Think differently Archives - Page 9 of 11

No, #Reform is Not “trending”

You know, there are a handful of things that drive me nuts. Okay, fine, maybe more than a few. But in regard to #EdReform, there are a few. When talking about #EdReform, some folks feel compelled to either brag or complain about the school that they attended…in the 80s. Right, Men Without Hats was awesome and your school was not. We get it. Or, Debbie Gibson was the worst, but your school rocked. Fine. #EdReform is not the time for out of context discussion and what ifs–no, really, I can help…since I have no idea what goes on in the classroom, I’ll be a good out of the box thinker. No, you will not. Go get us some chips.

The fact that we have to talk about #EdReform is a sad day. There should be no enjoyment of the rallies and no late-night laugh-fests about the problems we are having. We are not reminiscing about the old days. We are discussing a system that is broken. Sadly and sorely and perhaps irreparably broken. And we are the ones who can fix it. Teachers.

Pennies for your thoughts or real change?

I mentioned this to @tshreve in response to a post on Twitter. “The fact that education is the solution does not mean that it is (or was ever) the problem.” Educators are the ones who hold the solutions to the issues in education right now. I do not say that to be separatist, but it is we who need to get our house in order so we are able to return it to its rightful place.

Unfortunately, there are many who are making their living off of criticizing education. Sheisters, chancers, and ne’er-do-wells who parade around in teachers’ clothes claiming that they have the insights and solutions that are needed. Gary Stager’s comment that “unqualified is the new qualified” is terrifyingly true–and we wonder what went wrong!!! It is trendy to by “untainted” by “teacher school.” That is a sad statement.

If we want real reform, we have to begin with what is most important–in no order: kids, teachers, schools. The focus of our energy, the conductor of that energy, and the context of that interaction.

Let us make the decision to keep it simple. Quality #EdReform is not performed by swinging the pendulum to the opposite side. It is not performed by those who have a monetary stake in the game. It cannot be “won” but it must be fought for. It cannot be ignored.

I have a belief that the knowledge that I need exists among the people whom I teach on any given day of the week. As a teacher, it is my job to draw that knowledge out and to facilitate the meaningful construction of that knowledge. It takes some faith, I know–this approach has served me well. I have the same belief about our #EdReform needs. Everything that we need and every resource that we have already exists. We must come together to draw it out and construct it. We need the faith of those with the power to support these efforts. What school, district, or state would be willing to give a busload of committed educators the reins to their schools? Let’s do it.

Who’s with me?

Quatuor pour la fin du temps

When Olivier Messiaen was imprisoned in a German concentration camp during World War II, he found among his number three other musicians. Olivier had at hand a clarinet, violin, and cello, along with himself at the piano. With this awkward quatuor, he wrote what may not be his most beautiful piece, but arguably his most significant. The piece was titled, “Quatuor pour le fin du temps.”

The Quartet for the End of Time

quartet poster — Quatuor Pour le Fin du Temps

Thinking that he may not survive this internment, he chose to write this piece with a purpose. Within the measures of the music are the compositional devices that he developed in his lifetime; all the tricks of his trade. Another composer could pick up this score, analyze it, and learn everything that Messiaen had to offer as a composer and teacher.

As it turned out, Messiaen did survive that camp and went on to compose several other works. I cannot listen to this piece without thinking of the desperation in the pages. Or is it hope? His preface quoted the book of Revelation and looked to the vindication of the people of God. Imagine the focus, the longing, the desire to pass on the brilliance of living to the next practitioner. It is not arrogance. It is a sober inventory of your existence that produces a result: you have something that the world needs.

And that is why we write.

And that is why we teach.

Have you written your quartet?

Could someone look at your life’s work-to-date and discover why and how and what you do and believe? What are you waiting for? These thoughts and approaches are not your own. There are two ways to view arrogance, both of which center on the self. One is explained in overt assertion of one’s abilities an strengths, the other is explained in an unwillingness to give of oneself due to personal reasons. In both cases, it is the individual who is passing judgment and making decisions that benefit the self instead of others.

We need to get past that. Make mistakes. Stop protecting yourself.

If you learned anything in 4th grade band,

you surely learned “strong and wrong.”

We can fix the mistakes that we hear.

You Must Be Certain of the Devil

It was Diamanda Galas who sang it. Admittedly, I had a crush on her in college. For years I did not even know what she looked like, but it was her voice. She boasts a 4 octave range. She sings in Greek, Latin ,and sometimes in English. She played piano, for a time in the early 1980s, with Ornette Coleman.

Her grand work, The Plague Mass, addressed the rampant spread of AIDS in America and was written for her brother. Her take on the disease blew me away. She was an artist, an activist. She felt deeply. She said that we all have AIDS because it is a societal problem. She was right and I felt it right along with her. It was gorgeous and grotesque. Parts of it are hard to listen to for many reasons. I remember falling asleep to it and waking up in what I thought was a lucid dream: the room dark with booming drums and other-worldly screams echoing through my small house on Pemberton Street in South Philadelphia. I remember hearing those words echo in the halls:

I woke up and saw the face of the devil. I said, “What time is it?”

He said, “How much time do you want?

The title of one of her songs stuck with me from the first time I heard it. I was sure that it was the name of an old gospel song, but I could not find it anywhere that I looked.

You Must Be Certain of the Devil

It came to take on different meanings to me over my life. Right now and for the last several years it has meant one specific thing. You must know what it is that you are fighting so you do not waste your time and energy on the wrong things. Too often, we spend time on the symptoms of our

problems rather than getting to the root cause. Before you spend time on what you suppose may be the issue in your life, your relationships, your school, or your self–stop. Make sure you are certain that you are dealing with the real problem and not just the symptoms. We do not have the time or the energy that we once had. In dealing with education, we cannot waste what time we have to correct situations that are so crucial to the lives of our students.

I look at my students. I think of their strengths. I cannot wait to know how brilliant they will be. It makes me think of my own daughter. It makes me eager to know how brilliant and beautiful she will become. Do not waste a second putting another band-aid on that peripheral issue. Get to the heart of the matter and if you cannot, get help. Just be certain

Beg to Differ. Go ahead, BEG.

Rebel: Noun. Verb. Adjective. Sweet.

I should probably spend more time being positive. Surely, that is what Tom Whitby thinks. I would say that I am more serious than negative. My goal in this post, aside from contributing to the REBEL post-o-rama-thon, is to be helpful. Comments are always welcome. If you like it, maybe I will write a part two/three/four.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” Albert Camus

I only have a few thoughts about the educational revolution and it is all about the world between the walls. From bell to bell. Ding. Ding.

re-evolution

re-educational

de-evolution

re-de-evolution

redevo?

devo?

oh.

my.

If you want to cause a rebellion, treat everyone the same. If you want to lead a REBELlion, treat everyone as the exception to rules that do not matter. The single most important thing that a teacher can do is to teach children with a discrete awareness and appreciation of their individual differences. Change and reform will not succeed as a top-down process. Change happens on the ground, as I like to say in my classes; where the teaching takes place.

My ideas are simple. None of them are revolutionary–with apologies. These are simple pieces of advice from my experience as a classroom teacher and a teacher educator. They are focused on needs of our students and ourselves. I believe

1. Stop being cutting edge (I totally stole this from Peter Sellars). We have already done cutting edge. We are cut. We are bleeding. It hurts. Please stop. We need change that heals and we know how to do that.

2. Think. Have you considered the short/mid/long-term results from change that you are proposing? I mean, look at the schools that produced REBELS like us? VERY unlike anything that we are proposing. We have to consider the outcomes of our “progressive” ideas.

3. Share in the name of selfishness. Giving away your knowledge, techniques, and ideas makes you better. Really.

4. If you focus on results, you will all treat all of your students the same. That is not fair, that is stupid. You had better be ready to look to yourself for the cause of problems. There are ways to teach and assess that recognize individuals.

5. The answers are already in the room (I totally stole this from Sir Thomas Beecham). The collective knowledge in a given room is probably all that you need to get your points across. Bruner called it scaffolding. Do that.

6. You are not the first person who thought that.

7. If you are thinking about being famous for something, please stop teaching and follow your dream. Nothing worse than a bitter failure in a room full of kids because he/she is using the backup plan.

8. Be consistent with things that matter. Is it worth it? Yes. Do not give me the Emerson quote about consistency being the hobgoblin of the small mind. The qualifying adjective in that quote is “A foolish consistency…” I am not suggesting that you maintain foolish consistency but that you maintain consistency in the things that matter.

9. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Treat students as you would like others to treat your own children. I remember the last time I said something that I would consider “unacceptable” to a student. I did not yell or say something foul or rude. But I did say something to a student that I regretted. As soon as it left my mouth, I remember thinking–what if I walked in when someone said that exact thing to my child? I could have cried right there. We have to be honest with ourselves and allow that type of thinking to occur.

10. Consider needs before anything else and then advocate appropriately. Someone once asked me how I would change schooling. The answer was nothing revolutionary. I said that I would find a way to make sure that the kids got a good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and clothes that made them feel secure. Beyond that, I would help to make sure that teachers were able to do their jobs to the best of their ability.

11. Find people who can help, reaffirm, critique, and develop YOU. They do not need to be all different people or all the same person, but be clear about what you need in a given conversation. Do not make assumptions about others and do not expect them to read your mind. If you need reassurance, begin your conversation by letting that person know.

12. Being the best at something is a decision. Pick one thing. Then pick another. Maybe your decision is based on a need. Or interest. Or innovation. Either way, it will be worth it.

13. You have a lot to say. You have a lot to give. You have a lot to offer. You are not like me and you can help me with something even if I do not know what it is yet. Me too.