Committment

You need at least 6 7 minutes to watch and read this post.

Commitment to animals
I saw this video on Facebook shared by Deven Black  So cute that you have to watch it before reading the rest of this post.

Yes, you need to watch it now.

The first thought in my head was, "What commitment was given to this puppy! Do children get the same dedication and attention?
Sadly, I say NO! Many don't even get enough to complete one of this puppy's four 15 minute sessions in a day.

Commitment to our children
So, how do we as teachers give our students the attention they need?
Shouldn't we already know to do this? Do we do it?
If not, why not and don't give me the "there is no time!" excuse.

Let me expound a bit. I know of a little boy whose parents didn't play nor interact with him much. He talked a lot and that was the way he was engaged. Each parent had their own priorities and did their own thing when they wanted to. The little boy did play with his toys and with others at school but soon had a hard time fitting it and began making poor decisions. This moved to academic issues of not being on grade level and required a tutor to catch him up. Parents were not happy but knew something needed to change. That change had to start with them.

Does this sound familiar? I hope not, but if you are a teacher, it does.
Parents, take time to be with your children. Not just nearby, but be there with them. Get down and play with them. Participate in their games. Use silly voices like they do. Why? because it shows you really care about them and what they do. Continue to do this and they will respect you as they grow up. Be there for they and they will share everything (hopefully) with you.

Teachers, take the time to get to know every student. Yes, all +/-190 of them. It shows you care for them. 
"No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship." ~James Comer
This is so true and I know you have seen it. Make the effort to smile, give a kind word, eat with one student a day, or at least talk to them about something other than school. It will show you know they are there and you might know their name. They will remember you for it and will learn from you.
Part of my discipline plan is the relationship I have with students. Almost every morning, at the classroom door, I shook every student's hand and said Good Morning, how are you this morning?" I required a response other than "Fine", or "Okay", or "Good". They knew and know I cared for them. No idea how many possible behavior incidents I stopped by doing this. I also did it because I knew I had the first adult smile for them that morning. They still miss me and tell me so when they see me, years later.


Part of my professional development strategy is to connect with teachers before I try to show them anything new. I know they are overwhelmed or not interested but I wedge my foot in their door and try to squeeze into their world. It has worked well for many people and not worked for many others. But at least they all know I care for them and their professional progress.

"But one of the things that we never discuss or we rarely discuss is the value and importance of human connection . . . relationships." -educator Rita Pierson

We have to change this, today.
Make it a part of who you are and what you are known for. They won't remember the math lessons or the apps you shared. They will remember how you made them feel.

What will you do to make a difference in a life this school year?

Teacher and Sous Chef

Warning: Written while hungry.
I was invited over to a friend's house for breakfast and to help put a resume online for his wife, a nurse.
While waiting for breakfast, Bob mentioned he was a picky cook. He was meticulous in the preparation of the food and wanted to make sure every piece of the meal was the best it could be.
If course, I drew a connection. Teachers cook. They cook lessons. How do they do cook? They make their own lessons, beg borrow and steal from other lessons they find in all kinds of places.
Now the question I have is do they do their best in every lesson? Do they take the time to make sure it addresses all the necessary aspects of learning?
Making lessons is cooking. What kind of food are you feeding your students?

Leadership Reflections circa 2011 and now

The thoughts that follow were written over a year ago. Current ideas will be italicized.
I love my job and my team. (I had to make sure you know that.) The assistant superintendent assigned her department personnel to work with a school throughout the district.
At first, I loved the idea. Since coming into education, I've wanted to be a part of a school to help it become better. Not necessarily in an administrative position, but to be a support role with administrative guidance. After planning with the awesome group of admins at my assigned school, a few facilitated meetings with teachers, and debriefing meeting with the admins, I've come to the realization: I have so much to learn even though I've been in education for more than 10 years!
Leading people, more precisely adults, is different than leading a group of children under the age of 12. Did I mention these are teachers? (bird walk coming) I went to college hearing that college teaches you to think more broadly and provides background for your future career. No kidding! I've used more processes than I care to think of. (end bird walk)
In my final project and research paper for my Master's, I researched the impact of use of interactive whiteboards in classrooms. As you guessed or already knew, there wasn't much research completed by 2007. So, part of my reading lead me to deal with teacher beliefs and attitudes. With every new initiative that is implemented, buy-in has to be near, if not, 100 percent for it to succeed (if not get off the ground).
Have you ever thought, "Why does it have to be so high?" Teaching/training is a personal act. Generally speaking, those who do it because they enjoy it immensely. Not one teacher will do the same lesson plan in the same way even if they have the same group of students.
Teaching is an expression of the heart. (Another bird walk) So maybe all the talk of proper education reform is really a discussion of how to treat people in such a way that they feel safe to make decisions that affect our future society. (end)
In a leadership debriefing session, we figured out there is something(s) in the way of teachers adopting a proven method of thinking. This method of thinking requires intentional planning, forethought, action, and reflection on the process. In periphery it also requires collaboration, clear communication, and intrinsic motivation. The teachers do these things every day, but may not be completely cognizant of it. But I'm sure 90% do not complete every step when planning where a lesson, unit, or their academic year is going.
I have three questions for my district teachers bouncing around in my head beg for real answers. Not a pat, cliche' laden answers. Authentic answers that come from the heart. Answers that are longer than one or two sentences because the children and you deserve more.
Why are you a teacher?
Why are you spending your time leading children down a path of education which you may or may not be confident is a great way to go?
Do you feel empowered to follow your our heart and be true to it while doing your job?

I still have these questions and am open to your answers.

Why I Stay

I read this article that Melissa Lim @actionhero tweeted out:
10 Reasons Your Top Talent Will Leave You - Forbes ow.ly/mYJld via @milobo and it got me thinking. (very dangerous)

At the time of much movement and cuts in positions and reorganization of staffing, schools, and districts, I have asked myself, Why do I stay?
It's not like I haven't had plenty of opportunities to do so and haven't explored them. I have and none panned out, but I haven't asked why. I think I know. Let me explain.

1) I love working with children. Actually, I love the innocence they have and the thrill of learning new things and then being silly enough to use it ad nauseum. They do it because they want to really know it. I find adults are the same way. You give them a new tool and they fixate on it until they understand it. I love seeing that process and being able to partake in it.

2) I love working with adults. Yes, it does get annoying when I answer the same question from 40 different people, but none of them know the answer and that is why they ask. I like seeing the processes they go through to incorporate new ideas into their already-stuffed heads. I had the opportunity to show a colleague the features of Google Hangouts. She needed an alternative to getting substitutes for teachers and thought an online component of PD would work. She was over the moon when I shared Hangouts. We walked through the features I knew and what we could access on the district network. She gave constructive feedback on our time together: Focused objectives, technical enough to describe the tools and still be willing to try it on her own, very humourous banter, and enough information to still be excited to use it. Very rewarding feedback.

3) I love what I do. In high school, I was the IT department and grade level tutor. In my family, I am the resident all-round geek. So, it is not new to blend IT and CI, hardware and software, tool and application. I love the not-knowing-why-something-doesn't-work then trying to figure it out. I love working with those who don't know why they can't do something, but after many questions and probing what they do know, THEY figure it out. That gives me a thrill and a sense of satisfaction that is beyond compare.

4) I strongly dislike change just to change. Moving would have hampered the progress that I have made with many teachers and stunted the growth of educational technology in my district. (bold of me to say so? Yep!) I have a role to play and I need to make sure that without a doubt I am done with it and I can't do any more. I don't have that feeling yet. Have I wanted to give up? Yes. Have I felt as though I have nothing more to give? Yes. Is there more to do to help students and teachers be better in whatever they do? Yes.
It is not time to move.

As summer ends with two Arizona K12 Center Camp Plug and Play sessions and ISTE 2013 under my belt and the invitation to present at a fall conference, I have gained a confidence I haven't had before. It also helps to have an awesome district EdTech team and an unofficial mentor who pushed me to do my best this last school year as well as a new group of people who believe in me.

Without those things in place, I couldn't say this and believe it:

I make a BIG difference. 

I matter

I AM DANGEROUS

Do you believe in yourself?
If you don't, no one else will.