Courageous Online But Still Cowardly Lion in my School | Blogush

Why don’t I ask for help with the people I work with?

I have been putting off this answer for over a week.  Have re-written the post three times.  Considered telling Elissa that maybe we should change the question.  FIrst I thought maybe it was fear.  Then I went with I don’t want to feel like an outcast because of my very un-traditional beliefs.  But the real answer…I can’t figure out how to write the real answer without seeming like the most egotistical conceited big headed person in the world…the real answer to why I don’t ask people for help is because I don’t want it.

via blogush.edublogs.org

Wow! I have wanted to say this for years, but never found the words. Perhaps it's because of the "fear" of hurting someone's feelings if I told the truth. What my colleagues do, is not always in the best interest of the students, so I'm not really interested in their advice.

Too many of my colleagues gripe and complain about "how the students act," yet they continue to use the same techniques as other teachers who make the same complaints. If I am having problems with students, why would I try what isn't working as a school? Makes no sense to me.

As for content delivery, the same holds true. Teachers tend to do the same thing other teachers do, and they also do what they observed their teachers do.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results."

I hesitate to mention who I am reading for classroom management ideas, but I will. Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. My wife and got a new puppy a month ago, and I have read both of Cesar's books. [NOTE: his show makes more sense now that I see some of the foundational information he demonstrates in the show.]

Does this mean I will treat my students like dogs. No. Too many other teachers do that, and it doesn't work - I had to say it even though it's a joke.

It does mean that there is something about the idea that students want rules, boundaries, and limitations. They, like nearly all humans, want someone else to be the leader. When there is a void of leadership, then you have problems of others trying to take over the group. The idea of "calm-assertive" leadership is one that rings true to me. I do not mind following (learning from) someone who is confident in where they are going. I may go along just to see where the road will take me.

However, too many roads in education make me know early on when it is time to turn around.

Thanks, Paul, for pushing and leading me in this sensitive area.

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Iran Tehran 27 khordad 88

Sometimes silence is the loudest voice of all. Jesus, Ghandi, ML King, Iran
 

 
 
iPhoned
 From R. Murry

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Kevin McHale Should Coach at USC - Timing Is Everything

My ESPN News Feed on my iGoogle page looks like this



Isn't this a "meant to be" moment?

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Why Kevin McHale Should Coach at USC - Timing Is Everything

Here is the ESPN News Feed from my iGoogle page.  It seems to me that this is "meant to be."

http://www.screencast.com/users/rrmurry/folders/Jing/media/537ab43a-7da3-41ba-a9f8-2e42d274ee7f

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The Sticklers - Unusual School Funding Source

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My Superintendent Is Blogging! It's A Start

Our relatively new Superintendent (of 6 months) has begun a blog and a Twitter account.  On the one hand this is a step in the right direction, on the other hand I feel compelled to interact with him (and others) as an obvious "early-adopter" of blogging within our school district (nearly 8 years now, in one form or another).  When I started, our tech department didn't know that blogs needed to be blocked ;-).

So, below is my response to Day 2 of our Book Study - Live First, Work Second by Rebecca Ryan.

First, thank you for leaving your comfort zone.  I will use this point later. As much as anything, public schools need the experience of leaving the safe haven of the way things were done in the past, not just discussions about how we should grow as people.  Your demonstration might lead our district into modern methods of communication, information dissemination, and connection with others.

I am always skeptical of labeling things, ideas, or people, and in this case, generations.  Ken Robinson says, “Once you label something, you can then dismiss it.” It no longer requires discussion to determine if other strategies are in order. 

Yet labels make it easier for us to deal with things more efficiently and effectively.  So onward we go.

Question 1: “…how do we build community (in workplace and/or in the larger community) that both meets these different needs and harnesses the strengths of each?”

Recognizing that everyone has strengths and weaknesses.  This begins by identifying one’s own strengths and weaknesses, and being honest, yet humble enough to admit them.

[Here comes the "comfort zone" item I promised.]

This level of transparency is frightening for those who seek safety, isolating for those who crave acceptance (belonging), and risky for those who have esteem as a personal objective: in other words, everyone born before 1982 according to Ryan’s categorization.  So most of the faculty, staff, and administration have this common ground (of being uncomfortable) on which to stand.

Personal growth is not easy; if it were everyone would continue to grow.  For me, to engage in this kind of conversation within our district is difficult, although I have had many extended conversations in this format with people around the world, and have done so for nearly 8 years.

Building community is like building a family on a larger scale.  There must be trust and a belief that everyone is looking out for the best interests of each other.  The larger the scale, the more difficult this becomes. 

Perhaps a reason why those born after 1982 are considered “self-actualizers” is because of the seeming ulterior motives of the generation before them. 

This discussion reminds me of the poetry of Mike and The Mechanics (Living Years).

   "Every generation blames the one before,
   And all of our frustrations come beating on
     your door,
   I know that I'm a prisoner to all my father
     held so dear,
   I know that I'm a hostage to all his hopes and
     fears,
   I just wish I could have told him in the
     living years."

Question 2: Can you think of a recent example at work or home where differing generational views were obvious to you?

I have dealt with the “generational views” for several years.  The struggle is in the purpose and use of technology in school settings.  It appears to me this way: The use of technology as an instructional tool (Millennials & some Gen X’ers) vs. the use of technology as a management tool (some Gen X’ers & Baby Boomers) vs. the absence or questioning of the need for technology (Silent).

A shift has already occurred in some educational settings as it pertains to the purpose of technology: From management to instruction. 

Our students (“digital natives”, as Marc Prensky labels them) have never known a world without the Internet or cell phones.  These instruments are a ubiquitous way of life for “natives” in that they use these instruments for numerous purposes, but mainly to connect with others.  Much like television and radio for previous generations, the Internet, Facebook, MySpace, and Text Messaging is for this generation.

“Digital Immigrants” (Prensky’s moniker for those born before 1990) view technology more as a “tool” to accomplish a goal; whether it is data management, communication, or production of resources.  Immigrants have to have a “reason” to use technology; Natives use it because it is there.  

Any thoughts or comments are always welcome.

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Should Schools Be A Source Of Stability?

Truthfully, I am conflicted over this.  For many of my students, school is a place of stability, constancy, and safety.  Yet, the message in the video resonates too.

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