Collaboration In My Future Classroom

The word "collaboration" is apparently getting a lot of press today, and the Journal Sentinel reports that teachers are going to be partially assessed on their collaboration with one another. I consider this to be a worthy attribute, but it is important to remember that teacher collaboration goes beyond the immediate walls of the school and draws upon interactions with educators in other facilities. It goes beyond the water cooler and into the ocean of ideas which transpose education. I like the expression 'Knowledge Garden' as it relates to the concept of collaboration...walking amidst a range of topics and conversation...sometimes engaging, sometimes interacting, and sometimes just observing. My knowledge garden is grounded in my community. Mike McMaster said it well when he noted our sense of fit, of competence, of belonging comes from being "of community." Those individuals who understand this concept see themselves as having an identity grounded in their community, having the ability to expand into other communities with little difficulty. So often this is the result of collaboration with others. We live in a time of unlimited sources of electronic and social technologies, and the level of our intelligence and wisdom could be magnified many times over if we would only let go of some of mundane routines which have become traditional 'habits' of themselves. Collaboration allows us to learn from others in ways which are truly special. Stay tuned for more....

Reflection, Inflection, and Connection

The words of reflection, inflection and connection are composed of prefixes which imply the concept of self and the need to ponder one's actions in life. Regardless of our profession, there is great strength to be had by pausing to think how we impact our surroundings in a positive or negative way. While many imply this is a way of second guessing ourselves, it provides the opportunity to question the path we travel...whether we change our ways or stay the course. Change is not something to fear as long as we remain committed to being positive in our everyday actions and personal resolve. As an future educator, how can we not teach our students to embrace change if we remain stuck in teaching styles which were formulated and styled for classrooms which were constructed 30-plus years ago? We know the answer for what it is and it all begins with a conversation about being the best we can be.

It Never Happens by Accident

Throughout my life there have been times when little things happened, but I never thought twice about the 'how' and 'why' of their occurring. I recall a winter day in my adolescence when I accidentally released the parking break on my father's truck, only to be saved from a certain death by a tree which stood between a steep hill and the patch of land he parked on. Then there was the summer night as a twenty-year-old when I stayed home to read, only to be visited by a veteran of the Vietnam War which led me to a lifetime in Wild Rose. Later in life there have been moments when I pushed myself to learn new ways to learn, either with technologies or by delving into a challenging book. Each "decision" changed my life in ways which I never appreciated at the time, but would later recognize in life as a monumental step.
I believe that I live in a world where we are provided freedom to make individual decisions on the personal judgement and direction of our life, but I also acknowledge that there are moments when something happens not by accident, but with the hand of an unknown force. It impacts us in ways which change the future for all those around us, yet all too many people are unable to recognize it for what it is.

Is the "art" of conversation dying?

We live in an age of rapidly changing communication in both the media and means by which we interact with one another. Whether we e-mail, tweet, blog or transpose our thoughts in a consortium of ways which satisfy our ego for the moment at hand, all too often we accept all of this as the best way to interact with one another. However, I question how we have allowed ourselves to escape open and honest dialogue with one another...often replacing it with text messaging and blurbs of anchronized retorts such as LOL, ROFL, LMAO, FML, and WTF. Some will say the world is becoming smaller, but I tend to see it as a deteriorating ability to interact with others in a verbal and civilized manner.And worse of all, it may very well widen the generation gap at a time when important lessons from those of an older, more experienced generation would be well deserved. As a society we have a wide assortment of tools at our disposal, yet we ignore one of the more meaningful...the way in which we sit and converse with one another, exchanging opinions and pondering new ideas. Rather than focusing so much on ourselves and being concerned about expressing our own likes and dislikes, let's take the initiative to actually listen to what others are saying.

Teaching with my strengths

Whether I am the receiver (as student) or the giver (as teacher) of information, I am amazed at how the human brain works in regards to learning. While growing up, I often experienced teachers who always taught their classes in the same way, never varying in approach or style, regardless of their intended audience. While some of my classmates "got it," there were many others who sat in a state of total confusion. (Most likely I fell into the category of the later.) Had I stuck it out with my original plans of completing college in the mid-70s, I surely would have become the type of educator who force-fed my students with a one-size-fits-all attitude. Thank goodness fate intervened in my behalf and I've now become aware of past errors by others. But I'm also told by neurologists that by the time a person reaches 25 years of age, the construction work on our human brain is pretty much all done. The neural connections, be they slow and narrow or broad, fast, and easy to navigate, will take us where we need to go. These "roadways" within the brain determine who we are in the way of our personal talents, each person being blessed with skills which are unique in their own way. A recent reading encourages me to work to my strengths, rather than attempting to fix my weaknesses, primarily because when trying to fix a lesser talent, I am simply ignoring my far more effective talents, perhaps even ignoring some fully developed strengths. In the early years of my selling career, I ignored any thoughts about building upon my strengths in favor of attempting to trying to fix my implied weaknesses. Now I'm being told that weaknesses are my brain's "rough roads and overgrown paths, and trying to make them useful usually isn't worth the effort." In other words, working on my weaknesses means that I keep doing, with dogged paid and determination, what I don't- and can't- do well. And so, with all that effort, I am being told that the best I can hope to become is mediocre at these so-called weaknesses.
A good portion of my emotional drive is based on the heavy allotment of German blood which flows through my veins. Some refer to it as persistence, others (my wife included) call it being stubborn. Regardless, I am always attempting to correct personal flaws in my human character, and I'm not yet willing to concede on this until my last dying breathe takes place. I feel it is important to know one's personal strengths and weaknesses, not so much so I can learn to run the 100-yd dash in record time, but understanding what it takes to become a disciplined runner. It's not about finding out how I can make fortune in real estate, but developing the means to inspire all of my students to higher levels of thought. It's not about taking advantage of the latest opportunity in business, but seeking ways to repay the many acts of kindness provided to me over the course of a lifetime.
It's knowing what I'm good at....and getting even better at it, knowing these strengths are what got me to this point in my life. It's knowing what I need to get better at, not so much that I can excel at those traits, but so I might find subtle ways to seek improvement with my personal and professional performance. Good teachers don't necessarily set high expectations, but they certainly set the right expectations for each student.

Lessons from "Special People"

Time has become a precious commodity in my life. Not so much that I don't want to try new things, but rather the result of my plate being full with upcoming events: my 40th Class Reunion, a couple of Wedding Showers, my mother-in-law's 80th Birthday Celebration, Relay for Life, Kiwanis, our son's wedding, a small part-time job...and not-to-forget summer school. This is all good and I feel most fortunate to have excellent health and a state of mind which allows me to stay active, but there are also times when you have to call for a "timeout" and pause to spend a day with someone who needs a friend.
My wife's nephew, John, is one of those "special people" who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome. He is the same age as our son, Jacob, and I recall his early years of life when he was filled with anger and rage. His parents chose to ignore the symptoms and over time his condition deteriorated to the point where he could not make good decisions. Since he cannot live independently on his own, he now lives in a group home almost 2-1/2 hours south of us. John enjoys calling us whenever he can, and often this is 4-5 times per week. In our mind those conversations are redundant, but to him they represent a connection with "family," providing an outlet for him to stay in touch with his immediate family and maintaining his positive outlook on life.
Yesterday we made the trip south to spend the day with John, and we all went to a local community fair in Lake Mills, one with carnival rides and games. John had a blast enjoying the simple pleasures of eating a corn dog, tossing darts at balloons for stuffed animals, shooting basketballs at the hoop in hopes of winning a poster, sitting on the park bench while the local folk band played songs from The Eagles, walking the midway, finding pennies on the blacktop.....all of this brought out the BEST in him....and ME! It reminded me of how important it is to stop and smell the roses of life...to set more time aside for John and all the other "special people" in the world. They represent innocence and love. They have need for the company of family and friends. The greatest gift we can provide is our time and attention.
By the end of three hours John was ready to return to his home, greatly in need of a nap and quiet time. He gave us a hug, thanked us for coming, and encouraged us to return for another visit before the end of the summer. His comments and smile reminded us of the lessons we can learn from the "special people" of the world. To keep a little room on our plate open for them. To take a day every now and then to enjoy the simple pleasures with all the John's who need us to be part of their life.

Reflections on Strategies for Reading and Writing

Sitting on the bank of a river, my first impression of the water is how it moves along in what appears to be a uniform and unchanging pace. Whether one was found on the surface of the stream or riding the bottom, whether one was in the heart of the river or riding the shoreline, there was but one speed for which we were aware of. But knowing how it really is, the waters swirl with varying currents, anything but constant and perpetual. I would imagine that there was a time when it was assumed that everyone read and write at the same pace, placing demand on the learner to keep pace that was set by their teacher. Sink or swim. One pace. One expectation. One size fits all. Regardless of what we “see” at the surface, the river is a churning current of liquid, always changing, always altering its true shape and mass. It is multidimensional in the truest form, and can never be mastered for its simplicity.

The world of education is an amazing place, one filled with new experiences in ways that exceed my imagination. The past two weeks have deepened my passion for learning new ways to help those who struggle with reading and writing, knowing that once they learn to use some of these new techniques, they will strengthen their capacity to learn. These practices add a new perspective to classroom learning, helping both strugglers and achievers to improve upon their skills.

Much like the river for which I hold great respect, my classroom is never one dimensional in nature. Using the variety of instructional strategies provided to me, I play an important role in a student’s development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. The works of Tovani, Buehl and others have a proven track record of success, and these will be instrumental in how I work with young people in education. These strategies are there for the taking, but if they aren’t used, they cannot be further developed or enhanced to their total capability. It requires responsibility and accountability on my end, to open up that tool box and look for more than just a hammer and screwdriver. I have a wealth of specialized tools at my disposal and each of these was created with a purpose. It is more than understanding the content of what I am teaching, but also appreciating the tools which can chisel a unique flavor of charismatic character.

Monitoring my progress requires ongoing reflection of personal and professional practices, always looking for ways to improve upon individual skill sets. Written reflection represents that “day with the ducks” and assures that I stay the course of my true potential. It is thinking aloud about my wonderings, evaluating myself, and then identifying ways to grow as a professional. This is the road on which my journey now continues, one with curves to maneuver around and potholes to avoid, but best of all, my toolbox grows in dimensional depth and fortitude.