“Words": The First Ingredient of a Culture Recipe

Update for Mar 14-17

This is not a political statement - It’s a hypothesis about the effect our words have on others.

I’ve always been a believer in the power of words.

Lincoln, King, Lennon and McCartney continue to inspire me: Lincoln for his prose like style speeches seen in the Gettysburg address and second inaugural address; King for his oratory style that evokes emotion and hopefulness; and Lennon and McCartney for their ability to rapidly evolve their music and lyrics.

Last Friday, I was mesmerized by the live images of a rally in Chicago for presidential candidate Donald Trump because of how quickly it was getting out of control and becoming uncivilized. However, I wasn’t surprised and here's why: I believe that leaders set the tone.

I believe that Tim Kight is right when he talks about how Leaders establish the Culture that influences Behaviors that get certain Results.  I also believe that the words we use and the messages we send directly influences the culture we are trying to build. When I think about some of the themes and rhetoric of the Trump campaign, I would say that much of it has been focused on exclusion, blame, and fear.  Those themes created the culture that influenced the behaviors that resulted in the violence we saw in Chicago on Friday.

Last Sunday evening, I got to take my kids to see the new Disney movie Zootopia. 

First, it’s worth the price of admission.  It has all of the elements a good Disney movie: great characters, funny scenes, and an engaging story line. Second, it and has a wonderful message about perseverance, acceptance and being aware of our biases and stereotypes. The writers did a great job of developing those themes without slowing the movie down for kids. 

I went into that movie not really knowing much about it, but I did know that I could expect there to be a positive universal message — That’s the result of a culture that has been built by Disney.

I come away from this weekend with two reflections.  One reflection is actually just another reminder that our words and the messages they send matter. They drive the culture we are trying to build.  

The other reflection is that we need to surround ourselves with words, messages and people that support and affirm Above the Line behaviors.  We need to work to find away to push out negativity or find t’s source so that it can be addressed.  

The next time you find yourself reacting out of anger, frustration or suspicion, press pause; think about what’s really going on.  Slow down and get your mind right because how you react and what you say next contributes to the culture we are trying to build and get the results we seek.  

Be a builder! 

-Herb

Articles Worth Reading

Validating the Learner and Nurturing their Passion for Learning https://shar.es/1Y0hqF

The biggest regret from a 41-year career in education reporting (and a lot more) http://wpo.st/TYdL1 

Why Every Student Needs a Teacher Champion http://ow.ly/ZmZL2 -- THIS IS A VIDEO I WATCH AND RE-WATCH TIME AND TIME AGAIN!!!

Middle School Maker Journey: The Making of a Mantra by @kjarrett: http://edut.to/1TPpwWS 

Upcoming Events

Mar 15 -- Hilliard U Day -- No SCHOOL (Students)
Mar 16 -- ADDC Staff Meeting, DCR Media Center 3:45

Mar 17 -- Elementary Student Transfer Request Forms Due

Mar 18-24 -- Spring Break -- NO SCHOOL

Mar 25 -- Holiday -- NO SCHOOL
Mar 31 -- STAFF OLYMPICS!

"Grow beyond our walls"

Update for April 27 - May 1

We had an amazing celebration this week that highlighted a project that has brought the school community together over the past 10 years.  Take a look at some of the pictures from the event:


2015 Garden Dedication



Becky reaffirmed for me that we can't let our job description limit what is possible.  Growing beyond our walls and connecting our passion to the school's mission is what innovative educators, including Becky, do.  And in turn it helps to create a truly innovative learning space.

Having what George Couros calls an "innovator's mindset" will help us continue to learn and grow as professionals and will also help us continue to provide kids with authentic learning experiences that will better position them for success in the future.

Have a GREAT week!

-Herb


Videos worth seeing

Technology is not the problem...https://youtu.be/2XLBA4UX51k




Example of timely feedback.  How important is recognizing the learner's feelings when providing them with feedback? (Check out the 5 min mark)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=203&v=elK0jHNAcR4




Articles Worth Reading

"Five Ways to Create a State of "Flow" in the Classroom"

"Changing What We Teach"

"Top Ten Practices for Principals to Promote Literacy in School"

"Teacher Advice: Turning 32 Years Into 6 Simple Takeaways"

Upcoming Dates

The calendar can also be accessed by visiting goo.gl/UH9ZtG

Data Team Meeting Dates:

May 12 -- KG during assessment day lunch

May 20 -- 1st Grade AM; 2nd Grade PM

May 21 -- 3rd Grade AM (*Herb will attend by 10:15); 4th Grade PM

**Joanne will secure subs - They will be shared between classrooms.

**5th Grade -- I'd like to meet with you during planning time on Friday, May 23 to share trends from 4th grade and reflect on the year.

Kids Are Capable of So Much

Update for Nov 17-21

There was something about this week that made me wonder “What is going on here?”.  

Let me preface this by saying that I know that there are thousands of positive moments that happen each day at school and it’s these moments we remember.  But this week, the problems we had to solve, or tried to solve, seemed to be overtaking the positive moments.  It could also be that we have Conferences coming up and Progress Reports due -- That certainly adds to the stress.  

In these moments, it seems like it’s easier to focus on what’s wrong instead of what’s going well.

Wednesday night, I saw a Tweet by George Couros that piqued my curiosity:

It is one of the most adorable videos I’ve ever seen (If this doesn’t make you cry, you are a robot.):

I needed to see that video this week because it reminded me that despite the times kids have where they don’t show us their best, each child is capable of so much good.  It’s already built into them.

It’s our responsibility to remember that. It’s also our responsibility to focus on the positive and help students learn and grow by building off of their strengths and what they are capable of doing, not by focusing on what they cannot do.

(After watching 1 minute, jump to minute 6. Again, grab some tissues. THIS is why we teach. Because we need to never give up on finding what works for kids.)

Here’s to a wonderful week!

-Herb

Videos That Inspire

“How can 1st Graders help the Earth?”:

Commercial reenacts a powerful moment in history:

Articles Worth Reading

“Talking to Learn” (EL Magazine, Nov 2014) http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov14/vol72/num03/Talking-to-Learn.aspx

“Research Shows Gains in ST Math Use” | MindShift http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/11/research-shows-some-gains-in-st-math-use/ … via @MindShiftKQED

“Making School About Connection” (Edutopia)

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/making-school-about-connection-joshua-block

“Make the Most of the Maker Movement” http://edut.to/1xBZFEH  via @edutopia

Upcoming Dates

Nov 17-20, 2014   BOOK FAIR!

Mon Nov 17, 2014

7pm - ADE/DCR Parent Meeting at Bradley HS

Tue, Nov 18, 2014

3:30 at ADE--First teacher steering committee meeting

7pm - Assessment and Accountability Summit, Weaver Middle School

Wed Nov 19, 2014     

3:45pm - 8:15pm Parent-Teacher Conference Night

Wed Nov 26-28, 2014    No School

December

Tue Dec 2, 2014        

8am - 9am Building Improvement Team mtg

Wed Dec 3, 2014         

3:35-4:20 ADE/DCR Staff Meeting at ADE

Share it.

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”

This is a quote from Maya Angelou and even though she may have intended it for something completely different, it made me think about how important it is for educators to share their skills and ideas with others.

Much of the work we are doing in schools in Ohio this year is to satisfy new mandates and new initiatives. Many of us are finding it hard to stay innovative and to be willing to take on new ideas because we are busy with the minutiae or we are tired from being busy with the minutiae.

However, I don't think any of that is going away anytime soon. So, instead of continuing to complain about it, we need to move on and find more sources of inspiration and innovation. That's where sharing becomes so important.

We need to be sharing our ideas, lessons, books we read, thoughts we have - anything that is important to us because it spurs further thinking and ideas in others. There are so many ways for educators to easily share their ideas - Twitter, Google+, blogging...it's all there, we just need to access it.

And don't let your own ideas stop you. When I first got connected through Twitter and started blogging, I was reluctant to share because I thought, "Who is going to think this is a good idea?". I realized that I needed to change my mindset to, "I hope this helps someone get an idea that will help kids." That shift in thinking helped me realize that it was important for me to add my voice to the collective conversation.

I love this quote from George Couros about realizing we are the experts. I think it speaks to the importance of sharing our knowledge with others:

When we look at change, we have to realize everything we need is often already within our own organization.  We just have to figure out how to unleash this talent. Isn’t this the culture we want in our classrooms?  It has to be modeled from the top and the way that we view every individual part of our organization.

So, make it a point to start sharing more of your ideas with others. If you haven't connected on a social media platform yet, get connected. If you have accounts, start using them.

I need your ideas to help me continue to grow as a teacher.

"Remembering educator Rita F. Pierson" from TED Blog

"Remembering educator Rita F. Pierson" from TED Blog

Yesterday, TED Blog posted news that Rita F. Pierson passed away.  I saw her TED Talk about a month ago and I was blown away.  Her passion and advocacy for building lasting relationships with children is inspiring and reminded me just how important my job as an educator is to the kids I work with.  And she did all of that in about 15 minutes of speaking.

We are lucky that her message has been captured in her TED Talk, but her passing is a great loss.