New Initiatives: 10 Stages of Acceptance

If you are a teacher, this scenario may sound all too familiar.  You arrive at the designated meeting location on the opening day exercises of the new school year.  You spend time catching up with friends and colleagues, smiling and ready to take on the world.  You feel great because you have spent time over the summer reflecting and preparing for the upcoming year.  Then it happens, your district introduces a new initiative.  You begin to panic and look around the room.  Is this really happening?  The pit in your stomach grows as summer vacation suddenly becomes a distant memory.

If you have been in education for even a few years, you have probably experienced something like this already, and most certainly will again.  Relax, you are not alone! Change can be difficult but it can also be good (see Change Can be Good). The process of coming to terms with seemingly impossible demands is different for everyone, but recognizing your feelings is a good place to start.

• Shock:  “We have to do what?!”
• Denial:  “They can’t really expect us to do this, can they?”
• Anger:  “I can’t believe they are doing this to us!”
• Resistance:  “There’s no way I’m doing this.”
• Acceptance:  “Fine, I guess I have no choice.”
• Learning:  “OK, I kind of get it.”
• Experimentation:  “I tried it,this is pretty good.”
• Practicing:  “I am getting much better at this.”
• Mastery:  “This is great, I’m on a roll now!”
• Sharing: “It’s easy, let me help you with that!”

What are you doing in your daily practice now that once caused stress and anxiety?

What Teachers Need to Know but May be Afraid to Ask

The other day while on a walk with the family, my 10 year old asked us to solve the following riddle, “Mary’s mother had four daughters, their names were April, May, June, and what was the fourth daughter’s name?”  He smiled knowingly while the rest of us paused to consider the question and attempt to solve it.  Of course it’s one of those questions that you know the most obvious answer is the wrong one and the correct answer is right in front of you but you don’t see it.  When someone is new to the profession, or even just new to a building or position, there will be many questions and often time’s people are afraid to ask for fear the answer is right in front of them.  As you walk down the freshly waxed hallways this September and see the faces of your new colleagues, remind yourself that what is obvious to you may not be to them.  The fourth daughter is named Mary.

• What does that acronym stand for?
• What assessments am I required to give and when?
• How do my colleagues and fellow staff members prefer to be addressed in the presence of students?
• How do I get the supplies and materials I need?
• What protocols are followed if I am having a volunteer or guest speaker visit the classroom?
• Are there any passwords I need to have? (Copiers, printers, laminators, computers, tablets…)
• Who are the individuals I need to introduce myself to as soon as possible? (Custodians, secretaries, specialists, department heads, technology director…)
• Where is that room located?
• What committees should I consider joining?
• What traditions exist?

10 Aha! Moments I Experienced at the EdtechRI Technology Un-conference (Spoiler alert: None of them have anything to do with technology!)

Today was a very special day.  No, it wasn’t my birthday or anniversary and it wasn’t even the start of a long weekend.  No, it was special because I was part in an amazing learning community.  I’ll save you the trouble of looking at the date, it is August 2 and it is summer vacation.  This was not a district mandated professional development and no money or course credits were exchanged.  Nevertheless, nearly 60 educators from over 12 districts in 2 states descended upon the Barrington High School Library to learn about technology…from each other.  No presenter, no agenda, no assignments, no rules.  The tablets, smart phones, laptops, and netbooks were aplenty and much technology was shared.  For this list however, I am choosing to focus on a few other things I learned today.

• It’s important to broaden our professional learning networks to individuals outside our own districts
• When learners are given choices they are active and engaged (even adults!)
• When you are given permission to “not know everything”, you relax and become a better learner
• Teachers think about school in the summer…they really do
• Teachers embody the phrase “life-long learner”
• Educators of all grade levels and any content areas can and should learn together
• Shared leadership is a wonderful thing
• Collaboration is vital to success (for more on this check out http://goo.gl/FhSKea)
• We all have something to contribute
• Stepping outside your comfort zone can get pretty comfortable

Special thanks to http://teacherahamoments.wordpress.com/ and http://writesolutions.org/blog/

10 Useful Leadership Tips as Demonstrated by 80’s Sitcom Icons

Yes, I am a child of the 80’s, and I watched a lot of television back then.  I had no idea that the characters I grew up watching would offer insight into well, anything.  In an effort to justify the endless hours I spent in front of the television, I’ve come up with 10 examples of leadership traits found in some iconic characters from a time when skinny ties were in and every kid had a Rubik’s Cube.

• Be the voice of reason

Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) from Happy Days may not have gotten the attention that the Fonz did, but at the end of the day, it was his level headed nature that was the moral compass for the rest of the characters.

• Display a caring nature

Edna Garret (Charlotte Rae) was more than just a housemother at a boarding school on The Facts of Life, she was also everyone’s friend, confidant, and role model.

• Show common sense when making decisions

Judge Harold T. Stone (Harry Anderson) was faced with many ridiculous cases as he presided over his Night Court, but always seemed to weigh all the factors and make the best decision.

• Tell a story to make your point

The highlight of almost any episode of Golden Girls was when Rose Nylund (Betty White) told one of her stories, something many effective leaders are adept at doing to illustrate a point or create a mood

• Be confident

ALF, or Gordon Shumway as he was known on Melmac, owned whatever room he entered, whether on his planet or ours.

• Collaboration is essential

Laverne DaFazio (Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) from Laverne & Shirley were nothing alike, but each week they managed to get into and out of trouble by working together.

• Think outside the box

Bosom Buddies was only on the air for 37 episodes, but  Kip (Tom Hanks) and  Henry (Peter Scolari) spent most of them in women’s clothes in order to live in an affordable apartment, be close to the woman of his dreams, and gather material for a book.

• Be personable and quick witted

Who could ever forget when Norm Peterson (George Wendt) entered Cheers?  He was greeted with a chorus of “Norm” and answered with a clever retort before taking his corner seat at the bar.

• Set goals

Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox) knew what he wanted from the moment he was born, wealth, and spent every minute trying to get it on Family Ties. 

• Lead ethically

Governor Eugene Xavier Gatling (James Noble)from Benson may not have been the most conventional governor, and perhaps he was even a bit dimwitted, but he lead with his heart in the right place.

Did I miss any of your favorites?  What decade did you grow up in and what did you learn from those characters?

Vending Machine Education: 10 Selections that will help reach all learners

Taking courses this summer has been rewarding but not without its challenges.  The classes are longer and meet more frequently, my family is out doing “summer” things, and the hours unfortunately overlap with what is usually dinnertime.  My classmates are too polite to say anything but I know they hear my stomach growling.  At a break during a recent class I stood before the vending machine trying to decide what would subdue the monster in my belly.  Crunchy?  Chewy?  Salty?  Sweet?   All I had to do was push a letter followed by a number and I would be given exactly what I needed.  I imagined the implications for education if we could do the same for our students. Then it hit me, in some ways we do have that ability.  Through differentiated instruction practices and by tapping into student’s multiple intelligences we support their growth every day.  Of course choosing and providing the means to do it is not that convenient, but what if it were?  Here is what my vending machine would look like.

• C-1 Cooperative Learning: The perfect snack for those who can share their treats with others
• T-2 Technology: A taste so great it is sure to go viral
• I-3 Independent Work: Sometime you just want to be alone and indulge in a decadent treat   
• A-4 Arts:  A creative delight sure to be one of a kind
• S-5 Sports/Movement:  This healthy bite will give you a boost of energy and get you moving
• L-6 Listening:  Bite into this crispy bar and you will hear that delicious crunch even before you taste it
• P-7 Performing:  Feel like a star when you pop these creamy morsels into your mouth
• W-8 Writing: Rich, milky, delicious, mouthwatering, and scrumptious are just a few words to describe this goody
• R-9 Research:  Made from an array of mystery ingredients that will leave you searching for the answers
• E-10 Experimentation:   A “make your own” snack full of surprises and discovery

Reflective Questions for Consideration: Part II – Summer Edition

Back in March I posted a list of reflective questions meant to generate thinking about decisions teachers make on a daily basis (http://www.littlebitsofadvice.blogspot.com/2013/03/reflective-questions-for-consideration.html). With summer upon us, now is the time to pose questions that provoke action and will build upon last year’s experiences.   The truth is that it’s much easier to ask these questions than answer them, but with one more check of the rear view mirror you will be ready to set your sights on next year.

• Are there any technologies I need to become familiar with?
• How were my relationships with parents?
• Have I reviewed the standards that will be used for my evaluations?
• Are there any professional development opportunities that I need to take advantage of?
• Does my room (the physical space) need to be changed to better suit the needs of my students?
• Has my district adopted any new initiatives I need to familiarize myself with?
• Do I need to make any changes to how I began my school year?
• Were my classroom policies and procedure in line with the school’s overall vision? 
• What was by biggest hurdle last year and how will I overcome it?
• What professional resource will help improve my practice?

10 Educational Doctrines Likely to Never Change

I was recently on a bus trip to New York with some childhood friends, a few of which I hadn’t seen in over 25 years and none of whom are teachers.  During the three hour ride we of course reminisced about our time with Mrs. Goodwin in fourth grade and Mrs. Cunningham in fifth.  We surprised one another by throwing out names we hadn’t spoken in decades and shared what we knew about where they were today.  The more we talked about our school lives in the 1970’s and 80’s the more I realized that our teachers hadn’t the faintest clue about what the world they were preparing us for would be like.  As educators, we are now charged with the same responsibility.  How will we do?  I like to think that we are more informed and better prepared having been a part of this incredible time of change we are living in.  Our world is smaller, the stakes are higher, and I chose to believe that our future is brighter than ever.  No matter what happens, there are some things that will never change.

10 Educational Doctrines
Likely to Never Change

• When students are engaged in learning, discipline problems disappear
• Motivation increases when learning is authentic
• The harder you work for students, the harder the students will work you
• Asking for the specific behaviors you desire is more effective than admonishing the behaviors you want to eliminate
• Proving students with clear and specific feedback will help guide them to success
• Children are more likely to believe in themselves when they know someone else believes in them
• Every learner is capable of at least one thing, trying their best
• Mistakes don’t exist if we learn from them
• Modeling is the most powerful tool accessible to us at any time
• We learn and are able to think more when we are happy and feel safe