About a year-and-a-half ago I wrote this entry, detailing my first experience with #edchats. Since then I have participated in several #edchats, including this one that I was invited to because it was based on a talk I gave at a TEDx event!
As I said previously, these #edchats are an amazing way to develop professionally. I recently emailed our district leadership team to explain how #edchats work and encouraging them to participate. I participated in #caedchat this past Sunday evening and recorded THIS screen capture of my phone as a way to show how #edchats work and also to illustrate the power of twitter as a tool for professional development.
Coincidentally, this article came through my Twitter feed the very next day. Sure is a fun time to be an educator!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Back to School - But Different
Counting thirteen years of K-12 schooling, (so many I shouldn't say) eight years of college and graduate school, and eleven years as an educator, this past Monday was my 32nd first day of school. This year is different, however, because it is the first year I have my own child that is having her first day of school. Being a daddy makes everything different.
My first day at work the day after we found out we were pregnant with Ellie was different. My students were no longer just my students; they were someone else's children. The drive home from the hospital with Ellie was different; I had never been such a cautious driver. So while the first day of school this year brought many of the same feelings it has brought in past years, it also brought new feelings. With that, I offer this letter to all educators from all mommies and daddies, especially this one.
Dear Educator,
Today you take my most prized possession into your hands. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her. Nothing. If you are a parent you understand what I feel for her. If you are not, it is nearly impossible to describe. She's my world. And now, she's under your watch.
She is a human, and therefore inherently deserving of respect, kindness, and patience. I know how tough your job is. I know firsthand. Please, always give her the respect, kindness, and patience she deserves.
She is eager to learn. She once said to me, "Daddy, I never want to stop learning and dancing." I hope that spirit never dissipates. I fear that it will. But you can help with this! Inspire her, challenge her, believe in her. Appeal to her natural curiousity. Remember that she came into this world knowing nothing and being able to do nothing (besides cry, eat, and poop). From there, without any lesson plans, she learned to walk, talk, sing, count, dance, laugh, and think. She chose to learn how to do each of those, and so many more, on her own. Please help me keep that spirit burning.
She is unique. As many first-time parents do, we watched her progress as an infant to a toddler and compared her to other children. Is she talking yet? Should she be walking yet? My child knows where her toes are! However, we quickly came to realize that none of that matters. She would develop as she would develop. She may be better than her elbow-partner at math and not-better-than her table group at science. She may be shy in class, or (more likely) may want to answer every question. Regardless, she is unique. There are no other models of her. Please remember that.
And finally, she is mine. As I said, there is nothing I wouldn't do for her. Sirens sound different when you become a parent, because even though you know your wife and daughter are at home safe and sound, you wonder - could that be my family? So please, I beg of you, keep her safe. Watch over her, because during those hours that she is with you, I cannot.
Thank you so much. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it.
Respectfully,
Ellie's Daddy
My first day at work the day after we found out we were pregnant with Ellie was different. My students were no longer just my students; they were someone else's children. The drive home from the hospital with Ellie was different; I had never been such a cautious driver. So while the first day of school this year brought many of the same feelings it has brought in past years, it also brought new feelings. With that, I offer this letter to all educators from all mommies and daddies, especially this one.
Dear Educator,
Today you take my most prized possession into your hands. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her. Nothing. If you are a parent you understand what I feel for her. If you are not, it is nearly impossible to describe. She's my world. And now, she's under your watch.
She is a human, and therefore inherently deserving of respect, kindness, and patience. I know how tough your job is. I know firsthand. Please, always give her the respect, kindness, and patience she deserves.
She is eager to learn. She once said to me, "Daddy, I never want to stop learning and dancing." I hope that spirit never dissipates. I fear that it will. But you can help with this! Inspire her, challenge her, believe in her. Appeal to her natural curiousity. Remember that she came into this world knowing nothing and being able to do nothing (besides cry, eat, and poop). From there, without any lesson plans, she learned to walk, talk, sing, count, dance, laugh, and think. She chose to learn how to do each of those, and so many more, on her own. Please help me keep that spirit burning.
She is unique. As many first-time parents do, we watched her progress as an infant to a toddler and compared her to other children. Is she talking yet? Should she be walking yet? My child knows where her toes are! However, we quickly came to realize that none of that matters. She would develop as she would develop. She may be better than her elbow-partner at math and not-better-than her table group at science. She may be shy in class, or (more likely) may want to answer every question. Regardless, she is unique. There are no other models of her. Please remember that.
And finally, she is mine. As I said, there is nothing I wouldn't do for her. Sirens sound different when you become a parent, because even though you know your wife and daughter are at home safe and sound, you wonder - could that be my family? So please, I beg of you, keep her safe. Watch over her, because during those hours that she is with you, I cannot.
Thank you so much. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it.
Respectfully,
Ellie's Daddy
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Tough Day, Good Day
Most days I love my job, but today was a tough day. Ironically it was a tough day because it was a good day.
This year we implemented WEB at our school. WEB stands for Where Everybody Belongs, and it is a program where 8th graders serve as mentors for the incoming 6th graders. The year is kicked off with a highly energetic assembly that welcomes the 6th graders to their new school. Highly energetic is actually low-balling it. It's wild.
My job today was to facilitate the assembly, a task I thoroughly enjoy. I get to feel like I'm equal parts stand-up comedian, singer, motivational speaker, and, of course, vice principal. I got up early today, was at school by 6:15 am getting things prepared, and by 8:30 am the assembly had started. We finished around 11:45 am, and by 12:30 pm I was having lunch with our leadership team and planning our back to school professional development day. That ended at 1:30 and I worked for a few more hours. At roughly 5:45 pm I pulled out of the parking lot.
This isn't to complain, by any means. (Side note, if it was to complain, I'd be switching my bracelet.) Sure it was a physically tough and exhausting day, but that isn't why I said in the beginning it was a tough day. It was a tough day because I came home and struggled as a daddy.
My kids are 5, 3, and 1. They don't care that Daddy spent his morning rallying 320 kids to cheer, dance, laugh, sing, and feel welcomed. They don't care that Daddy's morning was filled with screaming and clapping and silliness. And they don't understand that when I came home I just couldn't bear to be around any more noise. They didn't get my best tonight. As a matter of fact, they didn't get much at all of me tonight. I played a little, cuddled a little, but mostly I just sat, and after a while I had to step away because after today the noise was just too loud.
That may sound cruel. "What kind of dad is this guy?!" There's nothing in the world more important to me than my children, and that certainly includes my job. I just love my kids so much, and I hate that I struggled with them tonight.
But, and this is a very big but...(and I cannot lie),
I'm thankful. If I have to struggle with my kids once every now and then due to the fact that I have a job that doesn't feel like a job, that's okay. If a rare struggle as a daddy is a part of getting to wake up every morning and never feel like I'm going to work, that's okay. If one bad night means that I'm going to come home 100 other nights inspired, thankful, grateful, and enthused because I've got an amazing career, that's okay. It's okay because when my children visit me at school they get to see Daddy smiling, laughing, and enjoying his job.
So I guess sometimes tough days are good days.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Attention to Detail
A friend of mine had the opportunity to listen to one of the directors of Frozen speak about prepping for the movie. Prior to creating the animation they took people to South Dakota during the winter. They wanted to film a woman walking uphill in the snow. They found out that there is a unique way by which her foot sunk in the snow with each step. They videotaped this, and in looking at the video also analyzed the way her hair swayed as she walked.
Chip Kelly, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, has incorporated science into his coaching. An article on grantland.com discusses how he uses the "latest wearable player-tracking technology" and monitors "resulting data in real time to determine how players and when they become injury risks." Another article I read about him discussed how he monitors their sleep habits with the same technology, using the resulting data to determine how rested they are as practices and games approach.
This kind of attention to detail cultivates excellence. What would this look like in schools? What's stopping teachers from videotaping every lesson (every practice I participated in while playing college football was taped and reviewed) and sitting with colleagues to analyze? What's stopping administrators from having a colleague shadow them and take notes along the way, and then sitting and reflecting at the end of the day, or during intervals throughout the day, to see what went well and what needs improvement?
What would this look like in your school? And how would you make time for it?
Chip Kelly, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, has incorporated science into his coaching. An article on grantland.com discusses how he uses the "latest wearable player-tracking technology" and monitors "resulting data in real time to determine how players and when they become injury risks." Another article I read about him discussed how he monitors their sleep habits with the same technology, using the resulting data to determine how rested they are as practices and games approach.
This kind of attention to detail cultivates excellence. What would this look like in schools? What's stopping teachers from videotaping every lesson (every practice I participated in while playing college football was taped and reviewed) and sitting with colleagues to analyze? What's stopping administrators from having a colleague shadow them and take notes along the way, and then sitting and reflecting at the end of the day, or during intervals throughout the day, to see what went well and what needs improvement?
What would this look like in your school? And how would you make time for it?
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Power Windows
Saying we need more technology in schools is like saying we need every car to have power windows. Sure, the air is going to get into the car quicker, but it's still the same air.
To assume that more technology is going to result in more learning is inaccurate. I've had the fortune of working with and/or watching some genuinely awesome teachers during my career. A grand total of zero of them were awesome due to the use of technology, and a grand total of zero of them would experience a decrease in awesomeness as a result of a loss of technology. They are awesome for a number of reasons, none of which have anything to do with technology. Unless...
Unless they understand that technology is simply a tool to be used to strengthen their students' knowledge and develop their students' skills. Unless they use twitter and blogs to widen their professional learning network and expose themselves to a variety of resources. Unless they utilize technology to empower their students to think creatively and critically.
If we don't do these things, and so much more, we're just rolling up the car windows faster on a cold day.
Monday, August 25, 2014
New Job, Same Responsibilities
Today represents the first day of school at my new site, Mendenhall Middle School. When people ask how I feel about being at a middle school (after 10+ years at high schools), my most common response has been, "Well, it's nice to finally be taller than the majority of my students." But of course, there's a lot more to it than that.
When I say "same responsibilities" I'm not referring to job duties. Those fall into a column on a spreadsheet and have names like master schedule or facilities or testing coordinator. I don't see those as responsibilities. They're just part of what I do each day and throughout the year.
My responsibilities are far greater, and include:
Keeping students and staff safe.
Supporting teachers.
Communicating with families.
Making kids smile.
Listening.
Laughing.
There's more. But those are the first that come to mind. And probably the most important.
And with that, I think I've started more than enough sentences with a conjunction. Til' next time...
When I say "same responsibilities" I'm not referring to job duties. Those fall into a column on a spreadsheet and have names like master schedule or facilities or testing coordinator. I don't see those as responsibilities. They're just part of what I do each day and throughout the year.
My responsibilities are far greater, and include:
Keeping students and staff safe.
Supporting teachers.
Communicating with families.
Making kids smile.
Listening.
Laughing.
There's more. But those are the first that come to mind. And probably the most important.
And with that, I think I've started more than enough sentences with a conjunction. Til' next time...
Monday, February 24, 2014
#caedchat
My first full-time teaching gig started February 2004. That puts me 10 years into this whole education thing. I don't think I could have imagined 10 years ago that my best professional development would revolve around a hashtag.
Twitter has proven to be my favorite and most productive way of learning about my profession. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but now I can't imagine my life as an educator without it. Twitter allows me to connect with passionate and unbelievably competent educators around the globe on a daily basis. During my first few years of teaching I felt isolated. I'd reach out to like-minded teachers in my district but only collaborated during workshops and district meetings. We'd go to conferences and return inspired (and with lots of email addresses), but once back into the daily process of the job the emails would become less and less frequent. Then I started blogging.
Well, reading blogs. Dan's came first. And his led me to many others. All of a sudden I was reading about the ideas of a teacher in Wisconsin and realizing that I was having the same ideas. I could contact that teacher and work together to make our idea better. We could share strategies about implementation and reflect on our experiences.
Twitter took it to a whole 'nother level. Twitter took all those blog authors and put them in one place. Twitter allowed those authors to share a thought or a link or a resource instantly. Twitter connected me to everyone those authors were connected to. And now I'm part of #caedchat.
#caedchat is a weekly discussion on Twitter for educators in California. Moderators ask a series of questions and participants respond with Tweets. Last night was my favorite #caedchat. The topic was Design Thinking and the conversation was invigorating. I first heard about Change by Design through Chris Lehmann's blog. I read the book, loved it, and began to incorporate the principles into my daily work. However, I can't say that I ever expected that it would be the topic of a conversation I'd be having online with hundreds of educators I'd never met. I was hooked in with these educators around the state (and outside of it, I'm sure) who were brainstorming about bringing Design Thinking to our classrooms and our school systems. Incredible.
Professional development used to be something I'd "go to." A conference. A workshop. Twitter brings it to me. #progress
Twitter has proven to be my favorite and most productive way of learning about my profession. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but now I can't imagine my life as an educator without it. Twitter allows me to connect with passionate and unbelievably competent educators around the globe on a daily basis. During my first few years of teaching I felt isolated. I'd reach out to like-minded teachers in my district but only collaborated during workshops and district meetings. We'd go to conferences and return inspired (and with lots of email addresses), but once back into the daily process of the job the emails would become less and less frequent. Then I started blogging.
Well, reading blogs. Dan's came first. And his led me to many others. All of a sudden I was reading about the ideas of a teacher in Wisconsin and realizing that I was having the same ideas. I could contact that teacher and work together to make our idea better. We could share strategies about implementation and reflect on our experiences.
Twitter took it to a whole 'nother level. Twitter took all those blog authors and put them in one place. Twitter allowed those authors to share a thought or a link or a resource instantly. Twitter connected me to everyone those authors were connected to. And now I'm part of #caedchat.
#caedchat is a weekly discussion on Twitter for educators in California. Moderators ask a series of questions and participants respond with Tweets. Last night was my favorite #caedchat. The topic was Design Thinking and the conversation was invigorating. I first heard about Change by Design through Chris Lehmann's blog. I read the book, loved it, and began to incorporate the principles into my daily work. However, I can't say that I ever expected that it would be the topic of a conversation I'd be having online with hundreds of educators I'd never met. I was hooked in with these educators around the state (and outside of it, I'm sure) who were brainstorming about bringing Design Thinking to our classrooms and our school systems. Incredible.
Professional development used to be something I'd "go to." A conference. A workshop. Twitter brings it to me. #progress
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