tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51919103461164366592024-02-19T10:07:01.239-06:00These 3 Things I Know are TrueThoughts on Education, Learning, Technology, and LifeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-73636604833925258522016-01-31T21:01:00.002-06:002016-01-31T21:14:36.629-06:00"How" Matters<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">How Matters.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No matter your profession, job title, or numbers on your W-2 form, most of us have careers that determine success by quantifiable measures. In education, our schools are sadly judged on test scores among other things like graduation rates, attendance percentages, and students receiving scholarship money. Right or wrong, these measures only tell part of success' trajectory. Like a quarterly earnings statement or a budget report at year's end, people fall in love with "objectifiable" statistics that give us some sense of direction.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the "how" in those conclusions is important.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's not about how the school calculates it's attendance or how the students were prepared for the test. The "how" is about our daily work. Confidence in how we educate and lead can only come from how we work. I've been thinking about the value of the process and how "the how" is often the best indicator of great results for our students and for us as professionals. Here are 3 "hows" that I think matter.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. How we prepare matters.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's hard to "wing it" in any job. The most successful lessons start with great preparation. School leaders who do their homework earn more respect. How we prepare for change in our profession keeps our organization ahead of the curve. Preparation is another way of saying, "I tried my best and my best IS good enough." If a team practices hard and prepares but still comes up short- the result matters way less than giving your team the best chance to win. My worst lessons as a classroom teacher always stemmed from a lack of preparation and thoughtfulness. It was a clear indicator of the phrase, "fail to plan is just planning to fail."</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. How we work with others matters.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's amazing how results, work ethic, and resiliency can be overlooked by how well we work with those around us. How can we contribute positively to a team? Can we put the needs of the organization and our team before our own? Will we seek collaborative relationships with our colleagues instead of creating confrontational ones?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We hear a lot about soft skills that we want kids to learn as they navigate through our school. How we work with each other professionally might be the greatest subjective but overlooked factor in determining success or failure.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What rating would you give yourself on the "plays-well-in-the-sandbox-o-meter?"</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. How we model for others matters.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People I've looked up to have showed me, not told me. I watched the way they talked to kids, what they wore, when they showed up and left, and most important, how they managed their own success and failure. Modeling is a powerful way expose a consistent core and center of who we are professionally. Being who you are everyday is actually harder than it looks. Do you set an example that others should follow? We can only expect of others what we first expect of ourselves. How we model those expectations and behaviors becomes paramount in achieving great things in our schools.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-1645469300108181432015-10-29T21:06:00.002-05:002016-01-08T21:40:21.538-06:00Talkin' Bout My GenerationHow are we judged as a generation?<br />
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My wife and I dined out the other night with our 20-month-old son, Cooper. We had a quiet dinner at Mike Ditka's restaurant in the suburbs. Cooper ate his share of beans, carrots, and he may have gotten a sample of the pot roast nachos we had for an appetizer. During this particular meal, Cooper was the MBOC (big man on campus) of the blue haired 4pm dinner crowd that young parenthood has thrust us into. The patrons around us spent more time looking at him than they did talking with each other. They valued having a youngster in the crowd...I think.<br />
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Toward the end of our dinner, an elderly gentleman approached our table to talk to us. He asked us how we enjoyed our meal and if our son got enough to eat. Pushing at least 80 years of age, my wife and I could not really figure out where he came from. He didn't seem to be dining at a particular table, nor was he Mike Ditka. He asked Cooper if he ate enough. When Cooper responded, "No," - the stock answer for most kids his age, the gentlemen pulled out his wallet. He peeled off two dollar bills and left them at the table for Cooper saying nothing more.<br />
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What an amazing gesture.<br />
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Or was it weird? Was it weird because people don't do that anymore or because people my age do not expect it, or don't appreciate how awesome it was?<br />
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A friend of mine used to visit his grandmother often. He would bring his wife each time and like clockwork, when it was time to part ways, grandma would pull him aside. She would hand him a 5 dollar bill like it was a winning lotto ticket advising, "Don't tell your wife I gave you this." That is to say, "I want you to have it to spend for yourself."<br />
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It was five dollars.<br />
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But that doesn't matter. There is a desire for people of an older generation to take care of each other and take care of us. Those who lived during the Depression value community and practicality. My parents are more generous with me than they are with themselves. Same with my in-laws.<br />
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When one of my favorite colleagues retired four years ago his written advice to me was simple, "Good luck with all this- you are going to need it."<br />
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It's different now.<br />
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We live in an "adapt or perish society," and certainly the same could be said about our field of education. What are we missing as a generation? I feel like some in my age group want to skip steps in the process. They see other young leaders getting promoted and reaching the top quicker than previously imaginable- and they miss the steps of sacrifice, hard work, humility, and deference to our peers. I became a high school administrator at age 29. Two of my best friends became managers at their financial firm at 27. We can't apologize for those opportunities because we, too, are probably guilty from time to time. But we do have to live with the stereotypes of our peers and work to debunk them.<br />
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That said, we are motivated. We are certainly educated, albeit with loans to still pay. We are efficient and we are full of amazing ideas. We can iterate at lightning speed. Change doesn't scare us. "Historically, we've always done it that way," is not in our vocabulary.<br />
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The question becomes- how do we take all those amazing characterizations of our generation and put them to work? How can we work to take care of those around us, valuing both their experience and their generosity?<br />
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Can we value the process and inspire the change?<br />
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I vacation with those two best friends often. One night in Vegas, we spoke of our career choices and if we made the right respective calls. I am the oddball in the group for a variety of reasons, among those is undoubtedly my profession. My friend Ryan told me, "You know what Andrew, the worst decision you made was to be a teacher. I think you could have done anything you wanted to do. (He made sure to mention selling cars as an addendum to that statement). But the best decision you made was to be a teacher. We need more people like you to guide this next generation."<br />
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I had to sift through Ryan's statement a bit, but he meant it as a compliment in every sense. So maybe people are misjudging my generation and maybe, just maybe, we just have to sift through it a bit to find the positives. </div>
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No stranger left me two dollars at the table that night, but a friend left me his two cents. Our task as a generation is to redefine ourselves and seek opportunities to help our kids- the next generation. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-48484452172710282502015-08-19T20:19:00.000-05:002015-08-22T10:55:41.610-05:00"The Village Project"My job is hard. But without some time for a passion project, my job would be even harder. There's no right time for it, but feeding your professional passion helps make the "everyday" work seem that much more exciting.<br />
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<i>I have a passion for helping kids. </i><br />
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In my current role, I am not afforded as much contact with kids as I was in the classroom- so I try to manufacture as much contact with our kids as I can. This year, we are dreaming big.<br />
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Just over two years ago, <a href="http://3thingssharos.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-i-lead.html"><span style="color: #999999;">one of my goals for the school year </span></a>was to have all of my AP students pass the AP exam with a 4 or 5. We did it. It was not easy, but we did it and we did it together.<br />
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In building on my passion for the AP exam, we are putting a team together and forming the "Village Project." The goal of the Village Project is to take 5-10 lower level Juniors enrolled in English classes and have them pass the AP test at the end of the year. They are not AP students and will not be taking the actual AP course. But, we are going to build in support along the way, help the students establish "AP habits of mind," and we are going to be relentless in our pursuit pushing these students beyond what they think they can do. Every kid can pass an AP exam, whether they believe it or not, and we are out to prove it.<br />
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Will we actually find students who want to do this? Can we give them four collective hours of extra support per week? Aren't we just wasting our time when some of our regular AP students can't pass the exam? And what if they don't pass at the end of the year?<br />
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Yes. I hope. Absolutely not. And...so what?<br />
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My partner in crime is the students' English teacher who also happens to teach AP Literature. We are pulling in social studies teachers, a department chair, a writing coach an administrator, and hopefully others. It takes a village to raise an AP child, and I am confident that with the right supports, we can do it.<br />
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If we don't reach our goal, we are going to have a ton of fun along the way. Our students will hopefully gain an appreciation for a more rigorous and collective college-level effort, and with any luck, will be more inclined to try college when all is said and done.<br />
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We are going to film everything, blog about it, present it at the AP conference next year and learn from our mistakes. Hopefully this pilot can be taken to scale and affect even more students at our school and students at other schools too.<br />
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Living in beta. Playing with house money. Going where others' doubt. The Village Project.<br />
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We would love your support along the way and appreciate any advice you may have!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-48057738457553145412015-06-10T19:33:00.005-05:002015-06-12T19:18:45.514-05:00Service LearningI did not want to go. Staring down the prospect of running my first summer school program eight hours after our flight landed seemed daunting. Leaving my wife and a 16 month-old to fend for themselves for eight days seemed unfair. We talk a lot about risk-taking in innovative leadership...well, supervising three dozen kids in a foreign country certainly included plenty of that. The layers of accountability for their safety and well-being seemed intimidating.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjstqAkaTfWV1zz1wJm4IHqFndqPUnNh7TxUFIymoFnCYfsJqpURcSAbZWWaDxmIzLmwNXw2IclD_GsCKx57VUiBxmqmH7g_D5aEdE9ZNRg7eNh6fH3SyuczLYsFlrAHL3XZ-O48Yxkn0/s1600/IMG_0431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjstqAkaTfWV1zz1wJm4IHqFndqPUnNh7TxUFIymoFnCYfsJqpURcSAbZWWaDxmIzLmwNXw2IclD_GsCKx57VUiBxmqmH7g_D5aEdE9ZNRg7eNh6fH3SyuczLYsFlrAHL3XZ-O48Yxkn0/s320/IMG_0431.JPG" width="320"></a>But in the spirit of "you learn something new everyday," this past week, I learned something new through an experience I've never had. For the past eight days, 35 of our high school students joined several administrators and teachers for a service trip in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This was the second annual trip that our service club organized to play with orphans and teach in Mexican schools with heavy orphaned populations.<br>
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While this story may be personal to our experience, I hope our experience can inspire others to give their time to service, and learn a whole lot more in the process.<br>
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I was not planning to go on the trip for many of these reasons but one day, a student of ours changed my mind. A veteran of last year's trip, I met her at the cashier's counter in the main office. She was peeling off singles from a wad of cash she held in her hand. She deposited her $100 downpayment to go back to Mexico on the trip. I asked her where she got all the money.<br>
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"Well Mr. Sharos, I wash cars all year and these are the tips I have been collecting for this trip. I went last year and I cannot wait to go again this year."<br>
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So here is one of our students, <i>working all year</i>, for the opportunity to do <i>more service work</i>.<br>
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Seriously? I needed to get over myself. That day I told our principal that I would love to join if he would have me.<br>
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For as many roadblocks as I created for myself, I was nervous and anxious to see how it went. As I reflect on the lessons I learned from our work, I think three things stood out more than anything:<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Once you create a culture of service, it will spread.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SGYbrKEJeoWaYtqliN20Z7OR3G51mmg7c1x53JwJEbKzAe82TMcHsXnQj11m-uyE8cmbEfzeqtGWJqopzJ9RspA25xe4Y3VBR8AMWqmpqWUgL8zZQE231J1Z7KX42nh8s2WJ26C6M6s/s1600/IMG_0477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SGYbrKEJeoWaYtqliN20Z7OR3G51mmg7c1x53JwJEbKzAe82TMcHsXnQj11m-uyE8cmbEfzeqtGWJqopzJ9RspA25xe4Y3VBR8AMWqmpqWUgL8zZQE231J1Z7KX42nh8s2WJ26C6M6s/s320/IMG_0477.JPG" width="320"></a></div>
Last year's trip was only the beginning of an identity that we hope to create in our school. Ownership of our collective space under shared themes, phrases, and commonalities helps create a school building that both the students and staff can be proud of. As more students join the service trip, and return in the following years, we are creating an identity and culture of service that is contagious. I am proud to be associated with kids who are selfless with their time, talents, and treasures. The best "high" in education comes from watching our students have fun. This trip provided that opportunity, but also left me in awe of their collective sacrifice to help others.<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Service learning breaks down walls for our students.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvjnAGIJKCym4f7Y8LGya1jGumSqtEM96RMP3dI10PdhcS-3Z5lfvnVRtHAHRGGrtQsv_HNl2ZGcs76p8_MCqDA4GMdQvQ_pNSs-RhB2rQQUWWxInbxUolhQgTMrGExFjS7SmOeY8cpE/s1600/IMG_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvjnAGIJKCym4f7Y8LGya1jGumSqtEM96RMP3dI10PdhcS-3Z5lfvnVRtHAHRGGrtQsv_HNl2ZGcs76p8_MCqDA4GMdQvQ_pNSs-RhB2rQQUWWxInbxUolhQgTMrGExFjS7SmOeY8cpE/s320/IMG_0479.JPG" width="320"></a></div>
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Our kids do not get to experience things like this all the time. Many of our families are first generation, blue-collar immigrants who came from Mexico seeking opportunity. In that struggle to adapt to this country, our kids are often subjected to "survival mode" at home and do not necessarily have access to the experience of traveling. In that vain, our kids found excitement in experiencing an airplane ride, a boat trip, and the simplicity of "Panchos Takos" for dinner. At the same time, they did so in the comfort of their home language and the familiarity of their own culture. As I struggled to adapt to the language and culture during the week, I often thought about how our kids must feel living in America-without these comforts. Every one of our faculty members should go on this trip just once to experience this phenomenon alone. The two-sided empathy I've gained has enriched my perspective of the students and the population we serve.<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. The suspension of reality is something we all need sometimes. </span><br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRLHugDhO4Z5-rrVLOMljcEgdrQeGi4fKj5S43rPlVkTvyXRycCbR8mzFd3DtLaF618t_CAPJk_X-xTNqj5nxByk__XP9E7hoAcCRE3fTx7S0xchfwq7EAKtyCSQvxDO4L_hZh21jnyU/s1600/IMG_0398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRLHugDhO4Z5-rrVLOMljcEgdrQeGi4fKj5S43rPlVkTvyXRycCbR8mzFd3DtLaF618t_CAPJk_X-xTNqj5nxByk__XP9E7hoAcCRE3fTx7S0xchfwq7EAKtyCSQvxDO4L_hZh21jnyU/s320/IMG_0398.JPG" width="240"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br></span>
The world we lived in for the past eight days was nothing like our world here- and that is ok. For the adults, it gave us the opportunity to unplug and enjoy the company of each other and our kids. Some of our students made friends with kids they normally would never talk to. The stories, laughs, and smiles we shared will travel back with us.<br>
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On the last night, we all took a dinner/dance cruise on the ocean. The adults looked on as our kids staged their own dance party on the deck of the boat. Our students were having so much fun after an exhausting week of 100 degree heat and a jam-packed schedule. They also managed to physically pull many of our adult chaperones to join them in the dance circle.<br>
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The symbolism of that goes much deeper than dancing a few steps to Marc Anthony's, "Vivir mi Vida." <br>
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Like the student who pulled me in with her downpayment of singles, the lessons learned<br>
from this trip will last a lifetime.<br>
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<br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-54523244795647679482015-04-24T20:31:00.000-05:002015-04-24T20:55:31.053-05:00Design Thinking: "Yes, and..." vs. "Yes, but..."<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Having worked in just one school district for my entire career, I credit Leyden for all of my professional development. From in-house PD to conferences all over the country, I've benefited from some amazing experiences with some truly inspirational educators. Sure, I have learned from friends and colleagues on Twitter, but even my PLN and Twitter networks were inspired by people like <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonMMarkey"><span style="color: red;">Jason Markey</span></a>, who had used Twitter as a learning tool for years. </div>
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Today, I had an opportunity to work with <a href="https://twitter.com/mrbprincipal"><span style="color: red;">Eric Burmeister</span></a> and our <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=leyden%20plpt&src=typd"><span style="color: red;">Professional Learning Planning Team</span></a> at Leyden. One of our goals for next school year is to create an "Innovation Incubator" team of teachers that will be given the curricular freedom and lesson design autonomy to create amazing classrooms for our kids. These teachers will form a PLC that focuses on piloting anything imaginable, from changes to physical learning spaces, to innovative web 2.0 software to things our field has never seen before. <i>Their task is simple: innovate</i> (with a "semi-blank" checkbook and as much freedom as we can provide). </div>
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In following a generally accepted educational philosophy of practicing what we hope to preach, we explored the design thinking model engineered by some of the Silicon Valley's best and brightest innovators. We created a test case that centered around improving the quality and comfort of our students' most coveted space- the cafeteria. Starting from a base of empathy, we asked four of our students open ended questions about their "turf." Our questions aimed to solicit feelings and emotions about our cafeteria in order to guide the design of a cafeteria of their dreams.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRtT32molyo-cTnHuq6KIgqNgjAaBGoyTjq5J2XVZIn_yHkxAkefc7lFjzvBlcv4xaUmelcSzeDBGv_sj4MUv1JdGyGveWBOelT8lA98q7lgOCDtZtju7kQwK8k_F-aZupg4aATetCnQ/s1600/design+thinking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRtT32molyo-cTnHuq6KIgqNgjAaBGoyTjq5J2XVZIn_yHkxAkefc7lFjzvBlcv4xaUmelcSzeDBGv_sj4MUv1JdGyGveWBOelT8lA98q7lgOCDtZtju7kQwK8k_F-aZupg4aATetCnQ/s1600/design+thinking.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a>By starting with empathy, we were empowered to make changes using the students' guidance, not our own beliefs. We dreamed, and we dreamed big. We followed just one rule during our brainstorming session: whenever someone proposed an idea for the cafeteria, the group's response had to be, "Yes, and..." </div>
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<i><b>So often in education, we hear "Yes, but..." when we propose new ideas.</b></i> </div>
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We <i>are</i> all really good at asking questions, and many times, reminding others why new ideas won't work. But even basic changes in education probably started out as a dream much bigger, a change more sweeping, or a cheese moved even farther from its original spot. By dreaming big and thinking wild, we can create a prototype that incites positive energy and pioneering ideas into our design. </div>
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Following the mantra of "Yes, and," we created a cafeteria prototype with food options that were both creative and healthy. We designed a student-centered space with outdoor seating, televisions, and space to relax. There may have even been food trucks, retractable roofs, and organic vegetables growing from our school's roof in some of our prototypes. Dreaming big. Check. Thinking wild. Certainly. But most important-responding to our user's expressed emotions. </div>
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So how do we know that it worked? We invited the students back in the room to judge our ideas. The students were instructed to ask us tough questions and make sure that our design addressed all of their concerns. We wanted their feedback, but moreover, we wanted to know if our design was reflective of their dreams too.</div>
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You should have seen the looks on their faces! (because who can resist lunch from a food truck, really?)</div>
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We can't protect the status quo because its "the way we have always done things." In looking at the design of anything- be it PLC, a new grading practice, innovative lesson design, or a groundbreaking curricular change- we can start from a mindset of "Yes, and..." </div>
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In doing so, we can find a finished product that empathizes with our audience and maybe even stretches what we originally thought was possible. </div>
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Most of us can agree that the more often we do something, we learn and become become refined at our practice or craft. While my growth as a teacher was steady in my first few years, I certainly had a long way to go. As a high school social studies teacher in 2011, I could basically put 184 days worth of lessons into the following 5 categories:<br />
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1. Innovative- things I was trying for the first time, redefining strategies of modifying them with tech<br />
2. Collaborative- students work while I circulate, converse and assess<br />
3. Teacher-Centered- lecture, basically just content, funny & entertaining but with passive learning<br />
4. Skill-Based- reading, writing, debating, analyzing, or arguing history<br />
5. Basic- covering material, google docs and web searches, no collaboration, little interaction<br />
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If you asked my students which style of learning they probably preferred, I bet they would confirm the order of the list just as it is. If you ask me what I actually spent more time doing, I would probably be ashamed to tell you the truth.<br />
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<i><b>So much of our lesson design centers around self-imposed, curricular restraints that limit our creativity and bore our students to death. </b></i><br />
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Every one of us teaches something exciting and worthwhile. There has to be a reason why we went into our respective disciplines in the first place. The best teachers are the ones that bring that passion for their content alive.<br />
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Flipped learning, or blended learning allowed me to explore more options in innovation, and in turn, combined previous "lesson categories" into one giant pool of trial and error. Lessons grounded in collaborative work, skill based practice, content driven specifics and even teacher centered instruction can all be funneled through blended learning. Video curation or creation is possible through amazing sites like blendspace and edpuzzle. Teachers can even use simple tools like google hangouts to record a lecture or screencast-o-mastic to record their lesson online.<br />
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So why aren't more teachers doing this? Time is certainly a roadblock to beginning. But looking at the long road, once videos are created or compiled, they are available forever just like your favorite worksheet! Familiarity with technology could be another reason- and a fair one. So many of these tools have become user friendly, truthfully, and with a learning management system in place, teachers already have conquered step one. Finally, I know teachers have a tough time seeing past the need for content driven, skill based instruction that is efficient and has worked in the past. But the kids are not "us." We liked school- at least enough to choose a carer run by bells. Our kids probably don't feel the same excitement to learn. The last time I shadowed a student, it was the longest day of my life. Sitting through seven classes was difficult. So how to we change that?<br />
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Maybe the only question we should ask is, "what is standing in our way?" Asking questions is easy. Instead of starting the blended learning, or even the "innovation" conversation with questions as I did, maybe start with answers. Engaging students is our number one priority. So...jump in.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-53261044690554405302014-11-16T20:08:00.002-06:002014-11-16T21:34:37.937-06:00Finding Our Strengths We are overwhelmed. Our curriculum is constantly changing. Illinois is broke and can't pay us our pensions. We are constantly adding and not subtracting. Can you believe he replied to all with that email? Our students are really challenging this year. That parent was really difficult to handle. How did he get that position? My colleagues are judgmental. Society doesn't respect what I really do. Well, I guess that perk was taken away. I didn't get that job I put in for. He has no idea what he is doing. What are we going to do with all this data? I've seen this initiative before. We didn't get a raise. My boss plays favorites. I cannot believe she said that. That kid is going nowhere.<br />
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We are working really hard. Our curriculum is what is best for kids. I can't worry about my pension now it has nothing to do with my job today. We can tell the story of our success. We evolve for the best. I love my students this year. I enjoy collaborating with others. Most of our parents give us their full support. Our school leader makes great decisions in tough situations. My colleagues are amazing professionals and I don't know where I would be without them. I have the best job in the world. That is something we can do together. This is really going to help my lesson today. That kid is hilarious. I take most of the summer off. Our school does amazing things. My students make teaching worthwhile. Our staff is really dedicated. I cannot wait to get started.<br />
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There have been times in my short career that I have been both of these people. Relative to the cloud over education today, I think it is easy to get caught up in the negativity that surrounds our profession. But it's still a personal choice how to approach our life's work.<br />
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Whenever I feel the urge to buy into the pessimism, I go back to the reasons why I became an educator. Each one of us has strengths in our jobs- the kind of qualities that our colleagues admire and our students are drawn to. In the myriad of different hats we wear, some hats just fit better and play to our strengths.<br />
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In my current position, I wear plenty of hats that just don't fit right. I am learning a new job and experiencing the growing pains of a new challenge. In those moments, I try to find my strengths- perhaps the very things that drew me to education in the first place.<br />
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One of the programs we have at our high school is a study program after school for freshmen who are failing two or more classes. The freshmen work one on one with student and adult tutors in the hopes of "graduating out" of the hour-long, daily study program. Some students see it as a punishment, but we see it as a support. It's easy to use this time after the school day to make phone calls, write evaluations, and clean up my emails. But after a day of doing a lot of that already, I enjoy spending time working one on one with our most fragile freshmen. I'm confident that I can forge relationships with those kids, and use those relationships to eventually push them personally and academically.<br />
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<i>We have to go back to our strengths. </i><br />
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All of us have them, and all of us went into this line of work with attributes that feed the "positives" of our profession. As educators, we can wrap our strengths around us and still be successful in challenging our weaknesses. As a thought for those reading and those in #savmp, here are three questions to think about:<br />
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1. What are your strengths as an educator?<br />
2. How can you add to them?<br />
3. Will you let your strengths forge the positives in your daily work?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-67355978273464835492014-10-05T20:48:00.001-05:002014-10-05T20:50:37.496-05:00The Path We Have Chosen<b>"So how's the new job treating ya?"</b><br />
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Inevitably and understandably, some people have been asking me that question in the last few months. I am fortunate to be working at West Leyden, a school that his given me everything an educator could ask for. I've taught some awesome kids and worked alongside some amazing colleagues and mentors. I've been gifted all the professional development I can handle and recently, the job of Assistant Principal too. Truthfully, I hope I can give half as much to my job as my job has given me.<br />
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<b>"But really, are you getting the hang of it?"</b><br />
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I've tried to embrace the vulnerability that comes with honesty in life, because honestly, I am not very good at what I do yet. I've arrived at school for the past 97 days not really leading anything, but trying to learn from decades of leadership experience around me. I am new. I am inexperienced. And for the most part, I don't know what I am doing. I walk away from conversations second guessing what I said. I've put so many filters through my emails and letters that I've departed from who I want to be as a school leader. I hear the cynics and skeptics. I try really hard to make it through the day, and then get up the next day and do it again.<br />
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Hopefully my transparency can connect me to others who have felt the same way at some point in time, not just with their careers but with their lives. I remember bringing my son home from the hospital for the first time with a restless feeling. So what do we do with him now? How can I stop him from crying, and where did we put that pack of diapers again? Luckily for me, I had the help of my wife and together we are erasing the early self-doubts of parenthood one day at a time. I think.<br />
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Like becoming a new parent, learning a new job can be really tough, especially as a first year teacher, coach, or administrator. Having worked here for a few years, I'm lucky to have existing relationships with colleagues around me. There is nothing that we cannot do together. Our secretaries, maintenance staff, teachers, and administrators can attest to that- as I've experienced formal and informal mentoring in these first three months. I am grateful for those moments and can only hope that I will add something to their skill set too. We have to build each other up.<br />
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<b>"Do you miss teaching?"</b><br />
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Of course. The best part of our jobs is the daily interaction with our kids, just ask anyone who works at a school in the summer. I miss the kids but still try to manufacture interactions with students whenever I can. I'm convinced that teaching five classes for 35 years is the toughest job in education, but I also believe that being a teacher is the most rewarding job in the world. Our kids fill our souls in ways that we cannot quantify -and that, of course, is something I miss.<br />
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"<b>Well, you will get the hang of it eventually..."</b><br />
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I know. I just hope I can look back at the totality of these days and find humor in it all. Until then, I appreciate the patience and collegiality of all my peers as I make the journey.<br />
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<i>"This is the path we have chosen. We are responsible for modeling what we expect from others, especially when we don't get it right. Let us not be fools when the criticism comes, but take time to reflect and make the necessary changes in order to grow."</i></div>
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<i>-Jimmy Casas. </i></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-6304348029527576702014-09-21T19:41:00.003-05:002014-09-21T19:41:44.111-05:00Innovation and InspirationOne of my colleagues and twitter mentors, George Couros (@gcouros) once asked a group of our teachers, "Could you really spend an entire day as a student in your classroom?" I think questions like this really help us reflect on the intentions of our practice as educators. As a teacher, there were days when I was bored with my own lessons by the end of the day. I cannot imagine how my students felt. What are we doing to combat student boredom in our classes- and better yet, how are we fostering an innovative mindset with our teachers?<br />
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I am fortunate to spend time evaluating teachers at our school. It helps connect me to kids and affords me the opportunity to watch amazing teachers inspire our students. All our team members collectively look for the highlights of the Danielson model including student engagement, a strong culture for learning, and creative classroom discussion. While these areas provide great insight into the strengths of the classroom teacher, they don't necessarily include an important element of all 21st century classrooms: innovation.<br />
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Can we make room on our evaluation models for innovation? <br />
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<em>Innovation doesn't necessarily mean engagement. And great teachers could certainly make a case that engagement doesn't always require innovation. </em><br />
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Yet, innovative teachers are the driving force behind new curriculum changes. These teachers are the risk takers who present their ideas at conferences and lead others in their departments. Moreover, discovery and creation inspires kids- and an inspired student can accomplish anything.<br />
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The process of becoming an innovative educator exposes students to underlying skills beyond the context of curriculum or content. Ultimately, innovating involves failure- an important life and career lesson for many of us. Innovation also involves patience. There will be frustrating moments in the journey.<br />
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I give credit to all those that try.<br />
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A lesson that is well intentioned, managed and assessed plays well with any evaluation model. But a lesson that takes a chance on something innovative and inspiring speaks to the greater intent of the designer, and it's in that intention that we find the true purpose of our instruction...<br />
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Inspiration.<br />
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"Could you spend an entire day as a student in your classroom?"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-36586923791562131722014-08-13T16:14:00.001-05:002014-08-13T16:46:09.392-05:00#SAVMP: Our Perspectives<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I wanted to post some collective thoughts on the School Administrator Virtual Mentoring Program I have been a part of for the past year. #SAVMP connects current and aspiring administrators from around the world and I was so lucky to even participate in the program. My fellow mentee (@JohnFritzky) and my mentor (@TonySinanis) wanted to contribute a collaborative blog post that summarized our experience learning from each other. </span></b><br>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You will find similiar posts to mine on John's blog here:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.jfritzky.blogspot.com/">http://www.jfritzky.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And on Tony's blog here:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am looking forward to expanding #savmp within my own school district and am so grateful to the work of George Couros and Amber Teamann to connect us. This was an awesome example of how a PLN can really help us grow together. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>1. Why did I sign up for #SAVMP?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>Andrew:</strong> I was an Assistant Dean and Social Studies teacher in a high school setting when I first heard about #SAVMP. I knew it was a great opportunity for me to learn and grow as a school leader. I was interested in connecting with people from outside my PLN and outside my district. I think the perspective that the program offered afforded me a great opportunity to learn more about leadership. I did not know what to expect when we first started but I knew that I had absolutely nothing to lose by signing up. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>John:</strong> I saw a post on Twitter from George Couros about developing a mentorship program for new administrators. At the time I was finishing up my Educational Leadership program and wanted to continue to learn from others, I knew this would be a great way to continue my learning.</span></span></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>Tony:</strong> I was entering my ninth year as an elementary level building administrator and for the first time in my career, I genuinely felt like I might have something to offer a new or aspiring educational leader. The possibility of mentoring someone was of interest to me because as an educator I feel it is my responsibility to support and encourage those new to the field - to possibly help them avoid some of the landmines I hit during the early stages of my career and meet with greater levels of success. Also, it was clear to me that being paired with people through a mentoring program meant that I would do a lot of learning myself and that is always a priority for me. The appeal of #SAVMP was that it was using Twitter as the platform for the mentoring experience and that definitely spoke to my interests and made me feel like it would be much more manageable. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>2. How did #SAVMP help you learn and grow as an administrator?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>Andrew:</strong> I am one of those people who claim, “I have never won anything in my life”... until now. I won the lottery by getting Tony Sinanis as my mentor. He immediately reached out to me through twitter and we began learning together right away. He gave me feedback on my blog posts and encouraged me to stretch my thinking as a school leader. I think more than anything, #SAVMP exposed me to a different type of school leader than I have observed in my career. There’s power in learning from someone across the country who works with a different population. There’s agency in a process that encourages sharing of ideas and leadership styles. My interaction with my mentor provided all of that, and more. As I began to interview for different administrative jobs, I scheduled Google Hangouts and phone calls with my mentor. Tony was an amazing asset to have in my corner- always coaching me on the logistics of answering questions but also giving me the confidence I needed to be successful. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>John:</strong> By taking on a mentor who is completely outside of my own school, district, and state I knew it would allow me a chance to look at education, and leadership through a completely different lense. When I was partnered with Tony Sinanis, I knew I was extremely fortunate. Tony reached out to me and immediately began to develop a relationship with me that went beyond the world of Twitter. Tony invited me to his school to see how his school functions and what a typical day looks like for him. I was immediately blown away. It is easy for someone to state what they believe on Twitter or in a blog post, but it another thing completely to turn those beliefs into reality. That is what Tony Sinanis has done at Cantiague Elementary school in Jericho, New York. We spent the entire day in classrooms and I was treated like a celebrity by the student just because I knew Mr. Sinanis. The students at his school absolutely love him because Tony sees them as children, not test scores. He knows EVERY student’s name and can talk to them about their individual interests. I left Cantiague knowing I had a great of work to do to build these types of relationships at my own school. However, I was comforted by the fact that I had seen a great school in action and if Tony could do it, so could I. Throughout the year I would throw questions at Tony about how he would handle different situations and no matter how busy he was, he was always able to get back to me and give me a piece of advice. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>Tony:</strong> From my vantage point, it is clear that I learned so much more from Andrew and John than they did from me. Their enthusiasm, passion and willingness to take risks in their current roles was an incredible inspiration for me. They provided me opportunities to dialogue about leadership, the current landscape of public education, pedagogy and a bunch of other topics that I am incredibly passionate about and love discussing. Through our conversations and exchanges - whether through email, Voxer, text, in person, through a GHO, I was able to deliberate with them and broaden my point of view and perspectives, which helped me become a better leader and educator. I have done a lot of research about the idea of social learning and the power of learning through social interactions with other like-minded people and the #SAVMP became just that for me - I was learning something through every interaction I had with John and Andrew and was fortunate to be associated with them. Being that I technically had the title of mentor in this relationship, the highlights for me were the successes that Andrew and John experienced this year - John successfully completing his first year as a building administrator; Andrew securing his first administrative position; John pushing me to participate in national podcasts with our kids; and Andrew becoming a father. These are just some of the highlights and in the end, it is an honor to be associated with these incredible educators who have become friends and mentors for me. </span></span></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>Andrew:</strong> I am so thankful to Amber and George for helping me connect to some great leaders in our field. I would love to continue on as a #SAVMP mentor or mentee to continue learning and blogging. I was not able to answer all of the blog topics every week so I am excited to double back to some of them in the future. I would also like to start a mini-admin mentoring program in my own school district using #SAVMP as a model. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>John:</strong> I am grateful for the opportunity Amber Teamann and George Courus provided me with, to connect and learn from Tony. I feel as though we have developed a stronger relationship than I could have ever expected when I started this program. Moving forward I feel like I am just as lucky to be connected with Andrew. I was lucky to have Tony as a mentor and hear his words of wisdom, but having Andrew to learn with will be an added bonus that I did not foresee when I started #SAVMP. I can’t wait to schedule an #Edcamp where the three of us can get together face to face for the first time. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><strong>Tony:</strong> There is no doubt that going forward the #SAVMP experience has left an indelible mark on me - both personally and professionally. First off, a special thank you to George Couros and Amber Teamann for facilitating this experience because once again, they helped push me out of my comfort zone and gave me access to experiences that helped me learn and grow. Second of all, I now have access to two awesome educators from different parts of the country who I can rely on for support, perspective and ideas and that is definitely a critical part of the PLN. Finally, participating in #SAVMP has given me two new friends who make my world a better place - I cannot wait until the next time I get to collaborate with John and Andrew! ROCK ON!</span></span></span></div>
</b><br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-83709223175481876742014-08-11T21:09:00.000-05:002014-08-12T06:53:06.851-05:00First Days of School Whether it's your first, last, or something else in-between, the first day of school is something truly special. It keeps us awake the night before and it may wake us up early the next morning. The uniqueness of day one cannot be understated. And truthfully, for many of us the first day of school can be a really long day.<br />
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My goal for tomorrow is to make it the best long day I've ever had.<br />
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The first day brings great opportunities to everyone involved. Many of our students are looking for a fresh start after a long summer. For some, especially our freshmen, it's a chance to prove to their "world" they have become someone different- perhaps a better version of themselves. Some of our kids need school as an escape and a safe haven. After all, our space may be the most consistent and comforting place in their lives. Others are ready to wear their best outfit to school or show off their patiently crafted summer tan. There is anxiety in their world- but it's a positive energy that's fun and exciting, until you jam a locker.<br />
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Our faculty and staff also have an open door to opportunity. Younger teachers have a chance to hone their craft and solidify their place, their voice, and their passion. Veteran teachers have a chance to innovate and bolster the experienced skill set they have developed over time. There's new initiatives, new state testing, and new faces everywhere. But in reality, when the door shuts the goal remains the same- run through walls for the kids, every one of the kids, because they need us.<br />
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Oh, and we will all screw up along the way. Teachers will mispronounce names and students will get lost in the halls. Schedules will be changed and we will find mistakes we made in planning over the summer. There are bound to be parent phone calls and paperwork still missing. This is a familiar place for us as former students and now educators.<br />
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Yes, the American public school is alive and well. We aren't the online virtual school of the future, but we sure are connected- connected by commonalities that we have all experienced. <br />
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The last "first day" happened just long ago that I am still jittery for tomorrow. The unknown is what makes me nervous, but the opportunity is what brings great excitement and anticipation. What other profession could boast having a day at work like this...every year?<br />
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If the eleven-year-old version of myself could hear me now, he would shake his head. But I would have to admit: <i>I cannot wait for school tomorrow.</i><br />
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I have a feeling we are among the first schools to get started. To all those starting now and in the coming weeks, have an awesome first day and an even better school year! #leydenprideAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-40849017484436265172014-07-06T20:42:00.001-05:002015-06-11T07:54:17.150-05:00Numbers Will Never Define UsFor the past 7 years, I have been fortunate to teach at West Leyden High School. West is located in the heart of a very blue collar and diverse town- Northlake, Ilinois. The numbers might suggest that we are an average school. With an median ACT score of 18, public perception probably agrees. But we don't let those numbers define us.<br />
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During the last 3 years, I've taught AP US History, a class that is regarded as one of the tougher classes in our curriculum. I've always been obsessed with numbers and judged our collective success or failure on our AP test results. After all, every AP teacher wants their students to perform well on the test and earn college credit. I do not mind bragging about my students' "numbers," because they deserve all the recognition in the world.<br />
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Tonight, I shared the test results with some of our students who were dying to find out their "number." One student in particular received a 4 instead of the 5 we both were hoping for. In all honesty, this student deserved a 5 and I was shocked she didn't get it. 4 is a great score, and almost every college in the nation is going to give her 6 credits for it. Even still, these numbers don't really matter that much.<br />
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Numbers don't measure the heart and desire of our students. If they did, and if they could, there wouldn't be enough numbers to calculate their unfailing drive for success.<br />
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When I first started working at Leyden, the school assigned me a mentor whose job was to orientate me to the school and answer all my questions. I used to tell Mike that, "I wanted to be him," as I respected his place in our community and his incredible rapport with our kids. Mike always responded by saying,<br />
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<i>"You don't want to be me, you want to be better than me."</i><br />
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The kids I taught these past three years were better than me - literally. I received a 3 on this test when I was in high school and since I started teaching this class, 63 of the 70 kids who took the test surpassed me. That sort of ceremonious "passing of the torch" has so much power that it brings me to tears. Yet, the true meaning of all this lies in something much deeper.<br />
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One of the foundational principles of my class is the phrase, "don't live life in the woulds," that is to say, do not regret any opportunity while in high school...I wish I would have...If I only would have...etc. I think this is a valuable life lesson that I learned, in many cases, the hard way.<br />
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I asked my student if she was disappointed with her "4" and her response was, "<i>It may not be the score I really wanted, but I wouldn't change anything about how the year went. I have no regrets.</i>"<br />
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This is her story. This is the way it was written and she's sticking to it.<br />
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Numbers will never tell the story of what kids learn in our classes. These kids went through the fire and came out the other end- not as a number, but as a better version of themselves. The narrative of every school year is riddled with bumps and bruises, highs and lows, and ultimately, the unending hope that our students "took" something from our instruction.<br />
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This is our story- forged from the drive to score that "number," the work ethic to read a 1200 page book, and the patience to learn together for 184 class periods. For better or for worse, its a story written with no regrets.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-16974360086900938652014-06-03T15:25:00.002-05:002014-06-03T15:41:07.918-05:00And Now For the Interview...Being engulfed by the "selfie" culture that we live in can prevent us from expressing gratitude for what we have. Whether I recognize them or not, there are countless moments during the course of the school year that should make me thankful for my job. Some of those experiences are annual and stand out more than others- like working the job fair or participating on an interview team.<br />
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Everyone has a unique story about how he/she was hired. And we are the lucky ones. There are plenty of job seekers in our field- and plenty of experienced professionals chasing promotions or changes that crowd our job market.<br />
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<i>The truth is, there was a time in our careers, when we were scratching and clawing to get to EXACTLY where we are now.</i></div>
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Since graduating from college, I have interviewed for 13 different jobs inside and outside of my district. I received three offers. I don't claim to be an expert on interviewing. I don't have a monopoly on the ingredients to land a job and my personal statistics prove that! I have gained, (I think), some perspective on interviewing and I think these 3 things are true:</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. There is no such thing as preparing too much, or too little. </span></b></div>
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I think you can play this both ways. For some positions, it's important to anticipate questions and rehearse how you would answer them. Especially if you applying for a position that may be a stretch based on your qualifications. For new teachers, understanding the basics about the district and becoming a "playful pest" to keep your name in the conversation is important.<br />
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I know I have been guilty of coming across disingenuous from being over-prepared, over-thinking the questions, and over-selling myself. That's why I think for some candidates, it is important to just talk conversationally. Exude quiet confidence and let your personality shine through. Less is more in some cases. Do some research to show your interest but stay true to yourself. Find a median of preparation that gives you the confidence to shine.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Interviewing is not a "results based" entity.</span></b><br />
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Evaluating the interview's success or failure by the end result isn't necessarily fair. I think you can blow away an interview committee and still not receive a job offer-if you aren't exactly what they are looking for. Sometimes you can answer all the questions perfectly and maybe another candidate was more perfect. You are likely competing against dozens of well qualified candidates. The point is, you never know exactly why they hire who they do. Don't worry about the result. Process the process, and give it your best shot.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Que sera, sera.</span></b><br />
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I am lucky to have learned from some of the greatest mentors a guy could ask for. My #savmp mentor was my coach throughout my last round of interviews. What we worked on may or may not have helped my answers, but it definitely impacted my mindset. Tony Sinanis helped me realize that if you want something bad enough, it will happen...eventually. I've kept every rejection letter and email I have received over the past 8 years. I promise it's not an OCD or acrimonious practice, but merely a reminder that if it's meant to be, it will be. Those jobs were not meant to be. Trusting this idea is the hardest thing to do, especially if you experience a professional disappointment or cannot break through with that first job.<br />
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Interviewing is an imperfect science. I suppose there are some wrong answers, but I don't know if there are right ones either. What advice would you give someone who was interviewing for their dream job?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-51730644034166267992014-05-13T21:08:00.001-05:002014-05-14T10:03:50.979-05:00History MattersI picked history because it was the subject I hated the least when I was in high school. I knew I wanted to teach. I knew I loved kids. I knew this was the right profession for me, but picking a subject area was the toughest part of getting started.<br />
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Luckily, in what I would consider a common experience for many of us, I fell in love with my subject matter because of a great teacher. It only took 20 years and countless hours of courses, but I knew what I wanted to teach.</div>
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Part of the allure of history and social studies, more generally, is how you can teach it. I feel for my math colleagues that are somewhat limited in how they can present their content. In social studies, almost anything goes. While we've been typecast as the "movie show-ers," and the boring story tellers, our discipline becomes more important and more relevant every day, in my opinion. The common core has tied social studies to critical thinking and writing skills that are crucial pieces of communication in life. The 1:1 initiative in many schools has opened so many instructional doors that its hard to keep up. The tech wave that's cresting was made for social studies. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnGyC9FqZYyR_Iu_21U9fGfM4g41AN41VVFkjFTGrtlRWU9rxnb-kHzWbJfI_bf7EYM2SMsdVDcLrvK91KtTV8TFW6ziAhLTfk2hkiBF7ka9TV0EFOQ-5rykhxU0lP2o6q47O20Bz-HE/s1600/1078-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnGyC9FqZYyR_Iu_21U9fGfM4g41AN41VVFkjFTGrtlRWU9rxnb-kHzWbJfI_bf7EYM2SMsdVDcLrvK91KtTV8TFW6ziAhLTfk2hkiBF7ka9TV0EFOQ-5rykhxU0lP2o6q47O20Bz-HE/s1600/1078-1.jpg" /></a>And while I've recently pushed my students towards current events involving the Donald Sterling tapes or the missing Malaysian airplane saga, I still come back to history. I love the strides social studies has made towards teaching what's really important for kids to know in the 21st century. We've replaced teaching the War of 1812 with the tragedy of September 11th. We talk about the Civil Rights Movement in context of the gay rights and immigration movements of today. We have to bring history to the present day and make it relevant for our students. Kids need those connections, but kids need history too.</div>
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I'm wrapping up my final year of teaching Advanced Placement United States History, a course that carries the reputation of being grudgingly difficulty and incredibly tedious. But in studying the highs and lows of our forefathers, I hope my students have felt the weight and importance of our country's past. </div>
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<i>History is rewarding. Dramatic. Restless. Puzzling. Romantic. Inspiring, And in some cases, unfair. </i></div>
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What a parallel to life. </div>
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Often times, we don't have to look far to find the passion behind what we teach. The importance of our subject matter and its relevance to who we are teaching gives us the answer every time. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-7502198119076234332014-04-27T21:02:00.000-05:002014-04-27T21:02:16.869-05:00It Takes a Village...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uLYAVZnrbotMPqtvwOQ0xFmKpt3NKqpbiIRFzB07W8duIBA20J8c460PpjCa9Hib2BR1-kjL-9QgpKn4RdSaUp-XM5_LXi8vhzKkoPOi4UtqWl2c4C7hl21ngM851yIZKA60vUUk2JM/s1600/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uLYAVZnrbotMPqtvwOQ0xFmKpt3NKqpbiIRFzB07W8duIBA20J8c460PpjCa9Hib2BR1-kjL-9QgpKn4RdSaUp-XM5_LXi8vhzKkoPOi4UtqWl2c4C7hl21ngM851yIZKA60vUUk2JM/s1600/image.png" height="320" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A screen shot of our GHO on my phone</td></tr>
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Today was another day circled on the calendar. Another obligation. Another family function. Another moment that I otherwise take for granted. We are fortunate to have such an amazing support circle and true to form, my son's baptism today was another outpouring of love from our family and friends.<br />
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There was something missing though. My sister, who now lives in Italy, is 8 months pregnant and obviously could not fly to be with us today. She and her husband are the godparents. So we did something no one would have dreamed of years ago- we had a Google Hangout and they were were able to see, hear, and share in our special moment. The church could hear them respond when our priest asked them if they were willing to accept responsibly for raising our son in the faith. There's power in that- being 4,651 miles away- yet still, connected.<br />
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We are very lucky and very blessed in so many ways. It shouldn't take moments like these to admit that. My son is fortunate to have a village of people raising him. Many of us can probably say the same thing about own own children and families. Unfortunately, for some families, this is far from the case.<br />
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I think about my students in times like these. I know for some of our kids, the school is their extended family. Their classmates function as their support circle. Some of their teachers act as mother, father, brother or sister. There's power in that, too.<br />
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Maybe it's easier that way. What if we all treat each other like they are a member of our family who is counting on our support. We could recognize that no family is perfect and that all families are different. Members of the family sometimes drift and we could pull them back in. Other's aren't in the family, but we treat them like the closest of blood relatives. But that's what family is.<br />
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<i>School is family- and it takes a village to raise the family's children.</i><br />
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Our school community doesn't ask for this service, we provide it for them. We owe it to our students to be "en loco parentis," and accept them into our circle of support. My personal priorities certainly are shifting these days as I spend a lot more of my free time taking care of my son. But I want to make sure that Diego, Jay, and Stephanie are taken care of- because in a sense- they are family too.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-78513460807752408092014-03-26T17:29:00.000-05:002014-04-14T14:50:22.179-05:00Every Student Deserves a Connection With Their TeacherMost teachers have a student prototype that makes this job really, really easy. For me, it's a student who does all their homework, asks amazing questions in class, plays sports after school, recites 90's movie lines, and tells me that they want to go to Marquette. When that student walks in my classroom, we already have a relationship and it's gold. <br />
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Few students fit that description. Many of my students don't do their homework or enjoy asking questions in class. Most of them could care less about sports or my movie lines. The truth is, the sooner I learned that my students aren't me, the better teacher I became. That's not to say I did all the work, but its more to say, relationships are created and nurtured over time.<br />
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I have a student this year that I share very little in common with...<br />
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On the first day of school, she visited me in my office to tell me a sob story of why she did not have her summer homework. She was terrified and embarassed. Usually when AP students don't do their summer homework after 11 long weeks to complete it, I'm already raising the red flags. <br />
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From that moment, she went about her work quietly and never said a word in class. Her grades on tests were above average and I could see that she was internalizing our system and benefiting from the dilligence to her work. I began to regard her as a serious contender for a 4 or 5 on the AP test, despite knowing all along, that I had invested very little in her success. I hadn't tried hard enough. I did not forge a relationship with this quiet, sweet kid. <br />
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A few months ago while grading her notebook, I wrote her a short note apoligizing for not getting to know her better. I told her how impressed I was with her work and how I wanted to be a bigger part of her journey to getting college credit on this exam. I told her I believed in her, because I do. I made sure she read my note. When she did, she shook her head and smiled. <br />
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Two weeks later, I was returning tests to my students. As I approched her desk, I looked at her score and was shocked. I handed her the scantron. She looked down and saw her score. It felt like that moment in the movie where the music stops and the audience is left hanging.<br />
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She looked up at me with the most amazing smile I've seen. We gave each other a high five and I turned away to avoid welling up in front of my entire class. For the first time all year, she acheived the highest score in the class. <br />
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<em>In many cases, we aren't teaching who we are, we are teaching who we aren't</em>. <br />
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And while we don't always have a lot in common with our kids, we can create commonalities and value success together. We share in each other's learning and collective success. This particular student of mine has taught me a lot more than I could ever teach her. <br />
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Maybe this is a story of neglectful teacher. Perhaps it's a nod to the power of a hand written note. Hopefully as you read this, you feel inspired to reach out to those students who you may not share a lot in common with. Students like her make me realize that if we are uncompromising about anything in our profession, maybe it should be- <br />
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<em>Every student deserves a connection with their teacher.</em> <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-57682859023725397132014-02-17T20:52:00.001-06:002014-02-17T21:02:50.507-06:00Student Driven Leadership<br />
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I recently interviewed with an independent agency whose goal was to find out what kind of leader I am. Through a series of what seemed like 60 questions, we spoke about various topics including handling disputes, navigating resistance, and how to motivate staff towards student achievement. I approached the interview with one goal in mind- keep the focus on the students. That's a very "teacher-y" answer, I know. As a school leader, sometimes its easy to lose that focus the further removed from the classroom we are and the more focused on managing adults we become. <br />
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Amber Teamann recently addressed this topic noting most of the decisions we make in schools are geared towards what is best for adults. She posed the following scenarios as evidence:<br />
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1. Master schedules are largely based on adult preference.</div>
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2. Some teachers will threaten to transfer if they do not get their classroom or schedule they want.</div>
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3. Administration will not address average or below average lessons for fear of rocking the boat.</div>
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4. Administration will look the other way if a teacher has poor methods but test scores are "fine."<br />
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If we look at our schools, we can probably find some evidence of decision making that is best for adults. There is nothing wrong with this. However, it's important that we continue to steer conversations back to what is best for kids. Here are three ways I think we can do it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Support the staff in any way we can.</span></b><br />
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The moment I experience some sort issue at school, administrators usually respond with, "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help." I appreciate that stance. A supported teacher or staff member has the ability to do what is best for their students. If our ultimate goal is to swing conversations back to what is best for kids, we have to provide the support and the structure to allow the adults to be creative in their own domains. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Motivate the staff to be the better versions of themselves.</span></b><br />
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As a teacher, I believe that successful academic outcomes start with motivated students. Often times, we have to create the energy and drive for our kids. I think the same applies for a school leader working with the staff. Providing positive reinforcement that is both personal and genuine goes a long way in motivating teachers. Teachers deserve credit for incredibly well designed lessons. We should acknowledge our staff when they run through a wall for our kids. We work in a profession of extraordinary effort. Our praise and encouragement of these efforts should be extraordinary too. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Manufacture contact with kids whenever we can.</b></span><br />
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Supporting the initiative of a student driven school starts by listening to the students. Leaders who are in touch with their students can fully understand the pulse and culture of the building. Like a stock, the culture of the building can trend up or down. Its important that school leaders can "hedge" the trend by showing a genuine interest in students' voice. I think this interaction has to happen with student leaders, but also with overlooked groups of students too. <br />
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By supporting and motivating staff and keeping a pulse on what students are saying, I think school leaders can continue to shift the pendulum from a focus on their building, to a focus on their students.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-44053667820521712202014-01-20T15:08:00.000-06:002014-01-20T15:10:32.700-06:00Patience, Evaluation, Reflection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In my opinion, the silver screen has experienced a huge renaissance in the last few years. Trying to decide which film I enjoyed the most between <em>Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, The Ides of March, Zero Dark 30, and the Hunger Games</em> is an exercise in futility. Most of those movies, however, are not the type I can watch over and over. <em>Moneyball</em>, the story of a small market baseball team, whose general manager tries to win more by spending less and maximizing his existing talent, is. <em>Moneyball</em> really makes me think. </div>
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Recently, I discovered a scene at the end of the movie that provides great insight into our profession and gives us some guidance towards better teaching and leadership. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/xn7C6jgl0RI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>When I first started teaching, I wanted to hit home runs everyday. I was blessed with confidence and new ideas from my cooperating teacher, and when I finally got my first job, I was ready to light the world on fire. At the end of that first year, I probably spent more of my time putting out the fires that I created. Even today, I think conscientious and ambitious school leaders want to create groundbreaking changes in our schools. We want to be the ones with the next pioneering idea that changes the game. If Steve Jobs and Bill Gates did it in their fields, maybe we could too.<br />
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<i>But in education, the most innovative changes often are enacted with patience, consistent evaluation, and most importantly, reflection. </i></div>
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Rounding first and heading for second might be something we have never done before. Experimenting with a new lesson can be frightening for a teacher just like presenting a new initiative might be nerve-racking for an administrator. Even professional development can be intimidating. When I first started using Twitter, I told my wife that this new commitment, "could easily take an hour of my time every day to do it right." <i>Talk about the fear of the unknown</i>. </div>
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<strong>The truth is- we don't have to hit home runs every day.</strong> </div>
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Educators who are patient with their students and adapt to the changes in education are exhibiting an important skill in our profession. If we consistently evaluate the effectiveness of our lessons or our initiatives and back it with strong evidence, we can be confident that our ideas are making a difference. Finally, through reflection and conversation, we can humbly assess what needs to change and how we can change it. </div>
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By doing so, we are going to hit plenty of home runs, and not even realize it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-82023049480792852542014-01-06T21:36:00.000-06:002015-07-24T15:51:22.982-05:00Don't Live Life in the "Woulds"<i>I've always felt that a teacher's relationship with their class was unique. The routines, the stories, the laughter, and the lessons are part of a special experience that only the people in that class understand. In the interest of transparency and sharing...</i><br>
<i><br></i>
<i>An Open Letter that I'm emailing my students this week...</i><br>
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APUSH,<br>
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As you know, we are starting second semester today. As you may not know, we are just 126 days from the National AP US History exam. While we have crossed the halfway point, I'm sorry to say that we are not gearing down. We are gearing up.<br>
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As we said at the beginning of the year, you signed up for something different. You signed up for a class that gives you a tremendous opportunity. You are a part of something bigger than just "us." In May, 400,000 students nationwide are going to take this test just like you. Your work, your dedication, and most importantly, "your consistency," will be challenged by some of the best students nationwide, and by the hardest test you can attempt.<br>
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On most nights, you will make difficult choices in how to balance your time. I totally understand. I know many of you are extremely committed to your families, extra-curricular activities, and of course, your classwork. I want to give you 3 bits advice before we start second semester:<br>
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1. This test rewards consistency.<br>
If you can do your notes well every night..if you can pay attention in class every day...if you can ask questions and challenge me, you, too, will be rewarded. This test is important for your future, but your score will not define you. We want you to earn 4's and 5's. We want you to be able to tell your parents that you just saved 6,000 dollars on your college tuition. But more importantly, we want you to build the habits that allow you to EARN success. Consistent habits help you earn success.<br>
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2. Believe in yourself.<br>
Did you know that the median ACT reading score in your class is a 19.8? That's average by national and state standards. Don't feel bad, all my classes in year's past are the same. Average. Just average.<br>
<i>But you are anything but average. </i><br>
If that number meant anything, very few of you would pass the test. 96% of Leyden students have passed this test in the last two years. You are doing everything it takes to be successful. Believe in yourself. I believe in you.<br>
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3. Don't live life in the "woulds."<br>
Not the w-o-o-d-s.<i><b> The w-o-u-l-d-s.</b> I wish I would have... If I only would have... I would have but...</i><br>
I didn't pass this test in high school. I wish I would have. When you get to college, your test score will matter. You will feel less pressure to finish in four years. You will get to take other classes that feed your passions. But when you get your score in July, you won't think about all that. You will feel pride. You will feel satisfaction. You will feel excited to email me to tell me all about it. What you won't feel is regret. Don't live life in the woulds. Continue to run through a wall for me and I will continue to run through a wall for you.<br>
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Welcome back! Let's do this!<br>
Mr. Sharos<br>
<br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-53376413334981769352013-12-28T23:21:00.000-06:002013-12-29T07:37:05.076-06:00A Connected Educator's "State of the Union"362 days ago, I published my first blog post. I don't know if I would call it a blog post. I might call it an essay since it really didn't have an audience. Jerry Maguire might call it a mission statement. You can actually call it whatever you want if you read it, <a href="http://3thingssharos.blogspot.com/2012/12/and-it-begins.html">LINK</a> - but buyer beware! I've received some feedback on my blog, both positive and negative. If I could say anything about the process, I would say, "Its been fun."<br />
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Processing the process is how we learn and grow. When I think about the process of becoming a connected educator, I can acknowledge my own growth, but moreover, I am in constant awe of how many creative, intelligent, and innovative people work in education. <em>There will never be enough zero's at the end of our paychecks to quantify the importance of our jobs, but there will always be reminders of the impact that we can have on the thousands of kids we work with everyday</em>. For me, becoming a connected educator reminded me of this. It centered me. It humbled me. It still challenges me everyday. And if I can reflect on anything I have learned as a connected educator in the past year, its this:<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">1. In any profession, connections matter.</span></strong> <br />
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I know I am preaching to the choir on this one. Connections probably matter more in the corporate or political world, but in education, I believe connections mean everything. The connections I have made through twitter and through my blog have been foundational in my growth as an educator. It's helped tighten my vision of leadership while widening my exposure to different ideas. If the old phrase, "<em>The smartest person in the room...is the room</em>," is true, then look at how big our rooms truly are. The connections we are making together are building better leadership and instruction in schools everywhere. Isn't that powerful?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>2. Our work is far from done.</strong></span><br />
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If we are the marching army of connected educators, we have yet to take the battlefield. A friend of mine told me last month, "Man, you sure tweet a lot. I can't believe how much time you spend on that thing." It is easy to push twitter because we believe in it. I think its harder to push the connections and the resources because those take some time, and many of us struggle with time. But our connectedness has power, agency, and authenticity, and we have to continue to promote all of that, albeit gently, so that others can feel it too. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>3. Every drain can become a fountain.</strong></span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZOM448AE05XloS10PPoZJ9p9bE0BQ3AGdE-LCr8F_uu6eAMPB54_9q1etG7EeD5_cdDRxQ8v5HGjvaIU-sJbqTJwP4RixB2r6OPdxPbuALFEyeooLO6dJEy38ousY-1_D5_V38VuOsM/s1600/drain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZOM448AE05XloS10PPoZJ9p9bE0BQ3AGdE-LCr8F_uu6eAMPB54_9q1etG7EeD5_cdDRxQ8v5HGjvaIU-sJbqTJwP4RixB2r6OPdxPbuALFEyeooLO6dJEy38ousY-1_D5_V38VuOsM/s1600/drain.jpg" /></a>In my infant stages of being connected, I was the drain and my mentors were the fountains. I was constantly asking <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonMMarkey">Jason Markey</a> if my blogs made sense. I tweeted <a href="https://twitter.com/gcouros">George Couros</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/casas_jimmy">Jimmy Casas</a> with hash tags that probably didn't exist. They knew I was just getting started, and I relied on those fountains to help me grow. I'm thankful for their encouragement and direction. The best way I can honor that mentor/mentee interaction is to continue to be a fountain for others as they begin their journey. Great leadership is recursive and evident in the leaders we create. When our web expands and our trees grow another branch, we are creating the exact power of connectedness that hooked us in the first place.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-5IB14H-1lTpWJritC5H-AiNbQYy0wHdQIy7SKfs2f23Q8TiVRxqzRI7ZT5zE00XMn4qDi85W6k0LjDbkSfRjfoy17dI8bPoTcBtliIPoKbqM7-b9_Z6CH4QgYfVKlNo8MninCZSbFU/s1600/fountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-5IB14H-1lTpWJritC5H-AiNbQYy0wHdQIy7SKfs2f23Q8TiVRxqzRI7ZT5zE00XMn4qDi85W6k0LjDbkSfRjfoy17dI8bPoTcBtliIPoKbqM7-b9_Z6CH4QgYfVKlNo8MninCZSbFU/s1600/fountain.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-5770592355782089562013-12-20T15:38:00.003-06:002013-12-20T15:46:30.619-06:00The PLN Blogging Challenge<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I am excited to be a part of a PLN blogging challenge that is sure to connect educators from all over. Today's blog will depart from the "3 Things I Know Are True" and focus on the challenge given to me by East Leyden Principal,<a href="https://twitter.com/JasonMMarkey"> Jason Markey</a>. Jason has been a huge part of my growth as an educator. We first met on May 2, 2007, the day I signed my first contract to become a teacher. Since then, I have admired Jason's growth and passion as a school leader and am proud to say he, and a Bears loss to the Packers in the freezing cold are the reasons why I have become a connected educator.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HERE ARE THE RULES OF THE CHALLENGE:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acknowledge the nominating blogger.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Share 11 random facts about yourself.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">List 11 bloggers. They should be bloggers you believe deserve a little recognition and a little blogging love!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they’ve been nominated. (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">1. I attended Marquette University</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">2. I was educated in the Catholic schools from kindergarten through college</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">3. My sister was an NFL cheerleader</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">4. I have coached golf, baseball, and basketball</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">5. My wife Lizzie is from Green Bay, which makes Sunday's tough</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">6. I make my own thin crust and deep dish pizza</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">7. I have never had a cup of coffee in my life</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">8. My Dad was a teacher and my Mom was a social worker, and both my sister and I followed in those professions respectively</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">9. My wife and I had 3 permanent addresses in 2012</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">10. My professional sports hero is Bo Jackson.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">11. U2 and Coldplay are my favorite bands. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Ok, now here comes the hard part. I have to answer 11 question's that my blog nominator has posed. Here we go...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. How has blogging and being “connected” impacted your practice?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am sharing ideas and being inspired by people from all over the world. I now receive self-directed professional development everyday and am in a constant state of learning. It has been a game changer.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. What is a blog post you have read recently that you would like to share with others?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is one of the most passionate blogs I've ever read from my mentor <a href="https://twitter.com/TonySinanis">Tony Sinanis</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://leadingmotivatedlearners.blogspot.com/2013/08/ode-to-paul.html" style="background-color: black;">http://leadingmotivatedlearners.blogspot.com/2013/08/ode-to-paul.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. What is your favorite food/restaurant? Tough one, maybe- "Smoque" BBQ in Chicago.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Why did you choose to be a high school, middle school, or elementary educator?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">High School is an incredible time in your life. I wanted to continue to be a part of the journey for and with my students.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. What is your favorite movie, book, and song?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Movie- Shawshank Redemption Book- <u>To Kill a Mockingbird</u> Song- U2- City of Blinding Lights</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. What is your favorite vacation destination? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hawaii- more specifically Maui</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. Where do you want to travel most that you haven’t been to yet?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could probably spend some time in Australia!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. What are you most proud of in your career?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Its probably not anything you can quantitatively measure. I think the success and happiness of my students after they leave high school makes me the most proud. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. iPhone or Android?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple. Think Differently.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10. If you had a superpower what would it be?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm flying for sure!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">11. If you could change one thing in education what would it be?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The way politicians, the public, and state measure what truly makes a school successful. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Below are 11 educators/bloggers that I am challenging to answer my questions. I respect all of them for making me a better educator and inspiring me to do great things.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. <a href="https://twitter.com/mmanderino">Mike Manderino</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. <a href="https://twitter.com/Teachbaltshaw">Jenna Shaw</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. <a href="https://twitter.com/TonySinanis">Tony Sinanis </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnFritzky">John Fritzky</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. <a href="https://twitter.com/JansenKristen">Kristen Jansen</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. <a href="https://twitter.com/chrilange">Chris Lange</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. <a href="https://twitter.com/jbretzmann">Jason Bretzmann</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. <a href="https://twitter.com/B_KOL">Brianne Koletsos</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial;">9. <a href="https://twitter.com/CSkrabacz">Chuck Skrabacz</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial;">10. <a href="https://twitter.com/OconCurtis">Jason Curtis</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial;">11. <a href="https://twitter.com/Jeff_Zoul">Jeff Zoul</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are 11 questions I have for my blogging friends:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. What is your favorite quote about education?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. What are you most passionate about in life?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. If you were having students work in groups, how many should the group have to be most effective?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. What is your favorite Sunday activity?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Which twitter chat is your favorite?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. Who inspires you the most?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. What advice would you give to someone interviewing for a job?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. What will classrooms look like in 20 years?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. Most significant historical event/sporting moment you've seen "live" in person?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">10. What is your greatest professional accomplishment?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">11. Best concert you have ever been to?</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-30619731166328891282013-12-15T09:09:00.001-06:002013-12-16T11:40:42.695-06:00Raised by the Old, Inspired by the NewI think the gap between the old and the young in education is as wide as ever. Anyone who is reading this can probably identify as one end of the extreme; and if honesty prevails- could probably stereotype the other end of the spectrum too.<br />
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Technology has rapidly changed the way we educate and inspire. Its hands have reached into the way we raise children and how we acquire higher levels of education. But technology has likely been responsible for the largest gap in teaching styles, leadership methods, and educational philosophy this profession has ever seen.<br />
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I would like to think of myself as a hybrid of the two, if that's possible. My father taught for 38 years, mostly during the "chalk" ages. Even though he retired just two years ago, I doubt he could elaborate on digital citizenship, online learning management systems, or standards based grading. At the urging of my Dad, I clung on to veteran teachers when I first started. I loved hearing stories about the "old days," long before I arrived. I was honored and humbled to be included in their conversations.<br />
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At the same time, I struggled to lecture for 45 minutes like they did. I was bored re-using the same lesson I used the year before. I had to start putting my instructional plans online. I wanted my students in the computer lab to create and explore. <i>I couldn't teach the old way</i>. That's not to sound holier than thou- because I didn't really know where I was going as an educator- I just knew I would be running the whole time. Meeting inspired educators and leaders had a lot do with this. Tweeting and blogging contributed too.<br />
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<i><b>In the end, I was raised by the old but inspired by the new. </b></i><br />
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As perplexing as that may be, I am often reminded of how similar the two really are. The week before my Dad officially retired, he wrote an email to the faculty at Schaumburg that contained the four things he really believed about teaching:<br />
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1. You have to love your subject matter.<br />
2. When it comes to discipline and grades, you have to be fair and consistent.<br />
3. When problems arise, you'll never make a mistake when you err on the side of the student.<br />
4. Most importantly, you have to love kids.<br />
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Think about that. Those four ideas are about as relevant as ever in education today. I read similar rhetoric from my PLN on a nightly basis via tweets, blogs, and edchats. Being inspired by the new also means honoring the work that has come before us. Instruction may be changing. Who we are instructing may be changing, but we cannot change our love of teaching and our love of kids- that remains the same.<br />
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<i><b><br /></b></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-4365153877993030382013-11-20T17:10:00.001-06:002013-11-20T17:18:58.403-06:00The Purpose of SchoolI was a little later than usual to school this morning. When that happens, I inevitably get stuck behind a yellow school bus that drops off 60 kids near the side entrance of our building. While today's frustration of waiting for the bus to empty wasn't new to me, the thoughts I had while it happened were. I watched each kid get off the bus in a single-file line, like cattle, and trudge into the building at 7:03 AM. I'd imagine that the school bus ride in the morning was a little quieter than in the afternoon. It's almost as if the kids had a business-like approach to them when they got off the bus, one by one, like they do every...single...day, like they have for years, year, after year, after year. <br />
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Its the "mundane-ness" of school that gets us in trouble as educators. It's the status quo that bores me. One of my favorite colleagues always says, "It's how we've always done it," is an unacceptable justification for anything. So what, then, are we doing here? Why do we put kids through this? What motivates us as educators to keep reinventing ourselves or our classes? <em>What is the purpose of school?</em><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1.</span> <strong><span style="font-size: large;">School helps kids find out who they are</span></strong><br />
I guess that's really easy for me to say since I became an educator myself, but the truth is, most people will find their passions by the time they graduate high school. Our school has an obligation to foster those passions and provide opportunities to feed them. My favorite question to ask teenagers is, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" If "I don't know," is the answer, I think we have to talk about that with our students. <em>The schools that focus on what their students are passionate about are the best schools.</em> During the most formative years of their lives, the school can drive their students' sense of self and purpose. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">2. School remains "In Loco Parentis"</span></strong><br />
I'm not a scholar of Latin nor could I tell you what the 1960's were like, but I do know that schools have historically been tabbed, "in place of the parents." How much time do we spend in our schools working on curriculum that will never matter in our students' real lives? From an elementary or middle school standpoint, almost everything we do in schools matters in building the foundation of thinking, reading, writing, and expressing. I get that. But we argue about minutia, methods, and assessment when we could be focusing on real life skills that a parent would want their child to learn. What values are we teaching our kids through our "hidden curriculum?" How do we teach kids how to be responsible citizens? Do we teach kids how to consume media or ways they can make a difference in the world? This is what a parent does, or should do. If schools are "in place of the parents," shouldn't we put a premium on teaching these things too?<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">3. School isn't the real world, but shouldn't it be?</span></strong><br />
How we evaluate our students' work is really hot topic today. The truth is, we love the "real world" comparison and we use it with our students all the time. And in the real world, I don't know if I am in the 97th percentile of teachers or the 37th percentile of teachers. I do know, however, that I can perform the job. Shouldn't kids get a basic feedback from their school whether or not they can do the job? A salesmen knows if he met his quota. A stay-at-home Mom can tell you she was effective that day. <em>Schools have to prepare kids for the real world and their system has to be reflective of real world evaluation.</em> Beyond the curriculum and the skills, we have an obligation to make school innovative and exciting. Because each day, there are 1,800 cattle being herded into our building, and we owe it our students to make school purposeful. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-89089953507604276962013-10-16T19:35:00.002-05:002013-10-16T19:46:05.440-05:00Time Well Wasted<br />
In today's fast paced and ever changing world of education, one constant in our field is the need for more time. Administrators juggle it. Students are trying to figure it out. Teachers beg for it. Me? There are some days I wish were 25 hours long, but I cannot say I think about "time" too often.<br />
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My wife and I recently completed (hopefully) a really bad stretch of funerals this year, low-lighted by losing both of her grandparents within two months. I was reminded of Grandpa's death yesterday at parent-teacher conferences when I found his funeral card in the suit I was wearing. Though few negative emotions compare the finality of death, funerals get me thinking about "time" more than I ever do.<br />
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Remember when they told you that your lesson must last from "bell to bell?" Seven years ago when I first started, this was a big point of emphasis and even today, I try to make sure that my classroom is productive from start to finish. I understand why this is a principle of best practice and classroom management.<br />
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But I have to say, I think some of the best teachers allocate their time a little differently. I've observed teachers who sing or dance in front of their class. Others teachers will spend 10 minutes every Monday asking the students about their weekends. One of my colleagues hosts "cookie Friday." There are plenty of ways to skin that cat, but none of them really fall in line with "bell to bell" teaching or something Charlotte Danielson would be proud of. Yet, by "<i>wasting</i>" those 10 minutes, I find that some teachers are able to make the other 35 minutes of class even more productive. Moreover, students are drawn to the classroom experience they are getting with those teachers, and feel compelled to work even harder because of the connection and relationship that teacher has forged.<br />
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When I reflect on someone's life as I've had to do several times recently, I come back to how they spent their time. How we spend time is a reflection of our priorities and a statement of who we are. Beyond our faith, our family, and our friends, I think time is our most valuable asset. I don't mean to sound holier than thou by writing that, because I believe it.<br />
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We have 45 minutes in a class period to model skills, teach content, facilitate discussion, encourage innovation, foster creativity, and do everything else our teaching rubrics tell us to do. But we also have 45 minutes to encourage our students' passions, to invest in their talents, and be the best part of their day. We are the guardians of the future generation and we bear the responsibility for the <i>academic and non-academic futures</i> of our kids. Do we use that time well? Or do we '<i>waste</i>" that time well? Either way, it reinforces what an asset time truly is.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191910346116436659.post-84644549332522712092013-10-06T21:02:00.003-05:002013-10-06T21:02:39.825-05:00Buzzwords: ModelingI think I am at my best as an educator when I am in the trenches learning with my students.<br />
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I feel funny sitting in a desk with a scantron in front of me. Picture, "Buddy the Elf" sitting in a midget sized desk. That's <i>me</i>. Even the students in the class took awhile to get used to it. But there was a method to the madness I suppose, and I feel like I was contributing to one of the biggest and baddest buzzwords in education today.<br />
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Modeling.<br />
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I made the decision three years ago to be a <i>student</i> with my students. Once I established order in my classes early (I hope) in the school year, I start to weave my way into group work, singling out a partner who needs my help. I take all of our tests with my students and point out my mistakes, too. I never grade papers alone. I read my students work with them, side by side after school, and agree with them on a grade. All of these activities afford me the chance to model best practices in reading, writing, and thinking.<br />
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As a teacher, I think its easy to see the benefits of modeling academic and non-academic behaviors for our students. We cannot expect our students to reach certain objectives without seeing examples of what it looks like. But as an administrator, I think modeling becomes paramount in creating the culture and work environment that we envision.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Modeling work habits will help you pass the "eye-test."</span></b><br />
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Show up early. Stay late. Dress professional. Be on time for meetings. Work diligently in all that you do. For those faculty and staff who do not interact with you on a daily basis, this is what they will see. At the very least, you will pass the "eye-test." Moreover, this gives a school leader the opportunity to model basic work habits we expect from everyone.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Stand with your staff, not in front of them.</span></b><br />
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Modeling is the driving force behind any school initiative. So when a strong idea is making its way through the school, a great leader doesn't push, they pull. At our school, our administration has really encouraged our staff to become connected educators through Twitter and personal blogs. It hasn't really been dictated to us, but it has been modeled. When someone is doing great work with a tool that I am not using, I want to use that same tool. In this case, modeling the initiative became a motivating factor for me to begin. Great leaders <i>do not</i> constantly remind me that they are in charge but great leaders<i> do</i> remind me that we are in this together.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Administrators can model their decision making, too. </span></b><br />
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No decisions are made in a vacuum and school leaders should make sure their staff knows this. We ask our teachers to make curricular decisions as a a team. We ask our head coaches to collaborate with the staff of their program. We even ask our students to run their clubs and activities together. So as school leaders, shouldn't we model decision making as a democratic process? Its a fine line between, "being in charge, and empowering others," and I understand that. But I think there is true power in allowing others to hold a stake in important decisions for the school community. If we model, others will create, initiate, and collaborate. And in that moment - we find our vision unfolding exactly as we modeled it.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11993565169293403455noreply@blogger.com0