Appreciation and resilience...
This last bit of reading was really hard for me to comment on. I know that telling you all that we appreicate all the tremendous hard work that you do doesn't get it done. In life it is the actions, not the words, that truly tell the story. I didn't get on here to try to give everyone a venue to tell Vickie or I how fantastic we are. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. I don't want people to tell me what they think I want to hear and so trying to put something together for the appreciation chapter was very difficult. Because of that I'm pretty much going to try to let the actions of the past several years hopefully speak louder than the words that I can peck out here as I sit at the computer.
I didn't post this on time because I didn't post last week's on time, so I wasn't sure if anyone would try to "knock out" their responses to two of my posts if they were back to back, but then a funny thing happened. Sometimes my procrastination works in ways that are enlightening to even me. Hopefully my procrastination doesn't hurt me in that people think it's over and there won't be any responses to my post.
I'm going to take a chance by trying to address the resilience topic when all the waters aren't totally calm. I love the quote at the begining of that chapter by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
There are going to be times in life, and in this little microcosm that we all live in called the education profession, where things get rough, either directly personally or indirectly as the whole educational profession seems to come under fire. Know that when you persevere through the thick and the thin, an ultimately do what we do - put kids first - that things have a way of working out. The rough patches smooth over. Sometimes decisions are made that are bigger than any one of us, and it may be difficult to see from all perspectives on a single issue. If any of you get the Columbus Dispatch you probably have a good idea of some of what I'm talking about. Right now, education is getting hammered in the press.
See some of the articles from today's paper:
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/02/13/copy/gop-proposal-means-big-changes-for-teacher-contracts.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
If you really want to get fired up, read some of the posts that people responded to that article:
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/dispatch-politics/T7IM5252KBM97776E
or this article...
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/02/13/copy/columbus-must-fix-worst-schools-or-lose-millions.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
The point is, education is changing at a very fast pace, and I'm not sure that all of it is being done with a whole lot of careful thought by those who are forcing these issues about the actions and consequences of what they are trying to do to the profession. Our governer has some very interesting ideas about what he would like to do regarding collective bargaining and education as a whole, but my point is, when things get tough we need to band together and be resiliant.
Know that you have the support of your peers to work through the tough times. You are encouraged to take risks that are for the benefit of our students. Be creative. Be responsive to your kids needs. Be engaging. Be enthusiastic. Feed off of the kids energy and they will feed off of yours.
I challenge you in this last post to offer one bit of advice for each other. The last two posts of mine have had a twinge of negativity to them to point out that in the darkness it is always easiest to see the light. Offer up one or two suggestions to your peers to lift them up. These can be cliche' or straight from the heart, elloquently spoken, or straight shootin'
I want to thank you all for perseveing with me through my "timeliness" and for giving me reason after reason to come back to see what the next person said. Talk about lifting each other up, as Ron Clark says. I have once again learned from this blogging experience - in differently ways than what I thougth I might - but the one unchanging piece through all of this is that I get to work with amazing people every day. I know I don't let you know how much I appreciate you nearly as often as I should. Through all of the gunk in our lives together, You are what makes the education field the very best there is.
Thanks for letting me be a part of what you do on a daily basis.
Dave
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Vickie's Question - Week #6 - Last week :)
I first want to thank everyone for joining in the blog(s) this year. I truly believe that we have all learned a lot from each other.
This week you should have finished the rest of the book. Something important that I took out of the closing was...
"One teacher really can make an impact that will inspire children and motivate them to touch the people they meet in their lives with compassion, appreciation, humor and love."
"One teacher can spark a child to seek adventure, to have confidence, to take risks, and to truly try to make the same impact on others that was made on them."
You are impacting and changing lives every single day.
This week, instead of asking questions I would just like for you to give overall feedback on the book, ask any questions that you would like answered and give book suggestions (titles) for future book studies if you have any.
Thanks again for participating. I have learned a lot from each of you.
Vickie
This week you should have finished the rest of the book. Something important that I took out of the closing was...
"One teacher really can make an impact that will inspire children and motivate them to touch the people they meet in their lives with compassion, appreciation, humor and love."
"One teacher can spark a child to seek adventure, to have confidence, to take risks, and to truly try to make the same impact on others that was made on them."
You are impacting and changing lives every single day.
This week, instead of asking questions I would just like for you to give overall feedback on the book, ask any questions that you would like answered and give book suggestions (titles) for future book studies if you have any.
Thanks again for participating. I have learned a lot from each of you.
Vickie
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Vickie's Question- Week 5
Appreciation and Resilience
The two chapters you are reading this week (or atleast commenting on this week) were both very good chapters. As I read the chapter on appreciation there were many times that I had questions in my own mind, like ... "Do I do that?" , "Do staff members know just how much I appreciate them?", Do parents feel appreciated", etc. As much as I enjoyed reading the chapter, I have found it very difficult to ask questions about it. If I ask you if you feel supported/appreciated by your administrator (whether that be Rick, Dave, Diana, Eric, Matt or myself) I am not sure what kind of honesty we would get with your names attached to your responses.
Before going into any kind of question, I want to let you know that I truly appreciate all that each one of you do. Both chapters talk a lot about how educating children is very difficult, but you all do it with such ease. You are all wonderful at what you do and I know that comes with a lot of effort, time, stress, and much, much more. One goal of mine when coming into administration, is to always remember what I felt like as a teacher. There were times (in 15 years) that I didn't feel appreciated and I promised myself to put showing appreciation at the top of my to do list. In the past 1 1/2 years, every time Dave and I ask for volunteers, we always get a lot of staff members willing to help out. I am not sure that all administrators could say that. If you are in the elementary building, I hope you feel valued and appreciated by both Dave and I. We truly value and appreciate you and are very thankful to work with such a wonderful staff.
Now for the questions...
I am mainly going to focus on Chapter 10 (Appreciation) although some of it does overlap with Chapter 11 (Resilience).
Ron Clark breaks this chapter into 3 sections that I want to focus on.
1- How can Administrators Show Appreciation for Teachers?
2- How Teachers Can Show Appreciation for Parents
3- Tips for Superintendents
The first two questions are mainly to help the administrators in our district grow. If we know what makes you feel appreciate it is easier to know what we need to do to get better or even know what we are doing right. The third question is mainly to share ideas that others can use.
Question 1-
Give two or three ways your administrator (principal) can show you appreciation. This could be something that is already being done, or something you wish could be done. Make it almost like a top 2 or 3 list, although I know there are many more that could be listed. If you have a good story (from any administrator) or more details that you want to share, feel free to do so.
Question 2-
Give two or three ways Mr. Smith can show you appreciation. Same as before, it is almost a top 2 or 3 list.
Question 3-
What do you do to show parents that you appreciate them. I would like for this question to be something that other teachers/staff members can learn from. I have seen staff members do things that really show parents appreciation and I actually think we could list more great ideas than Ron Clark even put in the book. This question is your chance to share.
Thanks for the wonderful discussions that are happening every week on the blog. I know that we are all learning a lot from each other.
Have a GREAT week!
Vickie
The two chapters you are reading this week (or atleast commenting on this week) were both very good chapters. As I read the chapter on appreciation there were many times that I had questions in my own mind, like ... "Do I do that?" , "Do staff members know just how much I appreciate them?", Do parents feel appreciated", etc. As much as I enjoyed reading the chapter, I have found it very difficult to ask questions about it. If I ask you if you feel supported/appreciated by your administrator (whether that be Rick, Dave, Diana, Eric, Matt or myself) I am not sure what kind of honesty we would get with your names attached to your responses.
Before going into any kind of question, I want to let you know that I truly appreciate all that each one of you do. Both chapters talk a lot about how educating children is very difficult, but you all do it with such ease. You are all wonderful at what you do and I know that comes with a lot of effort, time, stress, and much, much more. One goal of mine when coming into administration, is to always remember what I felt like as a teacher. There were times (in 15 years) that I didn't feel appreciated and I promised myself to put showing appreciation at the top of my to do list. In the past 1 1/2 years, every time Dave and I ask for volunteers, we always get a lot of staff members willing to help out. I am not sure that all administrators could say that. If you are in the elementary building, I hope you feel valued and appreciated by both Dave and I. We truly value and appreciate you and are very thankful to work with such a wonderful staff.
Now for the questions...
I am mainly going to focus on Chapter 10 (Appreciation) although some of it does overlap with Chapter 11 (Resilience).
Ron Clark breaks this chapter into 3 sections that I want to focus on.
1- How can Administrators Show Appreciation for Teachers?
2- How Teachers Can Show Appreciation for Parents
3- Tips for Superintendents
The first two questions are mainly to help the administrators in our district grow. If we know what makes you feel appreciate it is easier to know what we need to do to get better or even know what we are doing right. The third question is mainly to share ideas that others can use.
Question 1-
Give two or three ways your administrator (principal) can show you appreciation. This could be something that is already being done, or something you wish could be done. Make it almost like a top 2 or 3 list, although I know there are many more that could be listed. If you have a good story (from any administrator) or more details that you want to share, feel free to do so.
Question 2-
Give two or three ways Mr. Smith can show you appreciation. Same as before, it is almost a top 2 or 3 list.
Question 3-
What do you do to show parents that you appreciate them. I would like for this question to be something that other teachers/staff members can learn from. I have seen staff members do things that really show parents appreciation and I actually think we could list more great ideas than Ron Clark even put in the book. This question is your chance to share.
Thanks for the wonderful discussions that are happening every week on the blog. I know that we are all learning a lot from each other.
Have a GREAT week!
Vickie
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Dave's Question - week 4 - Confidence Humor & Common Sense
Confidence, Humor & Common Sense...
Let me first apologize profusely for getting so far behind on this. Vickie was on me about getting my post up on Monday (exhibit number 33,956 that I should just listen to what she says without question) and then we were off Tuesday -Thursday (which coincided with me being sick as I have been in quite some time) and I stayed home on Friday even though everyone else was back because I have/had strep throat and hadn't been on medication for a full 24 hours (of course I ran into Jessica at Kroger on Thursday while I was getting my prescription filled and as she approached with Unie I told her that I didn't want her to come any closer because I have strep. Poor Jessica...protective mother...she looked like I just told her I had bubonic plague. Probably not funny at the time, but now that I'm trying to think of what to write about on the topic of humor, confidence, and common sense well...you get the picture. Here it is 10:50 on Saturday night, and I finally peeled my butt out of the now somewhat permanent dent in the couch where I have been most of the week because I finally feel halfway decent.
Now...what was it that I actually intended to say once I got on here?
On humor...I won't spend much time on that topic because Vickie hit on it pretty nicely, and more importantly, you all responded with some great questions and comments. Great conversations. Brought a smile to my face, although there is no one here to see it as I type up in my office in the dark. If you can't laugh at yourself in whatever it is you do, I think that job would be terrible. I think I've learned not to take myself nearly as serious as I did when I first came to North Union, and I think that has made me a better leader and hopefully has helped somewhat with the overall feel that we have going at the elementary. I know I love it there, and there is rarely a day that goes by in the office anyway where one of us doesn't say something totally inappropriate about and to each other (in a loving way). We have a ton of fun up there and it really has made quite a difference as far as I am concerned.
Confidence...
I love the quote at the beginning of that chapter by Henry Ford. Actually, I think I may have used it in a weekly update at one point. "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." I love this so much because it really summarized everything that we need to strive for in education and as people, really. If we want to be Excellent with Distinction we have to believe that we will do it without doubt right down to the very core of our beings. Obviously there is work that comes with that belief. If the Wright brothers just believed that their contraption was going to fly without doing all the behind the scenes work and they just shoved something off a cliff and hoped for the best, they probably wouldn't be famous for anything (yes I know that they didn't fly off a cliff, but it helps with my illustration) If you believe that our students will accomplish great things that belief comes from a true trust in yourself that you've done everything humanly possible to give them the greatest chance for success.
Caution: Before you read any further, please note that this part is going to challenge you in ways that I don't think I have done before.
Common Sense...If I had any, I probably would stop right here. :-)
Well, I don't know that I am the right person to be preaching on that subject! Actually, the thing that I think I want to say about common sense is this. This really is what I feel like is the biggest issue in education today, not just at North Union Elementary, or North Union Local Schools or Central Ohio, or Ohio, or the Midwest, but across this nation. Set your personal feelings aside before you read ahead on this one because this is not an attack on anyone that I know, but a statement about what I think that many people think public education is as a whole.
The students we have today are not the students that we had 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. We HAVE to teach kids in a different fashion in order for them to learn what is going to be needed. Teaching implies learning. There are things about our current students that drive me crazy. My own children fight like cats and dogs over who can have my Droid smart phone when I'm home because they think they have to be constantly entertained. The fact of the matter is, they are different that what we might desire for them to be, or long for "how kids used to be" but we have to respond to that with teaching that is different than what it was in the past. Differentiation is probably the biggest natural response to how we address this, but think outside of our little bubble. Do you believe that in inner city Cleveland there is a whole lot of differentiation going on? Cleveland Metropolitan Schools met 2 of 26 indicators on the 2009-2010 report card. The graduation rate in 2008-2009 was 54.3% I point this out because it is very intentionally FAR outside of our "neighborhood" but don't you think there are just as many promising kids in Cleveland as there are in Columbus? Common Sense says that we have to get to a place in public education where we are doing something differently that does not allow or stand for that kind of results.
The last part of this post has been very intentional to get you to see what people outside of education see of education. To make you a bit uncomfortable. To challenge your thinking. They don't see the cozy little North Unions of the world. There is a lot of talk nationally right now about how education is failing our kids. There are movies about it. I want to warn you that if you choose to follow these links you may end up very mad about how education is being portrayed - but that is exactly why I'm putting it out there for you. You need to know what you are up against nationally. There maybe isn't this feeling locally, but our local "world" is part of this much bigger national issue.
Youtube clip for "The Cartel":
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gzIfTmD8UUc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>.
Youtube clip for "Waiting for Superman":
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKTfaro96dg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
My challenge to you in this post is this, and it is no small task...offer one or two "common sense" suggestions that need to be put in place in education as a whole that will help turn this tide.
Let me first apologize profusely for getting so far behind on this. Vickie was on me about getting my post up on Monday (exhibit number 33,956 that I should just listen to what she says without question) and then we were off Tuesday -Thursday (which coincided with me being sick as I have been in quite some time) and I stayed home on Friday even though everyone else was back because I have/had strep throat and hadn't been on medication for a full 24 hours (of course I ran into Jessica at Kroger on Thursday while I was getting my prescription filled and as she approached with Unie I told her that I didn't want her to come any closer because I have strep. Poor Jessica...protective mother...she looked like I just told her I had bubonic plague. Probably not funny at the time, but now that I'm trying to think of what to write about on the topic of humor, confidence, and common sense well...you get the picture. Here it is 10:50 on Saturday night, and I finally peeled my butt out of the now somewhat permanent dent in the couch where I have been most of the week because I finally feel halfway decent.
Now...what was it that I actually intended to say once I got on here?
On humor...I won't spend much time on that topic because Vickie hit on it pretty nicely, and more importantly, you all responded with some great questions and comments. Great conversations. Brought a smile to my face, although there is no one here to see it as I type up in my office in the dark. If you can't laugh at yourself in whatever it is you do, I think that job would be terrible. I think I've learned not to take myself nearly as serious as I did when I first came to North Union, and I think that has made me a better leader and hopefully has helped somewhat with the overall feel that we have going at the elementary. I know I love it there, and there is rarely a day that goes by in the office anyway where one of us doesn't say something totally inappropriate about and to each other (in a loving way). We have a ton of fun up there and it really has made quite a difference as far as I am concerned.
Confidence...
I love the quote at the beginning of that chapter by Henry Ford. Actually, I think I may have used it in a weekly update at one point. "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." I love this so much because it really summarized everything that we need to strive for in education and as people, really. If we want to be Excellent with Distinction we have to believe that we will do it without doubt right down to the very core of our beings. Obviously there is work that comes with that belief. If the Wright brothers just believed that their contraption was going to fly without doing all the behind the scenes work and they just shoved something off a cliff and hoped for the best, they probably wouldn't be famous for anything (yes I know that they didn't fly off a cliff, but it helps with my illustration) If you believe that our students will accomplish great things that belief comes from a true trust in yourself that you've done everything humanly possible to give them the greatest chance for success.
Caution: Before you read any further, please note that this part is going to challenge you in ways that I don't think I have done before.
Common Sense...If I had any, I probably would stop right here. :-)
Well, I don't know that I am the right person to be preaching on that subject! Actually, the thing that I think I want to say about common sense is this. This really is what I feel like is the biggest issue in education today, not just at North Union Elementary, or North Union Local Schools or Central Ohio, or Ohio, or the Midwest, but across this nation. Set your personal feelings aside before you read ahead on this one because this is not an attack on anyone that I know, but a statement about what I think that many people think public education is as a whole.
The students we have today are not the students that we had 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. We HAVE to teach kids in a different fashion in order for them to learn what is going to be needed. Teaching implies learning. There are things about our current students that drive me crazy. My own children fight like cats and dogs over who can have my Droid smart phone when I'm home because they think they have to be constantly entertained. The fact of the matter is, they are different that what we might desire for them to be, or long for "how kids used to be" but we have to respond to that with teaching that is different than what it was in the past. Differentiation is probably the biggest natural response to how we address this, but think outside of our little bubble. Do you believe that in inner city Cleveland there is a whole lot of differentiation going on? Cleveland Metropolitan Schools met 2 of 26 indicators on the 2009-2010 report card. The graduation rate in 2008-2009 was 54.3% I point this out because it is very intentionally FAR outside of our "neighborhood" but don't you think there are just as many promising kids in Cleveland as there are in Columbus? Common Sense says that we have to get to a place in public education where we are doing something differently that does not allow or stand for that kind of results.
The last part of this post has been very intentional to get you to see what people outside of education see of education. To make you a bit uncomfortable. To challenge your thinking. They don't see the cozy little North Unions of the world. There is a lot of talk nationally right now about how education is failing our kids. There are movies about it. I want to warn you that if you choose to follow these links you may end up very mad about how education is being portrayed - but that is exactly why I'm putting it out there for you. You need to know what you are up against nationally. There maybe isn't this feeling locally, but our local "world" is part of this much bigger national issue.
Youtube clip for "The Cartel":
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gzIfTmD8UUc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>.
Youtube clip for "Waiting for Superman":
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKTfaro96dg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
My challenge to you in this post is this, and it is no small task...offer one or two "common sense" suggestions that need to be put in place in education as a whole that will help turn this tide.
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