I Draw My Strength from You

As is my habit, I was listening to NPR on my way to school this past Monday.   You might remember that the temperature was below zero and the wind was blowing.  Jim White had made his much anticipated call, and we were delayed—again.

We live close to school, so it’s a very short drive to work.  Even in those few minutes it took to navigate the frozen roads to Olio and 126th, I discovered that the news, like the weather, was mostly bad: On top of all the other atrocities, we now have evidence that ISIS is recruiting and using child soldiers; the recent storms have knocked out power over wide sections of the South; and our state legislators continue to battle over education—with our schools and students caught in the crossfire.

Photo from NPR

As I pulled into our parking lot, Morning Edition changed the tone of the reports, and in the process, they changed my attitude for the day.  In order to celebrate the tenth anniversary of StoryCorps, Steve Inskeep was revisiting some of his favorite recordings.   For those of you unfamiliar with StoryCorps, it is one of the largest oral history projects ever attempted.  They have collected over 50,000 interviews, and the collection continues to grow.

The particular story that drew my attention last Monday was recorded originally in 2012 by Wil Smith (not the movie star!) and his daughter, Olivia.  Together, they retold the story of how Wil had entered Bowdoin College as a 27 year-old freshmen.  Besides his age, something else distinguished him from other college students:  At Bowdoin, Wil attended classes, played basketball, lived in the dorm, and worked nights, all with his infant daughter accompanying him everywhere.  He even carried her across the stage at his graduation ceremony.

I found myself sitting in my car out in the parking lot so I could hear the end of their story.  The wind chill was subzero, but this story both warmed and moved me.  Wil ended this recording by saying to Olivia, "I draw my strength from you.  I always have, and I still do.”

Olivia and Wil from StoryCorps

If you possibly can, please take a few minutes to listen to their story.  It is simultaneously uplifting and heart-wrenching and well worth your time.  Use this link.

StoryCorps: Wil and Olivia

Life can be discouraging, and it is often unfair.  The Smith story is testimony to that fact, but it also testifies to something more.  In the midst of the all of the bad news, when we stop to look and listen, we can find examples of lives lived fully, lived with love, and lived in ways that bring hope even in the midst of tragedy.

Wil Smith appears to have lived one of these lives.

Thanks for all you do, HSE.  My hope is that you also find this story inspirational and can draw strength from the examples of Wil and Olivia.

Phil

• “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”  --Lao Tzu
• “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.  It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”  --Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
• “Strength does not come from physical capacity.  It comes from an indomitable will.”  --Mahatma Gandhi

Frameworks and Foundations

Several weeks before the winter break I wrote about the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia and the book that documents their efforts, Authentic Learning in the Digital Age.  At the time, I indicated I thought we could learn from their work.  One key component of their efforts is what they call the “Learning Framework.”

 A framework is not prescriptive.  It does, however, provide guidance and insight and could inform our efforts as we prepare for next year when all students will have in their hands a computer or tablet.  Here, in brief, is their Learning Framework, with a few comments about connections to HSHS:

• Shifting the Emphasis from Content to Skills: They state at SLC, “When education is content-based, the primary skill being practiced is memorization.”  Technology makes basic content incredibly easy to access.  Our primary efforts should be on understanding the deeper connections and contexts that give the facts and figures meaning, and not on memorizing facts.
• Allowing for Constant Engagement: Phil Schlechty’s advice on engagement fits right into this piece: The higher the engagement, the deeper the learning. In UbD terms, engagement makes the difference between knowing and understanding.
• Democratizing Learning: The authors state, “In a traditional gatekeeper classroom model, the teacher must impart all relevant knowledge to the students personally because the teacher is the expert in that subject.”  In the SLA model, teachers no longer serve as the sole source of knowledge.  The role of the teacher is less about lecture and much, much more about assisting students in their quest toward learning.  This is the heart of inquiry- and project-based learning.
• Connecting to the Real World: SLA says, “Instead of just observing what takes place beyond the school walls, students can now contribute to current movements, debates, and initiatives.”  This is the heart of authentic performance tasks in UbD.
• Simplifying the Back-End Work: With technology, materials can be distributed electronically.  At SLA, making copies and taking time to hand them out in class is a thing of the past.  Grading is done, for the most part, electronically, and all scores are updated and accessed directly by students.  With BYOD, we will also have this capability.

Our work on Understanding by Design, High Probability Engagement Strategies, Inquiry- and Problem-Based Learning, Authentic Assessments, and HSE21Initiatives all take us down the same road being traveled by SLA.  In the book’s forward, Chris Lehmann reminds us that the journey is not always easy and it is essential to do the work in a caring environment:

The work we do, while we take a lot of pride in it, often still feels like work.  There are days, like in any school--or any community really--where we get frustrated or don't feel good about what we are doing or feel like we are failing.  But that is where the ethic of care really comes into play.  And when you are asking people to do the hard work of authentic, empowering learning, that care is essential.  The work people at SLA do is hard.  It is taxing.  It is frustrating.  And yes, it is exciting and awesome, too, but without a caring community to get you through the hard parts, many of us--including me--would fall short of many of our goals.

Our task ahead can be daunting, but we can certainly learn from those who have gone before us and not only have survived, but have thrived.  For now, I think you can take some assurance from the idea that the much of our work over the past three years has given us a rock solid foundation on which to build.

Phil

A few closing thoughts:

• "It's not the beauty of the building you should look at; it's the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time."  --David Allan Coe
• "Whatever good things we build end up building us."  --Jim Rohn
• "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him."  --David Brinkley

It Is What It Is

It is what it is.  I’ve written before that I find myself saying this old truism often, and this past week more so than ever.  Open the Indianapolis Star, turn on the radio, or watch the evening news, and I guarantee you will see and hear another round of the ongoing skirmishes between Governor Pence and Glenda Ritz.

This week while I was working with a great group of HSE junior high teachers, I was asked for my opinion about the testing brouhaha.  That can be a dangerous question in this political climate.  My response may at first seem flippant, but it is not.  I told them, “It is what it is.”

Early in my administrative career, a very wise man advised me to focus my efforts and energies on those things I could control and influence and not to waste much of my time and effort on those things over which I have no control.

Whether we like it or not, we don’t have much control or influence over what is taking place downtown.  Certainly, we can and should write letters, contact legislators, and vote wisely.  As you know, these actions have some influence, but battle lines are so firmly set, that we are not likely to change hearts and minds in the next few weeks and months.

That doesn’t mean, however, that we are powerless and have no options.  There are things that we do control, and I suggest we focus on these.  None of this is new, but sometimes a little reminder is helpful:

• Take care of our students.  Students are often used as pawns in these political battles, with each side claiming to be acting in students’ best interest.  In theory, that sounds great.  In practice, many of our students feel the pressures being placed on them.  We are on the front line daily.  We interact with students daily.  We are in the best position to know our students’ needs and to help our students.  Our students should continue to be our primary focus.
• Take care of each other.  In political battles taking place at the state and national level, teachers and public schools are often blamed and disparaged.  It is all too easy to take the attacks personally and to become discouraged.  We need to name this reality and make sure we are aware of those around us who need extra support.  Some days you can provide the support, and some days you will need support.  If we don’t give it to each other, who will?  There is no better help than that given by someone in the trenches with us day in and day out.
• Take care of yourself.  I don’t know how you find ways to care for yourself.  Personally, I know there are times I need laughter, and I need to do something completely away from school. More often, I simply need to remind myself of another of our family sayings: “You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.”  It is a way of telling myself, “This is the world we live in.  It has lots of good, but sometimes it stinks.  Get over it, and do the best you can.”  For a while, we heard a lot of hype about the Seattle Fish Market and the FISH Philosophy.  I don’t remember all the details, but I do know one part was Choose Your Attitude.  I believe this to be true: We do have control of our attitude.  Some days I need to choose more consciously and more wisely.  If this doesn't work for you, I hope you find an approach that does.

The bottom line is that high-stakes testing in Indiana is in disarray.  Another reality is that as educators we are not independent contractors.  We are paid to do the best job we can and follow the guidelines coming to us—even when they are confusing or even contradictory.  So we will do that, and we will do it professionally and thoughtfully.  While we are at it, we will also take care of our students, take care of each other, and take care of ourselves because at HSE and across the state, we are educators.  And this is what we do.

Keep fighting the good fight, HSE. 

Phil

New Tricks

Several weeks ago, the title of my memo was “How Do You Know?”  It was about the difference between learning declarative and procedural knowledge.  Specifically, it was about what we were doing with our professional development time as we prepare for next year’s BYOD initiative and continue to work on the HSE21 Best Practice Model.

In response to that email, Kathy Sherman hit “reply” and responded.  I have her permission to share parts of our correspondence.  Many of you know and love Kathy.  For those of you who don’t, Kathy has been at HSE for a little while.  She has seen the school morph from a small rural school in the bucolic Hamilton County countryside to becoming one of the largest schools in the state, situated in one of the fastest growing communities in the nation.  Kathy is our World Language Department chair, and I think it is safe to say, she doesn’t consider herself to be technologically savvy.

That is part of the reason I enjoyed her emails so much, and I thought you might as well.  Here, in part, is our email conversation:

From: Sherman, Kathy
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2015 7:15 PM
To: Lederach, Philip
Subject: Re: From B106: How Do You Know?

I worked with my 3 Honors classes On Google Docs. They are turning in a project using Google Docs for Tuesday. They understand that it is a new learning for me and we are working on this together. I will let you know how it goes….

From: Lederach, Philip
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2015 7:22 PM
To: Sherman, Kathy
Subject: Re: From B106: How Do You Know?

Who is this and how did you get into Kathy Sherman's email? J

Can't wait to hear how they did.  You made my day, Kathy!

Sent from my iPhone

From: Sherman, Kathy
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2015 2:22 PM
To: Lederach, Philip
Subject: RE: From B106: How Do You Know?

Did you feel the earth shake during 4^th or 6th period today?

I am feeling pretty good with this Google Docs thing.  My 4^th period helped me maneuver around some of the finer points—making the picture larger, backing out of one presentation to another, etc.  But almost all students turned in the presentation via Google Docs—only a couple of glitches. 

I have been able to make comments about the presentations and return them to students. 

I know I will try it again.—maybe even with my 1^st year kids.  “No se aventura, no gana el mar (Nothing ventured nothing gained!)”

I feel like I have gained a bit of technology savvy today! 

This is a great example of how learning actually happens.  It doesn’t take place all at once, but it certainly involves taking risks and moving out of our comfort zones.  It is what we ask students to do all of the time, and, just like Kathy, it is also what we need to model. 

Photo from Glenn Hervieaux

Kathy sent one more email reflecting on her experience:

After hearing the “glories of Google Docs” touted to me like words from a preacher in a revival tent, I decided to brush away the black cloud of technology that hangs over my head.  With the help of several department members (especially Liz Rose), I sought the help of my Spanish 3 Honors students to develop a project using Google Docs with their HSE Google accounts.  We spent part of one period just making sure everyone had their HSE Google ID.  I asked some students to try and send me some practice files, and we set up a folder for the class.  I am sure these seem like super simple steps for many, but….

On the day the project was due, all but one student was able to send me their projects—no paper involved!  I was able to pull up each student’s report quickly, project the picture on the screen and listen to the presentation while I followed along the written copy they had included in their Google file!  No one had to give me flash drive, take time to go to Blackboard, search my e-mail, etc. 

I know this was a small step, but the success I experienced makes me want to try again.  I may even tackle an assignment with my Spanish I students.  An old dog can learn new tricks! 

Kathy, there are many good reasons you are loved by so many students and staff at HSE.  You are a rock solid teacher, you constantly give the gift of humor and laughter, and now you show us the importance of continual learning.  Gracias por todo lo que hace usted.

Have a great week, HSE.  Thanks for all you do.

Phil

“Learning makes you to stay forever young.  Commit yourself to lifelong learning.” 

--Lailah Gifty Akita, Ghanaian teacher, scientist, and philosopher