plan how to use the first and last five minutes of class more effectively will give us the confidence of having a more orderly classroom and that we are possibly being more effective in meeting the learning needs of our students.

It is important to note that it is easy to prepare for these times. Many highly effective teachers use "bell ringer" activities to engage students from the moment the bell sounds to begin class. I have sat in such a class and noted how the moment the bell rings students have paper and pencil out, look to the board, and begin working problems or writing in a journal, without the teacher having to say a word. The teacher then is free to take attendance, to follow up with students who need to turn in an assignment or who have been late, or to organize materials to begin the day's lesson. The bell ringer activity is generally used to reinforce the previous day's lesson, to create anticipation for the given day's lesson, or to review concepts expected to appear on the high stakes, standardized test that the students are expected to pass as a requirement for graduation, etc.

The last five minutes of class should be used to engage students in reflection upon their learning. John Dewey stressed the importance of reflection in the educative process in his book How We Think (1910) in stating, "any subject...is intellectual...in its power to start and direct significant inquiry and reflection." He goes on to say that "the only information which can be put to logical use is that acquired in the course of thinking." Throughout the text, Dewey confirms that thinking that promotes learning is reflective in nature. Therefore, accepting what Dewey says and admitting that I intuitively arrived at the same conclusion, it is important that students be given time to reflect upon their learning.

So, teachers should use the last five minutes to promote reflective thought. This could be done through the use of "exit notes" or through a short (one to three question) quiz. Whatever is used, however, I believe it should involve writing and not just speaking. Many teachers believe they are reviewing with the entire class when they ask for a student to repeat the important points of the lesson. In a class of twenty-five, the same five students are always repeating the lesson and validating that they have listened, but there is no way for the teacher to verify that the other twenty even know what the lesson was about. Saying it is up to the kid to learn the stuff is the opposite of being a teacher. Teachers have to verify that students are learning and respond when there is evidence that students are not learning. That is why the last five minutes of class--every day--are vital to the learning process.

When a classroom is running smoothly--no classroom management issues--students are happier and the teacher is happier. Dr. Gruenert of Indiana State University once wrote that happy teachers are more effective teachers. (I'm paraphrasing and hope I got it right.) Therefore, it follows that spending time preparing well-designed lessons that fully utilize the class time and engage students in meaningful activity will result in greater learning and in improved morale throughout.

The Road Not Taken

My favorite poem is Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." It seems pertinent to me at this time, as I prepare to leave the school where I began my teaching career and began my administrative career and served for twenty-five years, and as I set out to meet my first great challenge as principal of another school.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I am not one of those who gets hung up on the last two lines. Taken out of context, these two lines cause people to stare off into space, striking a pose of nobility and victory, feeling quite satisfied that their lives have been different and better because they did not follow the crowd. This is not what the poem is about at all. Read the title. The speaker is filled with doubt and perhaps regret.

As I move on, I have no way of knowing if I have chosen the right path. But, unlike Frost's speaker, I am not going to dwell on what might have been, where the other path may have taken me. I know that the road ahead will diverge again and again and again, and I have to be ready to make the decisions regarding which path to choose, even when both equally lay with leaves no step has trodden black. And this, too, is in the poem.

The Audacity of Anonymity, Part 2

I composed an earlier blog entitled The Audacity of Anonymity and have become somewhat obsessed with the thought. Conducting some research, I found a research article entitled "Effects of Anonymity and Arousal on Aggression," which had been published in The Journal of Psychology and was written by R. W. Rogers & C. M. Ketchen. In the article, the authors cite another researcher named Zimbardo who stated, "If others can't identify or single you out, they can't evaluate, criticize, judge, or punish you." The authors went on to say, "...anonymity may make aggression a more dominant response tendency because in our culture anonymity reduces the anticipated risk of detection and the ensuing social censure and/or punishment."

In other words, being anonymous promotes feelings of imperviousness (for lack of a better word). Then, as one feels he can do whatever he chooses without repercussions or consequences, he is, therefore, encouraged to exhibit more aggressive behavior. A state of anonymity inhibits civility, causes us to resort to our baser instincts, makes us less compassionate and more egocentric.

Just today (May 15, 2009) Bob Kravitz, a sports writer for the Indianapolis Star, addressed this very topic, and I have to say that I agree with Mr. Kravitz. Kravitz uses classic jock talk to suggest that anonymity is turning us into a culture of weenies. Note, he does not condemn blogs or email or twitter or text messaging. He does, however, condemn the rude behavior that the anonymity of such technologically interactive programs promote. He states very well that "We hide behind technology that provides us with pseudonyms and takes accountability out of the equation." And that is what I'm talking about. If we are so bold as to say something, then let us be bold enough to accept the consequences of our words and our deeds. Otherwise, shut up!

I'm not finished with this topic.

A New Principal's First Speech

I have recently been hired to serve as principal of another high school. This will be my first principalship. Today I met the faculty of my new school for the first time. I knew I could stand in front of them and ramble for fifteen or twenty minutes and say almost everything I wanted to say, but I chose instead to write out my first speech and deliver a more deliberate discourse in under ten minutes. Below is the greater part of that speech, which I publish here for I believe I had something of value to say. I look forward to your comments.

As an educator, I spent 18 years as a classroom teacher. During my early years, I experienced having four principals in five years. Therefore, I know you have no reason to believe anything I say today regarding how long I plan to be here or what I hope to accomplish. It will be my actions that will communicate my commitment to you, to the students of GHS, and to this community. Still, I want to take this time to express some of my beliefs about education, from which you may deduce the expectations that I hold as principal.

First, I am a supporter of teachers. Years ago there were the license plates in Indiana that declared “Kids First.” I wanted one that said “Teachers First,” not because I think less of kids, but because I believe that if we have great teachers in our classrooms, then we do not have to worry as much about the kids. Many kids come to us with their backs against the wall—home life is abysmal; parents have given up on their children and expect the schools to fix the problems; students have experienced so much failure in life that they now refuse to try. There is little we can do as educators to change these factors. What we can control is what happens at school and in the classrooms. We can call parents. We can ask parents to come in to meet with us. We can talk to the kids. We can set expectations and help kids meet those expectations while we hold them accountable. We can be the calm voice in the crisis. We can speak with reason when emotions are high. We can do so much. Therefore, great teachers are the most important ingredient to the success or our school.


Secondly, the outrage over No Child Left Behind has faded and we are now beginning to understand that every kid needs a high school diploma. Every kid will need some form of post-secondary education to compete in a 21st century economy. Our educational institutions are failing when we allow one student to leave without a high school diploma. Our goal must be a 100% graduation rate and we must do everything within our power to achieve that goal. Still, kids’ home lives are unsupportive and destructive. And you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. But we cannot afford to focus on the things we cannot change. We must concentrate on those things we can change and the places where we can make a difference—the classrooms and the halls of our school. We can set high standards and high expectations, and we can find ways to hold our students accountable to those standards and expectations, while supporting students as they learn. The excuses we find for allowing kids to fail do not excuse us of our duty. We must find a way to help every student to reach his highest potential with the compassion and dignity that every human deserves.


Finally, I believe that we, as educators, are models of integrity. We are held to a higher standard by our communities, by our students, and by our colleagues. As actions speak louder than words, we have to ask ourselves, “What are my actions communicating to those around me?” If I take every sick day and personal day to which I am fully entitled, what does that communicate to my students about the importance of attendance? If I refuse to enforce the rules of the school in my classroom and in the hallways outside my classroom, what does that say of my attitude toward the rules of the school? If I close my door to the concerns of my students—or in my case, of my teachers—what does that say regarding how much I value these people and their concerns? If I refuse to contact parents when a student is failing, what am I saying about the importance of the partnership that exists between the parents and the school? I strive to be a model of integrity and ask the same of you. When we falter, we must learn to begin again; for there are truly no failures, only those who give up too soon.

My greatest strength as an administrator for the past seven years has been my skill at conflict resolution. The key to conflict resolution is taking the time to truly listen to the concerns of other people. Therefore, my phone line is open. My door is open. And I promise to find the time to sit with you, with parents, with students, with school board members, and with community leaders to hear the concerns. I cannot always afford you the luxury of having your way, but I hope you will always feel that I value your time and, more importantly, that I value you.

I am more excited today at the prospect of coming to GHS to serve as the next principal than I have ever been in my educational career. My only promise is that I will work hard every day and allow my actions to tell the story of who I am and of my commitment to this school. I will make mistakes and work hard to correct those mistakes. And I will see successes and join in the celebration of those successes. I am looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you and I invite you to come see me this July. I’d appreciate getting to spend an hour or so with each of you before the next school year begins.

Thank you.

Weighing Teacher Effectiveness

As I began to think more about the topic of determining whether a teacher was effective, I noticed that I have accumulated a few books on the subject. And I know that I've read through some of them, because they have my characteristic underlining, squiggling, asterisks, check marks, and sidebar notations. Some of the books I have are:
Fiore, D. J. & Whitaker, T. (2005). Six types of teachers: Recruiting, retaining and mentoring the best. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Stronge, J. H. (2002). Qualities of effective teachers. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tucker, P.D. & Stronge, J. H. (2005) Linking teacher evaluation and student learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

I am certain there is much in each of these books and many other texts that can help us to measure the effectiveness of a teacher. However, I believe there is a simpler method of determining a teacher's effectiveness, at least on a personal level. At the end of the day, every teacher needs to answer one important question:

"Was I the type of teacher that I would want my own children to have?

When I think about the type of teacher I wanted my children to have, I wanted someone who forgave my children when they made mistakes but held them accountable to the reasonable consequences of their actions.

I wanted someone who called my children to attention when they misbehaved but did not scream at them, belittle them, or destroy their self-confidence in the process.

I wanted someone who encouraged my children to take chances and to learn on their own, to experience that mistakes are part of the learning process. I did not want someone who declared that the only right answers were the ones she held in the back of the teacher's edition of the textbook.

I wanted someone who had compassion, who saw my child as a child even when he was seventeen, who listened more than she spoke, who looked for ways to make my child successful even when he struggled.

And if I, as a teacher, can meet the expectations of what I wanted for my own children when I was working with the children of other parents, then I know that I am a good teacher.

Dr. Daggett of the International Center for Leadership in Education speaks of rigor, relevance, and relationships as key to improving the quality of education. I agree. However, I suggest that relationships come first. Because kids really do not care about what you know, until they know that you care.

The Audacity of Anonymity

I recently found myself standing between two large groups of teenage males, hyped up on adrenaline and metaphorically beating their chests and challenging each other to combat. I stepped in between the two groups in an attempt to calm them and to bring an end to the insanity. Although most of the students were from my school, one of the leaders of one group was not. Having the advantage of anonymity, the young man threatened me openly and taunted me, calling me names and ordering me to back away.

The entire incident had escalated through the audacity of anonymity that many students held that evening because they were not from my school. They took pleasure in creating chaos and were bold in being rude and disrespectful. The evening ended without further incident; however and consequently, it has become clearer that there is a trend in our society of affording people the protection of anonymity, which has given people courage to cast insults with impunity. The audacity of anonymity is a blight upon our society, defying reason, responsibility, civility, cooperation, collaboration, and accountability.

Another example where the audacity of anonymity has been disruptive involves what is called "Coffee with the Principal." Originally designed to provide a forum to address concerns that the faculty has regarding the operations of the building, Coffee with the Principal has become mean-spirited and petty. I am convinced that the vulgar nature of many comments is a by-product of the rule that all concerns be submitted anonymously. I doubt that many of the complaints are representative of the whole faculty and are more so the expression of personal vendettas. It was never the intention of the process to become as such. Anonymity has allowed those who otherwise would keep quiet to speak out in rude and disruptive ways and to lower the dignity of the process and the school.

A third place where I see anonymity causing rude boldness is on the Internet. I've visited YouTube sites where people have left vile and offensive remarks, hiding behind pseudonyms and nicknames that make them entirely anonymous.

When I receive a letter at school, I first look to see who signed the letter. If it is anonymous, I throw it away. If a person cannot sign his name to what he has written, then the person knows that it is vile, disgusting, rude, and inappropriate. He does not want to be associated with such behavior, while he engages in the behavior.

One might site examples of people posting anonymous statements that are quite the opposite from being rude and disruptive, statements that are actually respectful and uplifting. Regardless, I still suggest that the cloak of anonymity allows people to be vile and that anonymity should not be encouraged. Instead, people should be encouraged to stand behind what they say. Indeed, people should be proud of their words, whether they are statements of allegiance or cries of protest. And if a person is not proud of his thoughts nor his words, then let him hold his tongue.

Classifying Learning

I am constantly thinking about ways to improve classroom instruction, because I believe that the most important factor affecting student learning is the teacher and the most important characteristic of good teaching is an understanding of methods and strategies that engage students in authentic learning. When considering any process, it is beneficial to classify and differentiate among the various parts of the process.

In How We Think (1910) John Dewey identifies three types of study. The first has to do with the "acquisition of skill in performance;" the second involves the acquisition of knowledge; and the third is concerned with the development of reasoning or "abstract thinking." Many years later, Mortimer Adler wrote about three modes of teaching in his book The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto (1982). The three modes of teaching were differentiated according to the intended goals as "acquisition of organized knowledge," "development of intellectual skills," and "enlarged understandings of ideas and values."

The similarities between the two lists are easily recognizable and worth a moment of consideration. Both authors recognize that learning involves the acquisition of or perhaps the accumulation of knowledge, the development and refinement of skills, as well as the development of reasoning, or what I will call critical thinking. Neither author suggests that one type of study or teaching is better than the other. Neither author suggests that one type of study or teaching should be excluded. Adler does suggest that the development of understanding or reasoning is often neglected in classrooms, but he does not advocate that any of the modes of teaching be sacrificed to make room for more critical thinking.

It is important that teachers understand that there are different types of learning and different modes of teaching designed to meet the needs of the different types of learning. We should not teach only rote memorization, but we should teach some rote memorization. For that reason, I, as an English teacher, required my students to memorize poems and to recite them in front of the class.

We are dealing with whole students; therefore, we should address the whole student in our teaching.

One Thing Wordle

Our school improvement team surveyed the faculty recently. One of the questions was with asked what one thing would they recommend to make the school better. There were many responses, although only about half of the faculty responded to this question. Still, when looking at the responses, I wondered how we might reduce the wordage, allowing us to group responses to get a feel for the one thing that the majority believed would be most beneficial. So, I suggested using Wordle. Wordle creates from the transcript a word cloud, in which the words which appear most often in the transcript are larger. Clearly, Wordle discounts articles and prepositions and such, so the words that appear in the word cloud are the pertinent words from the transcript. Here is the word cloud we created:
from http://www.wordle.net

Unless you have much better eyes than I, many of the words are too small to read. The words also come at you lacking semantic relevance. It is a beautiful thing to look at, but I find myself still wondering what is the one thing that teachers believe will improve our school...Or am I being obtuse?

Is the most important thing "Teachers"?

Plagiarism

My school recently experienced a rash of plagiarism, probably brought on by the pending ending of the grading period. This has prompted me to address plagiarism. There are plenty of books, web sites, and people suggesting that cheating is on the rise in America, so that is not my purpose. Instead, I would like to suggest that there are (at least) two different forms of plagiarism and (at least) two ways to respond to plagiarism.

The two types of plagiarism are "plagiarism of omission" and "plagiarism of commission." A student commits plagiarism of omission when she neglects to provide the proper documentation--fails to place quotation marks around a passage that is clearly taken directly from the source, provides no reference to the source from which the ideas came, or turns in a poorly organized "Works Cited" page. I call these acts plagiarism of omission because the student has left out important information giving credit to the source. Students make these mistakes out of confusion, a lack of understanding, and frustration--a natural part of the learning process.

Plagiarism of commission, on the other hand, is a conscious and deliberate act of deception. When one commits plagiarism, the intent is to deceive, to take advantage of another person's trust and to reap the benefits that may follow, provided that the deception is not detected.

There are generally two responses to plagiarism. The first and perhaps most common (at least at the secondary level of education) is to punish the student by denying credit for the work. In the clear case of plagiarism of commission, this is an appropriate reaction, although I will suggest that the perpetrator knew the risk he was taking and is probably not effected by the punishment. Without some required intervention, the student is likely to plagiarize again, knowing that the next teacher is not likely to catch him.

The second response is to turn the offense into a learning opportunity, allowing the student to correct the errors. A loss of some credit may be warranted--which is up to the teacher--but the student is allowed a chance to redeem her credibility, to learn the proper way to avoid plagiarism, and to develop a trust in her teacher as someone she can turn to for guidance in her learning. I suggest that this response is more appropriate when a student is suspected of plagiarism of omission.

Real learning is about taking chances, making mistakes, and correcting those mistakes. Certainly, a part of learning involves the decisions one makes to document correctly the information one includes in an essay and the consequences of those decisions. However, dropping the hammer of justice on every student who plagiarizes may inhibit learning. I suggest teachers consider whether a student is guilty of plagiarism of commission or of plagiarism of omission before passing sentence, and that teachers not allow a teachable moment to slip away because of righteousness.

One final thought: The information teachers present to their classes in handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and such are often taken from a variety of supplemental sources. To what extent does the teacher demonstrate a responsibility to document correctly the sources he or she uses? If we want our students to be responsible and to adhere to the rules protecting copyright, then we must be sure to demonstrate that responsibility at all times.

Okay...so here's a humorous look at plagiarism that I found on TeacherTube...

In the Moment

During my training in Socratic Seminars, there was a phrase that still echoes in my mind, holding much deliberate relevance to an almost intuitive understanding of the learning process: "Stay in the moment." I am currently reading Oliver Sacks book, Musicophilia, and have encountered the following concerning music: "Listening to music is not a passive process but intensely active, involving a stream of inferences, hypotheses, expectations, and anticipations..." Shortly after, Sacks refers to the work of Victor Zuckerkandl who writes in Sound and Symbol, " Hearing a melody is hearing, having heard, and being about to hear, all at once." In my mind, these three thoughts are all interrelated and imperative to an understanding of the workings of the mind with regard to learning, though not exclusively so.

When one is in the moment of listening, studying, engaging in dialogue, or playing a piece of music (and on this latter I am surmising for although I have long played the guitar, I am far from being an accomplished musician), one is drawing on past knowledge while simultaneously confronting the information of the moment and anticipating the next moment. To "stay in the moment" was, without a doubt, a call not to allow the remembrances of things past or the anticipation of things yet to come to distract one from the now, the moment of occurrence. However, I now suggest that staying in the moment does suggest that one will be simultaneously aware of the now, the then, and the yet to be, but that such awareness occurs perhaps subconsciously as a mental process. "Staying in the moment," in the here and now, is a means of suspending the intrusion of memory and anticipation to experience what is being seen, heard, felt with greater poignancy, deepening the experience and leading to learning--if one accepts that learning emerges first from experience.

I am reminded of a passage from Anne Rice's book, Interview with the Vampire (a most excellent read that surprised me with nearly every turn of the page). I can only summarize the passage here--for I am staying in the moment and loathe to run off to find the passage, fearing that I might lose my way in my thinking. In the book, the author wrote how the one vampire (I apologize for not remembering the names--It has been several years since I read the text.) listened to the other vampire the way we always hoped someone would listen to us, not waiting to pounce on the next pause but hearing every word while also sensing the tone of the words, the timbre of the voice, the intonation of the eyes and facial features. It was listening as if what was being said was important. And THAT is what each of us longs for in being heard. And THAT is what it means to stay in the moment.

Similarly, when one is speaking or writing--as I am doing here at 4 a.m. (I don't care what time it says this posts. I'm up early.)--when one is speaking or writing, one must concentrate to stay in the moment, to hear his own words and weigh their import--knowing vaguely where one wants to go, remembering vaguely where one has been, but focusing for the moment on where one is. In Sacks book, he writes how in performance the multi-dimensional awareness helps us to move through the performance. Knowing simultaneously where we have been and where we are going helps us to deal with where we are. If we were to think too intently upon each individual step we take, we might find ourselves unable to walk.

I distinguish this from the staying in the moment advocated in Socratic Seminars and in learning relative to finding one's way on stepping stones to cross a creek. If I have crossed that creek a hundred times, I am likely not to break stride but to step lightly from stone to stone to find myself on the other side without a second thought. But encountering the creek for the first time, I am much more cautious and likely to slip and end up wet to my knees. And THAT is staying in the moment.

So what? Allow me to suggest an action. Listen, not waiting for the next pause so that you may pounce upon the conversation and demand the attention of those you are talking at, but the way you want people to listen to you. Whether you are listening to your students, to parents, to colleagues, to your children, or to your spouse, listen. Then, when it is time to speak, begin by restating what you have heard so that the other person can know that you have listened, then speak. This brings up another cliche from Socratic Seminar training: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

From time to time...choose to stay in the moment.

Sometimes it's about hope...

When I first became a teacher, my colleagues listened to my visions and dreams of what I hoped to accomplish as a teacher. They chuckled and said I was idealistic. One stated that a few years in the classroom would remove the idealism from me, and the others all agreed.

I'm happy to declare that I continue to cling to my idealism. I live by the motto that the world will be a better place because I have lived. This is not some egotistical statement of self-worth but a challenge to me to do something good today and every day. And I don't believe that our efforts have to be enormous and I don't believe that anyone has to recognize the good we do, but we still have to do good.

A colleague sent the YouTube video out to all the staff in our building. The message is brilliant in its presentation and speaks of hope. I hope you enjoy it.

Jing, a way to share ideas online

Last semester I was taking a class online through Indiana State University. My instructor had given us an assignment involving conducting research. I had always thought I was proficient at doing online research through a university library, but I was having problems. So, I emailed my professor who sent me a link that provided a live tutorial guiding me through the process. It was helpful and I was amazed. I asked her how she did that and she told me about Jing.

More recently, I have been asked to make a presentation about Jing to teachers. I think the best thing I could do is present Jing using Jing. So, here is my Jing presentation introducing Jing:


You'll see, I really didn't do much work. Hope you can find hundreds of uses for this.

Process or Product and Assigning Grades

Recently a teacher expressed that his students would not have any grades for several weeks in his class because the students were working on a big project. Students would have a single grade when the project was completed. I question the validity of this type of thinking. As educators, are we interested only in the product or are we also interested in the process? Another way to phrase this is to ask whether we provide formative assessment or only summative assessment.

In his book Educative Assessment (1998) Grant Wiggins--famous for his work with Jay McTighe and Understanding by Design--states "the aim of assessment is primarily to educate and improve student performance, not merely to audit it." We can move from these concepts to use of the terms formative and summative assessment. In his book Classroom Assessement & Grading that Work (2006) Robert Marzano provides a definition of formative and summative assessment. He stated that formative assessment is "occurring while knowledge is being learned," whereas summative assessment occurs "at the end of the learning episode." Marzano cites Peter Airasian in further defining formative assessment as "interactive and used primarily to form or alter an ongoing process or activity." In other words, formative assessment addresses the process of learning as opposed to addressing only the product.

Now, the teachers in my school have recently been inundated with the learning trend of the moment: project-based learning (PBL). Therefore, they are all working diligently to engage their students in meaningful, hands-on, collaborative projects, with the purpose of making learning increasingly relevant and, therefore, more meaningful to the students and, consequently, more effective. (That is a quick summary of the philosophy behind PBL.) I know that the teachers are guiding students during the process of the learning; they are good teachers. However, some teachers find ways to provide students with grades along the way and others are waiting for the product grade when the project is finished. The handbook that has been provided to some of the teachers--Project Based Learning, second edition by the Buck Institute for Education--states that "the assessment plan should include both formative assessments--assessments that allow you to give feedback as the project progresses--and summative assessments--assessments that provide studens with a culminating appraisal of their performance."

I am going to suggest that the formative assessments may and should result--from time to time and on a regular basis--in the assignment of grades that can be posted. As parents and students are now accustom to checking grades 24/7 through online access, the grades provided for process help to inform the student and parent of progress and help to hold the student more accountable for the work. It is a way to provide timely feedback to guide instruction and learning.

Marzano also stated in his book that effective classroom assessments should meet four purposes:

1. Provide students with a clear picture of their progress on learning goals and how they might improve.
2. Encourage students to improve.
3. Be formative in nature.
4. Be frequent.

My suggestion is that formative assessment can result in the recording of grades that can be communicated to parents and students. Perhaps there is a valid argument against the use of grades completely, but that is for another time.

Setting the Bar

Concern was recently expressed regarding allowing students to elect to take high-ability classes at the high school level. Throughout elementary and middle school years, students are required to meet test-based criteria to qualify for high-ability classes. However, when students enter the high school, the opportunity to take a high-ability class becomes a matter of choice. Test results and teacher recommendations are still used to assist students in making course selections, but students are encouraged to try the more rigorous courses. Such a policy leads to questions regarding the level of expectations in the high-ability class and the responsibility of the teacher to the success of her students.

The level of expectations in the high-ability class are genuinely higher than in other classes. This is generally a consequence of the syllabus and subject being taught. At the high school level, for instance, many high-ability classes are either Advanced Placement classes or dual credit classes, both designed to meet college-level rigor. Allowing more students to elect to take these courses suggests that some students will enter the class lacking the skills or background knowledge needed to achieve at a high level. In other classes, the teacher would differentiate instruction to allow students to work from their ability level. Teachers often see the differentiation as a means of lowering the bar, when it is really more a matter of helping students learn from a different perspective. The bar cannot be lowered in the high-ability class (and should not be lowered in any class). Students need to know the expectations and be held to those expectations. This is the student responsibility to his or her learning: meet the expectations.

The teacher, however, also has a responsibility to the success of her students. Students should never be written off as lacking the necessary skills and knowledge. Students should always be given the support they need to learn the material--even if the material is in some way beyond them at the given moment. Sometimes a teacher of a high-ability class will make the first few weeks of the class so difficult that the struggling students will rush to their counselor to drop the class. In the teacher's mind, the students did not belong in the class; her classroom is for the elite and not democratically open to the masses. Such a teacher misunderstands her profession, for the students she is left with can learn without her and not because she has empowered them. She needs to work with the struggling students as well, helping them to find a way to be successful.

Stating that students are responsible for their successes and their failures is a good thing, but the statement does not absolve the teacher of her responsibility. Whether working with struggling students in lower-level classes or working with high-ability students in high-ability classes, the teacher's first priority is to help her students learn and to grow intellectually.

Some will scoff at my thoughts as too idealistic--"all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average." But I believe there is truth to these words, and dismissing the thoughts contained here does not absolve us of our responsibilities as educators.

The New Educational Utopia of 21st Century Learning

Today's EdWeek newsletter led me to an article entitled "Backers of '21st-Century Skills' Take Flak." The article identifies 21st century skills as "a push for schools to teach ­­­critical-thinking, analytical, and technology skills, in addition to the “soft skills” of creativity, collaboration, and communication that some experts argue will be in high demand as the world increasingly shifts to a global, entrepreneurial, and service-based workplace." The leading group making this push is the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Another group that also promotes 21st century skills and learning is the Metiri Group with the enGuage 21st Century Skills. There are similarities between what each presents. I have long preferred the enGuage presentation of the skills, but the Partnership group have begun to attract the greater attention. (I believe the Partnership for 21st Century Skills signed an agreement to work with ASCD--the Association for Supervison and Curriculum Development in March of '08--giving that group a real boost in credibility, whether deserved or not.)

What struck me most about the EdWeek article was the opposition to 21st century skills. Could it be that project-based learning, collaboration, and other such "soft skills" are not as essential as we are being led to believe? The article made reference to Diane Ravitch. I had never heard of her but she was speaking out, so I googled her and found her associated with a group called Common Core. She is more importantly an educational historian at New York University. On the Common Core site, Dr. Ravitch has posted a blog that sheds considerable light on the opposition to the touting of 21st century skills as the new way to utopia. She begins with:

In the land of American pedagogy, innovation is frequently confused with progress, and whatever is thought to be new is always embraced more readily than what is known to be true. Thus, pedagogues, policymakers, thought leaders, facilitators, and elected officials are rushing to get aboard the 21st century skills express train, lest they appear to be old-fashioned or traditional, these terms being the worst sort of opprobrium that can be hurled at any educator.

From there, Dr. Ravitch outlines decades of school reform methods that parallel the 21st century skills movement with the conviction that such efforts ultimatel seek to devalue solid academic learning.

So maybe I agree with Dr. Ravitch; maybe I disagree. Either way, what she has to say is important and worth reading, and I hope that if you have taken the time to read my drivel that you will take the time to read her blog. Then, please, come back and post a response.

I'm anxious to hear what you have to say.

Critical Thinking and the Intentional Non-Learner

In the fall of 2008 I attended the CELL conference in Indianapolis and was privileged to hear Katy Haycock, of the Education Trust, (The link will take you where you can hear Haycock's keynote.) speak about student achievement. Among many gems that I tried to capture with my cell phone keypad, I recorded Haycock as saying that the United States is the only country that believes kids can catch up by slowing down. She was speaking about the importance of providing a rigorous curricula for every student. I've been thinking about what that means.

Many schools are guilty of slowing down the learning of the struggling learners in a well-meaning effort to improve learning. There is sound reasoning in doing this, to some extent. Students learn at different rates, some faster and others slower. It is reasonable to allow more time for those who need more time, if it results in learning. But I don't believe that such is the problem with the "remedial" learning that is provided for the struggling students. Often, the struggling student is assigned to an education of low-level thinking. Recognizing that the student struggles with knowledge, comprehension, and application, we educators determine that the student needs more work with the same. When the student shows proficiency in the low-level thinking, we'll give him a shot at some higher-order thinking.

Every student needs the opportunity to engage in higher-order thinking--in analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Through critical thinking a student is able to experience greater engagement in the learning experience and perhaps the joy of learning. Through engaging in higher-order thinking the student sees a reason to know, comprehend, and apply the other learning--lower-order thinking--that to this point has been meaningless.

Before I became an administrator I taught English to resistant freshmen and sophomores. I engaged these students in Socratic Seminars. When I wrote quizzes over something they were to have read, I wrote six questions: one from each of the six levels of the taxonomy of knowledge attributed to Bloom. I found that my students did well on the higher-order thinking questions but struggled on the lower-order thinking questions. However, as the semester progressed, students began to answer all questions better. Now, this only leads to a hypothesis and I do not suggest this to be anything more. But it does lead me to suggest that students will benefit from a more rigorous curriculum focused on challenging students to engage in higher-order thinking.

If we believe our students are not capable of higher-order thinking, we are right. And if we believe our students are capable of higher-order thinking, we will find this also to be true.

Why not give a kid a chance?

Smoke on the Water and Pseudo-learning

My son plays guitar. (I do as well but not nearly as well as he. Indulging in father-pride, I've provided a Youtube video of my son playing "My One and Only Love." Enjoy it.)

He also gives guitar lessons. Teaching is teaching is teaching is teaching, and the frustrations that my son has as a guitar instructor are the same experienced by the classroom teacher: a lack of commitment, a reluctance to practice, and a tendency to be impressed with having done only a part of the lesson. These points are well illustrated by my son's having taught a student "Smoke on the Water."

When my son comes home from a day of teaching guitar, his mother and I always ask him how the lessons went. On this day my son told us how he had taught a student "Smoke on the Water" and how that was the end of the lesson, because that was all the student wanted to play. The half hour slipped by with my son listening to the kid play. I thought to ask my son if he had taught the kid the chorus. My son said he had never taught any student that part of the song because they never asked to learn it.

I now have this vision of perhaps thousands of kids with guitars (not because my son has taught thousands but because I surmise that the experience repeats itself all across the nation) with kids playing memorable licks from songs, grinning, then playing others and never playing a full song. We have all been to a party and seen this happen. The guitar guy plays the opening of "Stairway to Heaven" and people are amazed. Then he plays the opening of "Sweet Home Alabama" and everyone goes wild. Then he plays the opening of "Stranglehold" to show his diversity and people are so impressed that they are shaking their heads. But the guy never plays a complete song.

It sometimes seems that everyone plays guitar--or says that they play guitar. But my son and I will both tell you that there is a difference between playing guitar and being a guitar player. A guitar player practices scales, works to learn new chord progressions and to understand how they work, and learns to play songs in their entirety, if not for public performance then for self-satisfaction and awareness. Real learning requires commitment, requires risking monotony, and rewards deferred gratification. But kids learning guitar don't want that. They want to impress their friends now.

And that is part of what is wrong with education. Okay, I've identified a problem. Let me suggest a solution: teach not only subject but also values. We can pass on through our teaching those things that we value as a society. Through doing so, we will not only improve the minds of our students, but also improve our society.

School Climate

Creating and maintaining a positive school climate is at the heart of having a great school. A school with a positive climate is one in which students feel safe, not only from the physical or mental harm or abuse, but also to take risks in learning. As such, a key to promoting a positive school environment where people are allowed to be people and are treated with the respect that everyone wants and deserves. In other words, follow the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I used to phrase it this way when I was in the classroom: Was I the kind of teacher today that I would want my own children to have every day? What did I want for my own children?

• I wanted them to be encouraged to take risks and to pursue their natural curiosity.
• I wanted them to be held to high standards and to be challenged to meet high expectations.
• I wanted them to be supported in their efforts to meet those high standards and expectations.
• I wanted them to be encouraged to ask questions and to find the answers, as opposed to leaving questioning to the teacher and waiting to parrot what they had been told.
  
• I expected that if their behavior was inappropriate that they would be reprimanded in a respectful and professional manner. (I believe one can be stern without being mean.)
• I expected their teachers to demonstrate high morals, strong ethics, and admirable character.

I expected a lot from their teachers. And I expected as much from me as a teacher. And I expect as much from every teacher in my building because that is what will make for a positive school climate.

I've got much to say on this and will edit this blog over the next couple of days. But I wanted to get a start. I'd certainly appreciate any thoughts you, the reader, might share.

Reaching the Intentional Non-Learner

I've sometimes said that we Americans are very good at identifying problems; we are less proficient at finding solutions. That seems to be what I did in my last blog. I identified that there are students who are intentional non-learners, those whom the education system has failed, and that we cannot afford to fail any students. (I'm not talking about the policy in Grand Rapids where students no longer receive an F.) So what do we do? How do we motivate underachieving students.

I found this information, credited to Mike Muir (I haven't had time to research much on Muir, but I found this to be good.) Muir suggests there are nine essential elements to motivating underachieving students:

• Positive relationships & school climate
• Feedback and helping students succeed
• Hands-on, active work
• Variety and attention to learning styles
• Tying learning into interests and making it interesting
• Avoiding bribery rewards
• Giving students voice and choice
• Making connections and higher order thinking
• Putting learning into context and making real world connections

There is much to consider here, and I want to post some thoughts on each of these. I'll begin tonight with positive relationships and school climate. See you then. Have a great day.

Three Types of Students

First, I apologize. There are certainly more types of students than those that fit neatly into the three categories that I will suggest. However, it is, to some extent, beneficial to classify, to categorize students for the sake of considering what best affects student learning.
I often speak of there being three types of students. The first group of students are those who really do not need teachers and schools. These students are driven by curiosity and a desire to learn. They will learn in spite of all that we do as teachers. These students are not always the highest achievers in a school, because they may not be interested in learning what we are teaching. But without a doubt, these students will be learning.
The second type of student is the one who needs teachers only to do their jobs--prepare engaging lessons, provide challenging assignments that allow the students to use what they are learning, and provide an assessment of the students' work--feedback and praise. These students may be teacher pleasers and high-achievers, or they may be quite average. These students do not tend to be driven by their own curiosity as much as their need to please, their desire for rewards and accolades, or the fact that it is easier just to follow along.
The third type of student is the one who needs the teachers most desperately. These students often resist every effort of every teacher. They have often rejected school--perhaps because school has rejected them. Many of these teachers are what are referred to as intentional non-learners. It is not that these students cannot learn but that they are not interested in what we are teaching or have encountered too much negativity to risk trying. Often these students have learned that when they try, they fail. Therefore, if they do not try, they may still receive a failing grade, but they did not earn the grade. The teacher merely gave it to them. Sometimes the failing grade is their "badge of honor," for they set out to earn an F and the teacher's giving them the F is validation that they should not try. These students need us desperately to break the cycle, to give them a reason to try, to let them believe in themselves.
I often get ridiculed for being idealistic. I hope more teachers will be idealistic and we might help more of the students who need us.

More on Student Learning

So, I continue to think about how do schools focus spending on improving student learning. I was, perhaps, a bit flippant in my last posting, suggesting that spending money on pencils may be considered spending on student learning. The truth is that there exists a significant number of studies that could suggest what has the greater impact on student learning, providing a focus for the spending. Dr. Marzano's book, Classroom Instruction that Works, is an example of how research supports the effectiveness of specific teaching strategies. (The link I've provided takes you to Dr. Marzano's Web site. If you google the title of the book, you can find lots of links where schools are implementing the strategies.)

Research exists that emphasizes that it is the teacher who has the greatest impact on improving student learning. President Obama mentions this in his book, The Audacity of Hope, and we can only hope that legislation and funding will somehow support this. However, it is important for us to recognize that not all teachers are having the most positive impact. Indeed, some teachers are doing as much harm as good. Still, I believe that the two thoughts that I am tossing out in this blog are pointing toward what we should focus on with regard to spending money on student learning: ensure that teachers are excellent teachers and provide these teachers with training and support in implementing strategies that are supported by research.

More to come...

Spending on Student Learning

On January 21, 2009, I received an email from Dr. Tony Bennett, the newly elected superintendent of education for the State of Indiana, outlining his goals for improving education in Indiana. Basically, he has three goals: streamlining state operations, removing obstacles for local schools, and promoting policies to promote student learning. As expected from all politicians, these are noble platitudes and I will not cast aspersions on these goals. But I would like some clarification.

Under streamlining state operations, Dr. Bennett states, "We hope that many local school corporations will follow our lead in looking for ways to reduce administrative costs, thus freeing up more dollars that can be spent on student learning." Again, I do not argue with the concepts; I would like some specifics, starting with some discussion about what it means to spend money on student learning.

I could justify money as being spent on student learning when that money goes to teacher salaries, professional development costs, building expenses especially when the end result is the creation of new classrooms or learning spaces--i.e. media centers, distance learning facilities, etc. I can also justify spending money on technology, copy machines, paper, pencils--the list goes on, but it could all be justified as spending on student learning.

However, I have learned that it is not my definition that matters as much aqs it is the definition of those in charge. Teachers and administrators across the state will take steps to be certain that the money they have is spent on student learning only to discover that their expenditures do not meet the requirements of the Indiana Department of Education's goals under Dr. Bennett.

So, what does it mean to spend money on student learning?

President Barack Obama

It seems like so many years ago that my wife told me about a new rising star in the Democratic Party who was to speak at the Democratic Convention for Kerry. His name was strange and hard for me to remember, but she said it correctly--Barack Obama. His speech at the convention made me aware that he was a great orator. I don't know if I am right, but I have always considered those who can communicate well to be mentally strong, possessing strong reasoning skills and understanding the relationship between ideas and, more importantly, how the juxtaposition of those ideas can have the power of persuasion. Now, I am in awe that Barack Obama is the President of the United States and I am filled with a hope for a brighter day when people work not so much for personal gain as for the good of mankind. Some call that Socialism.

I heard a news reporter state that Barack Obama is President and now the world awaits to see if he can deliver on the promise of a new and better world. I am afraid that people miss the importance of Obama's election and the message as to what it will take to make the world a better place. Obama was elected not from his singular effort but from the concerted effort of thousands and thousands of people--some donating money, others donating time, but all believing in the vision and working to make it a reality. That, I believe, is what may be the real definition of America. If Barack Obama is able to make not only America but also the world a better place, it will be because each and every person on this earth helps. And I do not believe that we have to do great things. Perhaps we do not need to sweat the small stuff, but we really should pay attention to the small stuff, because every little effort will be a contribution.

It's a good day.

What do I mean by "perspective"?

When I taught high school English, my students would often ask if they were allowed to have their opinions in their essays. This, invariably, led to someone expressing that whatever he said could not be wrong because it was his opinion. My point is that there exists a wide-spread misconception as to the value of an opinion. I suggested to my students that there exists a continuum of the statement of a position, from impression to irrefutable truth and with opinion falling somewhere between these two extremes. Opinion is, then, supported by and founded upon what one knows and understands from one's own experience. This has led me to prefer the word "perspective" over "opinion."

Following this as truth--even if only personal truth--the term "perspective," relative to this blog, holds two meanings. The first is that I will be expressing my personal views regarding education and education reform. These entries will be my views expressed for any who are willing to read them. Consequently, those who read the entries may wish to respond, thereby providing their perspective as well. The second is meaning is relative to "perspective" being modified by "learning." My intent is to provide dialogue regarding educational reform from the perspective of the learner, as opposed to that of the teacher or the administrator. My next entry will address the meaning of "learning."

This is a photo of me and my beautiful wife.

Today I begin....

It is January 16, 2009. We were scheduled for a half-day with students. However, as the weather had turned very cold--minus 11 degrees this morning when I awoke--schools were calling for a two hour delay. Therefore, my school closed for the day. I don't like it when we miss a day of school because we have to make up any days missed. But having the day off has allowed me to do something I've been meaning to do for some time: start an educational blog.

In this blog I intend to express many thoughts regarding public education in Indiana, the state in which I live. I expect that educators, students, and parents in other states will recognize similarities between Indiana and their own state, as well as differences worth commenting on.

Anyway...I have much work to do to make this blog presentable and look forward to this adventure.

Have a great day.