Spring Cleaning

The tradition of spring cleaning has a long history.  Back when people used wood or coal to heat their non-insulated homes, houses were closed up as tight as possible over the winter. So, the first warm day was an opportunity to empty the house of its belongings and clean.

A lesser known aspect of spring cleaning was that it was also a time to celebrate life for those who survived the winter.  Without modern day medicines and hygiene knowledge, many illnesses and deaths occurred during the winter months.  How might we use this idea in education?

I think about my own district. We’ve made it through a very tough winter.  Not only was the weather brutal (sub-zero days on end, 8 days of no school, etc.), but we navigated professional learning in our first year of work with the Instructional Framework based in The Art and Science of Teaching.  Along with this came a new teacher professional growth/evaluation tool.   The learning this year stretched us in many good ways, but it required an extraordinary amount of mental energy. 

One of the pieces we focused on this year for our students was to “celebrate success.”  While we did a great job with this as it related to our kids, I don’t think we did it nearly enough for ourselves.  As we head into our spring break, the weather is finally giving us a glimpse that the brutality of winter may be done.  With warmer temperatures and more sunshine, I think we should celebrate the success of our administrators and teachers in all of their new learning this year.  It is hard and challenging, but we know that it is best for kids. 

Every professional, no matter whether that field is business, law, or medicine (just to name a few),  must continually keep learning the new, research-based changes in their sphere.  Professional educators are no different.  To achieve and remain at a mastery level, there is always continual learning.  There is always continual risk-taking.  There is always continual growth.  At times it can feel exhausting, but there is no shortcut. 

I’m proud of my colleagues for their progress this year, and in honor of “spring cleaning,” I celebrate them.  And on a personal note, there’s always a slight chance that I might actually clean my house.  Nah….  

- J. Walton

Facing the Same Direction - A Day of Professional Learning

Today, all of the teachers in our district met in fourteen different schools to engage in a common, two-hour professional learning session.  Our principals led the learning, centered around our first year of the three-year implementation of the Instructional Framework .  In addition to the two hours of common learning, our teachers are spending an additional four hours of collaborative learning based on plans developed by individual school teams.

Sometimes, the public wonders what it is that teachers do on these professional learning days, and rightly so.  After all, we are holders of the public’s trust and engage in one of the most important responsibilities of any civilized society – teaching the next generation. So, in some ways, I write this blog entry for our stakeholders who weren’t present with us today.

The common learning session, with a focus on learning, collaborative culture, and results aids us to continue to ensure that we “face the same direction.” What this means is that we are all working toward the same overarching goal – holding true to our guiding principles while ensuring that all learners achieve individual potential.

I was fortunate to be at Northern High this morning, where all three high school faculties were meeting.  Listening to teachers engage in high level discussions, make noticings, and pose wonderings was a privilege.  Did we solve all of the challenges facing educators this morning?  Of course not – but that was never the intent.  Like any good lesson plan, we had a clear learning goal, learner-friendly targets, and measures for success.  Our learning goal continues to be a successful three-year implementation of the Instructional Framework.  Our learning targets were to deepen our understanding of how to implement clear learning goals and scales, monitoring for desired effect, and effective assessment practices.  Success in meeting those targets was measured by the intensive and productive collegial conversations around the Instructional Framework and the commitment of each teacher to implement a new piece of learning in their classrooms over the next few weeks. 

While any weekday out of the classroom is a sacrifice for immediate teaching and learning, rest assured that the learning our teachers engage in today will serve our kids in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.  We remain committed to perfecting our craft and helping our kids learn.  In this way, all learners – teachers and students alike – will achieve their individual potential.

J. Walton

"Be It Resolved..."

To my knowledge, the holiday of the new year is the only one celebrated the world over.  According to historians, making resolutions for the new year dates back to the Babylonians.  And as Borgna Brunner writes, “people all over the world have been breaking them ever since.”

Surely, when we set out to “resolve” to make a change, we do so honestly and with intent.  But why is it so hard to follow through?  I think it is because we are making them during a time of rest, when we have time to think and reflect, but then very quickly the hustle and bustle of life takes over, and we go back into survival mode.

This mimics the life of a teacher – when time is given for thought and reflection, many great ideas and practices are developed.  However, without time down the road to continue to think and reflect, the busyness of the school day takes over and many times subsumes those great ideas before they can take root and grow.  No person ever resolves to be a “bad” teacher, but many teachers I know feel like they don’t have time to be the best teacher they believe they can be.

The need to honor the processes of creativity and growth is evident, but how do we do it?  One way is to admit the need to slow down, to temporarily put the brakes on a program or policy in order to allow people time to catch their breath and process the information.  Another way is to repurpose the time we have together, by delayed starts, common planning periods, different schedules, etc.  Any way in which we can give teachers time to think and process benefits our kids.

Sometimes our admirable and lofty resolutions in education are so big and shiny, we forget that they need constant attention. If you’ve made a resolution for 2014, try taking it in digestible bites.  Where do you want to be in a week?  A month? Six months?  Carve out time each week – even just 15 minutes -- to think about it, adjust it, throw it out and start anew, or keep doing what you’re doing. 

Happy New Year,

-          J. Walton

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones...

As I write this, I am on my lunch break during Day 3 of my professional learning in cognitive coaching.  This experience, as well as the day I recently spent at a seminar with Peter Johnston, author of "Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives," has truly stimulated my thinking about our use of language.  In fact, even though my head is spinning with a lot of new ideas, I am confident that I have never before thought this much about language choice, nor on how my choices may impact others.

In a nutshell, cognitive coaching is about individuals supporting each other through conversation.  Ultimately, as instructional coaches, we want teachers to see an increase in their own performance and resourcefulness. In other words, we want to promote their thinking and action for self-growth, with no predetermined outcome.  Peter Johnston's approach is directed at the teacher-student relationship, and awareness of metacognition. Yet, it is similar to cognitive coaching -- how might language either invite or stifle thinking?

So, I think that begs the question of how often do we truly listen to others without focusing on ourselves? Framed another way, how might we pose open-ended, nonjudgmental responses that prod our conversation partner to further their own thinking?  As a teacher, a colleague, a life partner, or a friend, how might we do a better job of being "in the moment," setting our own story, preconceived solutions, or inquisitiveness aside?

It is hard, yet valuable work.  When we stop trying to be the "fixer" or "solution person," not only do we boost other people's growth, but our own as well.  What a relief it is to let go of the fixer mantle -- to let go of the control that is just an illusion anyway.  Once we let go and let others empower themselves, we also empower ourselves to shed fixed roles, and seek new heights.

J. Walton

(P.S. -- for a more humorous look at being a better listener, check out "It's Not About The Nail," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg).

Space Jam

Recently, I have been writing (and re-writing) a “Personal Statement” as part of my application to the Educational Leadership program at Michigan State.  The directive was to talk about how my life experiences brought me to this point of applying to the program.  As part of that, I did a lot of reflecting on what motivated a successful commercial litigation attorney (me, in case you were wondering) to switch careers, and then I concentrated on the joy and meaning I have found in being a teacher.

What I ended up crafting looks a lot like a personal mission/vision statement, and even if I decide not to pursue this specific academic avenue next year, I am glad I took the time to write it.  In the here and now, I feel more grounded in my work.  It helps me realize my non-negotiables (also known as my “North Star” per Kenneth Williams, or my “Space Jam” per Kid President). 

What would your personal mission/vision statement look like?  I’m not asking you to write one, I’m just wondering what grounds you in your work.  What are your non-negotiables?  What brings you to your school or classroom each day?  What gives you life, feeds your soul, or warms your heart?  How do you celebrate success, for yourself and/or your students? 

Take 10-15 minutes of quiet time over the next few days to contemplate these questions, and then use the comment section below to record your reflections if you feel so inclined. There are no right or wrong responses, but someone else may be inspired by your thoughts.  Welcome to the Space Jam.

J. Walton

You can teach an old dog new tricks...

Last Friday, I took a three-hour plus, computer based standardized test – the GRE.  Heading into it, I was focused solely on myself.  Once I was done, with the help of some colleagues, I began to think about my experience as paralleling that  of students today.

In Michigan, we know that state computer-based testing is just on the horizon.  In our district, students are already taking formative and summative computer assessments for certain classes or district purposes, and some students have participated in S-BAC pilot testing.  I wonder how my experience compares to theirs.

First, a caveat.  I was not nervous about the test.  This completely distinguishes me from most of our kids today, even on a formative assessment.  Why?  Maybe because I chose to take this test?  Or maybe because of my age and life experience?  In any event, I am well aware of the huge role that anxiety plays in test-taking for our kids.  Does computer-based testing add to this anxiety?

The last time I took a “mandated” test was 2002, when I had to pass my teaching certification tests in Political Science and History.  I took both on the same day, and both were multiple-choice, paper-and-pencil tests with a bubble answer sheet.  I sat in a classroom at Calvin College, in a regular college-style desk, with about 20-30 other testees all around me.  The proctor was in the front of the room.  I definitely had anxiety that day.  I had heard how many teachers do not pass the History certification test on the first go-around, and I was taking it AND another one on the same day.  Lucky for me, I did pass both (happily, on the first try).

This time, I went to a Prometric Testing Center.  The other people who were showing up to test at my appointed time were there for a whole variety of tests.  We waited out in a small lobby, and were admitted to a processing area one at a time. I had to put everything except my ID into a locker – even my watch.  I had to turn my pockets inside out, and be wanded for any electronics I might be trying to sneak in.  It reminded me of going through airport security, except that I got to keep my shoes on.  My picture was taken and inserted into the electronic answer form I would be using.  I truly felt like a “number.”  I didn’t feel like anyone but myself was invested in my performance.  I would hope that as teachers proctor assessments, even those that are computer-based, that we would try to connect with our kids so that they are reminded we care.

As I entered the testing room, I was directed to a carrel that was set up for me.  It had a desk top computer, a pair of noise-deafening headphones, two pencils, and a booklet of scratch paper.  I couldn’t see any other testee, but I could hear them.  The “proctor” was in the processing area; she could see all of us through windows, but if we needed her, we had to raise our hand.  There was no clock in the room that I could see, but each section of the test had a countdown function so I knew how much time I had left on any specific part. 

Once my picture and form came up on the screen, I could begin.  The first task I had was a 30 minute writing activity.  I quickly donned the headphones, as the clicking noises from the other computers was distracting. The headphones were not comfortable, especially with my glasses on.  I knew ahead of time that I had the option of bringing my own ear buds or ear plugs; I wish I would have done so.

At first, I didn’t like planning on the paper and then typing on the screen.  However, well into the writing, I was happy I could cut and paste, as opposed to drawing arrows on a written essay to change the order in which I wanted the argument to flow.  Also, I know that the typed version was much neater than any handwritten piece I could have produced.  By the time I got to the second writing task, I felt a lot more comfortable with the format.  Our students today are so used to writing in this way, I’m not sure they would have the same feelings I did.

My third and fifth sections were “Quantitative Reasoning,” otherwise known as math.  It was a mix of algebra, geometry, and basic math skills.  My next tool to learn and tackle was the on-screen calculator.  It was fairly easy to use, but I didn’t like where it showed up.  I had to move it each time I opened it.  I also used the scratch paper a lot for the math, because I was more comfortable doing some of the computations by hand – that shows my age.  While kids today have access to calculators at a very early age, I don’t remember getting one until 11^th grade when I took calculus. I suspect our students will have no problems navigating the on-line calculator.

The other two sections of the test were “Verbal Reasoning.”  These sections were mostly reading comprehension and vocabulary use.  There were on-line highlighting tools available, but I didn’t use them.  I didn’t want to waste time trying to figure them out. Had I been taking a paper test, I definitely would have used my pencil to circle or underline parts of the reading passages.  In the end, because I am a strong reader, I don’t think it impacted my score, but it did frustrate me a bit. 

There were breaks available during the test, but I didn’t take them.  Not because I had a point to prove, but because I had a meeting in the afternoon I was trying to make.  By the time I was done, three hours and fifteen minutes had passed.  I was flabbergasted.  I had no real sense of the passage of time.  I was also mentally exhausted.  Utterly and thoroughly exhausted – any thinking I tried later in the day was labored and ineffective.  Even if I had taken the short breaks, it would not have lessened the intellectual weariness I felt.  I think we need to be mindful of the energy toll tests take on our kids.

The experience has given me some insight into what we are asking our students to do.  What do you think?

When Hard = Fun

"I hate the idea that, when it comes to books and learning, hard is often seen as the opposite of fun.  It's strange to me that we should be so quick to give up on a book or a math problem when we are so willing to grapple, for centuries if necessary, with a single level of Angry Birds."   John Green

This quote resonated with me when I first came across it, and I thought it would make a good “signature” quote for my outgoing email messages.  Within a few days, I also really began to think more deeply about it.  Why don’t we approach “hard” school learning with that same persistence, zeal, and eagerness? Why is “hard” not "fun" when it happens in school? 

I don’t have the answer, but I do have more questions.  Is the “win” in learning, which will stay with the student forever, seen as less valuable than a fleeting satisfaction of achieving a level in a competitive game?   Is it because K-12 education is compulsory, and theoretically not a choice?  Do we as teachers see our students as an audience we hold captive, rather than an audience we could captivate?

And then, I try to see what this kind of fun would look like.  I am picturing a student reading a very complex text, and after days of tackling it, shouting “yes! I conquered it!  I’ve mastered that level, and I can’t wait to do the same to the next one!”  Or another student remarking to friends, “I’m addicted to story problems; I stay up late doing them because I can’t get enough. The app is free – download it. I’ll show you some of the tricks to be successful.”  Far-fetched?  A fantasy?  I hope not.

What do you think?

J. Walton