My teachers were effective because?
(Published in my Tumblr account March 2013)
A recent post appeared in ASCD Smartbrief and I agree with everything. Well, everything except for what’s missing.
ASCD compiled seven statements and asked “What makes an effective teacher?” The idea was to vote for your favorite and they would compile the data and share the “order of finish.” I love informal surveys, but this
one got me thinking about my experiences in the classroom and I couldn’t vote for just one. My thoughts are in blue.
1. They create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
The classroom and school culture is vital to effectiveness and student success. Administration designs and develops tools for teachers to impact the lives of the students and their families regularly. Teachers typically adapt those tools to their unique classroom demographic that has a history of dynamic change. Community is often overlooked.
2. They belong to learning communities
It’s truly an incredible time to be a teacher. There are more established and emerging locations for teachers to develop relationships that grow themselves personally and professionally. I sat in a twitter online learning community the other night and could not help but smile at the sharing and the professional accountability of the group.
3. They think systematically about their practice and learn from experience
Systematic thought has many definitions. Factors include the environment - input - process - output - feedback mechanisms - and more! The real key to this is the ability to adapt professionally as you evaluate your skill set. Your experiences make you a better educator and those experiences never stop. Step back and look at your career from 30,000 feet and then again from 3 millimeters and then do it again and again.
4. They take responsibility for managing and monitoring student learning
Accountability for learning is, at this moment, high risk. The biggest partners in education are parents and the community culture that surrounds the students outside of our classrooms. That should completely change our role to include the home, family and community. I’ve seen many great teachers stumble over this thought because the ever-changing social dynamic of our culture moves quickly and can easily distance the educator from the student. Think about how different your learning experience was from student to qualified teacher and then think again how many times teachers must re-condition themselves to new, unknown cultural shifts. A business comparison might be well received – the corporate world is traditionally 10 to 15 years behind the curve. Education and high-tech manufacturers must push the limits of the curve to educate tomorrows leaders. The battle is beyond our schools and that’s a battlefield that we need many levels of support to conquer.
5. They are leaders
Seems like common sense, but we’re not talking about the kind of leader at the head of the line, or one leading from behind. I believe that leaders are passionate about service and modeling leadership for students and others so that they take the extra time to make sure that they do hard things. The make choices that hold themselves to honor of the profession, without any ego.
6. They are committed to students and their learning
See the above five traits and share with me how this isn’t just another way of saying all those things?
7. They know their subjects and how to teach those subjects to students
I’ve witnessed educators who have very little ability in their subject area and every student learns. Excellent teaching does have direct correlation to the subject matter, but a good teacher is just that…a good teacher. One would assume then that early childhood educators, who obviously know their curricula well, would be the “best” teachers. Put an excellent high school physics teacher in that early childhood classroom and I’d be tempted to wager a high level of frustration for the students and the teacher, and vise versa. (I actually did this once and was so wrong…)
So what which attribute would you vote for? It’s difficult because while these traits may make for effectiveness there is just something intangible missing. For me I knew a good teacher when I saw it, experienced it, and lived it. Being a student gave me a sixth sense to identify excellence as it affected me. As a parent and as a school administrator I pray I kept the same sense. The student that lives in me looks for passion and a love of learning that translated into my effectiveness scale. I wanted to see one last trait – the effective educator is a life-long learner. Mine certainly were.
Part II -- Amazing Times
(Published in my Tumblr account March 2013)
I really believe that everything happens for a purpose. No accidents, or coincidence but purpose. Last week when I was thinking, and sharing here that true collaboration is and must continue to become the norm for the education community I couldn’t help be notice this week's Time magazine. The cover speaks of the elusive cure for cancer, but the article says something simply amazing.
“The hero scientist who defeats cancer will likely never exist.
No exalted individual, no victory celebration, no Marie Curie or Jonas Salk, who in 1955, after he created the first polio vaccine, was asked, So what’s next? Cancer?–as if a doctor finished with one disease could simply shift his attention to another, like a chef turning from the soup to the entrée.
Cancer doesn’t work that way. It’s not just one disease; it’s hundreds, potentially thousands. And not all cancers are caused by just one agent–a virus or bacterium that can be flushed and crushed. Cancer is an intricate and potentially…"
Yes! That’s it! It’s just not about one "magic” person, because cancer, much like our students are “hundreds, potentially thousands” of different organisms – creations unique as ___________!
As educators, as leaders of students or teams of teachers, we cannot expect to have all the answers. We will, and must deliver a better solution using all the tools. Those tools are found in each other! We are as unique as our students, fellow faculty, co-workers and parents. We must partner with people, no matter what their role, to meet the needs of those we are teaching so they may become life-long learners.
Because of the collaborative efforts of my own teachers, I’m a life-long learner. They never said I shouldn’t or couldn’t…although I’m sure they shook their heads a lot. They built in me a passion for doing my best, even though I didn’t always know what I was doing. They offered me the tools, taught me how to use them, and believed that one day I’d create something of my own. They built the foundation.
Now add all the “new” tools we have today and we live in an amazing time. Simply amazing…
When the old site went down
(Published on my Tumblr acct 2013)
Here’s the deal. I’m not being alarmist by any means. I’m presenting a thought based on this link that caught my eye. What happens when the internet goes down? You can jump in and read the link, but come back and let’s talk about this.
I’ve got stuff in the “cloud” if you do I bet you’ve really never imagined the possibility of losing the internet. If you did you might have a back-up on a hard drive someplace, but what if the hard drive crashes. In the old days, we’d put everything on physical media. Yes, those round plastic things that store things. But if you’re like me I have a few devices that don’t have a drive. So then maybe a USB stick might be your choice. Okay, so how prepared are you?
Wait there’s more! What about your music, your movies, your web-based email where would it go? What about your contact list? Here’s another one…what if the cellular network went down. Okay, that’s enough for one day.
…just one more thing. I remember the little old notebook my mom kept her list of names and addresses, in fact, I still have it. Maybe that’s the backup? Because even this blog is just stuck in a server somewhere if the internet goes down.
Amazing Times
(Published in Tumblr 2013)
I’ve taken the last few weeks to re-visit education in my blog and my personal walk. Our non-profit works in schools to bridge the gap between our communities and our schools. But that’s not even close to why this is a great time in education.
Way back in the middle 1980’s I dreamed of a time when you could magically make history interactive. Where textbooks could be re-written on a daily basis with the most up-to-date information. When we could visit far away places not just in picture books or on the TV, but personal and interactive. Way back then we thought it was a big deal when we networked our Apple IIe’s together with a 40MB hard drive for central storage and kids were learning how to program with logo. Those dreams were just that, but there had to be away.
Today I read a blog on the topic of the obsolete school IT director and found an amazing thing that’s happening in education. It’s not IT and it’s not the BYOT movement. It’s an opportunity for pure and complete collaboration. This amazing thing is working together across disciplines to bring all the possibilities for our classrooms and our students.
As we drive our students and teachers to open, collaborative environments I think something wonderful happens. As students dream of their future, it begins in a classroom. One tool that allows that might be technology, but the most effective, resourced teacher and this collaborative community will continue to blow technology away.
We live in the most amazing time!
Things other people say
(Publihed in my Tumblr account Summer 2013)
There are great leaders, writing lots of great things about leadership. This link will take you to a great article about a sermon, a walk, and trust. If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, here’s the best part.
“Over the years I have witnessed the powerful changes that occur when team members care about each other and truly have each other’s backs. Trust-based organizations:
1. Execute faster: Stephen Covey calls it “The Speed of Trust”. A trust-based organization spends less time on formal communication and more time getting the job done. Speed = productivity.
2. Innovate more: Employees who know the boss has their back think outside the box without fear of failure or retribution.
3. Produce higher quality work: Happy people simply care more and do better work because of it.
4. Attract Customers: If you think customers can’t feel the company culture, think again. They sense a trust-based organization intuitively and want to be associated with it.
5. Have lower turnover: After working within a culture of carefrontation it’s almost impossible to go back — and they don’t.”
In whatever environment you work in, people are intuitive and generally, they prefer to work in a place that cares about them. But look at the order the author chose. Trust = speed! We spend so much time trying to figure out what’s going on we get nothing done. Then come innovation and high quality, which attracts customers and leads to lower turn over. Completely logical in every way.
Read the blog, when you have time. It’s worth it.
The things you understand when busy sets in
(Published in my Tumblr acct summer 2013)
Between big meetings last week, grant applications, meetings today and a few other things I’ve been away a bit. Sorry about that. I’ve got like 12 drafts in my dashboard and I’ll keep adding to them until I get ready to publish. I’d like to say it’s all my “editors” fault, but I seriously doubt that!
Today I was made aware of one obvious leadership flaw in myself. I expect people to listen, especially in the adult learning environment. More yet in the small business world, where one small mistake can make or break the bottom line. When I see that and am at my wits end with so many things happening I need to get away and take a break. My flaw is that I expect too much and need to have the emotional discipline to step away and know when to use that emotional collateral.
Lesson learned…now on the next one. That’s the joy of being a life-long learner.
If this is the future - we've already seen it.
(Published in my Tumblr acct in 2013)
In this interview, Mr. Gates talks about being present, the flexibility of learning and the learning environment for college students.
Here’s my little two cents worth. If we are going to create that model we must engage the learner at an early age and continue to design and structure curriculum for the individual learner. Students that are at risk at any level, or those that are just average, may struggle in the “self-motivated” learning model. Students that are driven to compete and succeed may thrive in the proposed environment, but I believe education is about influence. I believe education is about modeling and being there.
We do that by training dynamic teachers. Then we model structure and independent learning. A thirst for knowledge is vital. If not, we create the same programs that failed in the 1970s. I remember them well because I was part of that grand experiment “Personalized Learning” or PLAN, independent, self-paced learning modules. The teacher was simply a resource and the students created the pacing and were motivated by…themselves.
For me it was perfect. Thanks to the technology of the 1970’s I completed Jr. High in 7th grade! Most of High School by 8th grade and then coasted until my Sr. year because I could. Others graduated early, and others…many others just took their time and barely graduated. It certainly wasn’t for everyone and there was no “plan” after Jr. High. It just stopped and all of a sudden you were back in a traditional classroom.
We must think bigger, but we also must think more about our culture and how we support the infrastructures we’ve taken for granted. My family created a solid foundation for learning. If they didn’t my church might have, or the Boys and Girls Club might have. The environment I learned in created a safety net for me to “fail” into. It also created accountability for my successes and knew when my ego needed checking. The challenge to grow in and beyond your environment is vital to success.
Build that first.
To Band Geeks everywhere
Published in my Tumblr acct in 2013
This week has my mind on the role models in my life for some obvious reasons. They are all getting older! Some in their late 70’s and other nearing their middle 90’s…older.
My father passed away nearly 30 years ago and truthfully there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. He had a silent, unusual way of being my dad, at least as I recall. Maybe it was because of his generational understanding of the world, his service in WWII or maybe just because he was a “get it done” kind of guy. Not harsh, not mean, never abusive…I sometimes think I can hear him say, “just stop being so flashy and just get it done.”
I was saddened to hear from a few Facebook friends that my High School band director had passed away on Sunday. He, although he likely never knew, is the reason my trumpet has never seen the dark recesses of the attic. He is the driving force behind me performing for more than 30 years in little small ensembles, bands, and community orchestras. He is the reason I’ve seen most of the world lugging an instrument around and getting to know some of the most amazing people.
He was hard, demanding, and expected great things from people he knew had a talent deep inside them. If you gave your best he rewarded it. As a kid, I was blessed to be good, but I was too lazy to be great and my grade in band reflected it. He knew that and in his own way drove me, not “just” as his student, but in my life.
Looking back now, at the mentors I’ve known, the male role models that make me who I am I see something strange and something incredibly comforting. Each of them, that I can name without skipping a beat, were teachers. Classroom teachers, Music Teachers, Sunday School teachers, Scout leaders…
Today early in the morning, I found myself thinking about those men. My dad, my teachers, those leaders that shared small pieces of themselves with me and my memories of them are priceless.
Someone somewhere is looking at you today. Whether you’re standing in a classroom or in the boardroom you are making a difference in the lives of the people you work with, serve with, lead with, and teach with! You can leave a lasting impression, or you can just be present. I am grateful that my band director chose to be more than present! I can still hear him on the practice field to this day, “Eight to five people, not seven, not nine…eight to five.” Thank you, Mr. Nelson,
Something about me you need to know
Published in my Tumbler acct in 2013
editors note: This fills my very being to this very day, even though sometimes the darkness does cast a shadow.
I grew up believing I could do anything! I suppose if you know me you’d likely say I’m still growing up because I still believe that very same thing. It’s not been the easiest credo in a world where people constantly tell you that “your” anything is impossible.
My first year out of college I had a supervisor, a pastor, that said, “if you would just choose something and do that one thing…you’d be great at it!” My response to him was that “doing one thing” was not my purpose, nor my dream. I’ve learned over the years that I was not put together that way. I believe the very nature of my being is discovery and the thirst for knowledge. I just never had the focus or the attention span to do just one thing as the only thing.
As I said that “I can do anything attitude” is an incredibly difficult thing to protect and nurture throughout a lifetime. It only happens when that spark inside of you continues to ignite a flame. Sometimes that spark fizzles with pessimism and all that other “stuff”.
The reason I spent all those years in education was simply that I wanted to share that belief! Sometimes I succeeded and other times…not so much! Life happens and people change, but I’ll always believe my purpose is to live a life full of the possibility of…anything!
Some days are Diamonds -- Facebook posts that make you smile
Published in Tumblr in 2013
editors note: Lori died in the Fall of 2018, but she will never be forgotten.
Today I was grinning from ear to ear as I read a Facebook post. Before I get too far into this let me just say that the greatest benefit Facebook provides is to connect me with some friends I’ve known since kindergarten. I love them dearly and I truly enjoy reading their posts. Each and every day one or two of them, if not all of them, make my day!
Today was just special because of the context of the Facebook post. The friends you’ve cherished for years…I dearly love them. I value them more each day the older I become. This individual post was special because not only have I known this person for nearly 46 years, but her Dad was a fixture in my life.
The lesson in leadership in this situation is simple. People have value! The relationships we have no matter how small are important. Those tiny connections draw us to compassion and concern and so many other things. As I grow older I realize how much I depend on the uplifting words of a friend. Or how much I think about those people that have impacted my life and made me a better person, for better or worse. In the end, each of them touched my heart and challenged me and allowed me to grow.
If you’ve read through all of this I suppose you want to know what the Facebook post had to say. After losing her dad recently she was also diagnosed with cancer. I’ve watched her grow and learn how strong she was through the entire process. Today she simply said, “I bought shampoo.” And it made my day!