Kent City Schools

Last week Jim Jones and I conducted a very successful three day workshop titled, "Designing Classrooms for Children with Behavior Problems." The teachers loved it...the administrators loved it. In the fall these teams will be setting up separate classrooms, (elementary, middle school and high school levels), to serve children considered to be emotionally disturbed. We're very proud of the curriculum. I wrote a manual to accompany this training. If your interested in purchasing a copy, email me and I'll send you the details.

Stimulus Money: How to Be a Good Steward of These Dollars

One hundred billion dollars…that’s BILLION with a B! States and local school districts are being given this one-of-a-kind, one-time-only opportunity to make an unprecedented impact on what should be our nation’s most important resources; our children.
So, what are we going to do with all that money? Is it possible we can put aside our differences, politics and biases in order to meet Secretary Duncan’s mandate to dramatically improve public education…To spend this windfall in programs and activities that need not result in future recurring expenses? I believe it’s possible, but it will require public education to behave in a manner that is totally against its nature.
For example, it’s a fact that education is the “slowest to change” of all national institutions second only to the Church. It took us more than 50 years after the “bell” system was invented to signal the beginning and end of classes before schools made this a common practice…50 years!? And we expect public schools to be able to use one hundred billion dollars wisely…before September 2011!!! That’s a very tall order.
Effective professional development should be a significant part of this project. Making that happen isn’t so easy. Just so you know, many districts have fewer than two or three days a year in which to provide staff with training and learning support. Of those days, mandated training eats up most of it. There are some districts that the unions have negotiated to reduce the number of professional development days to practically zero and/or staff are only required to be at their buildings 15 minutes before classes begin and 15 – 30 minutes after. Try setting up a decent workshop or inservice in these time slots. In fact, try setting up meetings for staff and parent collaborations. This is a reflection of how staff members perceive the value of past inservice training.
The 40th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of American’s attitudes toward our skills indicates that, while school funding is the top priority and concern for the 6th year in a row, school discipline comes in second. When classroom teachers are polled, one of the most frequent topics they continue to request is classroom behavior management. Both in regular and special education, educators need to focus on evidence-based practices to decrease disruption and increase achievement. In other words, if they are spending much class time keeping kids from hurting each other, their ability to really teach so that every child learns is seriously impacted.
So those of you in your district that make the decisions about training, GET A CLUE. Good training is no more “set-and-get” than it is good teaching. Invest in experts that not only know their stuff, but know how to present to adults in such a way that ultimately a positive difference occurs for your kids.

The Teacher is the Key-Day Three

Marcel Proust said, "We don't receive wisdom; we mus discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us."

The Teacher is the Key-Day Two

The teacher can be compared to an adept conductor of a symphony orchestra. H/she directs each musician in order to bring forth the best from the individual. h/she does so in a way that the group as a whole becomes greater than the sum of each part. In the end, the educational experience in and of itself becomes unique; influenced by content, but equally colored by context.

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The Teacher is the Key-Day One

Teachers influence students to make a difference in their lives. They can arouse passion for thinking and learning, or they can become the reason a person believes h/she will never succeed.

The best equipped classroom in the early years does not necessarily ensure a good education. Bricks, mortar, and creeping ivy do not make a great university...It is the men and women who teach who are the key to an effective education.

Teaching is an awesome responsibility which should be given only to the most dedicated individuals. In the ideal world, there is no unprepared, reluctant, or indifferent teacher. The teacher must be secure, vibrant, productive, informed and caring. The teacher must help students succeed, not fail.

The teacher must be the master of his discipline. His passion and enthusiasm for his area of expertise should be real and apparent to his/her students.

The above was written by the best teacher I've ever known in 1992: Dr. Clara R. Chiara. What do you think?

The Teacher is the Key-Introduction

My Aunt Clara was the consummate teacher. Her parents were Italian immigrants (rumors are my Grandfather was fleeing from a little incident in Sicily with the "Black Hand" aka the mob!). Born in 1910, she broke all the stereotypes of her era by attending Miami of Ohio, graduating top of her class in 1932. After graduation, she returned to the Cleveland area and taught Junior High School. She LOVED her kids, she LOVED her profession. She LOVED learning.

In the late 1930's and 40's, my Aunt attended THE Ohio State University and earned her doctorate after which she took a position at Western Michigan University in the Teacher Education Department. She taught Philosophy and for 27 years became an inspiration to a generation of dedicated educators.

Aunt Clara died in 1994, but before she passed she wrote a final essay on the state of the institution she loved so much and dedicated her life to; public schools. The essay was titled The Teacher is the Key. I will be proud to share her insights with you in subsequent postings.

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My "Luggage" Principle

My husband and I often travel. The worst part for us right now is packing. With the additional charges for second pieces, I try to fit everything into one case. However, there is a trick to it; all the big stuff must be put in first. The smaller stuff can fit around it. You know what I mean. It's easy to tuck a shoe, a t-shirt, underwear, etc. into the little nooks and crannies that are formed by your make-up case, your extra jackets, etc. Makes sense?

Did you ever consider this "luggage" principle when it comes to your work? Everybody is always wishing there were more hours in a day, but what about those nooks and crannies of the day that consist of wasted minutes? My particular pet peeve is waiting for others to arrive for a meeting. I can't tell you how many times I've sat ten, even fifteen minutes waiting for folks to arrive. What do you do in that time? Here's some suggestions:
-Keep a file with you of "Stuff I want to read" articles. This is the stuff that you see in a professional journal or magazine that you swear you'll get to, but never seem to have the time.
-Take a "Breathe Break". Research shows that a person's stress level can be significantly reduced by focusing on breathing for just 2 or 3 minutes at a time two or three times per day.-Take notes and make lists like "To Do's", or even better "I've Done". "I've Done" lists help you focus on the accomplishments, not what's still on your plate.
-We never have time to write a little note of encouragement to somebody. Emails don't always have the same impact; we get too many and our inbox can be just another source of stress. Write a note just to say thanks.

These are just a few ideas I have though of recently to help with my "Slight Edge" resolution. What are yours?
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