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 carving?  What 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.

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.

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.

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 reality.  We 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.

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 yourself.  To 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-evaluation.  If 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.

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, Jude.  All 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 students.  Get them involved in their learning.  Get them out of their seats.  Make the world their classroom.  Be 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.  Differentiate.  Use 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. 

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 levels.  If 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 intentional.  Ramp 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?