Miracle on Joliet Street

As you may know, my wife’s side of the family has a tradition of playing a trivia game centered on a Christmas movie each year during our gathering.  Since “Uncle Tim” is a teacher, he is in charge of preparing the questions.  In this, Uncle Tim has to watch the movies. This has elevated my estrogen levels to some extent.  Throughout the years, trivia questions have been presented on It’ A Wonderful Life, Jingle All the Way, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, A Christmas Story and others. This year, the movie is Miracle on 34^th Street (1994 version). Why the winning team did not choose the original from the 40’s is beyond me. Some movies just should not be remade.  In this movie, a little girl, Susan,  is confronted with not being sure if Santa is real or just “a nice old man with whiskers.”  You know the story…Kris Kringle becomes the Macy’s Santa Claus after knocking the Thanksgiving Day parade drunken Santa out with his cane…creates a publicity stunt causing department store wars…works hard to convince the mother that he is the real deal…smacks someone else with his cane…goes to the mental ward…goes on trial for claiming to be Santa…wins the case…works all night and delivers presents to all the “good little boys and girls”…mysteriously disappears…manages to leave little Susan with the gift that she wanted.  End credits to follow. Susan just had to believe. 

Here’s my tie-in. There is a great deal of discussion around the state on the rigor of the “New” ISTEP.  No one can argue that this version of the state exam will be a challenge not only for our kids; but for the teachers who are preparing the kids.  That is why the test examples and video snippets are so important.  Take heed, dig deep and show the kids what WE are up against.  Make them work the technology so that they UNDERSTAND what to expect and are PREPARED to work the keypad correctly. Take nothing for granted.  Right after break, we will begin our “93.5 FM – Are You Dialed In?” theme through daily announcements, the making of student and staff videos, T-shirts, themed pencils and other ways to create the carrots for kids that the test itself does not provide.  Yes, there is a huge emotional side to this.  If you haven’t shown your students their goals for ISTEP, do so when we return.  Finally, we have to BELIEVE in our kids, BELIEVE in ourselves, BELIEVE in our preparation, and BELIEVE that we can reach the goals we have set.

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The Browns play in the great state of North Carolina this Sunday vs. the Panthers.  At this point, we are playing for pride (i.e. – contract money) since we, once again, will not be in the playoffs.  We finish up on the 28^th against the Ratbirds at Baltimore.  A promising season down the drain – saw this movie before.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gmail

When was the last time you actually wrote a letter?  On paper. Using a pen. Addressing an envelope.  Stamping. Dropping it in a mailbox.  Yeah, me too.  Email has just about put the United States Postal Service out of business.  They have changed their push to package delivery service as they compete against giants like Fed Ex and UPS.  Rumor is that the latter two are merging under the new name, “Fed Up”.  Anyway, I came across a quote from Paul Buchheit, creator and lead developer of Gmail, an incredibly popular email service used by millions. His philosophy has always been to extend his employees, to stretch his company, and to think outside of the box. This is what he said about naysayers;  “If someone says: ‘That’s impossible!”, you should understand it as:  “According to my very limited experience and narrow understanding of reality, that’s very unlikely.”  Excellent.  Too often, the answer to a vision is “Why”.  That is the glass half-full view leadership style.  The more appropriate response to a vision should be “Why not?”. Never let logistics get in the way of a worthwhile vision. That is why successful companies flourish.

How about us as educators?  Be honest with yourself.  Have you ever had preconceived notions about a student that there was no way in God’s green acres that this kid will amount to anything?  Did you ever think that what is envisioned is impossible to do?  Did you ever squash someone’s dream just because it was painted outside of the lines?  Did you ever look at a kid’s incoming state test score and think that he had a snowball’s chance in Hades of making the cut so why even bother?  While test scores impact many things beyond our control, that’s not what this is really about.  It’s about making adifference in the lives of others. Don’t let numbers get in the way of that. Let’s look at kids and see the positives that they bring  rather than a majority focus of the negatives.  Let’s move away from limited experiences of our own and embrace things that come our way as a way to grow ourselves.  Let’s widen our range of understanding by really digging deep to explore what makes that kid tick and how I can reach him or her.  The only thing that is limited is the time we have with these kids.  Let’s make a difference while we have them.  The overarching vision is to make a difference - never let logistics get in the way of that vision. In the meantime, write someone a letter – it’s the new weird.

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The Browns play their final home game on Sunday vs the Cincinnati Bengals in round two of the “Battle of Ohio”.  If we hope to make the playoffs, this is an absolute “must” win.  It has been 10 years since a game in January had personal meaning.

Colors

A few years ago, I attended a Promise Keepers conference. Promise Keepers is a Christian organization for men with a core mission of building strong marriages and families.  This was held at the former Hoosier Dome and it was jam packed.  One of the speakers was a black minister whose name escapes me.  Booming voice…very articulate.  His speech began by stating that people many times over the years commented that he was “colored”.  “Colored?”, he asked all of us rhetorically.  He found amusement in that because these comments came from white people.  Amusement?  Yes, amusement. He said that “white” people are only “white” part of the time and that they change colors multiple times a day.  He cited that we are “blue” with sadness, “green” with envy, “pink” with embarrassment, “yellow” with a lack of courage, and “red” with rage.  He ended that segment with, “And you all have the audacity to call me colored!”  Chuckle.

Red should be a prominent color in education; except for the grading pen.  I would hope that all educators be red with passion!  After all, isn’t that why you got into this business, anyway?  Right?  It could not have been because you had zero passion for working with kids.  Wasn’t it because you wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids…maybe even because a former teacher of yours made a profound difference in your life?  We have all had so called “bad” days; maybe even to the point where you were “red” with anger…and showed it quite vividly. This writer is guilty as charged. Advice = step back, count to ten, take a walk, refocus, think before reacting, and remember that a lot of eyes are watching you and will learn from your example. Working on that myself; especially in this latest battle.  If our face is red, let it be red with passion for what we do!

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The Browns play against the Indianapolis Colts on the shores of Lake Erie this weekend.  Weather forecast is brutal…Colts play indoors, right?  Hoping that Andrew runs out of luck.

Freedom of Want

We’ve all seen the Norman Rockwell depiction of the iconic Thanksgiving table – Grandma putting the big bird on the table with Grandpa looking over her shoulder as others look at the table with anticipation of devouring the well-cooked fowl.  That painting was made in 1942 and published inThe Saturday Evening Post.  This painting is actually called Freedom from Want, and is part of a four-part series of paintings by Rockwell.  He was inspired by FDR’s State of the Union Address in 1941 that outlined his Four Freedoms (later to become The Atlantic Charter).  In Roosevelt’s speech to the nation he said, “The third is freedom from want – which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants –everywhere in the world.”  Fast forward to 2014 – just not so. There is tremendous “Want” in the world.  A want of the basics – food, clothing, and shelter. A “Want” of heating and cooling, peace, fresh drinking water, love and too many others to list. 

How about those who come through our doors?  For the last week, we have distributed turkeys and bags of groceries to some of our school families because of “Want” (actually, “Need”).  This was possible because of generous donations of time, talents, and treasures of others.  Know that on a daily basis, we have a large number of kids who come to us in “Want”.  You may not know that by looking at them.  “Want” comes in many shapes, sizes and degrees.  It is more than just hunger, proper clothing, and adequate shelter. Maybe it’s the kids who just can’t seem to make friends; or don’t know how to. Maybe it’s the girl who just received her first pair of non-hand-me-down shoes and nobody noticed.  Maybe it’s the boy who didn’t get a “Good Morning” that day…or week…or month.  Maybe it’s the kid who is aching for someone…anyone…to tell them something positive.  In all of this, my point is to keep establishing positive relationships with your students.  That is paramount to success in teaching. Recognize your kids; in turn, they will recognize your recognition….because they “Want” it. We have a good thing going here. Let’s make our own “Rockwell” version of Freedom from Want.

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The Browns travel to Buffalo this weekend to face the Bills in a “must win” situation. Buffalo – the same city with 67” of snow during the week of November 17^th…shovels packed.

GPS

When I was a kid…scratch that…when I was a teenager…nope…when I was a college student…delete…when I was a younger Dad of three and well into my teaching career, a map from the gas station was an important need.  Still have a few.  These maps provided insight and a guide to your destination.  Re-folding the map was another thing.  Those maps made you think through directions, convert scales to actual mileage, and identify which roads were interstates, state roads or “farm” roads.  These maps are all but a memory with the availability of GPS (Global Positioning System) not only in vehicles but also on your cell phone.  This came in handy last July when Mary and I set out to visit our oldest daughter, Amanda (Potter) in Leesburg, Virginia.  If you take the “southern route”, there is a stretch where you move from West Virginia to Pennsylvania back to West Virginia to Maryland to Virginia back to Maryland and then finally back to Virginia.  Thank God that Mary had her GPS equipped  iPhone to guide us.  It was as simple as entering our current location and destination.  From there, a recorded voice with much authority tells you which way to veer, which exit to take, and dang near parks your car for you.  Awesome.  Even better with the pretty girl next to me.

How’s that “GPS” looking in your classroom?  Throughout the year, there have been multiple assessments.  Many have been formative (hopefully) and some have been summative.  Others have been progress monitoring like Acuity and Star.  Here is my question – are you checking the GPS?  First and foremost, you should know the destination – these are the long-term goals. Punch that in first.  Now, work your way backward and set those key points in between.  Lastly, set your current location.  The key point here is that current location is the STUDENT’S current location, not yours. Look hard at the data.  Make that data informational. Use it to plan your instruction – that is the route to take to reach your destination.  Without using what you have, well, you just won’t get there.  As George Harrison sang, if you don’t know where you are going, then any road will get you there. George Harrison?  He was one of The Beatles.  Beatles?  Ask your parents.  In the meantime, continue to “recalculate” your route as necessary. That is what great teachers do.

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The Browns travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons.  After a loss last weekend, we better be hungry!

Ducks

I like ducks better than geese.  The reason being that ducks, in my experience, are much more docile.  Don’t believe me?  Try approaching a mother and father goose when they are herding their young goslings.  I made that mistake and ended up declaring the goose the winner in about three seconds. Ducks, on the other hand, are calm, cool, and collected.  There are a gazillion breeds of ducks including the Wild Mallard (the party duck), the Bourbon Duck (waddles a little too much), the Danish Duck (favors breakfast pastries), the Dutch Duck (wears wooden shoes), and the Havanna Duck (huge Castro supporter).  Behind our house is a pond where a Mallard liked to hang out this past summer.  I enjoyed watching him glide so effortlessly across the water. I mean he was as smooth as a baby’s butt. No visible strain. No worry lines. Not a care in the world.  However, underneath the water, his little webbed feet were pumping furiously to move him along.  You would never know this from the looks of him on the surface.  He never showed the strain or the effort. He was calm and cool above the surface.

How about you?    How do you look above the water line?  Are you calm, cool, and collected?  Are you consistent on a day to day basis in your approach?  Are you on an even keel and just appear to be gliding across the water?  If not, you are not alone!  Many people lose their “above the water” cool appearance every once in a while.  If it is more than once in a while, then perhaps it is time to choose another profession.  The important thing is to get back to providing the example that you wanted to set all along.  That doesn’t mean that you will not be paddling as hard as ever under the water. The furious paddling never stops….if you are doing it right.  You give an informal or formative assessment, analyze the data, and then paddle furiously to make the adjustments in lessons so that your students can reach their destination.  Some days are better than others.  Some downright stink.  My advice –keep paddling or get out of the water.

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The Browns play this Sunday against the Houston Texans on the shores of Lake Erie.  We need to win to stay in first place!  Yikes, I never wrote that before!

The Pursuit of Happiness

The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776.  Notably, this document was written AFTER the Revolutionary War began.  In fact, the Declaration was read by George Washington to his troops on July 9, 1776…long after the fireworks and elephant ears.  If you have never read this document, take the time to do so.  The second paragraph contains verbiage about our “Unalienable Rights” and “among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  Notice what this last line states as well as what it does not state. You have a right to life.  You have a right to liberty.  What you DO NOT have is a right to be happy. How’s that?  You do not have a right to be happy;  you only have the right to pursue happiness.  So what makes you happy? Pursue it, because no one else is going to pursue it for you.  Sure, other people can do things for you that make you happy, but ultimately, it comes down to your own pursuit of this state of mind.  Unalienable rights cannot be denied, transferred, nor taken away. Thus, your desired level of happiness is yours to pursue. 

The classroom is no different when it comes to happiness.  Happiness does not come with the job, it isn’t in the contract, nor do they teach it in “teacher school”.  While people can get in a great deal of trouble preventing anyone from having liberty and life, there is absolutely no penalty for someone who does not make us happy.  Happiness is an individual thing.  So, how do you find it in the classroom? You don’t find it – you create it. You make it happen.You pursue it. How – by making the environment a happy place. From Angela Maiers’s 12 Things Kids Want From Their Teachers, 12 things were identified that will make the kids happier.  If the kids are happier, the teacher is happier.  Here are the 12 things (I love affirmation of prior preaching) = Greet your students each day,  Smile at your students, Give students your attention, Help your students have a vision for the future, Give your students challenging work, Get to know each student by asking them questions about themselves, Let your students have time to process and reflect, Hold your students accountable to higher standards, Make an effort to notice your students’ progress, Allow your students to ask questions, Engage your students in each lesson, and finally, Trust your students and believe that they can do it!  Not rocket science folks…but it will take a pursuit.  

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The Browns play TONIGHT against the Cincinnati Bengals in round one of “The Battle of Ohio”.  Either way, a team with orange helmets will win…hoping that team is the one without a logo.