Thursday, December 15, 2016

Home Alone

As many of you know, one of the Christmas traditions on my wife’s side of the family is to have a trivia contest based on a “Christmas” movie during the family party where I am the originator of the questions and sole judge on responses.  Forget the presents, tinsel, and eggnog, this is a yearly battle and the competitive side emerges.  This year, the movie is Home Alone 2.  This 1992 gem is a sequel to the original Home Alone starring Macaulay Culkin.  If you haven’t seen this, well, you would do poorly in the trivia contest.  The story is about a young boy who gets separated from his family at the airport, gets on the wrong airplane and ends up in New York City while his family is headed to Florida.  Kevin (Culkin) manages to find food and lodging using his Dad’s credit card.  Once again, he meets up with the “Wet Bandits” in the Big Apple.  The rest of the movie has Kevin outrunning and “outpranking” the bandits using ingenuity and pure kid power.  Our three kids laughed their little “pahanchas” off watching this when they were 9, 7, and 3 (now 33, 31, and 27).  I wish I had that time back. 


How many of our kids are “home alone” on any given day?  The answer is simple – more than you think.  The days of the nuclear family, Ozzie and Harriet, The Brady Brunch and 7th Heaven may not be over, but are on life support.  This means that most families are two wage-earning families and prevents parents from being home with the kids as often as they would like. Also, check out the percentage of single family homes or “split” homes…you may be shocked.  “Latch key” kids are much more common today than in the 60’s when all of the Dads on my block worked shift work and the Moms took care of all of our needs.  None of this is my point.  My point is that kids, at least many of them, are naturally inquisitive.  Often, we stifle that trait because we box them in with restrictions and never allow them to go off the reservation.  Think about it – when was the last time you gave a “Tiered Assignment” with many possibilities or allowed them to develop their own projects?.  When was the last time that you simply gave the rubric and let them explore…outside of the frame work?  Maybe even coloring outside the lines while stepping out of the box?  While it is important to teach the critical content, there is also a place for exploration.  

Thursday, December 8, 2016

13 Clocks

In June of 1776, the delegates from the 13 colonies had a HUGE decision to make.  They could break free of England’s rule by declaring their independence or they could remain under British taxation.  The former would result in war and the loss of lives.  The latter would leave them in a state of “Taxation without Representation”.  This was a difficult decision and was not taken lightly.  People like John Adams and Samuel Chase were pushing for a declaration of independence and in fact, Thomas Jefferson had already written it.  Other delegates were on the fence.  Adams wrote, Some people must have time to look around them, before, behind, on the right hand, and on the left, and then to think, and after all this to resolve.  Others see at one intuitive glance into the past and future, and judge with precision at once.  But remember you can’t make thirteen clocks strike precisely alike at the same second.”  Eventually, the delegates agreed on publicly declaring their independence from Great Britain with a “non-consensus” vote that forever changed the country for the good of its citizens  This was on July 2, 1776.   This is why we have an Independence Day to celebrate.


Over the years, schools make changes in the form of initiatives.  In my 37 years in education, I have been through many school initiatives – too many to list.  I recall moving from a traditional schedule to a Block 8 schedule in 1993 and the issues associated with it as there were strong opinions on either side.  Our school has not been immune from initiatives including such things as RtI Period, PBIS, SSR, FIERCE Fridays, AR, Enrichment Periods, Advisory, Double Blocks, and the Menu of Opportunities.  I fully understand that not everything that is done is birthed from a “consensus” vote.   In history throughout the world that there have been few “consensus decisions” on world events.  In schools, the important factor in making decisions should be based on this question first – “Will this be good for kids?”   When you make instructional decisions and planning decisions, the same measuring stick should be used. If not, it shouldn’t be done.  That is my belief.  Hopefully, everything that we do is with the best interests of our students in mind.  If it is good for kids, then we should probably be doing it. If not, that’s what the scrap heap is for.  That should be the common factor.  It was that way in 1776 for an entire nation.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Second Chances

Here are some terms that you do not want to hear in athletics:  Swing and a miss, air ball, false start, worm burner, dropped TD pass, double dribble, it’s in the bunker, the crossbar fell, fault, missed the green, icing ……All of these terms indicate failure at some level.  The batter in baseball who swings and misses has a strike against him…but he gets two more chances before being called out.  The golfer who hits a “worm burner” gets another shot to reach the green. The high jumper who knocks the crossbar off gets two more chances at that height and the hockey player who gets called for icing gets to keep skating.  All have negative connotations.  HOWEVER, the commonality is that in each of these situations, the athlete gets a second chance.  Aren’t you glad that, for the most part, we are afforded second chances in life?  Maybe third, fourth, and 99th chances.


Do students deserve a second chance?  Does anyone deserve a second chance?  Kids assigned homework for the first time should be assessed on their work, but NOT graded.  This is a practice session and is not worthy of a grade that cannot be erased.  What if they have a minor discipline infraction?  Discipline consequences should be progressive unless the violation is so egregious that Peter Francis Geraci needs to be called in.  Trust me, I grew up in a generation where trips to the woodshed were common.  Heck, the neighbors had full reign to whip your behind if necessary.  “Time outs”?...Yeah, right.   The onion didn’t get peeled back then.  Kids mess up.  Adults mess up.  I am in no way suggesting that kids should not be accountableEVERYONE needs to be accountable!  What I am saying is that often, we need to teach them how to be accountable. If you haven’t noticed the prevalence of “It wasn’t me” attitude, pay closer attention. So, we need to teach the kids how to be accountable. We do that through clearly stated expectations and through a great example for them to follow.  There needs to be consequences (both positive and negative) for their actions and “non-actions”.  Things will never change if not.   Back to academics – the practice of “test corrections” is debatable.  If these corrections are nothing more that “correcting “ mistakes, then it is a worthless activity.  Come on, if they didn’t get it the first time, they won’t be magically getting it now.  This “corrective” period needs serious feedback and some interventions from the teacher.  2nd chances…yep.  Maybe even 3rd, 4th, and 5th  chances as most of us have been afforded.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

The Indians at Thanksgiving

There were 90 Native Americans at the “First Thanksgiving” in 1621.  We are familiar with the “feel good” side of this event and smile when we see drawings of the Pilgrims and the Indians sharing that meal and singing  Kumbaya.  The Indians at the first Thanksgiving were ancestors of the Wampanoag Nation. These folks believe that what we conjure up for Thanksgiving is straight off the stable floor.  There’s a connection here to one of our greatest Americans – Abraham Lincoln. Approximately 240 years after the “feast”,  Lincoln declared that Thanksgiving was to be celebrated and he cited the Pilgrims and Indians peacefully breaking bread as the model.  Abe should have dug a little deeper. He made this declaration during the Civil War; a time when people needed some calming unity story; so he embellished a bit.   The Wampanoag Nation insists that there was a treaty made between the tribe and the Pilgrims that basically said, “We’ll watch your back if you watch mine”.  They go on to say that the Indians showed up only because the Pilgrims were blasting off their guns in celebration of a good harvest and they thought that a battle was ensuing.  The Indians decided to stay for a few days to monitor the situation.  Can you imagine the fear that the Pilgrims had when seriously outnumbered by heavily-weaponed Indians?  Heck, I would make a treaty too!  The Pilgrims came to rely on the Indians even though they thought of them as savages.  That, boys and girls, is one version of the first Thanksgiving that didn’t make the editor’s cut.


Why is the above important other than for historical purposes?  For teachers, it illustrates the importance of getting all of the facts right before presenting anything to students.  If you have never read, Lies My Teacher Told Me, I would recommend it.  Textbooks don’t always get it rightAnything taught needs to be backed up with evidence.  We ask kids all the time to cite textual evidence in their answers.  The book goes on to relate that the subject that kids are bored with the most is History because they find it irrelevant.  If you want to deepen understanding in a student, make it relevant.  It is important, as I have tried to relate above, to present different viewpoints and let students expound upon theirs.  Whatever you are teaching, make sure that you do your homework by researching it for validity.  Things change rapidly in several subject areas.  Think of what Pluto used to be, the supposed “Massacre” in Boston, the food pyramid, and controversities about global warming as examples how things have changed.  Make certain that what you are telling kids is right on the money.  

Friday, November 18, 2016

Bugle Calls

During the Revolutionary War, drums and bugles were a fixture of military operations.  This was the way in which in which orders were communicated.  Each sound from the bugle indicated a message such as “Recall” when you dropped whatever you were doing and returned to camp…kind of like a mass tweet.  Bugle calls went out for “Assembly”, “Mess Call”, “Reveille”, and “Retreat”.  The final roll call of the day was signaled at 2200 hours to the sound of “Tattoo”.  The familiar “Taps” was the final call of the day and was the signal that all unauthorized lights be extinguished.  The bugler himself was someone of high importance in the regiment because not only did he need to be incredibly dependable, but he had to be a great bugler.  He had to play the notes clearly.  He had to be exact in his note playing or the troops would be in a mess; possibly a fatal mistake.  If the bugler wanted to signal the troops to retreat, but mistakenly sounded the call to battle, then the regiment would be annililated.  The bugler had to be perfectly clear in the message that he put out.  Without an exceptional bugler, the regiment was in chaos.


Think of yourself as the bugler in your regiment (classroom).  None one else gets that position. You are the vessel from which orders are communicated.  Teachers need to be perfectly clear in the messages that they put out.  Classroom expectations need to clearly articulated.  Learning goals need to be clear to the students.  Connections between the daily goal and long-term goals need to be clearly communicated.  Scale expectations need to be crystal clear.  Everything that comes from your words and  through your actions needs to be right on the money. You have to be spot-on with your words and actions.  Miscommunication does not pay dividends in education. Heck, it doesn’t pay dividends anywhere.  Feedback is an area that needs excellent communication. Kids need to know exactly what they are doing right and exactly where they are falling short.  Be a great bugler!

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Veterans Day

We owe the protection of our freedoms to the sacrifices made by the military veterans of our great country.  Tomorrow, we will honor the military veterans of our school family.  During all lunch periods, we will have brothers, sisters, Moms, Dads, Uncles, Aunts, cousins, Grandpas, Grandmas, and friends who will be honored by our students and staff.  61 Veterans will be with us!  Make no mistake – tomorrow there will be heroes among us.  Please make an effort to stop by the cafeteria to take part in honoring these fine patriots.  Throughout the country, veterans will be honored in various programs….tomorrow.  They will be center stage and given a well-deserved thank you….tomorrow.  That’s November 11thWhat about November 12th?  Even though we’ll move on to Saturday, it will still be “Veterans Day” for these folks and will be for the rest of their lives.  I never really understood these things as a kid and as a young man, but being so close to a veteran of six tours of duty, my learning curve is rising.


It may your assumption, as it was mine, that troops returning from active duty want to be treated with pity.  Ask a veteran and they’ll tell you that is simply not the case.  Our veterans want to be treated with respect.  That is why we hold an annual program for our school family members – to show them respect and to tell them thank you.  It is not a photo op or a chance to be in the newspaper or to make ourselves feel better or to garner support.  Veterans just want to be treated with respect.  The respect that they deserve.  Too many have endured unspeakable things so that we can sleep at night in relative safety.  We really have no clue what happened in their lives while defending us.  Make it a point to stop a veteran when you see them.  Shake their hand and tell them thank you for their service.  The problems that veterans deal with in health care, pharmaceutical insurance acceptance, suicide, homelessness and unemployment are well-documented.  Look it up – it’s appalling.  One of the biggest failures in our country is the treatment that our veterans receive.  While we may not be able to change the larger things quickly, we can most certainly show our veterans respect  by acknowledging their service.  We owe these people so much

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Rejections

“We don’t like their sound and guitar music is on the way out.”  That was the response of Decca Records in 1962 turning down The Beatles for a recording contract.  The Beatles, of course, went on to sell 1.6 billion records.  William Golding’s, The Lord of the Flies was rejected 20 times before it was finally published. Over 150,000,000 copies have been sold.  Louisa May Alcott was told to stick to teaching.  Little Women sold millions of copies and was adapted for plays, movies, musicals and operas.  Michael Jordan was cut from his junior varsity high school basketball team. He went on to become possibly the greatest basketball player ever.  Oprah Winfrey was told that she was “unfit for television.”  She went on to stardom with a show of her own and is now one of the most recognized names in the world.  Jerry Seinfeld was initially booed off the stage.  He went on to have an incredibly successful career as a comedian and had a #1 hit television series.  In his first film, Harrison Ford was told “You don’t have what it takes.” He is one of the biggest stars in the movie industry.  Charles Schultz had every one of his cartoons rejected by his high school yearbook staff.  Without him, we don’t have Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang.  The list goes on for miles with people who have been told by others that they weren’t good enough.  Isn’t it great that so many evaluators were wrong?


All of the people above persevered and became what they intended to be despite the criticism they received from others.  They rose above the rejection.  Not many people can do that.  It is vital that kids experience some success in school.  It is up to us to find that; whatever that may be. There is not a teacher reading this that has not had to struggle with a student(s) having one failing grade after another.  Assignment = F. Next = F. Next = F…just do the test corrections – are you kidding me?  I didn’t get it the first time, how on God’s green earth am I supposed to get it now?  Feedback is essential.  Let me write that once more – feedback is essential!  We cannot expect kids to grow if we never give them feedback on what they have done well and not only what needs to be shored up, but how to shore it up.  You pour into kids.  You can pour all nasty negative stuff or you can pour good stuff.  Everyone reading this has at least one student who is struggling.  If not, you aren’t looking closely enough.  Those students will never gain competence until they gain confidence.  Take a step back and find SOMETHING that he or she do successfully. Then build from there.  Confidence has to come before competence.  

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Jack-O'-Lanterns

Next Monday night, millions of carved pumpkins will decorate the porches and windows of millions of homes.  We get together with our kids and now, our grandson, to carve a few pumpkins for Halloween. In fact, we did that last night.  Jack- O’- Lanterns have a long history. The name “Jack” comes from an Irish folktale about a man named “Stingy Jack”. Look him up if you want the story.  At that time, turnips and potatoes were carved and illuminated.  Irish immigrants brought the practice to the U.S.A.  Not long after, they found that pumpkins were a better choice for “Jack-O’-Lanterns”.  Today, people carve their pumpkins to create images that are spooky, happy, angry, scenic, incredibly creative and yes, sometimes inappropriate.  I wonder what drives people to create the images for their own Jack-O’-Lanterns.  Is it a reflection of their personality?  Is the image the antithesis of their personality?  Is it to have fun?  Is it to create an image of their pet (our son and daughter-in-law created a “Dachsund” Jack-O’-Lantern to honor their dog, Winnie)?  Do they do it to display a favorite product or to make a special announcement such as the upcoming birth of a little pumpkin (done last year by Jayme and Andy)?  I wonder why people do what they do with Jack-O”-Lanterns. 


Since Halloween involves dressing up like someone you are not and then essentially begging for food products that, for the most part, provide no nutritional value whatsoever, let’s start from there.  Let’s go with the antithesis theory of carving Jack-O-’Lanterns.  Thus, the image that you carve is exactly the opposite of who you really are.  So, if you are really brave, go with the lion from the Wizard of Oz.  If you are always happy, carve out a likeness of Caligula.  If you are not stingy with your toys, work with an image of a two year old.  You get the idea.  Now that you have that firmly in place, what if your students were doing the carvingWhat image would they carve of you if you instructed them to carve just exactly the opposite of how they perceived you?  What would that image be?  It should be of someone that is not approachable, someone who is perpetually angry, of someone who is not engaging, of someone who really doesn’t care.  This could be a really good indicator of how your students see you.  Give it a try – safety knives only.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Bumblebees

The bumblebee is very social and forms colonies of fifty or so with other bumblebees.  Bumblebees generally avoid humans, so it you have been stung, it probably wasn’t a bumblebee.  Bumblebees feed on nectar using their long hairy tongues to lap up the liquid from flowers.  They are vitally important to agriculture as they are chief pollinators for many crops.  Currently, the number of bumblebees has declined sharply in our country; mostly from the use of pesticides and loss of land – you know, when they build a new subdivision on a farm field. Bumblebees fly.  Duh.  The point about bumblebees flying is that they shouldn’t be flying at all.  They are not built for flying.  Aerodynamically, a bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.


In schools, the “bumblebee” students are the ones that are referred to as “over achievers”.  I have never been fond of this term because it implies that these students  were never good enough to succeed, so that any success must be a fluke. But I digress.  Here’s my point – we should never tell kids what we perceive that they can’t do“Can’t” is a word to remove from your vocabulary.  We need to focus on what kids can do and remind them of this.  Confidence has to come before competence. It will be cyclical in this regard.  As kids become more confident in their abilities, the competence will show up.  Don’t dwell on the deficiencies – help them overcome come them by providing tasks that build their confidence first.  Avoid that “test corrections” mindset of having kids “fix” the problems that they failed on.  Here’s some insight – if they didn’t know how to do it the first time, they won’t know how to fix it afterward because they don’t know what they don’t know.  Instead, provide remediation/interventions by direct instruction. It is up to us to scaffold learning with confidence building learning activities that leads to competent output.  If not, you will never get these kids to the essential understandings because they have no understanding of the understandings!  We need to let our “bumblebees” fly, but under our confidence-increasing direction.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

At 17...or 11,12,13, or 14

Janis Ian released a melancholy song in 1975 entitled, “At Seventeen”.  The song was a huge hit on AM radio.  It is a song on what teenage society thinks beautiful people should look like.  It speaks about the cruel comments that teens can make about the physical appearance of others.  She puts forth a message that popularity is pretty dang shallow and is dependent upon one’s physical abilities and stunning good looks.  It is told from the point of view of an adult looking back on her middle and high school years.  They were tough times for her as they are for multitudes of teenagers.  I had zit-laden skin so bad that I once fell asleep in the public library and when I woke up a blind man was reading my face. Ian writes about the popular kids getting all of the attention from others; maybe even her teachers.  Unless you’re a baby boomer like me, you have probably never heard of this song.  Here are some of the lyrics.  Read them through and put yourself in her shoes before reading my final paragraph.

“I learned the truth at seventeen that love was meant for beauty queens.
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles who married young and then retired.
The valentines I never knew. The Friday night charades of youth were spent on one more beautiful.
At seventeen I learned the truth.
And those of us with ravaged faces; lacking in the social graces desperately remained at home inventing lovers on the phone
who called to say – come dance with me and murmured vague obscenities.
It isn’t all it seems at seventeen.
A brown-eyed girl in hand-me- downs whose name I never could pronounce
said – pity the ones who get what they deserve…
To those of us who knew the pain of valentines that never came
and whose names were never called when choosing sides for basketball.
It was long ago and far away; the world was younger than today
when dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me.
I learned the truth at seventeen…”



Sad, isn’t it?  Did it strike a chord personally at some level?  Did it arouse a little empathy in you?  These lyrics were written 41 years ago when kids were not all the same.  You know, when kids had differences.  When kids were ridiculed for being ugly or for having shabby clothes, bad hair, crooked teeth, or speech impediments.  When kids bullied others.  When kids were depressed because they didn’t measure up to the standards of beauty and the top athletes.  Not so today, right?  You know as well as I do that all of these things happen daily.  How do we respond as people who can help?  A redeeming quality of great educators is that they have an acute sense of empathy.  Put yourself in the shoes of those kids who aren’t the prettiest, the most athletic, nor the most popular. Be that anchor for them.  Be that difference maker who calls on these kids when questioning your class.  Give them a sense of honor in your class by exposing their talents.  Value them. Show them that they are valued by you.  Tell them that you are proud of them.  Pour into their self-worth.  Show them that they have redeeming qualities.  These are awkward years for many kids as they grow into themselves.  We need to be the constant reminder that they are worth more than what is seen on the outside.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Are You Renting Dreams?

I wrote last year that your entire life is a reflection of the dreams of your heart.  Without dreams, you are just going through the motions.  What are your dreams?  What do you hope to become?  What do you hope to be?  Who do you aspire to be like?  What do you hope to accomplish?  The vision of these things makes us who we are.  How important is it to maximize the remaining days of your life chasing these dreams? If that is not important then the dreams aren’t for you.  If they are important, then keep reading.  A clear vision helps define reality.  A clear vision reminds you of what is most valuable and most important to you.  But…you must OWN THE DREAM!  People that are not serious about the pursuit of their own dreams have a “renter” mentality about their dreams because they really don’t want to buy it, which would declare ownership.   Maybe someone else will make it happen for them.  A phrase often heard starts like this – “Somebody should…”  Well, let me tell you that “Somebody should…” equals “Nobody will.”  Someday = No Day and Sometime soon = nowhere fast.  We, as adults are more adept at chasing dreams if we CHOOSE to do so. 


Kids have dreams too.  They need some help in pursuing them as we all did.  They do not have the worldly experiences that we have because well, they’re 11-13 year olds.  It has been my experience that very few kids at this age really understand what they want to be doing at age 25.  Think back to when you were a middle schooler. For some of you that’s only a decade ago.  For others like me, that length of time is much more than a biblical generation.  I’ll bet that most of you reading did not know that you would be doing what you are doing now when you were 11.  Someone or something stirred you to pursue this.   To help kids with their dreams, we have to talk with them about what they are dreaming about.  Remember that a clear vision helps define realityWe have to assist them with the reality part.  We need to show them what achieving their dream really takes.  If, at that point, they are not serious about tackling the reality, then they will be renters of their dreams.  That will never end up good.  These are good conversations in your F.I.E.R.C.E. classes.  We can help kids chase their dream if we CHOOSE to do so.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Taking Ownership of Your Dreams

John Maxwell is an author, motivational speaker and pastor.  He has sold millions of copies of his books; some of which have been on the best seller lists.  He writes about getting victory in your dreams when you take control of your life and thinking more positively about yourselfTo succeed, you have to believe that you can succeed.  That is the first step in success.  Self-doubters will never rise to the top of their own list of goals.  You have to believe that you can succeed.  That often requires a change in the way people think.  Maxwell writes about the importance of self-change in this way:

·         If you change your thinking, you will change your beliefs.
·         If you change your beliefs, your will change your expectations.
·         If you change your expectations, you will change your attitude.
·         If you change your attitude, you will change your behavior.
·         If you change your behavior, you will change your performance.
·         If you change your performance, you will change your life.


As to teaching, all of the above require a pretty comprehensive self-evaluationIf you want to succeed in the goals that you have set for yourself and for your students, you will have to change.  First of all, you must believe that your plan for your students to succeed will work.  In this, you have to come to grips that this will require a daily self-assessment of what you need to do for the next day – how will you respond to the instruction that occurred and the student performance data shown?  As your expectations change for your students, your attitude will change.  This will manifest in a stronger resolve to help your students reach the intended outcomes.  You will teach more with a purpose.  You will teach intentionally.  As your attitude changes, your behavior will change.  The talk will be over and the walk will now define you. It will no longer be about your words; it will be about your actions.   My Dad told me hundreds of times, “Don’t tell me what you have done, show me what you can do.”  Once the behavior changes, not only will your performance change, but the performance of your students will.  At that point, you will be changing lives.  You will be making a true difference.  Isn’t that why we do this?  You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Sore Fingertips

Learning to play an instrument is easy for some.  For others, it is a real challenge.  Some instruments are easier to learn to play.  I did a little research (validity unknown) and found that the top ten easiest instruments to play are:  (10)  Tambourine , (9) Harmonica , (8) Double Bass , (7)  Clarinet , (6)  Piano, (5) Guitar, (4) Kazoo, (3) Trumpet, (2) Ukulele, and (1) Triangle.  What – no wood block!  I wonder why instrument designers chose the “triangle” and not the rectangle, rhombus, or parallelogram.  Why isn’t a “single” bass enough?  Those of you who play any of these instruments can respectfully disagree and here’s why – some people are more inclined to pick things up more quickly because they have “an ear” for music or their fine motor skills are incredible.  According to Rolling Stone magazine, the top 100 guitar players of all time are:  99 are tied for second and Jimi Hendrix is set apart as the consensus # 1 guitar player of all time.  Personally, I like Andy Vassar, guitarist of the former group, Misconception, a great son and father of my Grandson, JudeAll guitars players have one thing in common – they all began with sore fingertips.  Learning to play is hard and your fingertips take a beating until they are calloused over and they are accustomed to the rigors of playing.



Some subjects may be easier to learn than others.  That varies among individuals.  Subjects that students enjoy are easier because of two things – they are easier for them innately or the teacher of the subject is outstanding.  How can the teacher be outstanding?  Make the material relevant to the student. Show them the connection between the daily goal and the long-term goals.  If the student does not see the connection, then there is a disconnect and you will lose the student.  Work hard on making those connections.  Engage your studentsGet them involved in their learning.  Get them out of their seatsMake the world their classroomBe excited about the subject yourself.  If the teacher isn’t excited about the material, why should the students be?  It’s not hard to understand.  Find strategies that work.  What works for some kids may not work for others.  DifferentiateUse high-yield strategies.  Throw away methods that get no return.  Make learning fun.  Challenge your students.  Great guitar players became great because they persevered.  They kept at it.  They worked hard.  They had sore fingertips.  Great teachers continue to work at their craft.  They keep at it.  They work hard.  They have sore fingertips. 

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Knowledge vs. wisdom. Wisdom vs. knowledge.  The never-ending debate.  They certainly are not synonyms.  Knowledge is the lowest level of understanding in Bloom’s Taxonomy; just below comprehension. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and data that you have learned (possibly memorized) about or experienced.  Knowledge is really about simply being aware of something but that’s as deep as it gets. People at the knowledge level in their learning are excellent Trivial Pursuit players who know that Moby Dick is a classic novel about a big fish and a guy with a funny name, but have never read it.  Wisdom, on the other hand, is the ability to discern which aspects of knowledge are right and applicable.  Wisdom is the ability to apply your knowledge to the bigger picture.  Wisdom is deeper; it’s about knowing the “why”.  If knowledge is information, then wisdom is the understanding and application of that knowledge.  Here’s a great way to remember the difference:  Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.


Wisdom vs knowledge.  It is vital that teachers go deeper in the levels of understanding with their students.  Let’s look at the “old” Bloom’s Taxonomy. You remember, the ascending levels of UNDERSTANDING.  Knowledge is the lowest level of understanding.  This is followed up the ladder with comprehension-application-analysis-synthesis-evaluation.  Wisdom isn’t specifically named, but if it were, wisdom would be on the snowcaps of the mountain.  We talk a lot about increasing the critical thinking skills of our students.  Mark this down – critical thinking doesn’t even begin until the analysis level.  I’ll use the childhood story of Goldilocks to show the differences.  Knowledge = What are some things in the bear’s home? Comprehension = Why did she like the little bear’s chair?  Application – If she came to your house, what are some of the things that she would have used?  Analysis = What parts of the story could not have happened?  Synthesis = How would the story be different if she visited the home of three rainbow trout? Evaluation = Was Goldilocks good or bad and why do you think so?  While it is true that you have to have the base levels to move up in understanding, we often spend too much time at the base levelsIf we truly want to get our kids to be better critical thinkers, then we have to teach at the three highest levels.  Yes, that instruction has to be intentionalRamp it up!  My personal view is that Goldilocks was a drug addict looking for a place to crash.  Who else would stay at a bear’s house?   

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Gourmet Chefs

My wife is an excellent cook.  Actually, she is an excellent “everything”.  I cannot recall a single meal made by her that I have disliked in 36 years. She can make some “gourmet” meals. Well, at least they are gourmet to me. I, on the other hand, am an awful cook.  On the nights that I cook, we pray after we eat.  Last week, the flies chipped in and fixed the screen door.  What makes a “cook” different from “gourmet cook”?  I looked it up.  A gourmet chef uses complex cooking skills and techniques to create dishes. They are  known for their discriminating palates.  They may specialize in ethnic or regional cuisine.  My conclusion is that I do not qualify. Gourmet chefs and cooks are not one in the same.  The difference lies in the ability to move away from the recipe dependent upon the needs of the person doing the eating. Here’s something that I found in my research – gourmet chefs taste test their first batch by making the dish EXACTLY by the recipe.  Then, they make adjustments until it tastes “just right”. 


Teachers should be much the same. A good portion of teachers use the plan that the textbook calls to use.  That is the “educational recipe” for success.  That produces the “meal” that you serve your students. You followed a “recipe” designed by someone that you don’t’ know and created for kids that they don’t know.  There is no one better to provide the lesson “meal” than the teacher who is teaching the class.  No one knows better about the strengths and weaknesses of their students than they do.  Why leave this to someone else who thinks that on Monday you do Section 1.1 and you better be to section 1.5 on Friday?  That is not making gourmet meals.  That is just making something to put on plates. They are just following the recipe EXACTLY how the textbook says to.  Wrong approach.  A “Gourmet Teacher” would use informal and formative data to prepare for the next day’s lesson.  The recipe needs to be adjusted based on the needs of your students.  Just like gourmet chefs, teachers need to make adjustments until the learning is “just right”. You may have to use complex strategies and techniques and yes, go off the beaten path.  You have to be able to move away from the recipe depending on the academic needs of your students.  The difference lies in the ability of the teacher to move away from the “textbook” recipe and instruct based upon the needs of the student.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi was born in 1913 and passed away in 1970. The hyphen separating those two dates contains an impressive coaching resume.  After coaching football at the high school level, he moved to the collegiate level and then ascended to the NFL, culminating in being named the Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1959.  Coach Lombardi took a fairly  mediocre team and transformed them into a powerhouse in the league.  The first two Super Bowls in 1965 and 1966 were won by the Lombardi-coached Packers.  He was known for his tenacity and a play that revolutionized “smash-mouth” football – the power sweep.  He knew his X’s and O’s perhaps better than anyone in his time, but knew his “Jimmies and Joes” as well.  His practice sessions were brutal and his expectations were high.  Those not cutting the mustard were sent packing in a timely manner.  Probably the most famous quote that people recall from Vince Lombardi was this, “Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all -time thing.”  Vince Lombardi knew that perfection was not possible.  Perfection still isn’t possible.  However, he did realize that in the quest for perfection, excellence was most certainly attainable.  “Relentlessly chase perfection; along the way you’ll find excellence.”  Love that quote and that’s my connection to the message in the next paragraph.


Let’s get this on the table – you will NEVER reach perfection.  Yes, I know the quote “Practice does not make perfect…perfect practice makes perfect.”  Not so fast.  There has only been one who is perfect and we’re not Him.  Don’t misread this message.  It is perfectly fine to seek perfection. It’s perfectly fine to chase perfection.  It’s perfectly okay to run after perfection.  Perfection is just not possible, but excellence is.  Strive to be excellent as a teacher.  “Relentlessly chase perfection; along the way you’ll fine excellence.” What does it mean to be excellent as a teacher?  There has to be that perfect measuring stick, right?  Wrong.  Remember that nothing under the sun is perfect.  So, what attributes do excellent teachers exhibit?  First, they are great relationship builders.  They understand that without the establishment of great student relationships, their chances of being excellent are seriously diminished.  Excellent teachers set learning goals and then find ways to surpass them.  Excellent teachers reassess their teaching daily based upon what students are producing.  Excellent teachers challenge kids in a variety of ways – academically, morally, and socially.  Excellent teachers set high expectations for their students. Excellent teachers are prepared and organized; they are always ready to go.  Excellent teachers engage students once students enter the classroom and keep them engaged.  Excellent teachers communicate with parents on a regular basis because they understand that relationship is a key component of a student’s education.  Excellent teachers do whatever it takes for their students to succeed. Be excellent.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Unconditional Certainty

It is has been published that people can live 40 days without food (how long have you gone without food during a non-illness time?).  It has also been published that people can live 7 days without water (or any other liquid) and less than 3 minutes without oxygen (that is why knowing CPR is so important).  We all cannot last long without something else – HOPE.  There is nothing like hope.  There is no medicine better than hope.  There is no shot in the arm better than hope.  That is no food better than hope.  Hope is the expectation that tomorrow will be better than today.  Hope is wanting something to happen. Hope is that expectation for a certain thing to happen.  Hope is an optimistic attitude.  Hope can make the present less difficult to bear.  Hope lies in the dreams of people.  Hope is being able to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel and believing that light is not a train coming in the opposite direction.  Hope is an anchor.  Hope is one of the three than remain.


You do not have a single class full of perfect kids.  You will not have a single class full of perfect kids in your career.  Nope.  There it is.  I’ll be writing about perfection next week, so suffice it for now to state that perfection is not possible.  You are also a rarity if you have any class full of “Tier 1” kids who knock it out of the park day after day after day.  So, you will have 15-20% (or more) of your students that need academic assistance beyond what is offered during a “regular” class period.  A certain percentage of students will have given up and have lost hope.  Why?  Because no one has instilled any shred of confidence in them to give them hope.  You see, without an actual demonstration of success there is nothing to be confident about.  If a student never has any success, then they have no hope at ever having success.  Students who fail miserably on a summative test and then are asked to do test corrections makes no sense – if they didn’t know it before the test then they won’t know it after the test!  This kid need re-teaching and a confidence boost.  Competence will not come before confidence.  Confidence has to come first.  Kids shouldn’t walk out the door thinking that tomorrow will be another day of failure.  We have to be the ones who supply the hope.  It has to be a big part of what we do. Kids have to expect that tomorrow will be better than today.  They need hope. We all do.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Used Paint

Have you ever bought anything that was used? Previously owned?  Gently worn?  As a nation, people sell many items for the purpose of making money. Hopefully, that is not a revelation for you.  Craigslist recently put out data of the top ten items that is sold through its site.  In descending order:  (1) Cars – an average profit of $100-$500, (2) Appliances – an average profit of $75-$150, (3) Motorcycles – heavily seasonal profit margins, (4) Bicycles – popularity is on the rise, (5) Furniture – solid wood pieces have a high demand, (6) ElectronicsBose products sell best as do other high-end electronics, (7) Computers – people tend to sell these rather than repair them, so there are good buys out there if you know your way around a mother board, (8) Yard Equipment – see computers, (9) Power Tools – usually sold in groupings, so the savings is solid, and (10) Cell Phones – people constantly upgrade so there is a good supply.  One thing that I have never seen for sale is used paint.  Think about that for a minute.  I mean there are millions of gallons of paint sold daily, but there is never a “End Cap” at Home Depot where there is a half-price sale on used paint. There is a reason for that.   Once the paint is applied to a surface, that’s it. Paint will not be resold.  It may be painted over or scraped off, but it just will never be re-sold.  That’s why you have to be careful not only where you apply the paint, but the message it sends.


Think of your daily interactions with students as painting a picture and you are the one applying the paint. You are the artist.  Once that paint is on, that’s it.  How is the paint applied?  With a broad brush?  Is it possible to paint over it?  What kind if picture are you leaving for those you teach?  You cannot sell used paint.  Earlier this week, I provided you with a blank canvas and some water colors to paint a promise for your students that you will live by during this school year. A promise to your students. An example to set. Think about the promises that you have made over your lifetime. Did you keep all of them?  I  have advised many times to make very few promises, but to make sure that you keep them all.  That is one way to build credibility…or to lose it.  So, I hope you really thought out that promise to your students.  I hope that you have that framed promise hanging in your classroom.  I hope that you have pointed this out to your students today.  In a special way, you are selling used paint with a promise that you intend to keep.  Average profit = priceless.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

This Shirt

Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote and performed an excellent song entitled, “This Shirt.”  It is a song about the travels of her favorite shirt throughout monumental times in her life. Over time, this flannel shirt becomes old and ragged and is a good candidate for the scrap heap, but there is just too much sentimental value attached to it. “So old I should replace it, but I’m not about to try.”  Maybe you have an article of clothing that you hold dear to your heart.  A dress that you made for your high school Prom.  A jacket that was your Dad’s favorite.  The outfit that your first child wore coming home from the hospital.  Your wedding dress.  A jersey that you wore in the championship game.  I still have my #2 Little League jersey that I wore in several games leading up to the World Series in Williamsport and a shirt that has a tag reading ”Made with Love by Mary” in 1977.  Whatever the reason you hang on to those pieces of clothing, I would encourage you to keep holding on to them.  Sentimental value on a personal level is all well and good.


Sentimental value on a professional level can be good or bad.   This may not seem like a timely message, but as you begin to look toward the next school year (and you know that you are), this is good food for reflective thought.  In terms of instructional activities, everyone has their favorites.  Think of those activities that you do in your classroom year after year.  Not just the big ticket items, but those smaller activities as well. Do you keep using them for sentimental value like an old shirt or should it be discarded?  Here’s the litmus test in determining if an activity has more than sentimental value.  Step 1 = you have to ask yourself just what the purpose of the activity is.  Is it related to the daily goal?  Is it related to the long-term goals?  Is it just a time filler?  Is it something that is just “busy work?  Step 2 = be honest with yourself.  Is the purpose real or just imagined?  Is the activity something that is a high-yield strategy?  Is it essential for the further understanding of your students?  Step 3 = if the answers to the previous steps are  not in the affirmative, then toss it in the circular file of activities not worth your time nor your students’ time.  Sentimental value doesn’t mean a thing in this regard.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Time Capsules

One thing I neglected to do when our school was built was to collect some artifacts and bury a time capsule.  Shoulda.  Woulda.  Coulda.   Recently, I saw an episode of M*A*S*H, where the members of the unit buried a time capsule with items that would tell those who opened it perhaps one hundred years later something about their installment in 1953.  Among those items buried was a broken fan belt from a helicopter representing a pilot’s courage, boxing gloves representing an alternate way for countries to settle their differences instead of using live ammunition, a fishing lure representing soldiers who never made it home, a bottle of cognac that would only improve with age and should be savored and a teddy bear.  That latter represented “All the soldiers who came here as boys, but left as men.”  This 255th episode of M*A*S*H* was aired in 1983 and is touching.


What would you put in your personal time capsule?  What do you want others to know about you as a teacher, counselor, paraprofessional, clerical staffer, custodian, speech pathologist, school psychologist, lunch lady or administrator 100 years from now?  What would you like for generations in the future to know about what you did?  Serioously, think this one through.  What would you put in that capsule for people to open in 100 years?  Would it be your favorite novel that you taught?  Would it be a piece of sports equipment?  Would it be a musical instrument?  Would it be a diorama that represented an important historical event?  Would it be a copy of the food pyramid?  Would it be a lab tray?  Would it be the latest technological device?  Seriously, give that some thought and let me know. As we study history now about others, in a hundred years someone will be studying about usWhat will they learn?  Maybe it’s not too late to bury that time capsule.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Who are You?

The first seven astronauts selected for the American space program were Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton.  All of them were household names when I was a kid.  They were our heroes and someone we aspired to be.  Being an astronaut was about the coolest thing going in the 60’s.  We drank Tang and ate Space Food Sticks at our lunch tables.  We were mesmerized at a space launch and prayed hard that these men would be returned to Earth safely.  Perhaps you recognize a few of the names.  To be selected, each of these men went through a grueling process.  There was a battery of intelligence tests, physical exertion tests, gravity tests, medical examinations, and mental stability tests.  These tests, of course, were used to separate the great from the elite.  Another part of the process was for each applicant to complete the following sentence, “I am …” in 50 different ways.  After the obvious “I am a man”, “I am a pilot”, etc., the candidates quickly discovered just how deep and penetrating that task was.  Incredibly thought-provoking.   Can you get to fifty?  Give this a try – how far can you get?


Here’s the obvious one – you are a teacher!  A noble profession that needs even more noble rookies to take the reins from us when we call it a day.  I thought about other descriptors of teachers.  Here you go.  Tell me if all of these aren’t right on the money – motivator, inspiration, mentor, big brother/sister, counselor, communicator, relationship builder, tutor, educator, supplier, instructor, leader, colleague, psychoanalyst, guru, coach, trainer, faculty member, disciplinarian, lecturer, lesson maker, assessor, data analyst, judge, mechanic, computer whiz, scheduler,  advocate, scholar, adviser, supervisor, and facilitator.  The list is not exhaustive.  What is the greatest compliment that someone could give you about your career in education?  I hope it would be something like this:  “Thank you.  You have made a difference in my life.”  It doesn’t get much better than that.  Thank you for what you do.  Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Victory Laps and ISTEP

There is something special about watching a American runner taking a victory lap after winning the Olympic goldOur flag draped over their shoulders, beaming with a sense of accomplishment, the crowd cheering, spectators extending their hands in congratulations, fists pumped to the sky, a single finger raised, the anticipation of our national anthem being played…it’s just special.  Most cannot fathom the level of dedication it took for these athletes to reach this goal.  In this, realize that all of these Olympic champions had this in commonthey could not take that victory lap before they crossed the finish line.  There were tens of thousands of hours spent training.  They all worked on improving their endurance, speed, strength, correct form, and power. They developed a racing strategy under the tutelage of a great coach. All of them set short and long-term goals.  None of them neglected the “emotional” side of preparation as to when to employ their strong mindsets, when to get “psyched up” and when to shut it down.  Their victory was the result of purposeful, intentional, and prescriptive training, both physically and mentally.  The gold medal that was draped around their necks was made possible by dedication toward the achievement of the goals.


In the spring, we will have a finish line for our kids to cross.  Okay, let’s face it, you will cross that same finish line with them.  Although ISTEP is not the ultimate finish line, it is important that we cross it in victory next week!  Let’s see how the Olympic preparation compares.  We had the endurance training of consecutive days of pushing kids to higher levels of understanding .  We’ve worked on speed through the time parameters set (don’t you hate them?). We have certainly worked on making the kids stronger through constantly challenging them at higher levels of understanding.  Correct form?  Simple, that is doing things correctly from sentence structure to computations.  We have helped them with the strategies involved in learning by utilizing the strategies we have used as teachers.  They have been under the tutlelage of great coaches – our staff!  We have set daily and long-term goals with each of them and have worked hard to achieve all of them.  We have ISTEP goals and we intend to reach them as well!  All the while, we have not neglected the “emotional” side by establishing positive relationships with our kids.  We have laid out the carrots for them to chase.  Our victory will be the result of purposeful, intentional, and prescriptive teaching, both in a cognitive and emotional sense.  Now, we just have to cross the finish line.  I want us to take that victory lap – we just have to cross the ISTEP finish line first.  Our success will be made possible by dedication toward the achievement of the goals.  I look forward to taking that victory lap with you.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Fishing

I enjoy fishing, but do not often get the chance to do so.  This activity sometimes requires a great deal of patience.  There have been days where the fish are really biting like in late May or early June when the bluegill come near the shoreline to spawn.  Reeling them in at that point is easy no matter which bait you use. It’s almost like you can use a bare hook. There are other days when essentially you are just drowning worms.  The fish aren’t hitting no matter which bait you try – that’s the patience part that can easily turn into frustration.  Success in actually landing fish is based on several factors such as time of season, water depth and temperature and wind direction (Fish bite best when the wind is from the west and fish bite least when the wind is from the east).  The most important factor is the bait that is used.  This can be live bait such as night crawlers, bee moth, and crickets.  Artificial bait such as flies, spinners, and spoons are also widely used.  It really depends on the type of fish that you are afterWhat works for one does not necessarily work for another.  Whatever bait you use, you have to fish before you catch.  Some days this activity is called fishing; other days is actually catching.  You can’t have one without the other.


Teachers should never use the same bait day after day to capture kids.  You have to change your bait to capture kids. What works for one does not necessarily work for another.  Change up your strategies. Differentiate based upon student data.  As in fishing, sometimes you just have to change your location.  Not everything needs to be done in front of a white board.  It’s okay to get your class out of the classroom and find other areas in or out of the building.  We can take “walking fieldtrips” by utilizing the wonderful things we have around us here in the county hub.  Get your students out of their seats; find ways to present the lesson.  Not all learning is confined to a 30 x 30 space.  Cast out in the deeper water often; that is where the big gains are.  Remember to work the weedy areas because that is where the “hiders” are that want to fly under the radar.  What works best for one does not necessarily work for another. Whatever teaching bait (strategy) that you use, you have to fish (try it) before you catch (engage) your students.  Be patient, your catch will come.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Tapestry

Tapestry is a form of art where threads are woven through a loom.  The end product is used for decorations in homes and other places.  They tell a story through drawings.  Some of the most famous tapestries are The Trojan War Tapestry, The Apocalypse Tapestry, and The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries.  Make no mistake -  these are not the velvet paintings of Elvis that you see at gas stations next to the guy selling a dozen roses for $3.99.  These are works of art.  A common thread (pun intended) is that these tapestries tell a story over a period of time.  Carole King delivered her second album in 1971 called Tapestry.  This is a great album that sold over 10,000,000 copies and is ranked #36 on Rolling Stone’s top albums of all time (name the top album without looking it up for a special prize).  The title song on the album speaks to the “Tapestry” of her life and is woven with full exposure.  It is there for all to see in all of its colors and images. 


Each day in teaching,  you are creating a “Tapestry” of your career that, surprisingly, you will never see.  Although you are the subject within the tapestry, you will never see the finished product.  In fact, there may be many tapestries woven about you dependent solely on the number of people you have touched, either positively or negatively.  This tapestry can only be seen by others that have come across your path. Each day, these same people are adding to your final product as time marches on. Your tapestry is being created for you by the students you have taught, the colleagues that you have worked with, and the parents of the students that you worked with.  What will yours look like?  Will your tapestry tell a tale of an excellent teacher, a difference maker, a great colleague, and an excellent partner?  Will it depict an educator that made learning fun?  Will it be of an educator who broke difficult concepts into understandable language?  Will it be of a teacher who made great relationships with his/her students? Will it be of a teacher who challenged students academically as well as socially, morally, and ethically?   Will it be full of expressions of thanks for touching someone’s life in ways that surpass the three R’s?  Will it show the kids that you carried off the field during your career?  What will it show?  Each day, the threads are passing through the loom in the eyes of many people.  Do understand that while you will never actually see the finished product, your tapestry is being woven in the minds of those you have encountered.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Gyms

Did you notice the number of new gyms and fitness centers that  have popped up in the past few years?  It is hard to find a town that does not have a fitness center…or two…or three. Fitness equipment has come a long way since the “Charles Atlas” days or when a 110 pound barbell set was the perfect gift for an athletically-minded 13 year old.  There are treadmills for cardiovascular fitness that have multiple speeds, elevations, virtual running routes, and satellite television.  They are elliptical machines that also develop cardiovascular fitness while saving your joints from the repeated pounding of running.  There are stationary bikes, recumbent bikes and elevated bikes so that you can pedal but go nowhere.  They are squat racks and free weights, leg press machines, military press machines and a few hundred others – all designed to get you in great physical condition.  Equipment of these types are used every day throughout the world to pump you up, develop your VO2, flatten your abs, tone you up and whatever else is your desire.  Here’s what I have found – the most underutilized piece of equipment at a fitness center is the front door!  Just looking at the equipment doesn’t turn you into an Adonis.


Poor teaching is easy.  Great teaching is not. Great teaching takes a lot of work with and without the kids present.  There is a lot of equipment at your disposal. We have technology today that was not even conceived 30 years ago.  It is difficult to find a piece or chalk…or a chalkboard for that matter.  The “equipment” available to teachers today is outstanding (yes, I know – when it works).   But if the equipment is not used, then it is essentially a “educational clothes rack”.  The most important piece of equipment we have at our disposal is our mindsThe mind has always been the most important tool available.  We can think very “paint by numbers” or we can color outside the lines.  We can stay with “canned” ideas or we can think outside the box.  Part of physical training is the repetition of movement.  A main tenet of teaching is repetition to the point where kid achieve fluency.  Exciting, imaginative classes are like gyms with a good membership – people are there and moving. The front door gets worn out.  It the same way with creativity in teaching.  You have to open your mind to creativity.  Don’t let the door to your creative imagination be the least used piece of equipment in your toolbox.  

Thursday, March 17, 2016

News Anchors

Mary and I have been making annual treks to see A Christmas Carol for several years at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.  We have never been disappointed with any of these performances – great Dickens’ tale and superb acting.  When we go, I try to stop by Channel 2 News to watch a portion of a live broadcast. I have enjoyed watching the news for decades. CBS is really close to the theater district and directly across from Daley Plaza.  One of my former athletes is one of the station’s meteorologists, so that studio is an easy choice. If you haven’t seen a live broadcast, there is a great deal that goes on behind the scenes from the green screen to anchors getting make-up repairs.  Actually, the job doesn’t appear to be that difficult as the majority of the news is read from a teleprompter.  There is one thing that I have noticed that is common among great new anchors; the ability to make their spoken words passionate at the right time.  For most of us, our daily conversations are pretty much the same tempo, volume, tone, and emphasis.  It doesn’t vary much…except when we are at an emotional point or a difficult message is about to be delivered.  Contrast that to a professional news anchors.  They use a “Punch” technique where words are emphasized to get the listener’s attention.  The speak with passion at the appropriate time to get the most out of the message and to reach the greatest audience.


Think about your oral presentations to your classesDo you “Punch” words or is it a monotone performance ending with, “Bueller…Bueller?”.  You may be thinking that this is not an important part to oral delivery to a bunch of adolescents…you would be wrong.  Remember the people that have engaged you when you were sitting in a classroom, in an audience, or maybe even at church.  There were probably other incidents where the polar opposite was true and the speech was a “Yawn Fest”.   Do you have inflection in your voice?  Do you vary your tempo?  Do you “punch” the key vocabulary?  Do you vary your rate of speech?  Do you verbally highlight the daily goal as well as connecting that with the long-term goals?  Are your students reminiscent of the kids in Charlie Brown’s class where the only sound heard from the teacher is “Wah, wah, wah…” or do they hang on every word? How about when the class period begins?  Are you excited about what the lesson will be?  Are you excited about the topic?  Are you excited about the opportunity to teach the concept or skill?  Do you make the material come alive simply because of your excitement?  The easiest way to get kids excited about learning is for the teacher to be excited himself or herself.  Speak with passion at the appropriate time. You do not have a television audience because your audience is in the studio with youPunch your words.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Crazy Horse

The Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota stands 563 feet tall, which is taller than the Washington Monument. The Crazy Horse Monument is nine times larger than Mt. Rushmore. Nine times.  Korczak Ziolowski was commissioned to design and make this monument.  He accepted the commission although the project would take 100 years to build and he knew that he would not live long enough to see its completion. Think about that for a moment -  he would never see its completion, yet he willingly accepted the task. This is unlike Noah, who took at least 100 years to build the ark except that he was able to not only see the finished project, but was a passenger in it.  It was built with a 30:5:3 ratio – still used today!  Why did Korczak Ziolowski accept this undertaking with the understanding that he would not see it completed?  Here is what he said in reference to that thought, “When your life is over, the world will ask one question – did you do what you were supposed to do?”  With that guiding thought, he worked and worked and worked on the monument beginning in 1948.  Korczak Ziolowski passed away in 1982.  All ten of his children are completing the project.


Are you doing what you are supposed to be doing?  It’s not about one school year. It’s about making a lifetime for someone else knowing full well that you may never see their entire lifetime.  You may never see your students do remarkable things because of what you taught them.  Others may have to finish the job that you started.  The kindergarten teacher had something to do with the academic development of the current senior.  The kids you are teaching today may go on to be famous scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers, business leaders, or an endless list of other wonderful professions.  You may never hear about that.  That’s not the important part.  What is important is this – even though you may never see the “completion” of your students, are you willing to accept the task of building them much like a shapeless mountain is turned into a stunning work of art?  Before that ask yourself, “Is this what I am supposed to be doing?”  If so, accept the task and continue to build the monument that may define your life.  Are you willing to accept the task?

Friday, February 26, 2016

Jockeys

There are but a few racetracks left in the Chicagoland area where horses race.  There used to be quite a few.  Now, horse racing in this area is on the verge of extinction. Balmoral Park in Crete is the closest track and I believe that is closing.  The granddaddy of all horse races is the Kentucky Derby.  Big event. Big money. Big hats. Big prices. I find no thrill in watching a horse race; probably because I have not bet on a horse race.  Truth be told, I have never been to a horse race.  Thus, my knowledge of horse racing is not deep. However, there are a few things about horse racing that I understand.  I understand that there are horses that are placed in a starting gate.  I understand that there are jockeys who ride, guide, and whip the horses during the race. I understand that jockeys wear colorful clothing during the race and are small in stature. I understand that billions of dollars are bet on horse races.  I understand that the horses run fast and that the first one across the line wins. Here is what is true in every single horse raceyou never see a jockey carry a horse across the finish line. 


As we move to the first round of ISTEP next week, I am reminded of this fact.  As we never see jockeys carry their horse across the finish line, the opposite may be true in teaching.  Kids don’t carry their teachers across the ISTEP line.  They do not.  Teachers carry their students across this ISTEP line.  Actually, we carry them to the starting line back in August, keep guiding them throughout the race, and stay with them throughout.   In late November, we received our scores from last year’s state test.  A school that has been a perpetual “A” school was now suddenly a “D” school.  A middle school that has been the top-performing middle school in the four counties (Lake, Porter, Newton, and Jasper) that compose “Da Region” was suddenly in the middle of the pack.  That caught my attention.  How about you?  Our Math staff has regrouped and bound together in a team effort in resetting the scope and sequence of standards to be taught.  They feel the sense of urgency.  We have offered after-school tutoring for all grade levels in Math.  Our RtI Period focus shifted.  Our English staff has worked hard to make certain that we are aligned with what is to be assessed. Encore teachers have infused more LA and Math skills in their teaching. We all sat in a meeting on December 18th and watched a segment from the movie, Miracle (This past week marked the 36th anniversary of that great victory over the Soviets…hmmm…). We determined that what happened on last year’s state test will not happen again. WE MADE A DETERMINATION TO NOT BE “DEFINED” BY THOSE SCORES, BUT TO BE “REFINED” BY IT.  We adopted the slogan of “NOT THIS TIME..NOT TODAY”.  You need to take that chip on your shoulder in to these two rounds of ISTEP. You need to impress upon your kids that this is all business.  You need to encourage them, stand with them, support them and let them know continually that you believe in them.  We have to be the ones that carry our kids across the finish line.  Bring your game face – it’s go time.  NOT THIS TIME…NOT TUESDAY…NOT WEDNESDAY…NOT THURSDAY.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Traffic Lights

The first electric traffic light system was installed at the intersection of 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in 1914.  Which city?  Here it comes – yep, it is Cleveland, Ohio.  You know, where the Browns play.  You may have heard me speak about Cleveland before.  Some people refer to traffic lights as “Stop Lights” …talk about negativity and a glass half-full mentality.  Traffic lights are not just illuminated in red nor are they always green or yellow. Thank you, Captain Obvious.  Traffic lights are essential to control conflicting flows of traffic.  That is their real purpose although some would argue that traffic lights are really a conspiracy by governmental authorities to increase revenue or by local retailers who want the lights to stay red longer so that people will notice their businesses and stop in for a purchase.  Just for giggles, let’s review what the colors of traffic lights mean to drivers.  Green = it is safe to proceed in the direction indicated.  Yellow = the most confusing light…should I proceed with caution?...should I just “gun it” because green and yellow are in the spectrum?...or should I proceed if I am already in the intersection?  Well, that depends on who is writing the tickets that day.  Red = means to stop in any continent.  Not doing so will cause accidents, bodily damage, or an appearance in traffic court.


What do traffic lights look like in a classroom?  First of all, this ties directly to using informative and formative assessment data to inform your instruction.  Yes, it does read, “Using” the data.  At the end of class, you provide some type of exit slip or confidence check and the vast majority of the kids are only not in the ballpark, they are playing another sport.  So, this is indicative of a red light = STOP!  You need to back the truck up.  Reteach until the light changes.  The yellow light indicates that you should proceed with caution = continue expounding on the concept being taught, use guided instruction before moving to independent work, and review previously learned material in an infusion manner.  The green light indicates that all of your kids are ready to move on in the direction (long-term goals) that you are trying to take them.  The signals need to be the assessments; whether they are informal or formal, as to when to drive forward.  Those not utilizing this data will be creating hazardous road conditions.