Refreshed!

I am flying home from San Diego, California as I write this latest blog post and reflecting on what an action-packed, learning-filled trip we have just experienced. 4 staff members from our school, plus an additional 17 members from our school district, were in Southern California attending the National Title I Conference as well as visiting elementary schools in the Chula Vista School District.

What had originally drawn us to the Title I conference was being selected to present a session on the journey of school improvement. The theme of our presentation was how to make it a positive experience for your school, students, and community when you are designated as a school in improvement, and we outlined the work our school has done in the past 3 years. On a personal note, having come to this school 3 years ago as a classroom teacher, and now principal, it was an especially meaningful presentation.

The team! Getting ready to present
at the National Title I Conference

Our team of six included one classroom teacher, our special education teacher, literacy facilitator, district Title I supervisor, and our district’s curriculum director, plus myself. Presenting to a packed room of educators from around the country was a fabulous experience for our team. However, what was even more fascinating was how it rejuvenated the team - and the work – in just the right time of year where we tend to feel a bit of a drag.  

As we prepared for our presentation in the weeks leading up to the conference, there was a sense of pride among the team members and amazement of all that we’ve done in a short amount of time. The rest of our staff rallied around the team expressing key pieces of information to include in the presentation. Several parents wished us good luck as we left to tell our story and students were excited to be in photos displaying some of our programs and initiatives. While only 6 of us presented, it felt as if the entire school community was with us in San Diego.

As the presentation room filled – first the chairs, then the floor space, and finally the doors were closed because we were far above capacity, I could see the team get a little nervous. We were able to keep in mind who this was really about – all the kids in our schools. The presentation went well and the feedback from the session’s participants was very positive. The team left feeling excited and proud, not just of their part in the presentation, but of the larger journey we have taken in school improvement.

                                                                                                                                

As we stated at the conclusion of the presentation, we are nowhere near done yet…we have not arrived yet…our test scores are not yet glamorous. However, we hope the message of our journey helps to show how a school can truly benefit from a state designation.

Our presentation was on day 2 of our week-long trip and set the tone for an inspiring conference experience. Each of us brings back memories and stories to tell about our presentation, but more importantly we are bringing with us ideas, tools, and strategies to try out in our continued strive for excellence in teaching and learning as we meet the needs of all learners.

As we sat in the airport this morning and as we chat on the plane, there is excitement among the team members - a new sense of urgency, a rejuvenated energy, and eagerness to get back and continue our journey.

Can’t wait to see the 530 faces of KIDS who remain the #1 reason I love my job! 

My 5 Co-Presenters...our presentation was the day after the SuperBowl.
Being from Seattle, Seahawks decorations were a must! :)

Educational Advocacy - Why & How

I had the opportunity to attend ASCD's legislative institute (LILA) in DC last week. At this event, ASCD released their 2014 Legislative Agenda that was developed by a team of educators from around the Nation. We also explored both "why" and "how" to partner with elected officials. These ideas might be old news to a few of you, but likely they're new to most of us so I figured I'd take the time to share some key take away's.

Why partner with elected officials?

• Legislation can be done "to" us or can be done "for" us. By partnering, and being a
  
  resource, it's more likely we can work together on making a difference.
• Staffers and elected officials are overseeing information on many topics. A staffer might oversee policy recommendations related to immigration, healthcare, and education. This is a lot for one person to keep up on! Developing a relationship so the staffer feels comfortable asking us questions about education is essential. 

How do you partner with elected officials?

• Focus on developing a relationship with staffers and elected officials. We're all here to serve in different ways, and we can develop long-term partnerships to help shape a better future for kids. 
• Find common ground. Everyone is pro-kids in different ways so start with the places you agree and work from there.
• Go into conversations with a plan. Here's a copy of the plan our team used. (Thanks to LILA presenters for helping us with the outline!) We didn't actually need this outline during the conversation. Personally, mapping out the conversation ahead of time supported me in being articulate with the free-flow of ideas, examples, and research.
• Follow-up with the staffer and/or elected official.
• Connect via social media with staffers and elected officials.
• Make sure staffers and elected officials know you're available as a resource for information, perspectives from the field, visits on-campus, and stories that share personal journey's. You are an expert and a resource around education.
• If you don't know the answer to a question, say you'll find the answer and follow-up. Be a resource and help shape connections.
• Stay informed, and invite others to stay informed. You can sign up for legislative updates from ASCD online. By being informed and involved, we can make a difference for kids and families each day.

Interested in learning more about LILA? Check out the Twitter hashtag: #LILA14 and read Tweets from the legislative institute that took place in January, 2014.

Cross-posted: http://edge.ascd.org/_Educational-Advocacy-Why-38-How/blog/6562168/127586.html

WILL #14

What I Learned Lately (WILL 13/14 #14) by by Dr. Josh Garcia

1/24/2014
“I am, because of you - ubuntu”

Recently, I have been fascinated with the criticism that our society continues to embrace, not only in public education but in every aspect of our culture.  Rather than recognize ideas are better than what we currently have, we have become quick to minimize efforts because they are not good “enough” or the “right one”.  Additionally, there is the “credit vampires”, those who want credit for an idea or effort to ensure others don’t receive the attention for their contributions.  Like piranhas feeding, the negative energy can get violent.

As I have stopped to reflect, I have noticed that many of the criticisms come from a small number of very vocal individuals and that the vast majority of people are truly trying to just keep out of the feeding frenzy.  I fear this culture is paralyzing our innovation.  Many of you may have played the game “whack a mole”.  It is game where the contestant has a big hammer and tries to smack a small mole popping out of various holes.  After a few seconds, the mole goes faster and faster.  As the game progresses, more moles begin to pop out and it is impossible to hit them all.  The mole and

the hammer are entangled in a relationship.  Is there hammer because there is a need to smash the mole or is there a mole because there is a need to “brake” the hammer?

This past few week I stopped, reflected and examined a few leaders that I have respected and few others that have thrust themselves into the spot light recently.  I examined what they taught me, what they say daily and why they keep popping up.  Many of them have been called innovators at some point and at other points they been called trouble makers.  Here is what I have learned from them.

1. Never lose your identity, yet accept responsibility for the unintentional consequences of your actions.
2. Always be intentional, through the brightest and darkest hours.
3. Be humble when needed, but be clear about what you are humbled by.
4. Your actions speak louder than your words.
5. Integrity is a badge earned though your clarity, not something that can be bestowed upon you.
6. Empathy is a way of life not a moment in time.
7. Courage comes through thoughtful and rigorous training and strategy.  When the time is needed to display courage, it is the difference between reckless and responsibility.

There are many days, where I few like the mole.  I think many of our students and staff members feel the same.  This week it finally hit me, at some point the person with the hammer runs out of tokens, gets too tired and or loses interest.  The hammer never truly wins.  Yesterday, I saw the mole as the victim, today I see the mole as the innovator, relentlessly popping up.  The mole knows that the longer the game goes on, the more moles will join in.  I know life is more than a game, yet today I hope more moles will begin to pop up on behalf of our students.  Today, I am a mole because there is still a hammer…

Finally from Francis William Bourdillion,
The Night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
With the dying sun.

The Mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done

Get in the Boat, Not on the Bus

When I started teaching, I was often frustrated when students fell behind. We would be moving ahead as a class and invariably a student would tell me we were moving too quickly, or that they had missed something, or that they were absent for some reason that I deemed unimportant and needed to be caught up. I would tell them that the class had goals to meet, standards to teach, or an advanced placement test to prepare for and that we could not make an exception for them. I then reminded them that I had a responsibility to all of the other students to keep things moving forward and it was not fair to the other students to slow down. I would often close my response by telling them that, “the bus is rolling and not going to stop. You need to get on or you will be left behind.”

While I still have students falling behind, I have changed my outlook about what that means for the students and myself over the years. I have read too many articles, seen to many presentations and heard too many lectures not to recognize the critical importance of my classes for my students. With many of my students, the class is not a bus to get on or get off. For many of them, school is their best or only hope. Education is the only way they are going to change their station in life. There is not another bus coming along in thirty minutes to pick them up. Missing the bus is not simply an inconvenience, a slight change in the plans of their day, but rather it is life altering, and most likely for the worst.

With this in mind, my perspective has changed and instead of a bus, I have instead begun to see my class as a lifeboat. If the students miss the boat, there is not another one coming along to save them. They can tread water for only so long until it becomes hopeless and many of them simply give up. If they are not getting into the boat, they are going to be lost at sea.

This new perspective has not changed the sense of urgency, but it has changed what I feel is the most urgent need of my classes. Before I felt the pressure to keep up the pace and push ahead out of fear of falling behind. This concern was mostly about myself and my own abilities as a teacher. Now I feel the pressure to help the students, out of fear of them falling too far behind. Instead of believing that if they miss out in my class, they will be picked up later, I try to help them believing they have no other chance. This concern is now about the students and my concerns have faded into the background. This has been much more challenging, and required much more work on my part, but it has to be done. When students do not get on the bus all they lose is time. When students do not get in the boat, they lose their lives. It is hard for me to not justify the extra investment if I know that I am their best hope for survival.

Changing from a get on the bus mentality to a get in the boat mentality means changing what the most important thing in the classroom is. In a get on the bus mentality, the schedule, drives the classroom. When we think about a bus, the most important thing is the schedule. The bus has to run on time so that it can get all of its passengers where they need to go. A bus is transportation to get you from point A to point B. Classrooms that function this way are focused on the teacher and the teacher not wanting to fall behind. In the get in the boat mentality, it is about the student.  A lifeboat is about saving lives and getting people out of the water. Its only purpose is to help. The focus becomes helping the students. It becomes student centered and student driven because the goal is helping students not maintaining a schedule.

As a leader, I continue to push others to think about getting in the boat and not on the bus. As my district has included more students into its advanced classes, I have had to try and encourage more colleagues to think this way. While some grow frustrated with those who refuse to get on, with the students who cannot keep up with the pace, I try to remind them that there is no other bus coming along. I ask them to think of their classes like a lifeboat and look at their students. If a student fall behind and we do not try and help them, we are throwing them overboard. While we can accept missing the bus, because another is coming along, we cannot accept missing the boat, because their is no regular schedule of lifeboats.They are either with you or they are with no one. Get them in the boat.

If you are interested in more posts from John, follow him on twitter @jhhines57. Be prepared for education mixed with PNW love. Go Hawks! Cross posted from: http://edge.ascd.org/_Get-in-the-Boat-Not-on-the-Bus/blog/6561686/127586.html

WILL #13

What I Learned Lately (WILL 13/14 #13) by by Dr. Josh Garcia

1/17/2014

“Afraid To Look into the Mirror”

As we enter a new year, many of us set new goals, establish new commitments and or renew old ones.  Often, I am asked what my resolution is for the New Year.  In the past few weeks, I have been struggling with establishing a “new” goal or a new way.  I have been struggling so much that I have not really been able look into the mirror or write about what I have learned.  I have been afraid to be honest with myself: what I have I done for our students; what have I not done for our students; why have I chosen not to do these things; what is my plan to actually act on the data that I have?  Each day, I make a decision on how much of “me” that I will bring out of the car to our shared work.  This decision is often based not only on my ability to examine the issue/s but also what is my plan to act, review, and respond and then act again.

I have learned that getting clear with our expectations, commitments and results is courageous work.  I know “hope” is not a strategy, but I often hope I have the courage to be the best “me”.  I hope that I will bring enough of “me” out of the car to be honest with myself and others about our shared results.  I hope that I can be clear enough to communicate that there is not “a single plan” that is the right answer, but there better be at least “a” plan.  We should be able to articulate our plan to improve our student outcomes with confidence and trust.  In previous learnings my “dream” has remained steadfast – each child, every day - safe, healthy, supported, engaged and challenged.  My relentless effort to work side by side with you on behalf of our students has grown even stronger.  We don’t need a new plan, we just need to be relentless at being a better “us”.  We must have the courage to not leave any of “us” in the car.  We must be honest about our results and be committed to act upon our data.  We must do this not only for our students and colleagues, but also for ourselves.

Finally from Jack Paar,

Looking back, my life seems like one long obstacle race, with me as the chief obstacle

Cross-posted from: http://edge.ascd.org/_What-I-Learned-Lately-WILL-131413/blog/6561506/127586.html