LeaderTalk

'Tis the Season to...

Nail it down. That is, if you want to still have it at the end of the day. The frenzy of the season and the state of the economy has trickled down to the youngest consumers. The season of “must have it” has yielded to “just take it.” Morals and values are being unwrapped quicker than any gifts under the tree.

A few examples…

I had a nice big bag of Hershey’s dark miniatures, not just the Special Dark, mind you, but Krackle dark and Mr. Goodbar dark, on my desk the other morning and it just disappeared. Of course we found the culprit through a trail of wrappers. I certainly didn’t need any more chocolate, even if it is the cholesterol-lowering dark stuff, but we still can’t send the message that stealing is okay. It didn’t faze her that she stole from the principal; nor did it faze her mother. In any case, she has a bit of community service to do this week.

A mother called to tell me her son’s boots were stolen out of the classroom by a certain student and she could not afford to replace them. I had spoken to her son the evening before about it and told him to look in the lost and found before accusing someone of stealing and that we’d continue our search for the boots in the morning. Well, that evening his mother called the mother of the student whom her son accused of stealing and ranted at her, using every obscene word not even in the dictionary. Of course the boots were in the lost and found, but the mere thought of having to lay out money that was already scarce to replace boots sent this normally rational mother into an irrational tiz.

Here’s probably one of the most unconscionable examples. One of our students, unfortunately known by his teachers as “sticky fingers” “found” a very nice cell phone just laying on the ground that he proceeded to pawn for just about anything he could get. He eventually sold this phone to his schoolbus driver for $25.00. Now, our ground is covered by several inches of snow right now so just about anything dropped would sink into the white abyss pretty easily. And this driver gave a 10-year-old $25.00 for a used cell phone that was “found” God only knows where. The bus company is now dealing with this incident and the kid is rich from, in all probability, stealing. And guess what, his mother thought nothing of it because he now has some money to spend.

We had a student who saw another student wearing his sweatshirt. The one wearing the stolen sweatshirt swore he bought it at the store just the night before. However, upon closer observation, the other child’s name was written on the label. We also had $90.00 stolen out of a social worker’s purse, but I fault her for leaving it anywhere in sight. “‘Tis the season,” I said. Lock it up or nail it down.

May your holidays be merry and bright!

Does Democracy Have a Minimum Age?

On the very historic Election Day earlier this month, our teachers from grades one through six did mock presidential elections with their students. Depending on their grade, the students learned about a citizen’s right (as well as privilege) to vote, the right to choose for whom to vote, how an election is won through the majority vote, the major issues the candidates were facing, and the Electoral College.

After the election, I had parents question the appropriateness of first graders voting. Their point was that first graders really do not understand the issues, the politics, and the process of the Electoral College, so what value does this mock election hold for them? The parents were concerned that the students were voting for whom their parents were voting and that when the kids talk about whom they voted for they are divulging their parents’ preferences. The parents felt that the purpose of classroom voting was more for the teachers to find out for whom families were voting than for the students’ learning experience.

I acknowledged their concerns, but highlighted the historic impact of this election and how the students were able to be a part of it, albeit through a mock election. I added that it was going to be historic regardless of who won, as it would mean a first in either case. The first grade teachers read age-appropriate books on each candidate prior to the election to give them some background knowledge, and although that background knowledge did not include policies and issues, it gave the students a sense of who the candidates were.

Our school district participates in the Kids Voting program that allows students to cast their vote with their parents at the polls. Kids will still talk about for whom they voted, whether they voted at the polls or in the classroom.

The students have other opportunities to experience the power of voting during the year; for example, for student council officers, their favorite new hot lunch dish, and their favorite Maud Hart Lovelace book.

So, my questions are:
Is first grade too young to vote in mock elections?
What is the youngest appropriate age to conduct mock elections?
Should we limit the voting to Kids Voting at the polls with their parents? and,
Should we limit voting to school issues only?
But the BIG question is: How can we ignore current events and historic teachable moments - at any age?

Bending the Rod

Fly fishing combines artistry, athleticism, persistence and luck, as Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer so artfully demonstrated in the movie “A River Runs Through It.” I recently took up fly fishing on the Brule River as a recreational pastime. However, I realize I have been applying some of the basics of fly fishing in the workplace for many years. In a recent meeting of only a few teachers participating in a project with our college partner, one teacher “joked” that she was there because she could be reeled in pretty easily.  This comment compelled me to think about who takes advantage of professional growth opportunities as well as who participates in meetings, projects, and extracurricular activities. I have since begun examining the extent to which staff members participate in extracurriculars and what role I have in ensuring professional growth for all. In other words, I need to take a good look at who gets reeled in and who gets off the hook. In most cases, those who get reeled in are the key teacher leaders who are catalysts in the change process; those who emit the positive vibes throughout the building. They are the ones most likely to be team leaders, facilitators, and committee chairs. Then there are those who participate only when it is expected of them, and those who truly do as little as possible beyond the bells.

As anglers try to catch many different species of fish, principals should attempt to “catch” the different species of staff in order to keep ideas fresh and refrain from overburdening the same staff with the additional obligations. It’s a fact that some are easy to reel in and some take a lot of work, and I realize that I tend to reel in the “fish” that don’t put up much resistance and avoid the confrontation of the staff members who really bend the rod. It takes a lot of effort to reel in those reluctant “fish” and why be dragged downstream stumbling over all those rocks when some “fish” can be reeled in so easily? Although these reluctant staff members may feel they have put in their time between the bells, may feel they don’t have anything to contribute, or lack the confidence to participate, I still need to find the right fly to reel them in.

Having experienced the thrill of catching the big one on the Brule, I realize that it is equally as important to bend the rod in the workplace so as not to perpetuate the notion of the doers and the do-nothings and, more importantly, to motivate the more reluctant staff to push the envelope and escape their comfort zones. This concept of participation has forced me to think about how to best motivate and engage the reluctant staff members.

Finding just the right fly takes patience and experimentation. People don’t change over night and trying to force change usually backfires. Therefore it is best to walk gingerly downstream with the rod so as not to lose your footing or risk getting whisked away in the current. After reading up on what school and business leaders have written on the subject, and reflecting on some common sense practice, I am armed with a menagerie of flies to try out over the course of the year.  The fly box includes:

1.    Actively seeking their advice
Make a point to talk to the person individually and solicit ideas. As an idea unfolds, encourage the person to help see the idea become reality.
2.    Holding small group info sessions to hear those less likely to voice opinions in large groups
Arrange focus groups so that at least one group is composed of minor voices so that their ideas are not drowned out by those who love to hear themselves talk. Small groups are also beneficial for those who may need additional time to process ideas. Some of the best ideas may come from the least likely to speak up in large groups.
3.    Praising their willingness to participate and offer advice and opinions
Whatever the person is willing to give is an improvement over nothing, so praise it.
4.    Having each teacher prepare their own teachable point of view and share it with other staff, acknowledging individuality
This is a concept developed by Noel Tichy of the University of Michigan business school. It involves having each teacher develop and articulate their ideas, values, goals, and positive emotional energy that motivates them to get things done.
5.    Offering incentives such as making it a breakfast or a dinner meeting off campus
This makes it seem extra special - it’s not just another meeting in the conference room. Of course budget matters, so make sure participants know whether or not they are responsible for contributing to the bill.
6.    Offering individual, unconditional, continuous support
Tell them that as long as they are willing to participate, facilitate, or chair, they can ask anything.
7.    Making sure they know they are valued for any effort they do put forth
Even if it’s minimal, it’s the first step.

So armed with a little persistence, experimentation, and luck, hopefully from now on, the only ones I’ll be guilty of letting off the hook are the fish I catch in the river.

The Professional Development School: A Win-Win-Win Partnership

If you want to learn how to diagnose engine problems, you have to get under the hood and get your hands dirty. This practical approach to learning is also applicable to teacher preparation. While we’ve had student teachers in the classroom for decades, Professional Development Schools (PDS) provide an alternative, enhanced model for teacher preparation. One of the desirable aspects of the PDS is that learning occurs simultaneously among preservice educators, experienced educators, and students.  According to Campoy (2000), “The Professional Development School is one of the most prominent, compelling, and recent models of teacher education reform. By conducting reform at both levels of education, the PDS is a solution to the piecemeal reforms of the past.”

Randolph Heights, a PK-6 urban elementary school has been involved in a partnership with the College of St. Catherine (CSC) in Saint Paul, Minnesota for the past six years. Through efforts to align preservice teaching with current district reform models being taught in the classrooms, the partnership has evolved into the creation of a PDS for literacy. “Such partnerships,” said Campoy, encourage the simultaneous reform of schools and teacher education programs and this synergy helps each institution accomplish more than each could alone.” The Literacy Lab, as it is called, was the brainchild of two professors from CSC who decided not only would it benefit their students to be immersed in teaching literacy in an elementary classroom, it would enhance learning even more to hold their college class at the elementary school as well. Every Tuesday morning, the students meet with their professor at Randolph Heights for the college course and then disperse into classrooms to work “in the lab” with experienced educators and their students.

Preservice teachers engage in staff development focusing on literacy along with the experienced teachers. For example, when teachers at Randolph Heights were trained in using the Diagnostic Reading Assessment (DRA), the preservice teachers were learning right along side. That way, when diagnosing reading problems with struggling readers, preservice teachers and experienced educators can collaborate on the results and work together to analyze the data and service the children.

The literacy lab is one of three literacy initiatives that Randolph Heights implemented to increase student achievement and close the achievement gap between students of color and Caucasian students. The other two initiatives included a tutoring program for students in grades two through six, and a reading intervention program for students in kindergarten through grade three.

After one year of implementing all three literacy strategies, the school’s 2008 Minnesota Comprehension Assessment scores dramatically improved and, for some student subgroups, cut the achievement gap in half. For example, the reading scores of African American students improved 20 percentage points, from only 53 percent being proficient in reading in 2007 to 73 percent proficient in 2008. This also narrowed the achievement gap from a 31-point difference between White and African American students in 2007 to a 14-point difference in 2008.

While all three strategies probably contributed to the increase in student achievement, the literacy lab also has a positive effect on the learning on the part of the preservice teachers as they gain the knowledge of district curriculum and reform models, as well as professional growth on the part of the experienced teachers as they become mentors and reflective learners. Randolph Heights will continue to strengthen the partnership as a professional development school with the College of St. Catherine as they have found they definitely accomplish more together than each could accomplish alone.

Resources:
Campoy, R. W., (2000). A Professional development School Partnership: Conflict and
    Collaboration, Bergin & Garvey: Westport, CT.

My Strengths? Well Let Me Think About That for a Minute

                   

“If we’re going to soar, we have to know ourselves as well as our craft.”
                                                                        Dewitt Jones, National Geographic.

How well do you know yourself? How well can you articulate who you are? As a participant in NAESP’s national principal mentoring certification program this summer, I was asked to read the book, NOW, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton (2001). The crux of this material is that you have to focus on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses. If asked to articulate your strengths, could you immediately do this? I really couldn’t express my strengths in any concrete (or abstract, for that matter) way before I read this book and took the StrengthsFinder test. Now, I know that I’m an ENFP on the Myers-Briggs, I’m orange on “What Color is your Temperament,” and I’m an Idealist on the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. But when asked about my strengths, ‘orange’ just doesn’t offer an overall picture.

From this StrengthsFinder test, I learned that I am a maximizer, activator, arranger, futurist, and includer. Looking at the 34 possibilities, I would not have picked these as my top five strengths. However, after reading about those five I realized you could paste my picture next to the lot.

Now that I’ve discovered my own strengths, I feel it is important to know the strengths of the entire staff. They, too, will take a test to discover their strengths and discuss how they can utilize their strengths to improve collaboration in our professional learning communities. Our teachers and support staff bring an enormous amount of expertise to the table, but learning and understanding about what strengths each brings to the table is our goal for opening week of school. We still laugh at the way we do things according to our “color,” whether it is orange, blue, gold, or green. Now, we’ll know who will think, relate, influence, and do to make things happen.

I highly recommend the book, NOW, Discover Your Strengths, and the StrengthsFinder test that you take online. There is a code on the inside jacket of the book that you use to log-on once you have read the first three chapters. There is a book especially for teachers, called Teach With Your Strengths, which you can find at www.gallup.com. This book also allows teachers to take the online StrengthsFinder test.

'Nuf Said

A fifth grade student who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, amongst a host of other things, came to school recently wearing a t-shirt that said boldly across the front:
“I’m not crazy. I just do bad things when I don’t get my meds.” Actually, this is true; however, does a parent need to purchase a t-shirt like this for a child who has already spent numerous weeks in an inpatient psychiatric facility to advertise his disability?

After I saw this shirt on this child, I began to really read the shirts our students were wearing to school. Here are just a few of the ones kids were wearing the last few weeks of school. Now keep in mind that the school educates students in early kindergarten (four-year-olds) through sixth grade.

One fifth grade girl was wearing a pair of tight shorts with the words “Swimmers Kick Butt!” emblazoned, where else, but across the butt. Another fifth grade girl was wearing a similar pair of tight shorts that said “2-hand Touch,” again emblazoned across her backside. Both of those girls’ mothers would be the first two to race to my office claiming sexual harassment against their daughters.

A child sitting in my office was wearing a shirt that said, “I was trying to be good, but I got bored.” I told him I was not amused by the shirt, and if that was why he was in my office, I’d give him enough community service to keep him from his boredom.

Another child sitting in my office was wearing a shirt that claimed, “It’s my brother’s fault.” He, of course, refused to take responsibility for any of his actions.

“Hello, my name is TROUBLE.” Yup, it is, so let’s brag about it.

“Ask me about my annoying parents.” You know what we say to that: The apple never falls far from the tree.

“It’s funny how you THINK I’m listening.” It’s funny how you think we’re amused.

This clothing certainly doesn’t fit the limitations of free speech because the inscriptions truly don’t interfere with the orderly operations of the school or with the educational process. We have a clothing policy that reads, among a list of other no-no’s, t-shirts with inappropriate words or graphics; those that make reference to gangs, weapons, drugs, and liquor. The t-shirts we are seeing now do not fall into that category stipulated in the parent handbook, nor do they fit the limitations of free speech, but are they really appropriate for school? And why are parents purchasing these shirts and then allowing their children to wear them to school? When I went to grade school (granted, we were still doing civil defense drills) I had school clothes and I had play clothes, and I never even thought to get the two confused. I now have work clothes and I have play clothes, and I never want to get the two confused. Some schools have opted for uniforms to avoid the clothing controversy. I prefer to give kids their individuality, but with the distinction that there are some clothes that are just not appropriate in the educational setting.

Just another fine line we walk in our daily lives as principals.

Soaring to New Heights

"You can make it, Dr. Flynn! JUST DON’T LOOK DOWN!" was the chorus I heard as I inched my way across the trapeze line suspended fifty feet above the Root River valley. I had watched in awe as our city dwelling fifth graders braved their fears and met the challenge of walking not one, but 6 different trapeze lines intertwined in the tree tops. Now it was my turn (talk about pressure) to make it through the entire course as each of the kids had already done, creating a rare situation in which principal and students were all navigating in the same unchartered water.

As the principal, we have the “never let ‘em see you sweat” mentality and take on the role of fearless leader regardless of the situation, because we know kids need the reassurance that someone will confidently handle the situation and keep them safe. However, in rare instances like this, it’s a great opportunity for kids to see the vulnerable (and very sweaty) side of a principal in a situation where it’s okay to be vulnerable –and sweaty. At that moment in time, the ropes course has nothing to do with taking care of a school and keeping kids safe. It has to do with a whole new challenge outside of the normal school environment. This was a true learning experience for all involved. I was as scared, proud, tired, and exhilarated as the kids were when I finished the course. The best part of the experience was that we celebrated our accomplishments together, truly able to empathize with and relate to each other’s emotions. There’s nothing like an experience as this to create a lasting bond between principal and students.

Last month I wrote a bit sarcastically about our wellness policy; the one that does not allow for selling candy as fundraisers any more. But once you are amongst the children in the great outdoors 100 miles from the nearest mall, you realize that a few candy bars can go a very long way. The kids may not remember all the vocabulary words they defined during the year or all of their multiplication facts, but they will remember this experience and the exhilaration of meeting the challenge of that ropes course for the rest of their lives.

Fundraising: A Weighty Issue

Hello, I’m Julia from Randolph Heights School. I’m trying to raise money to go on an overnight field trip to Camp Wateywachey this spring. Would you be interested in buying a bag of carrots for $1.00? You’re not into carrots? How about a bag of broccoli?

In the title of his article last month, Tim Lauer asked, How do you fund your school? Up until now, we have funded many field trips and experiences that we would otherwise not be able to afford by students selling candy bars, candy Valentines, and those oh-so-delectable cheesecakes. These annual money-makers are now coming to a grinding halt due to a new wellness policy our school district is implementing beginning next fall. This policy stipulates, amongst many other things, that:
•    Fundraising activities which involve the sale of food and beverages should take place outside the school day and must meet the District Wellness Committee Procedures.
•    Fundraising efforts are supportive of healthy eating, by emphasizing the sale of non-food items or healthy food items.
•    Schools should incorporate wellness policy implementation plans within SCIP (School Comprehensive Improvement Plan).
•    School Principals and staff will not allow the sale of low-nutrition value foods and will limit the offering of low nutrition snacks.

I know the statistics on obesity in children. At our school we have a full-time physical and health education teacher. We also include 20 minutes of recess every day, even on days when it’s below zero, to give students the opportunity to get what may be the only exercise they get all day. The cafeteria no longer serves dessert, and when it does, it’s sugar- (and thus, taste-) free.

So I ask, when has district policy gone too far?  I’m all for healthy kids. Healthy kids learn to balance what they eat and exercise often.  Healthy kids can also eat a candy bar here and there without becoming an obesity statistic. If a child is obese, there is usually an underlying reason for the condition that in most cases, is not created by the school. Is there such a concept as selling candy bars responsibly? In other words, at certain times of the year and/or in a controlled number? Maybe we could learn a bit from bartenders on this matter. If a child buys three candy bars in one day, we may have to say you’re over the limit, we can’t sell you any more candy today.

The district has suggested selling school bumper stickers and trinkets. But there is a huge difference in selling consumables versus durables. I only need one bumper sticker, but believe me, there are weeks when I need at least three candy bars. The same goes for families. A family may purchase only one bumper sticker for the family car, whereas in the past they may have bought one candy bar for each family member and possibly on more than one occasion. Students can also sell candy to people not connected with the school a lot easier than they can a school-specific bumper sticker.

Although I believe the district has gone too far with this policy, there is no debate. This policy is going into effect in the fall. So we are now looking for successful fundraising efforts that kids can do on their own. We also do the big silent auctions, wrapping paper, and plant sales, but we’re looking for things kids can easily sell to contribute to their own field trip experience. I welcome any and all ideas.

And you know what, if I don’t buy my chocolate from a student here at school, I’ll have to buy it at the nearest convenient store, thereby contributing only to the store’s profit. I know that World’s Finest gets a substantial cut of every candy bar we sell, but our kids also get to go overnight at Camp Wateywachey.

Not MY child!!

We’ve all dealt with these situations. You know, the ones in which two or more students are sitting in your office claiming that he did this and she did this and you have to figure out exactly who did what to whom, when it was done, and how. It’s like a game of Clue and moot court rolled into one. After holding court and hearing each side, it’s usually resolved in one way or another between the students. And, as we all know, there are always three sides to every story: hers, his, and the truth. While it’s our job to somehow find the truth in his and her stories, most of the time, just having the principal’s ear (and in some cases, an inordinate amount of time as well), to talk through the accountability and be doled appropriate consequences resolves the crisis, at least in the short run.

Then you get the call: Not MY child. How dare you accuse MY child of such a heinous crime!

Excuse me, but in all of my years of experience, I’ve rarely seen a case that is truly one sided. I call this the P3 syndrome: Parent’s Perfect Pupil syndrome. We are in a new age, one in which it is the parent(s)’ job to ensure happiness and gratification for their children under all circumstances.

While attending our state principals’ conference last month, I attended a session called “No! Why Kids Need It and How We Can Say It,” led by Dr. David Walsh, President of National Institute on Media and the Family. This new age includes what Dr. Walsh calls more, easy, fast, and fun. It does not, he argues, include saying no when parents need to. The problem, says Walsh, is that ‘"Don't!" is darn hard to say in a climate where the prevailing winds urge us to "Just do it."’

This certainly has ramifications for school personnel. Teachers are spending more and more class time dealing with misbehavior in an era of increased accountability, and many parents are no longer supporting the limits and consequences set by the school. This has spurred what Walsh calls “Discipline Deficit Disorder.” Part of the problem, said Walsh, is that in all our harping on self-esteem, we're failing to give kids the tool they really need: self-discipline. He cited a 2005 University of Pennsylvania study that concluded that self-discipline is twice as important as intelligence in predicting academic success. "Protecting kids from disappointment is robbing them of the opportunity to handle it," he says. "How will they learn to handle setbacks if they don't have any practice? If we're doing things for them they can do for themselves, we're robbing them of the ability to develop the inner resources that will serve them for the rest of their lives."

We may not always be successful at getting parents to agree to our philosophy, but I believe in teaching students life lessons. I strongly believe that part of our responsibility as educators is to give students the tools they need to develop those inner resources and foster resiliency. These tools are just as valuable as the reading, writing, and mathematics that garner so much attention in the light of No Child Left Behind. But believe me, without the tools to develop inner resources and resiliency, there will be plenty of children left behind – and they’ll be the ones who can read, write, and add.

Reference:
Hoffman, Barbara. (2007). Just Say No! How one word could cure society’s ills. Retrieved March 20, 2007, from http://www.nypost.com/seven/01092007/entertainment/just_say_no__entertainment_barbara_hoffman.htm?page=3

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