Spring Break ramblings...

I finished up the teaching week at the Grand Canyon with the third set of students, all 102 students made it to the South Rim this week and it was exceptional. It was exceptional not just because kids got to run around outside (which is awesome), or that I sang along to top 40 songs with 7th graders for hours (if I hear Happy one more time...), or because the students were more themselves (student asks, Can I call you Diana? ;-), or because I am more me (teacher me vs. person me) or because they made all kinds of connections with their learning (which they did), or because it was the GRAND CANYON (which all alone is pretty stupendous) or because... etc.I am in a pretty tricky position with these students... I am their sub who came in for 6 weeks, left for 5 weeks and then came back to finish the year (its a long story, but the original 6 week gig was all it was supposed to be). I don't know them as well as I need to know them, to be effective. I am in a crash course to know them, know them well enough to push them, to teach them about their own learning, to work *with* them and not just ask them to *do* work. It's not easy, but its a good challenge. Luckily, I am supported by a few really wonderful people (some of my teacher friends I've known the longest) that are there to help the situation along.Another part that makes it difficult is that this is a two year program and I have become a key player in year one. I cannot stay for year two. From the back of the van, on Friday, the students started lobbying for me to stay. They knew I was headed to Philly for spring break to work on the SLA/Inquiry Schools projects and they heart-breakingly started saying things like, "just tell those Philly people that you quit while you are there", "we're way better than anything in Philly, I mean, we have the Grand Canyon" and it went on from there. Being the nomad has been unwieldy at times, but everyone that knows my deal, knows that I am not sticking anywhere right now... but, these kids didn't get the memo, or rather won't accept it. Encouraging them, as their teacher, to push themselves doesn't work well if they feel like I have one foot out the door. Everything I am doing is saying, I'm all in... but then... Argh.This past week, I did about a month's worth of getting to know kids. Taking them to new places, outside the normal classroom allows you to accelerate the pace at which you know them, not just as learners, but as people. And it is a decidedly two way street. (a quick aside: I would make the connection that at SLA, we did much of this through informal social networking.) When people ask how to *fix* their schools, I think my new answer might be, how well do the people in this building know each other and what are the systems and structures that support that 'knowing'. I will be a better teacher because of the time I spent with the kids at the Canyon and they will be more invested in our class as learners, because we see each other as people, not just as teacher and student. We need more intentional structures in our schools that facilitate knowing and caring, not as a nice bonus, but as a core building block. You will never get as much from the learning experience as either a teacher or a student if you fail to recognize the relational power of first knowing teachers/students as people.The bugger of it all for me... is that now that I know these kids, I am not going to want to leave them.

On being outside.

For the rest of the school year I am teaching 7th graders from the Alpine Leadership Academy in Flagstaff, AZ. This is a magnet school that espouses many of the values I hold dear for kids and learning: Inquiry, Community, Stewardship, Critical Thinking and Reflection. All of this is realized through the study of the world around them in educational expeditions and community service projects.For the past several weeks, we have been studying the Grand Canyon region in Science, Social Studies and Language Arts classes by understanding the complex geology of the region, digging into the human history of the place and doing a shared reading of Down River.  This is all punctuated with a visit to the Grand Canyon.  Yesterday was our first trip of 32 kids ... there will be three total trips to get all 102 students outside. So, let's talk for a minute about taking 7th graders outside. There are permission slips, lunches, proper gear, transportation requests, sub plans (for the other 65 kids still back at school), who rides in what van... routes, activities, curricular links... it takes a certain amount of heavy lifting to coordinate these events. It's all worth it, all of it... because middle schoolers make sense outside.As I think on why these are so important... I would like to share a bit of a river trip in the spring of 2007.  One of the 8th graders that was along for the trip was quite the outdoorsman. He knew how to do everything with camping, hiking, fishing, hunting... he had the best gear and knew how to use it all. The other kids flocked to him, the *cutest* girl wanted to sit next to him... he was the man. He did this whole hilarious gig where he wanted to fish, but he didn't have a fishing pole or a license to do so. He set about asking for little bits of stuff that he fashioned into a fishing line and hook, chummed the water with the leftover tuna cans and in about 30 seconds caught a fish. He was the fish whisperer for the rest of the trip. The last night, during the talent show, he and his buddies cooked up a rendition of the Crocodile Hunter that was, to date, one of the funniest things I have ever watched.Then we arrived back at school and into our desks. I watched this young man those first few days back... it took everything he had to control himself, do what he was 'supposed' to do, 'behave' and be a good student. I could see how hard it was for him to make himself smaller to be in that room and in that desk. I never approached a room of kids the same way again. He was too big for that room. I had the privilege to let his mom know that I saw him, how much he worked to be the kid he was supposed to be at school even though it was such a struggle to be less of himself in that room... that I learned to be a better version of a teacher because he was my student.Yesterday, I spent the day at the edge of the Grand Canyon with middle schoolers and was reminded that while school happens to be the place where we all (predominantly) go to learn... outside is better. Outside is big enough for these large, interesting and energetic personalities to thrive. Outside is one of the places where we don't have to ask these kids to be less.

Teaching with the News: Ukraine, Russia and Crimea

When we step into our classrooms tomorrow, it will be with a world crisis unfolding in Russia and Ukraine. This event brings forward a number of questions about the history of this region, an echo of the Cold War era and a modern issue of sovereignty in the shadow of the former USSR. My 7th graders do not know a world where Russia/USSR was the 'bad guy' in the news, they do not understand the Cold War, the arms race, and nuclear non-proliferation.

I spent some time this morning seeking out some resources that I can use tomorrow with my students to analyze what is happening in Ukraine/Crimea with Russia.  Here are some of the resources I will be using with them:

• 5 Things You Should Know About Putin's Incursion Into Crimea  via @forbes
• Timeline: Soviet Union via @bbcnews
• Crimea: A Gift To Ukraine Becomes A Political Flash Point  via @nprnews
• Fall of the Soviet Union - Cold War via @History
• Inside Crimea: A Jewel in Two Crowns   via @NatGeo

If you wanted to dig into the Cold War a little more and understand the arms race and the US/USSR relationship prior to 1991

• Nuclear Detonation Timeline - dataviz
• Cold War - from @History
• The Cold War - from the JFK Presidential Library
• Cold War - History - from @BBCnews
• March of Democracy - from Maps of War

While not a comprehensive list, it is a slice of the available information on this developing world crisis. Big question is going to be around why this region is in such demand with both countries, how it came to be part of Ukraine and not Russia in the modern era and what this means for the United States.

1. What is going on in Crimea?
2. Why is this region in such demand for both Ukraine and Russia?
3. Historically, what role has this region played in European history?
4. What has the response been from other European nations?
5. What does the turmoil in this region disrupt the flow of resources in Europe?
6. What might the role of NATO be in this crisis?
7. What might the role of the UN be in this crisis?
8. What is the official US stance on this move by Russia? 
9. Historically, how does this remind Americans of the Cold War?
10. What might this mean for the US?

Possible approaches:

• If you only have a bit of time, outline the basic facts and let students pepper questions for a few minutes, revisit throughout the week
• Send students into the historical information to parse out why Crimea is important and how Ukraine was formed in the modern era
• Evaluate the role of NATO and UN in these world crisis situations
• Evaluate the role of Russia and Ukraine in providing Europe necessary resources
• Evaluate the statements by the United States government and determine possible options for US response
• Review the Cold War - how is this reminiscent, how is this different?

Any of these items could take an hour, you could also take a number of these and jigsaw them and then let students share information and then try to predict what they US will do, 'should' do, would do based on historical pattern, or answer the question... who has the credible claim to control the area in Crimea and why? This could be an easy way to ask students to use evidence to back up their ideas, that they need to not just have an idea, but back it up with a credible source. Whatever you do to open class tomorrow, please take a moment to review the news and keep students in the know about the world around them. Their ability to understand the social studies becomes infinitely more meaningful when they can make connections between what they are learning about the past and what is happening in the news today.

China Buys the Grand Canyon and Other Moments of Concern When Searching the Internet

In class on Tuesday, I challenged the class to answer the question, "Who owns the Grand Canyon?". This was a bit of inquiry and a bit of internet searching, to see what the students could do with a little bit of time, in partners, to figure out the answer for the years 1600, 1800, 1900 and 2000. The goal was for them to both grapple with a good google search and the concept of 'owning' the Grand Canyon.  After a moment or two of searching, I realized that when one googles, Who owns the Grand Canyon? students see a link from asu.edu and a link from weeklyworldnews.com. (I don't want to link to the actual article because it improves its google ranking) The link from weeklyworldnews.com was more enticing for the students to click on and many did. All of the sudden kids were saying things like... the answer to the year 2000 is China.  And other students saying things like, 'what?', 'that seems weird', 'I don't think so'... and the like but there it was in black and white. It took a moment to parse out with students that in fact China did not buy the Grand Canyon, that a google search of the actual news clearly bore that out and that the site they located was satire.This was completely unplanned and serendipitous in so many ways.  We will be going back over and over in the upcoming weeks and months, the importance of reputable sourcing, reading carefully and how not to be a sucker in the world filled with so much information.  I consider this such an important skill in the modern age, one that grounds someone in the potential of being an informed citizen.  Give the kids the tools to know the difference between fact/fiction, truth/satire and they have the potential to be powerful agents in their own lives.

Jordan Davis in our Classrooms

Late on Saturday, a verdict was reached in the case of Michael Dunn, the man who was on trial for the murder of Jordan Davis and the attempted murder of three other young men.  While the intentions and motivations of the people involved are in dispute, the facts that are not in dispute is that Dunn shot and killed Davis in 2012.  The case is reminiscent of the Trayvon Martin case and brings us once again to the soul crushing reality that a young man's life was cut down early and that the laws in Florida make a defense of the murder plausible with their version of self-defense.So, the question of how to approach this in the classroom arises. Talking about race and justice and the legal system are important and daunting subjects for many teachers.  It is easier to just not talk about issues like this. It is easier to say that it is the job of someone else to have this conversation with kids. But it isn't. It's all our jobs to continue to involve students in the issues of the day, give them the resources to inform themselves, help them to analyze a world that is often complex, find their own voice and empower them with strategies for changing a world that struggles to bend toward justice.A number of different educators worked on a series of approaches that a teacher could use to start the conversation with their students and with their fellow teachers. I offer my take, below, on how I would address this with my 7th graders. I fully recognize that I would have dealt with this differently with my 11th and 12th grade SLA students and I think it is important to look at the ideas in the collaborative lesson planning document as a bank of possible approaches. I challenge you take the time to consider tackling this important issue with our students in an ongoing conversation about justice in our country. It matters.

What Does Justice Look Like?

1.  Warm up: What is Justice? Provide examples. What is injustice? Provide examples. Discuss.  Collect examples on the board or digitally.2.  Provide students with scenarios that allow them to take a stand on whether something was just or unjust.  Suggestions - students can jot down their thoughts first and then use the ‘stand on a line’ or ‘opinion continuum’ activity for students to indicate where they fall on the just, unjust spectrum with each of the scenarios.

Scenario 1: A family is forcibly interned (confined for political or military reasons) for 2 years because they are American citizens of Japanese descent and the government decided they were dangerous. (Reference)

Just or Unjust.  Explain your thoughts.

Scenario 2: Homeowners lost their homes in order to make room for a General Motors plant to be built.  They were fairly compensated by the government for the cost of their property but were not given a choice to sell or not sell.  (Reference)

Just or Unjust.  Explain your thoughts.

Scenario 3: 16 year old drives while drunk and kills 4 people. He receives probation and no jail time for the crime.  (Reference)

Just or Unjust.  Explain your thoughts.

Scenario 4: Children are removed from their homes and taken to boarding schools where they are taught that their native language is bad and must learn English, take ‘western’ names and adopt western customs in order to fit into American culture better. (Reference)

    Just or Unjust.  Explain your thoughts.

Scenario 5: A man was released from death row after 15 years when DNA evidence was used to clear him of wrong-doing in the murder of his cousin. (Reference)

Just or Unjust.  Explain your thoughts.

3.  Then introduce the basic facts of the Jordan Davis case, including information on Stand Your Ground and self defense - ask students to write down questions as they hear the facts of the case.  Allow time for question and answer time.

• NYTimes Article: Jury Reaches Partial Verdict in Florida Killing Over Loud Music
• Florida Times-Union Article: Michael Dunn guilty of attempted murder; hung jury on murder of Jordan Davis
• Washington Post Article: Verdict in Florida again raises self-defense issue

4.  Have students develop statements about how justice and injustice relate to this case.5.  Play/read different perspectives of people after the verdict.  Discuss the emotions and frustration felt by many Americans as a result of the verdict.

•     Parent Statement
•     Reaction from local clergy
•     Twitter Reactions

6.  Talk about action steps… if one wanted to speak out against or DO something … what are options.  Brainstorm and then teachers shares ones not mentioned. Such as:

• Register to Vote - Encourage Parents to Register to Vote
• Letters to the Editor
• Discussions with parents/family
• Use social media to bring about awareness amongst peers
• Keep up to date with current events and issues of social justice
• Be aware of local issues of injustice
• Lead a school wide day on issues of social justice
• Start a youth group to discuss issues of social justice and bring awareness
• There are many, many more…

Resources to continue the conversation about social justice:

• Teaching Tolerance
• Amnesty International USA
• Speak Truth to Power

What I'm up to...

In the course of normal conversation people often inquire, "Where do you live?" and "What do you do?" ... I used to be able to answer those questions easily. However, since June of 2012, the answer has been complex and at times complicated. The short answer, for the record, is that I am largely self-employed and nomadic. I am on the road so much that I actually keep a running googledoc for my family, listing dates and where I will be. The unexpected benefit is that I have pretty good record of everywhere I have been in the past 20 months. 

So, since I am at a bit of a transitional point, I thought I would take a minute to run down what I am working on presently and give the longer answer to "What do you do?".  My continuing work in Philadelphia consists of supporting the new SLA campus - SLA@Beeber, assisting the teachers and administration of McMichael School, assisting in the implementation of the recent grant from Dell Giving to support both SLA campuses, working with a team to receive a grant to start SLA-Middle School, and pushing through the final year with my SLA advisory as they head into graduation. My online work currently includes writing online professional development modules for St. Vrain Valley School District in Colorado.  Additionally, I am still speaking at conferences and conducting school based professional development workshops.

And now for the place-based work that I have just launched into... for the remainder of the school year I will be the 7th grade Social Studies teacher for Alpine Leadership Academy in Flagstaff, AZ. This is the same program I was working with in November and December. Circumstances conspired to bring me back and I was happy to be in a place to step back in and finish the year with them. It is an amazing program and I will be doing all kinds of awesome outdoor activities with the students over the next 4 months.

This will be the longest I have 'settled down' in the better part of the last two years. I am incredibly grateful to have easily secured a place to live while I am here and even more grateful for the warm welcome from my Flagstaff family.  I will still be in Philly for 4 weeks before school dismisses for the year (week of March 17th, Week of April 28, Weeks of June 9 and 16th). Nothing like spending your spring break from one school... working in three others ;-). I hope to spend 6 weeks of the summer, lakeside in Wisconsin in the RV and doting on my 7 nieces and nephews. Also, I plan to be at ISTE and was invited to speak in India in August. 

I am not bored. Someone recently commented that it seems like I am doing all kinds of different things, and I am.  However, the way I see it is that while I may be working with a variety of different entities, the work is all so related and really is on a similar path. My hands are in many different projects, but they are all trying to pull the conversation forward about how we can be doing this teaching and learning thing, better.

So, I will be in Flagstaff until May 29th, 2014. I will be easier to 'find', most of the time. I will be incredibly busy teaching full-time, but could not be more excited to be in a classroom for the rest of the year!  Expect more posts from the classroom over the next few months. 

Back in the Classroom - Reflection

On December 19th I finished up my long term subbing gig in Flagstaff.  I wrote a little about going back to the classroom and then a midway report. I will once again reiterate, that I had a delightful time working with the 7th grade at Alpine.  When people would ask if I would enjoying myself, I would answer the same as always... I am happiest in the classroom.  This was no different. 

During the week of December 9th, we took 100 7th graders to Cathedral Wash in (way) Northern Arizona.  The first trip was during quite a cold snap in the area and had the teachers digging out every last bit of fleece in our possession to bring along just in case.  Having never taken a group through the wash, that first group moved pretty slowly and we didn't make it all the way to the river, but fun was definitely had by all.  Day two found us with warmer temps and a little bit better prepared to make the push to get all the way to the river.  It has been awhile since I have sat on the edge of the Colorado River and it was as gorgeous as I had remembered.  Definitely spent more than a moment breathing in the wonderfulness. Day three was a bust for going through the wash as there had been rain over night and the wash was a skating rink.  We improvised a day at Lee's Ferry (where we randomly ran into Flagstaff celeb Brian Dierker) and hiking a bit to the Lonely Dell ranch for lunch and then hung out on the Navajo bridge a bit before making the long trip back to Flagstaff.  It was an exhausting week, but thoroughly enjoyed all of the hiking, exploring and learning along the way.

During my last week in the classroom we completed the Dispassionate Landscapes project (referenced here) and invited in the community and parents for a night of sharing the learning.  It was delightful to meet the parents, discuss what the students are learning, and asking the students show off their ideas and thoughts.  A special visit was made from the authors and artists connected to the original installation that inspired the project.  They were incredibly impressed with the outcome and the kids were excited that they were receiving feedback about their work from the public. 

The projects were not a 100% success - they struggled with writing from an unbiased perspective, finding a landscape to focus on was flummoxing for some, there were technical difficulties, and some students had difficulty engaging.  If I were to do that particular project over, I would have spent much more time breaking apart the process and giving them more time to think about and capture an image.  All in all, though, the vast majority of students produced work that stretched their abilities, forced them to consider and write from a new perspective and present that work to a community based audience.  Went well, but definitely room for revisions.

From a macro look on the whole experience I can offer this... it is incredibly difficult to be the long term sub that wants to do big things.  I'm pretty sure the kids thought I was nuts on more than one occasion, but as with all things I've experienced in the classroom when you employ these items, things sort out - Set high goals, help to create connections between learner and content, revel in their kid'ness, don't take yourself too seriously... and always let them know that you care.  These are the things that work.  I am honored to have had the chance to share in their learning if only for a little bit and I look forward to going back in the spring to assist with some of their big expeditions. 

For now, though, I am back in the City of Brotherly Love, preparing for Educon 2.6, reconnecting with the teachers at SLA@Beeber and McMichael School and getting ready for the official launch of the Dell/SLA grant.  I hope to make time later this week to write about the Philly school based work that I am doing!   

Standards, not Standardization

I said this phrase, standards not standardization, in a conversation with the ever thoughtful, Jose Vilson… and he has brought it up with me a few times …  which makes me think that I need to write through my thoughts on this and will then be leading a conversation on this same topic at Educon 2.6 next month.  These are ideas in progress, trying to work through why I bristle at the mention of new standards as a key factor in 'fixing' American education.

Standards are developed to provide structure to the ‘what’ of what we teach.  Standardization focuses on the ‘how’ of the ‘what’.  One can have standards, one can teach with standards without being in a lock step trudge with every other teacher of math or ELA, on the same page, on the same day… crippling the ability of the teacher to practice their craft and for the students to direct the path of their own learning.   This approach overlays more industrialization in an era when we need to move into a new metaphor/analogy/allegory for the educational experience. 

At the core, I am a teacher.  I consider my ‘art’ to be the ability to create a unit that compellingly invites students to learn.  On the best day, I can help to draw them into a concept, into a moment of history, into the narrative that will allow them to make meaning, create clever new ways to see an event… evidence their learning in ways that show off not only what they know, but what they can do with what they know.  It’s not going to be enough to follow the pacing guide.  It’s not enough to get the kids to 'good enough'.  We need to come to terms with the fact that this ‘thing’ we are trying to fix isn’t any more broken than any other institution retooling for modernity.  And the ‘fix’ isn’t permanent... it never will be, there is no done… again.  We are in the thick of it, finding the path where we do the best we can with what we have, then reflect, retool, improve, refine, rethink and then we do it over and over and over.  It is simultaneously exhausting and exhilarating.

With that in mind, the reason that the Common Core is so hard for me to talk about is that I believe it is the WRONG conversation.  It assumes that the ‘what’ of teaching and learning was inadequate, which has then led to American mediocrity.  And now that the standards are common… if we can juuuuust standardize the 'how', all of educations' ills will be 'solved'.  No static list of learning objectives coupled with standardized methods is going to EVER get us moving in the direction we need to be moving.  We crave uniqueness, a way to express our style…its why there are different car companies, and authors and art.  There are fundamentals that make up what a car is, what literature is, what art is – but it is up to the artisan, the engineer, the author to apply their craft.  Teachers are no different.  I can tolerate that there are common standards, but I can’t seem to tolerate that it then tacitly means that the art of my craft needs to be standardized, boiled down to mediocrity, so as to guarantee outcomes.  I do things differently.  I can get to the standards in a way that may not be the same as everyone else, it does not make it greater or lesser than, but it makes it authentic to me and the learners in my charge.  This matters and it matters a ton.

Teachers are being hurried and pressured to teach more of the ‘what’ and stay to the pacing guide and re-teach and intervene and differentiate and challenge in an environment that infuses creativity and innovation while getting them college and career ready (what else am I forgetting).  Does anyone really think they have ‘the way’ to make ‘it’ (read… higher test scores, better outcomes on assessments) happen for all schools across America?  We need a toolbox, no check that, we need truck with the bed lined with toolboxes from which to help untangle the academic puzzles that students bring us every day.  We need to be able to use that same toolbox to provide engaging academic puzzles for kids.  We need to be able then use our expertise to grab the right series of tools for the task at hand.  We are artisans, not assembly line workers. 

If you want to believe that the Common Core is going to save American education, by all means go on, but you will soon realize that we don’t just need quality ingredients to have a good meal, we also need talented cooks. 

Thoughts on School Schedules...

Over the years I have had occasion to speak with school leaders on the large and small changes that can be made to move students in a more modern direction.  One of those changes is as simple as the schedule.  From my travels, I have seen a number of different approaches to school schedules but the most concerning piece is that it seems to be the least intentional part of the school structure.  Sometimes the schedule is the way it is because that is the way it has always been.  When I ask leaders about their schedules they are often at a loss to explain the logic.  The other possibility is that there was intentionality, but with poor implementation.  Neither of these situations yields a desirable outcome.

So, a few thoughts...

1. Schedules serve the mission and vision of the school.  Just like technology serves the learning, so does the schedule.  If you are looking at your schedule and wondering why it is the way it is, most likely it is not a manifestation of the mission and vision of the school.  Be intentional about your choices and make the schedule serve the learning.
2. Be transparent about priorities.  The school schedule can serve the priorities of the school very intentionally.  You want small class sizes more than anything else, then you maximize the amount of teacher/student contact minutes.  You want common planning, you bend the options in the schedule to prioritize it.  You want it all... don't we all... but your schedule probably can't deliver it 'all'.  That is why priorities are so important.  Know what your schedule says about what you are prioritizing.
3. Invite all ideas.  Many people in the school community are at a loss to explain how the schedule happens, how decisions are made or why they happen in the way they do.  Have a frank discussion with members of the school community in order to make transparent the process and invite comment.  You never know where a clever and unexpected idea might come from.
4. Be willing to think creatively.  I was helping my cousin restructure the schedule for her small charter program.  At the peak of frustration, I suggested they let go everything they knew about the 'hours' and think about what they wanted to schedule to deliver each week - in terms of total minutes - and then go back to the board.  This was the ticket to cracking into a more creative way to solve their scheduling issues.  Stop thinking assembly line, start thinking holistic experience.  How is the process you are using, dictating the ability of creativity to permeate the scheduling protocols?

I love making master schedules.  They are like puzzles.  I think that the organic process of understanding a school mission/vision and then looking to bend the angular nature of a schedule to a more elegant form... one that intentionally speaks to the unique needs of a school community is kind of fantastic.  So, I invite you to take a look at what your schedule says or doesn't say about your priorities and be more intentional with one of the most pervasive structures in a school community.

Back in the Classroom - the halfway there report

When last I wrote - I was about to step back into the Flagstaff school I had left over 5 years ago for a long-term subbing gig.  So, how has it been going... it's been really wonderful.  I have missed kids and teaching immensely.  There is just something about pulling together meaning with a group of kids that... there just isn't anything else quite like it.  Now, don't get me wrong, trying to crash course relationships, names and rapport with 100 7th graders in 6 weeks has been a challenge, but a fantastic one.  Also, being able to work with one of my oldest teaching friends has been a joy. 

I wanted to take a minute and share what we are up to while I am here, because I'm pretty excited about it.  I haven't crafted something from scratch and taught it in awhile.  In the photo, you see students lined up in front of an exhibit that was installed in our hall in November called Dispassionate Landscapes. It is a photo exhibit that partners gorgeous aerial shots of 14 different scenes of development (mines, power plants, trails, solar arrays, etc) around the Southwest with two essays; one on the right and one on the left of each photo - the left essay is an informative piece of writing about what the landscape was like before the development and the right essay addresses what the landscape is like with the development.  The important word to understand is 'dispassionate' as it is an attempt at having a conversation about development that focuses on understanding perspectives in a way that is civil.  The creators of the exhibit are hoping to generate a more civil dialogue around some very polarizing topics in the region.

Josh, the science teacher on the Alpine 7 team - suggested that we do an interdisciplinary unit while I was in town and I thought that sounded like a fabulous idea as did the other long-term sub on the team, Sara. (Sara was a student when Josh I were teaching at the school 12 years ago, oh boy are we getting old)  We visioned a project that has the students creating their own dispassionate right/left essays partnered with a photo of their own.  Students will use what they are learning in my class with the five themes of geography and what they are learning in science around ecosystems and ecology to craft their essays.  We did an analysis of the writings in the exhibit to understand the idea of the right and left essays, we scoured the newspapers for examples of writing that told two sides of a story, and we also had a pretty long discussion on what it means to inform on a topic instead of persuade.  Kids have been having a had time moving from the idea of good/bad and right/wrong to the idea of just telling two sides from a more factual place.

I hadn't anticipated the difficulty they would have with the dispassionate part, most of that lack of anticipation comes from being away from the middle grades learner for five years.  But, we rolled with the punches.  Over the long weekend, the students were observing their places in the world for an image.  Then yesterday they filled out a project contract to review expectations.  (Frankly, the contract is a tool for me to keep track of what 100 different students are up to).  Today we started researching.  The effective google search is also something that challenges the 7th grader, although we made some serious progress today.  They will continue to research this week, rough drafts on Friday.

Then next week, more fun as we head (in three groups of 33) to Cathedral Wash for an expedition where we will be talking 5 themes and ecosystems as well.  We even have some new gadgets to try out on the expedition.  There will be hiking, exploring and science fun.  The final drafts of the writing and images are due at the end of next week and then we will print up their final products for exhibition at a parent night on December 17th.  

We were going for inquiry, interdisciplinary, student choice, student voice (they will use the essays to write a persuasive letter to a person of influence on their topics after the essays are done... they are dying to be able to have an opinion ;-), audience and exploration.  Not sure we will get there with all 100 students, but it is a valiant effort on the part of the team to make the opportunity available.  One of the students yesterday said... this is really hard... and I cracked a huge smile.  I don't think they understand how much that is music to my ears.  And on the day I introduced the project, one very sweet young man exclaimed, "This is going to be really cool, I am looking forward to it", which true or not, was something I also needed to hear as the long term sub with a group of kids that aren't quite sure I'm ok yet.

I'll post all the resources when we are done with the unit.  We've been doing a pretty solid job of keeping track of all the moving pieces in a googledoc, so here's hoping it will be relatively easy to share out at the conclusion.  I only have about 2 more weeks before the full time teacher returns, and I am going to revel in every minute.   I am most at home in a classroom.  Its so very special that I was able to spend some time in a place I cherish, doing what I love.  I live a truly fortunate existence.

Let's call it a cameo...

In June of 2000, I moved to Flagstaff, AZ on a bit of a whim.  I was 26 and had three years of teaching experience behind me and dating a young man that wanted to live somewhere that was not Wisconsin or Kansas (where we had been previously living).  Choosing Flagstaff was more than a little bit of a risk, the job market was ridiculous and the market specifically for Social Studies teachers was flooded.  But we moved, anyway.  It might be the riskiest thing I've ever done with regard to my career and it scared the daylights out of me.Luckily, this wonderful principal, Russ Furstnow, chose to hire me into the only position that I was qualified for... in the entire district ... that year.  Phew.  I taught middle schoolers at Mount Elden Middle School for eight glorious years.  It was where I learned all kinds of amazing things about the job, myself and schools in general.  And it didn't hurt that I was living in one of the most perfect (for me) places in the US.During my tenure there, my interdisciplinary team had a 'go to' substitute, Justin Kendhammer.  He subbed so much for the building one year, I think the kids thought he was part of the full time staff.  Shortly after that he landed his own classroom as a full time teacher.  Fast forward to now... Justin will be heading off to Antarctica this week and as of Friday, I will be subbing for him.  Just down the hall from my former classroom... I will be teaching 7th graders Geography!  Justin will be doing research in Antarctica and I could not be more honored to be able to help out while he is off on such a grand adventure.For anyone that has talked to me about my life since leaving SLA will tell you... I miss the classroom.  I could not be more excited to be working with kids... as their teacher... again.

New Models of Education - Speaking at (co)lab

Today I am speaking at the (co)lab summit in Atlanta.  This 2 day event has an interesting lens and mission, "where today’s executives and tomorrow’s leaders from our business, education and civic communities connect, communicate and collaborate on issues vital to a thriving Atlanta region." The portion of the day that I was asked to prepare a talk for was on New Models of Education.  Over the past year I've been struggling to explain to people what I am up to and today you will see a new title on my portion of the program and that is Lead Teacher at Inquiry Schools.  Inquiry Schools is a brand new non-profit that will be the umbrella organization around the work of Chris Lehmann and the Science Leadership Academy team.  My role will be that of the teacher... basically, doing whatever needs to be done to help schools thrive.Currently I am working on two projects that are affiliated with Inquiry Schools, the recently opened SLA@Beeber and (hopefully) the opening of a middle school, next year.  In that work it has challenged us to boil down the essence of what makes SLA a thriving educational community.... considering what is essential and what is interesting, but not essential.  In doing so, we once again evaluated the 'bones' of what the model is and what are the systems and structures that support that environment.Today, I will be sharing that message with the crowd in Atlanta.  And I am going to challenge myself to write a series of blog posts about many of these elements (@theJLV has been encouraging me to write more, and I might just listen).  I think the work of creating new learning environments is tough and transitioning traditional environments even tougher.  I do believe, however, that we have learned some important lessons on the way to shifting an educational program into the modern era that attends to the potential of inquiry-driven, project-based, 1:1 laptop learning spaces.  I will be sharing some of those today in Altanta and hope to elaborate on those here throughout the next few weeks.

We started a new school!

The day after Christmas ... 2012... Chris Lehmann calls me and announces, "We are starting another SLA"  and in moments like this I often go through a number of phases with proclamations like this... what is our timeline... to which Chris answers, "in September".  Pause.  Pause.  I repond, "of 2013?!?" and he calmly responds, "yes."  I then ran through a number of logistical questions and then I quickly got to where I often get to with Lehmann, which is... "ok, what's next?"Almost everyday for the past 9 months I have had a conversation about, worked on or struggled with the pieces of the puzzle that are starting a new school.  From the grant application and funding piece, to the student placement piece, to the facilities, the staffing, the master schedule, and on down the line.  And today the doors opened on the new school.  WOO!Located inside the Dimner Beeber School, the newest iteration of SLA... SLA@Beeber is a variation on a theme.  Jokingly, when I try to explain it to people I use the Law and Order example... you know, there was Law and Order and then there was Law and Order: SVU... same format, but different actors and variations on the theme.  Some of the students and staff already refer to SLA as entering Season 8, while SLA@Beeber is in Season 1.  SLA@Beeber will take on its own identity as a school that will be 'like SLA' but will not 'be SLA' in that it is not meant to be replication, per se. They will be guided by the same grade wide essential questions, the 5 core values, the common rubric and the 3 simple SLA rules, but will adapt and grow in ways that are unique to their own identity as a separate campus.SLA@Beeber is already starting things out differently.  For one, we restructured the science courses and placed Physics in the 9th grade setting up a situation where there can be thoughtful collaboration between the year long engineering course, the math classes and Physics.  We are hoping that this interplay between the classes will set the students up to have a firm grasp of the skills of math, but also the application in a meaningful way.  Additionally, the new campus will not be headed to The Franklin Institute on Wednesdays.  The SLA@Beeber kids will be in 8 week long mini-courses, organized by the Community Partnership Coordinator, Dave Sokoloff.  These courses will be in more locations and draw upon the community surrounding the school in Wynnfield, which includes some incredible potential partners.  So definitely within the model, but its own version of it.And it wasn't until Saturday when I actually allowed myself a minute to think, this thing is about to actually happen and breathe in the enormity of it.  It is not wise to consider how large an undertaking is, while you are in the middle of it.  I like to ponder it on the front end... then work like the dickens... then breathe at the end.  While I knew it was going to be challenging to pull it off, I never doubted that we could.  The team that powers SLA and the support system we draw upon from the community is unreal - it really is the closest thing that I've ever been a part of that resembles the work ethic of the farm community I grew up in.  This is a team effort through and through with SLA parents rallying to support the new endeavor, SLA kids coming to move furniture and help clean up the new facility, the community members around SLA@Beeber helping to move in our new furniture, the SLA teachers and staff just digging in to do what needed to be done to get this school off the ground.  The new staff has been incredible as well coming in for 2 weeks of professional development over the summer and moving truckloads of furniture into the school on Friday... a holiday in Philly.And so we opened our doors today and grew the SLA family by 125.  It was exciting and exhausting and fantastic.  We had minor little snafus here and there, normal first day stuff, but really was a flawless day of building a new community of learners.  In the midst of some very challenging circumstances in Philadelphia, the leadership team of Chris Lehmann and Chris Johnson, delivered us to a smooth open.  That alone was quite a feat.And, so... I am in Philly for the next month to support this project on a day-to-day basis while also working with my SLA advisees that are GRADUATING THIS YEAR (omg, how the time has flown) and supporting another school here in Philly that is in turnaround status with the district.  I am not bored.But tonight, I am incredibly grateful to be part of such a supportive and hardworking crew.  This work is not easy, and it helps to know that on any given day there is a phalanx of teachers, students and parents ready and willing to do the heavy lift on projects such as this.  Today I say, Happy Birthday to SLA@Beeber... welcome to the family, we are so glad you are here.

Commentary on Classroom Rules

I had an incredibly interesting exchange today with a  colleague over the issue of rules in a classroom, specifically, rules that dictate how behaviors will be handled.  I was struggling to properly explain why classroom rules were not needed in a school like SLA because there are three rules that the community uses regarding student behavior:

1. Respect Yourself
2. Respect the Community
3. Respect this as a place of learning 

Those are the rules.  There doesn't need to be a checklist of rules in each different classroom because these three cover it.  I kept saying it to my colleague and it wasn't resonating.  So I thought a little harder about what was important about having and using these three rules consistently as a community and finally got to this... having your own individual teacher rules means that you don't trust the community to live by the three agreed upon rules.  The problem with everyone writing their own rules is that is erodes the capacity of the community to both rally around and to hold each other accountable for respectful behavior, consistently.  Now, I'm not saying that there aren't effective ways of communicating academic information about classroom procedures and routines ... I'm saying that when a community has a set of shared and reinforced rules, you don't need your own.  The community breathes life into that dynamic in a way that individual classroom rules never will.  If you want a community, the rules need to also be owned by the community.

It is a gift to work inside schools where everyone is pulling in the same direction.  As the new SLA@Beeber faculty gets off the ground, they will need to trust in something they haven't been a part of before.  I cannot express how grateful I am to be working with a group of people willing to create, grow and stretch their practice into the new campus.  At times its exhilarating and at times I think it is a little scary.  They're in a group trustfall.  Here goes!

On Being a Farm Kid

I often identify as being a farm kid and joke that if in a large room of people, the farm kids will gravitate toward each other (I also hold this theory about lapsed Catholics).  While my sister will attest, I was bad at being a farm kid.  I worked hard at it, I did what I was told (most of the time)... but I wasn't the one my Dad would want to come and help him if he had a choice, that was my (slightly) older sister.  But during one of the summers in the mid-80's, my family found itself in quite a spot.  One that required my Dad to take a job on road construction, while the rest of the family stayed home to keep the farm functional.  To the bet of my recollection I was 11 and my sis was 12 when all this went down.  With the help of a *very* interesting and colorful hired man (there is a chapter in a book waiting to be written about this whole summer), my sister and I were basically 'running' the farm... milk cows and all.  We also had a field (acres and acres) of newly planted Christmas trees to water (by hand that summer, no rain) and a kennel of 40 dogs.  On top of that there was a massive vegetable garden and summer school.Now I offer this story up, as I did many times when I was teaching, to illustrate one point... the hardest I've ever worked happened before I was 12.  That was a gift.  Everything else, that I chose (teaching), is not 'work'... it's just living the life I choose.  Knowing the difference is important.I was not meant to be a farmer, I knew this early on.  This summer I've been home on the farm a ton, watching the day to day machinations of the life in a way I have not been able to in a long time.  I'm not sure how many people realize the complexities of the job and the sheer exhaustion of it.  I sat in a field last night watching my Dad and brother (I was summoned to pick up them up at 9:30pm as they were past dark and only had tractors to drive home) fix a baler.  And it occurred to me that neither of them was a mechanic, but at some point every farmer is a mechanic and they are a vet and they are a meteorologist and and and... they take these crazy conditions of intersecting weather, machines, animals and life and put out the raw materials that make life for the rest of the country possible, at the most basic level.So on this Fourth of July, my family is usually at a parade waving flags and eating a chicken dinner at the local festival... but this year the weather timed it all so that we're haying.  Its just how the job goes.  Calves are born at inconvenient times for attending family dinners, machines break down when you really needed to be home and hay needs to be raked and baled on holidays (sometimes).And as this all transpires, I am grateful that my parents were supportive in letting me live the life I choose AND also grateful that so many Americans chose to be farmers... it really is a gift for the rest of us.[youtube=http://youtu.be/AMpZ0TGjbWE]

Personalization.

Personalization is everywhere.  Sometimes its unhelpfully paired or substituted with the word individualization.  Tomorrow I have been asked to work with a group in a pre-ISTE event, sponsored by Dell to talk about personalization.  When I first began speaking with the folks at Dell I said something like, personalization to me means that students have the agency to direct their own learning and that it has little to do with data dashboards of statistics.  They did not disagree.  And so we kept talking and it led to an invitation to lead a conversation tomorrow.To say that my interpretation of personalization is the prevalent one in education reform and edtech, would be incorrect.  It is difficult to watch technology be used to advocate for fewer adults, less interaction between students and generally micromanaging the entire student experience.  Wonder, serendipity and inquiry are some of the most fascinating pieces of the empowering potential of technology as a vehicle for access to... massive amounts of information, connection and possibility.  Continually shoehorning student learning in a path that a computer decides is necessary is not the most interesting or empowering version of personalization.Tomorrow I look forward to kicking the term around a bit, seeing where it goes and trying to continually reflect upon the terms we use to describe the learning experience.  Would love to know your thoughts on personalization.

So, it's been a year.

A year ago, I walked away from teaching full-time at the Science Leadership Academy.  This was not because I wanted to stop teaching or stop working at SLA or anything other than trying to continue to live my life as intentionally as possible.  It made sense to go, it was the right time.  Leaving was tough.  I still find myself looking at the world as possible lesson plans and units and shareable with learners... I'm not sure I will ever shut that off.  But, leave I did.Now.  What have I been up to?  I added it up the other day and I've been in 28 states and 5 countries in the past year.  I lost track of the number of miles flown and drove, but let's say its a large number.  My travel schedule at times feels like a Jenga game that I've been lucky to have work out more than I'm entitled to.  Working with teachers all over the US and a few internationally has been incredibly rewarding and exciting and I feel as though my efforts contribute to more classrooms and teachers feeling empowered to move their learning spaces in more modern and learner focused directions.But, I will also share that nothing is as good as teaching kids.  Teaching is like a puzzle that just keeps needing solving, everyday.  It made my brain spin, inspired hope and anger and frustration and joy and heart break at times.  I sat in a gym in Texas this past February and had to get myself under control as I almost broke out into tears.  I miss being a teacher.One would think that would lead me back into the classroom, and while I will find myself there next year as a long term sub in Flagstaff for a friend... I will not be back full-time this fall.  The best explanation is that I am not ready to fully dive into a new school community just yet.So what am I up to.  Lots of different things actually.  For anyone that knows me well, knows that I am habitually over-committed with projects and such, this year is no different.  The biggest collaboration that I am working on right now is launching a new endeavor with Chris Lehmann to simultaneously open a second SLA campus in Philadelphia as well as create a non-profit called Inquiry Schools to further the goal of offering more inquiry driven, project-based, 1:1 learning environments for students and teachers.  Additionally, I am supporting a turnaround school project in a Philadelphia K-8 school.  I will find myself back in Philly for much of August, September and a bit of October.  Later in the fall, I will once again be teaching for the University of Minnesota as a adjunct professor as well as heading off to Flagstaff, AZ to step back into the school I left in 2008 to join SLA... as a long term substitute teacher for a gentleman that used to sub teach for me back in the day (the circular ridiculousness of this is not lost on me).  Sprinkled in between all of that are speaking and professional development opportunities that take me into schools and organizations all over the US.  And let's not forget that Educon planning will start anew soon enough.And my favorite question... where are you based? Answer: I am not.  For the past year I have not (as I like to say it) maintained a home.  My mail goes to my parents place on the farm in Wisconsin and my stuff is still in boxes in my sister's basement.  Today, I am writing to you from my Aunt Carol's RV, lakeside in Hatfield, WI.  The same lake where my grandparents used to 'summer' near my hometwon.  The layers of memories are plentiful.  This is where I learned to water ski, swam until exhaustion, went out to 'fancy' dinner with my grandparents and generally reveled in being a kid.  It has been quite special to be able to spend time here hiking and kayaking and hammocking.  After the local county fair, I head back to Philly then to Flagstaff, back to WI and then Philly again.  I have my 'living' situation figured out until February when I will once again decide if its time to maintain a single address and a home.  While there are moments when I feel like I need a place, nothing seems to make sense yet.One cannot live like this without the consistent and gracious support of all kinds of people.  My SLA family takes care of me so well when I am in Philly... opening their homes and refrigerators and calendars to welcome me.  My family has been such champs through this all... to say that I made different choices than any of them would have preferred is an understatement, but they just take it all in stride and I have been able to spend more time with them this year than the last 5 years combined.  I have 7 nieces and nephews that I try hard to know.  It has been easier this year to do that and it has been a gift.  And finally, there is the place where I actually own a home that I don't live in, Flagstaff, AZ.  I consider this the space I was meant to live in, but for many reasons back in 2008 it was time to go.  My friends there are as close as family and they all do so many things to support me when I am there and on the road.  I look forward to spending more time with them all over the next year as well.So.  There it is.  18 years as a formal student.  15 years as a full-time teacher.  1 year as a 'freelance' teacher and nomad.  See you all out there on the road and wishing you all a restful and joyful summer.  

Education reform is not magic (and other obvious statements)

Yeah, there was this report right here on how much floor polish we needed, and this one right here about the possibility of changing dairies that supply our milk, and there's the annual assessment on crayon-munching and paste-eating, especially among my own personal staff. I am a busy woman. I can't be expected to remember every report, especially one that might indicate that the things upon which I have based my entire career, and which have brought me considerable fame and fortune, are the functional equivalent of swampland in Polk County. - Charles P Pierce

Michelle Rhee is playing this situation like such a politician.  It almost reminds me of Anthony Weiner denying over and over again that the tweeted picture was not him, until it became so apparent that it was... that he needed to stop the wall of denial and admit to his transgressions. Rhee is in super denial, not that she didn't know about it, but that it isn't that big of a deal.  HA!  That is rich.  She made THE BIGGEST deal about these results and their inherent affirmation of her policies.  Now, she wants us to believe that when she was made aware that her cherished results were suspect... that she didn't find it important enough to follow up on.  Shenanigans.And I wouldn't care about this at all, except Rhee sucks all the air out of the educational reform conversation.  She has spent years beating up the profession with her record.  She is unapologetic and flip about a situation that needs to be of the utmost concern for those truly interested in educational reform decisions that will yield a more effective educational program for students and learning.  As someone who has spent a lifetime in teaching and learning, let me let you in on a little secret - there is no silver bullet, there is not magic solution to 'fixing' schools.  True educational shift and change is brutal to accomplish.  It needs to be systemic and structured and intentional and persistent and it still might not work.  Its hard.  Really hard.And here's another little nugget of obvious - 20%+ gains in standardized test scores will 9 times out of 10 be related to testing fraud, not magical no excuses approaches to teaching and learning.  Gains like that are indicative of either heavy coaching or straight up cheating a la Atlanta and Philly and DC.  This is not the learning that will make anyone college and career ready for the 21st century to complete in a global economy*.  At all.There are hundreds of thousands of teachers and principals getting out of bed every morning to serve the kids in their charge.  Let's put them on the cover of magazines.  Let's have them interviewed on TV.  Let's have them receiving the praise of the public.  Teachers and principals are working toward a better version of education and school and learning each and every day.  The work is being done.  Progress is being made.  But let's be clear, it is not because of the efforts of Rhee, it is in spite of it.*trying to invoke all of the buzzword phrases that are currently in use to describe what our educational system needs to be yielding :-)

Worksheets.

Worksheets, like lectures have taken a beating in the 21st century education dialogue.  A few weeks ago, a hard-working and thoughtful teacher said to me, "But my kids like worksheets."  I do not doubt the veracity of that statement.  I do, however, take issue with the implied value because they like it.Instructional approaches need to be varied and many, diverse, differentiated, interesting, scaffolded, layered, remediated, curiosity invoking.  Sometimes a worksheet can be a means to that end.  Similarly, so can a lecture or even... *gasp* ... a reading out of a textbook.  The issue is not that these are instructional tools that are bad, the issue is when these are the only instructional tools being used.  Much like McDonald's, if a kid has a worksheet a week, they will be fine.  If McDonald's is all they ever eat... I think we all know how that turns out.Let's think critically about what kind of instructional diet we are feeding our students everyday. 

The new *must have* literacy

The new must have literacy is... there isn't one.  It isn't creativity or innovation or media or digital'ness.  What is becoming incredibly clear to me as I watch the information and learning landscape become this global, always on, shifting, changing ball of overwhelming awesomeness is that there is no new *must have* literacy.  Be human.  Have some instincts.  Live.  Those are the things we need to be doing.  The thought that we need to once again define something as *the* thing so we can replicate and systematize and scale-up, sigh.  C'mon.I believe that the only thing that is a must have is the ability to adapt and change as circumstances merit.  Flexible, agile, adaptive... that is what the learning needs to be. As the architects of learning environments we need to make sure that those spaces/places allow all members of the community to preserve their adaptive capacity and be resilient.  Beyond that, there is no new literacy that is going to prep us all for what is developing.  We need to stop worrying about what this future might be, and get real about what is actually happening now and how we can stay in tip top condition for the unfolding future.We are living in a time that allows us to be in the moment and it is the only way we will know what to do next.  There is no map. No specific literacy to have. We need it all. By defining one thing as the *new* thing we only perpetuate this silo'fication of skills. We need to drink it all in and then use our entire toolbox of skills to find our path.  And heavy emphasis on the 'we', because this is one complicated, massive thing we are in the middle of and I know that I need smart, savvy people around me to help me make sense of it all.  So, yes... we (and our schools) need to be creative, innovative, informed, media-literate, etc.  But not as different *literacies*, as tools for staying agile, adaptive and flexible in our learning.  This is it people.  Let's go.