My Connected Educator Vanilla Cake

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#LeadershipDay12, was a day (8/15/12) for bloggers to engage educational leaders in conversations to help them embrace the vast possibilities that technology now offers, as well as to encourage leaders to become connected educators. What is the recipe for a connected leader?  I am not a leader of technology, but I am a leader who embraces technology, and I have only been a connected leader for a total of 62 days! I must say, I have enjoyed the summer, tasting this new smorgasbord of possibilities, and I am well aware I have only nibbled and tried a few things, but I am excited to taste the varied flavors of this vast spread of possibilities.  For now, my recipe has simply yielded a plain vanilla cake, but I think with time I will be able to bake a delicious German chocolate layer cake.  Maybe by leadership day 13, as I add a few ingredients as a connected leader I will have perfected my chocolate cake! For now this is where I am:

CONNECTED EDUCATOR PLAIN VANILLA CAKE

1  cup  patience

1  cup determination

5 tablespoons advice

3 drops positive reinforcement

a handful of blogs to start

a few #hashtags

140 drops of wisdom

First, find a technologist willing to mentor you

Organize your blogs through reader

Read everyday

Blend in your own blog; mix it up once a week

Create a @handle to add flavor to your experience

Sift, and resift and sift some more -as you find people to follow

Add your own 140 drops of wisdom, and you will soon have a few followers

If your oven is too hot from overload, just call your mentor, most likely s/he will find a way to save the cake!

My advice as a novice connected leader is to be patient with yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for help, list all of the tools you would like to try, and then explore one by one, little by little…..

Many thanks to my mentor – who supports me online and off

The Quilt Maker's Journey

Post Six of series  “It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act.”14th Dalai Lama

Although told as a fantasy, the Quilt Maker's Journey by Jeff Brumbeau and  Gail de Marken is a story of harsh realities. The Quilt Makers family creates for her a “safe bubble,” protected from any influences beyond their immediate community. If the needs of the community are met within this “bubble” then why venture out? The Quilt Maker resented this protected life, her curiosity, sense of emptiness and lack of emotional stimulation gave her the courage to venture out and discover life beyond her privileged background. Leaving the community on her own and encountering a simpler and what she first noted as “helplessness” to her surroundings, she naturally came to the realization that people outside of the “bubble” had a lot to offer her, and she too found a unique way to give a bit of herself to others.

Many would identify the message of this story to be of a young girl realizing that all people, no matter their background can learn from one another, support one another, build relationships and live a fulfilled life. The Quilt Makers courage and compassion to serve those in need is certainly commendable.

But let’s reflect a bit upon these boundaries we create in society. Is a safe environment one that isolates children from a world beyond their own privilege?  Is it the fear of differences among adults that leads to creating borders and boundaries or “safe bubbles” for children? What can we do as colleagues, parents, teachers, to provide opportunities for students to learn from the many perspectives that surround our school and home communities?  Just recently I was told of a graduate from the school where I work who ventured off to college and was astonished by the poverty surroundings her college campus; this person was never exposed to poverty prior to freshman year of college: what does this tell us about the conversations and experiences this student lacked prior to entering adulthood and independence?

My quest as we enter into conversations around compassion is that we look beyond the “feel good” simple messages that are addressed in our book selections, toward deeper conversations that explore issues of social justice.

Compassion, Courage, Independence

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Post Five of series  “It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act.”14th Dalai Lama

Tenzin’s Deer by Barbara Soros

Pre-view: Tenzin, a young Tibetan boy, finds and cares for a wounded deer until the deer he names, Jampa, (Loving Kindness) is strong enough to return to life on his own. This tender story introduces us to the values of kindness, internal strength, and compassion as held by the Tibetan people. It demonstrates the importance of respecting and caring for nature as well as the ability to “let go” in order to move forward in life.

PERSONAL TAKE AWAYS

1)   Service Learning – Effective service learning focuses both on relationship building and preparing those who you serve with the lessons, tools, and confidence to move forward independently, grow as an individual, and be a supportive member of a group.  Tenzin was willing to care for and help Jampa in his time of need. Tenzin also realized that part of caring included letting Jampa be self-sufficient when he became strong enough to care for himself.  As we embark on new service projects let’s remember that the goal is to help, support and to provide others with the knowledge and skills to improve their lives.

2)   Letting go – If we provide love and care, and model responsibility and courage, those who we care for will be ready for independence and a new chapter in life.  It was hard for Tenzin to let Jampa return to life on his own, but he knew it was the right thing to do and that Jampa was prepared. As a mother of a rising high school senior, this story was very timely. It takes courage to let go, but if I have instilled responsibility and independence in my son, all will be fine… the care and love will always be present.

Reflection that facilitates action

-->Espoused theory -  theory-in-use -  reflection - action - change 

I was introduced to Argyris and Schön’s theories of action early on in my doctoral studies, and I must say it has stayed with me. It greatly influenced the approach I used to analyze the data of my research, and it continues to orient my professional practice. In simplified terms this theory distinguishes between what one espouses to do (espoused theory) and what one actually does (theory-in-use).  Educators as individuals or as members of an organization or team, rely on a set of values, ideas, beliefs, in essence, a “mental map,” to plan an approach to make decisions, problem solve, or implement program.  Frequently however, there is a disconnect between what they espouse to do and what they actually do. Moreover, educators can be unaware of this disconnect which can lead to confusion, inefficiency or an inability to direct or stimulate organizational change. The larger the gap between what educators think they do and actually do the harder it is for an organization to grow and change or even maintain a strong culture.

How has this concept influenced me as an educator? I am committed to action-oriented leadership and rely on personal and professional reflection to orient my practice. This enables me to deliberately monitor the gap between my values and beliefs and the actions that support those values and beliefs.

It seems like a simple concept. However, when educators are not intentional and reflective they may be fooled or lost in the moment, and what they think they are accomplishing may not be the reality that others or the community experience. Ideas and values are strong forces of ones being; so strong that if not careful one can express them but fail to support them.  

How do you know if your espoused theories match your theories-in-use?  Can you clearly articulate your values and beliefs? Can you match them up with specific actions? When goal setting, do you outline actions that may help you to achieve those goals? Do you reflect often on your practice? Do you seek feedback from diverse points of view? 

By keeping these questions front and center, I move forward with stops along the way to re-fuel, make adjustments, consider alternative routes, or simply to enjoy the journey.

Economic Inequality...Educational Opportunity: the chicken or the egg?

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Post Four of series “It is not enough to be compassionate you must act (14^th Dalai Lama).”

 

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Economic inequality

Below I have summarized the findings outlined in Barbara Ehrenreich’s  book, Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America:

·            No, you cannot survive and take care of your basic needs on a minimum wage salary.

·            The welfare system has unrealistic expectations of those who need assistance. (For example, the system assumes those in need can mobilize easily to apply for multiple positions in an extended radius).

·            Within the United States there exists a “culture of inequality,” where low- wage workers face daily hurdles and repressive measures that stagnate their possibilities of a stable lifestyle.

Dr. Ehrenreich set out to test her ability to survive and meet her immediate needs on a minimum wage salary for a period of nine months. She moved from Florida to Maine and finally to Missouri working in a variety of settings to cover her basic needs. This first hand account enables one to identify and understand the daily plight of the low-wage worker. After reading Nickle and Dimed I conducted a web search to determine why so many colleges and some high schools had chosen this book as a summer read. I found no substantive information beyond lists of reflection questions. However, this book did find its way to the reading list of my doctoral course on Economics and Leadership, although, as a group we chose to read Savage Inequalities by Kozol, an account of the incredibly poor state of public education in certain “unattended to” areas throughout the country. I knew I would get to this book someday and I am very happy that I did.  To stimulate change, who should be reading this book? How many policy makers and politicians have read Nickle and Dimed and would that make a difference?

Inequality of opportunity

The very same day I finished Nickle and Dimed I picked up the Washington Post and read Larry Summer’s op ed article (7/16/12), Our inequality of opportunity…. Summers first states that the distribution of income is far worse than it was a generation ago, and with the present state of the economy, this trend will continue. (No progressive made since the publishing of Nickle and Dimed!) He briefly outlines the progressive and conservative viewpoints suggested to alter these economic trends, but quickly moves to encourage a different dialog on economic policy, that of improving equality of (educational) opportunity. If we want workers to have better opportunities, shouldn’t we ensure that they can afford and receive a high quality education? Summers suggests that:

·            We improve public education  (wow! – a huge feat)

·            Universities continue to work to increase enrollment of minority populations.

·            With the same push universities have put toward increasing racial and cultural diversity, they should set in place policies to increase economic diversity.

I have not achieved much through this blog beyond summarizing a study and an opinion on the state of our economy with a suggested correlation to the state of our education system.  Is this a, what came first, the chicken or the egg scenario? Does the lack of educational opportunity create poverty or do the dire economic conditions make educational opportunities inaccessible for many? I wish I could do more; I admit that I feel a bit hopeless. Well, I did find  a new twitter follower (WeCanEndPoverty) to give me some ideas, and I have investigated when the next Literacy Volunteers of America training is taking place in my area. What else can I DO to make a difference? Maybe the courageous approach taken by the author of the next book I am reading, The Fist and the Heart, will motivate me to DO more to help change this “culture of inequality.”

Globalization and textbooks?

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I must say I have been pretty proud over the years of how I have managed to drastically cut the total cost of the textbooks needed for my high school son. It takes, patience and web research, but I always end up spending less than 50% of the total price of his entire book list, sometimes up to 75%, (I have not kept the exact data).  Oh, and I have always managed to buy “new” books from “used book sellers.”  However, today I was thrown for a loop and now wonder if in my quest to save money I am being environmentally unfriendly? Last week I purchased a Calculus book from Barnes & Nobel marketplace. The list price for this new book is $87.45 and I paid $47.32 plus 3.99 for standard shipping. When I came home yesterday and found a DHL Express sticker on my door indicating I had missed a delivery, I pondered a bit……. This book was the only thing I had ordered this week; why DHL express, I paid for standard shipping? Well the book showed up today (brand new, sealed and delivered!) in its express packaging and I noticed that it had been shipped from India. I checked my email confirmation directly from B&N which indicated that the vendor was from Florida and was being sent from there, Palm Bay, to be exact. So now I sit here and wonder, how and why did this new calculus book travel across the world and back? It is brand new and says “Printed in the United States” on the copyright page; and why was I told that it came from Florida? I would love to track the life of this traveling book….  So many questions, has the price of traveling the world and back already surpassed the price of the book? Should there be full disclosure on where B&N vendors get their products…. Not sure what else to think, and wonder how often this happens.

The Can Man

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 Post Three of series  “It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act.”14th Dalai Lama

The Can Man by Laura Williams

I think back to my childhood, the frequent visits to New York City, and the can men and bag ladies. I watched them, was a bit fascinated by their lives. I did not quite understand; I don’t remember asking, and I don’t remember receiving an explanation. I did know that they were “poor,” possibly did not have a home, and needed those can deposits to survive and those bags to protect their sole possessions. That is all I knew….would it have been helpful as an 8 year old or 14 year old to know more?  Why were they poor? What causes poverty? As I reflect back, I must say YES, I wish when I was young I had had the opportunity to explore at a deeper level what it means to be poor in the U.S.A. Perhaps this would have led me to DO something about it. Through this story, there are many important themes that could be explored with elementary school children. It is important as teachers to step out of our comfort zone and not solely stick to the easier themes of the book. If we don’t dig deeper into the tough themes, will these future adults have the same questions that I did, and will we have lost an opportunity to encourage young children to begin to understand the need for systematic changes in our society. Which of these themes do you think is the easiest? Are you willing to explore the most difficult one?

THEME 1: Who are the poor in our nation and how did they get there? Understanding the Can Man’s story will help students realize that anyone can walk in his shoes. That many times the circumstances of life lead to poverty no matter how well prepared and hard working you are. Let’s work to break the stereotypes and misconceptions that surround poverty.

THEME 2: What do we need vs. what do we want?  In my immediate environment, our children/students feel they “need” everything. They need an iPhone, car at 16, the most recent style of Nike shoes, or a pre-ordered copy of the latest book of the Harry Potter series. How do we help children understand the difference between needs and wants? What are true needs and why are they not easily met? Through the story Tim realizes that a skateboard is not a need but a want.

THEME 3: How do relationships and direct experiences help us to understand different perspectives? Do we encourage our students and children to develop relationships with people from all walks of life?  It is the relationship that Tim had with the Can Man that led him to empathize with him and to understand where he was coming from.