Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

   Looking back can be useful.  Imagine driving in reverse without looking back.  Not wise.  Walking down a dark alley?  Probably doing quite a bit of looking back. Looking back is not inherently wrong.  As a mater of fact, in the right context looking back is an appropriate and wise decision.  It is also important to differentiate between looking back and reflection.  To me, reflection is a powerful tool for personal growth.  As the name implies, you are actually clearing your mind’s eye in order to take a look at yourself and your present situation.  You are literally examining a reflection of yourself in a mental mirror.  Looking back, to me, is a conscious decision to revisit and dwell on the past.  Another pitfall of looking back is that you cannot see what is ahead of you at the same time.  This is because what appears ahead of you is actually behind you – you have just simply chosen to turn your head around. On the other hand, there are also times when looking back is not the

  Not intended at all to be a definitive list, I share these brief insights.  Feel free to comment and/or add to the list. Strong educational leaders… Remember that they are educators When the day is done, strong educational leaders are still, at their core, educators.  While that may sound obvious, the demands of leadership roles that take one away from the hallways and classrooms can often cloud perspective.  Strong educational leaders remain grounded to the school and its operations as a school.  They make efforts to stay present in the instructional climate of the school.   Think strategically Being able to evaluate the present conditions of the school, articulate where school needs to go, set goals and deliverables, and implement a plan to achieve those goals is an important quality for school leaders.  Every decision has implications for future decisions and affects operations.  Having a strategic and systematic way of thinking helps avoid haphazard and superficial decis

One of my favorite moments as a school leader is when teachers approach me with good ideas.  To me, this is not only is a sign that I am doing something right in terms of leadership, there is also a degree of internal motivation exhibited.  These are wonderful situations and I get excited about the idea of building the leadership density among the faculty. As the formal leader, I also have the responsibility for making sure any new implemented ideas are mission appropriate and well supported.  Even though the idea may not have been mine, I am still responsible.  As a wise friend of mine says, “You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate your responsibility.” Therefore, it often falls on me to ask questions about new ideas and pursue them with a frame of reference that is usually bigger picture than the teacher.  I am also sensitive to the pitfall of creating an environment in which teachers do not approach me with new ideas because of fear of too many roadblocks. Good leade

Image Source Page: http://thejerseyalliance.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/fitting-professional-development-into-your-busy-life/ The phases and reflections below are solely based on my own journey as a professional educator.  I welcome your feedback and your own perceptions about the different phases and outcomes of professional development. Phase Description Purpose 1 Establish survive, overcome mistakes, establish voice and professional identity       2 Discover new interests, hidden/untapped talents, vision for my professional future       3 Seek and Prepare on the job, theory and practical, learn from others, expertise, confidence       4 Share and Lead mentoring, networking, presenting, clarity, effectiveness Professional development phase 1:  Establish In the fall of 1993, I began my first teaching job.  During the summer before, I crammed as many education courses into my schedule as I could because I had chosen to pursue a career in education,

Image Source Page: http://minimediaguy.org/2007/02/20/how-to-make-friends-and-interview-people/ Going on six years ago, my wife and I (along with our two dogs, two cats, and new SUV) evacuated the New Orleans area for what we thought would be another brief period while Hurricane Katrina approached the Gulf Coast.  Seven weeks later, we returned to our home that was, for the most part, unharmed.  Oh, I almost forgot.  We returned with two dogs, two cats, a mostly new SUV and…our five day old daughter, my mother in-law, father in-law, and brother in-law. Truly, nothing could have prepared me for that experience. There are other events that those involved could not have possibly prepared fully to experience.  For example, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the attacks on 9/11, the BP oil spill, etc. What I find interesting is that I also hear educational leaders (principals, heads of school, superintendents, etc.) whoa also claim that nothing could have prepared them for their le

Effective school leaders are quite savvy at making the connection between an individual’s needs and desires to the goals and objectives of the school or program.  To do so, leaders must be willing and able to invest the time to observe, listen, and learn as much as they can about their teachers.  This investment may pay off with the discovery of untapped talents.  These are the hidden gems often disguised by teachers who are unaware of how that particular skill can advance the mission of the school.  Untapped talents that are connected to larger school-wide goals provide great opportunity to build morale and internal motivation. The other side of the equation is unused talent.  This occurs when an individuals talents have been identified, yet their appears to be some roadblock that prevents them from being used.  Roadblocks can originate from the teacher, the leadership, or the structure/policies/procedures of the school.  If those talents are useful, some solution that allows for the

In   Pragmatism ,William James writes, "There can BE no difference anywhere that doesn't MAKE a difference elsewhere - no difference in abstract truth that doesn't express itself in a difference in concrete fact and in conduct consequence upon that fact, imposed on somebody, somehow, somewhere and somewhen." For James, this is the basis of the pragmatic method used to settle metaphysical disputes.  James also writes, " The pragmatic method...interpret(s) each notion by tracing its respective practical consequences.  What difference would it practically make to anyone if this notion rather than that notion were true?  If no practical difference whatever can be traced, then the alternatives mean practically the same thing, and all dispute is idle.  Whenever a dispute is serious, we ought to be able to show some practical difference that must follow from one side or the other's being right." There are any number of issues faced by educators in the quest

Image Source Page: http://news.everestonline.edu/post/2010/12/what-can-a-master-s-degree-in-business-do-for-you One of the most memorable pieces of advice I received in an undergraduate education course was in response to a question about being nervous about mastering our content area during the first year of teaching.  The professor, a well seasoned life-long learner, looked at us and said, “Just remember that no matter how insecure you feel about knowing your content, you know more than the students in the class.” Now, back then that was good advice.  There was no universal access to the sum total of human knowledge at the click of a button (Yes, I’m talking about the internet).  Today, when I work with new teachers I cannot give that advice.  Students are very savvy and any part of the teacher/student relationship that once gave the teacher an upper hand based on content, is basically nonexistent today.  Mastery of content is still important.  I consider the credibility based o

          Image Source Page: http://www.fotoblur.com/images/90907 Practically every effective educator that I have known has had one common quality: They are passionate about what they do. Passionate educators are a valuable asset to your school.  These are the inspiring, motivated, team members who are often “leading from the front.”  When I am looking for new faculty members, evidence of being passionate about teaching is one of the foundational elements that I need to see in order for a candidate to move on in the hiring process . Passionate educators also seek to surround themselves with other passionate educators.  Schools staffed with passionate educators are largely active, engaging, and positive places that demonstrate an obvious student-centered mission. However, passion that is misguided by unfocused leadership can soon transform itself from a positive force for student achievement to a fanatical movement operating on the “lunatic fringe.” Educational leaders shou

A very recent blog post by Daniel Pink offers yet more information that points to the suggestion that a financial incentive for teachers as a means to improve student performance do not work.  For those us us who work in schools, this is not likely to be ground breaking news.  I would assume that none of us became a teacher to begin with because of the money.  Therefore, the promise of more money is not likely to be a huge motivator.  The article does reference a recent study of New York City public schools .  Here are a few thoughts I have after reading Mr. Pink’s blog post and also his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us . New York public school teachers are among the highest paid public school teachers in the country. In Drive , Daniel Pink talks about external rewards (such as these pay incentives) as being effective in basically 2 situations: When the person is NOT being fairly compensated. When the task being paid for is menial or non-challenging by

As educators have been exploring how to transform student learning in the 21st century, I believe that we must also examine how professional development form educators should also transform.  Emerging technologies, social networking, and video sharing have all created the possibility for global collaboration.  In many ways, the traditional professional development model of teacher in-service days are counter productive as they do not usually inspire the motivation to follow up on them with any real gains.  In other words, these traditional models do not address what Daniel Pink (author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About what Motivates Us )describes as essential to motivating teachers for continued development – autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  Sharing with others and engaging in professional conversation addresses all 3 of these areas. Since last year, I have entered into such a professional development model as described above.  Blogging, Facebooking, and Tweeting have been major c

Image Source Page: http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/phrase/682/thermometer.html I began writing this blog almost 8 months ago on July 21, 2010. While I am not sure if the quality of writing has improved all that much (I am my own worst critic), the reasons why I sit down a few times each week to offer my insights has certainly become more clear to me. At first, I did not really have much of a purpose other than to simply add my two cents in the educational blogosphere. That has not changed. I still would like to think that I have something to offer and look forward to the reactions I receive from time to time. The difference, though, is more aligned with what motivates me to write these posts beyond the sense of accomplishment I get once I hit the “publish” button and watch my words go out via blogger, Twitter, and Facebook. In many ways, my writing taps into what Daniel Pink describes in  Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us .  Writing the Art of Education allows me a

I am grateful for all the visitors who happen to give my writing a few minutes of their time.  I am even more grateful for the few who have shared comments about my posts.  On Friday, I wrote a post titled, “The necessity of inventive thinking and its challenge to educators” which elicited this anonymous response: “Everybody says these things, but nobody really believes them in schools. If you try to do these things you get your butt kicked....mine has lots of bruises!” Since reading this response, I have been reflecting on how to both empathize with the responder and offer some intelligent post that serves not only his or her response justice, but also may serve to help others who may be feeling the same way.  Here is my humble attempt at both. The best educators I have ever met all have one thing in common.  They care deeply about what they do because they understand that their work does matter.  There are those who have given up and are coasting along to retirement.  Unfortunat

Image Source Page: http://www.chrismadden.co.uk/yah/invent-wheel. It is said that “necessity is the mother of invention.”  In our schools, we certainly are faced with a variety of necessary tasks and challenges to overcome.  These may change from school to school and from class to class, but I am not aware of any educational institution that does not face some sort of necessary challenge. While necessities may spark invention, I would also say that the very challenge to become more inventive about teaching is, in and of itself, a necessity in schools.  I am not saying that teachers need to come up with a radically new approach to their craft.  What I am saying is that reframing what we already know about teaching to reveal fresh, new ideas is essential to professional growth and for motivating both teachers and students. So if a necessity of teaching is to be more inventive in our thinking, then how can teachers search for ideas to explore that inspire this form of thinking about t

A friend of mine once said that when she is interviewing potential teacher candidates she looks for evidence of two items before even considering the possibility of moving the candidate further along in the hiring process.  These two things are: A passion for their teaching subject (or grade level as the case may be). Sincerely enjoys working with students. I agree with her assessment, but only as a litmus test for whether or not the candidate should move forward in the hiring process. So, as a potential teacher or a teacher looking for a fresh start in a new school, what additional qualities or skills are important to demonstrate in the hiring process?  Here are a few additions to the list that I have compiled based on my own experiences in recruiting and interviewing educators.  They are in no specific order of importance. Are you an early adopter or an user of technology?  The technologically opposed educator often costs too much in time and energy to make it a sustainable re

In my last post, I ended the article with a reference to “good old common sense.”   Since hitting the “publish” button, I have been thinking about what that means in education.  Jackson (1986) talks about common sense helping teachers read and appropriately respond to behavioral cues such as: what a person looks like when they want to say something noticing expressions of disbelief recognizing nods of understanding to speak in a clear voice write legibly listen when others speak ask questions when puzzled smile when pleased frown when displeased There are, of course, many other possible descriptors of common sense that good teachers draw upon.  I am sure you could probably rattle off a few yourself, but I think we can agree that at the very least - Teachers who have strong tendencies to employ solid common sense are using an essential element to the art of teaching. But where do teachers learn or at least refine their abilities to use good common sense?  Can common sense a

    Image Source Page: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Socrates_teaching.jpg There are good teachers who distinguish themselves by their methods of teaching.  I have also met a number of good teachers who stand out due to their level of content knowledge .  But, the truly outstanding teachers are those who typically have a sound grasp of both methods and content . Methods By methods, I am referring to the way of actually delivering the instructional experience – outside of any specific content knowledge needed.  Methods includes teaching philosophy, beliefs, approach to communication, ability to empathize with students, creativity, etc.  Methods include pedagogy, but goes further than the style or strategies of instruction to include the emphasis and ability of the teacher to develop a professional and positive relationship with students and families.  These methods are also used to create meaningful connections with other teachers.  In short, good methods are related to th

I had a grade level team meeting recently at which we were discussing the various challenges facing a few students as we move into our trimester exam period.  One particular student was being discussed and, as usual, I directed each teacher to offer insight into how he was performing and the areas in which he appears to be in need of support. This conversation was moving along as expected until the teachers suddenly realized that they had all offered basically the same insights and were then stuck as to what they could do to help this young man get out of his current situation.  I should mention that it was not that the student was doing horribly in school, but simply not quite progressing as well as expected.  He too, it seems, was stuck on an academic treadmill. It was at this moment that I said, “I know all of you have talked to him about the quality of his work and what he needs to do to improve his grade, but has anyone asked him how he learns best?” Hearing no answer to my que