Using a Wiki to share information

As an administrator, one of the big things that I have to work very hard at is sharing information among the different staff.  Because so many different things come across my path during the day, it’s sometimes hard to get the information dispersed to different staff members. One method of doing this is via a wiki that where information can be added and accessed at the convenience of the staff.

There are many different wiki sites out there that are used by educators – pbworks, wikispaces, wetpaint – to name just a few. My preference is pbworks because I like the interface and the ease of use.

Calendar – this is the one thing that I really like about using a wiki. In a school, with so many different things going on and so many different people involved, the calendar function is great. It allows you to add whatever you would like to the day. With many of the calendar plugins, there is an option for the information to be synced with other online calendars that can then be linked to mobile devices or a homepage. For me, being able to have access to what is happening at the school allows me to be able to use that information in various settings, like meetings or when making plans with my family. I know what is coming up at the school and if I will be attending a meeting or if there is something that I will need to plan for in the future. Because the school calendar syncs with my own calendar, I have the option to view it or not which means that, if I want to, I can turn it off so the school items don’t show up.

Another great thing about the calendar is that it allows teachers and other staff to see what is happening at the school and add their own items without there being a lot of added work for them. It also is great when teachers begin to use the calendar to post upcoming exams or trips. It really does help everyone, from the teachers and their planning to Student Support being aware of the many things that are happening and when they may need to provide extra help.

Because you can limit who can view the wiki and see what is on the wiki to only those people you invite, information is not for the public. This doesn’t mean that confidential information should be shared and people must be aware that, like all things online, they must be professional in what they are saying. It does, however, provide a safe environment in which staff and share information about what is happening at the school, meeting dates and times, agendas, club information, upcoming sporting events and other information that helps people be aware of what is happening around the school. And, because you can set to receive notification emails to be sent to you when information is added or changes, you will know about changes without having to visit the wiki, something that I find very useful in a busy day. The notifications allow me see what has been added and, if needed, I can then respond to the information or know that there is something that needs my attention. Very handy indeed.

I also like the fact that it is accessible from any computer. So, if I need information about something that would be on the wiki, I can log in and have access to that information or I can access the information on my mobile.

So, if you are looking for a safe, easy way to share information with the people at the school, give a wiki a try. They are easy to use and provide a number of options for use in a variety of ways. Because you can upload files and share them, meeting agendas, sports/tournament draws or meeting information can be shared so that people will always know where to find a copy of the information in the event they ever misplace their paper copy!

A New Year’s Resolution

It’s the New Year and with it comes the usual resolutions that many people make. Like most, I’ve sat down and put together a list of things that I have resolved that need to improve or change in this upcoming year. For the most part, my goal is to change the way that I do things in a few aspects of my life and, with the changes, hopefully change some of how I’ve been feeling these past few months.

Seize the Day

One of the things that I’ve noticed in myself is that I have been EXPECTING things to happen a particular way and then, when my expectations aren’t met, I’ve reacted in a less than suitable manner. So, much of my current angst at work is, in fact, been created because I am not “seizing the day” and making each day a great day. In fact, my mood over the past few months has been more akin to “seizures”! Not wanting to go into details, I can safely say that the great discussion and advice that I have received these past few days from my last two posts, especially from Jean Tower who pointed out

The relationships have to come first. People have to know you care about and understand them and their work before they follow you down some new technology path. Laying groundwork takes time. I start with hints, showing good examples, step up to “we ought to be thinking about this” language, and then nudge further. By the time we actually take the leap, everyone feels truly like they own part of the decision. Having established relationships and laid the groundwork, I can more easily introduce the changes that lead to small wins. The point is, I think, to reframe our measures of leadership success. I no longer expect to (or hope to) make huge, wholesale changes all the time. I don’t think I am setting my expectations too low, but rather, that I am looking at the bigger picture and the long term.

This really struck me since, for my part, I’ve had to be honest with myself about what exactly I am doing right now. And being honest means that I have needed to reflect on why I’m in this profession. Unfortunately, my answers, after some deep reflection, wasn’t where I want them to be – I’ve had my vision clouded by my “desire to rise up the chain”. After reading Jean’s comment, I realized that I needed to decide why I was doing what I’m doing and what I needed to change to make things positive right now – I needed to “reframe the situation” as Scott suggested.

Reframing the basement

I’ve done a fair amount of renovating through the years – having moved 8 times and redone 6 houses in that timespan, I’ve spent many an hour ripping out and reworking things. What is always interesting is that you never know what you’ll find once the renovations begin! My last project, the basement in our current house, went from a little take this out and replace that to a gut and do over. I spent many hours reframing the basement so that it would suit our family structure and yet be practical. One of the things I did was made sure that there  was adequate space for everyone and I didn’t leave much space for storing up things. By doing this, we have to make decisions about what we need to keep and what is no longer of any use to us and needs to go – somewhere. Somehow, over the past few months, I’ve been storing up things that I really should have let go – a very real reflection of my own personal happenings – I’ve been storing up things, waiting for changes here or there – relying on others to do the reframing for me. So, over the holidays, I’ve spent a few hours cleaning things out, getting rid of what needs to be gotten rid of and putting other things away properly so that I can find them – like that darn Christmas tree stand  which I spent 4 hours looking for – when I need them and not waste time doing unneeded looking for things.

The same is what I plan to do in a few aspects of my life. When I run into a problem, I tend to do cleaning – it helps me to sort things out and put things in perspective – and my wife really likes it too! So, as I was doing the sorting and cleaning,  I was able to think about what Jean, Scott, Mighuel and others have said and put some perspective on what I feel needs to be done. So, in no particular order, my 2010 Resolutions:

• Begin to do my workouts in the morning – body, mind and spirit all need care (besides the PX90 needs dusting off!)
• Finally quit my cigar habit – occasional is still occasional
• Get my planning and correcting done after my workouts in the morning when I’m fresh.
• Eat healthy – 6 meals spaced out for consistent energy – I know this is a huge energy changer!
• Run a 10km with my daughter in July – a specific goal that will spur me on.
• Read regularly – a book a week is my goal.
• Blog regularly about technology enhancing school and helping school administrators

Not earth shattering but they each give me specific things to accomplish – I’ll be putting even more specific dates on a few things so that the goals are specific.

So what does this have to do with my current situation? Well, I’ve realized that much of what I’ve been pawning off on others or on circumstances is really mine and I need to own it. Time is a key factor in my life – it has changed hugely with this new job and I haven’t adjusted accordingly. Also, instead of adopting and owning my current position, I’ve been allowing others to frame it for me, not something I usually do. I’ve wandered from the path and need to get back on. My focus will once again be improving the school where I am – one day at a time.

Finally, my future posts will focus on using technology as an administrator – something I should have been doing all along!

Painting a picture…

I’d like to thank Carl, Miguel and Scott for the insights/ideas/thoughts on my last post. Now, there was a great deal in the conversations and discussions that took place. After taking some time to reflect, I’d like to offer some of my own thoughts that may help others who are facing this type of situation.

Companies that let end users create content, determine the value of it’s products, and participate survived. The newspaper industry is disappearing because of user-created content in the form of blogs and tweets and because it fails to be flexible enough to survive this inversion. The big picture macro effect of disruptive innovation on education is only in part due to online schools and online classes. The major effect is one less obvious and come about naturally and taken over (or will soon take over) in our schools. This same inversion of the power hierarchy is and will continue to occur in our schools. This means the role of principal is not necessarily the role of leader anymore. Leadership in a disrupted system comes from the bottom up. Students determine what teacher’s do, teachers determine what principals do, principal needs determine the decisions of Superintendents, etc. The leaders in a 21st century school are the students and the teachers, not the administration. – Carl Anderson

This type of activity may, indeed, be having a great impact in fields outside of education but within the educational setting, the trend is still very much being set from the top down. The provincial department delivers Curricula to teachers who then deliver the curricula to students. In fact, with the trend toward more testing taking place, I’d have to say that there is much less room for there to be a shift of the power structure that Carl is discussing anytime soon. Although we may see that there is a push by students for greater input, the people with the money still call the shots. So, unlike many of the situations outside education, where the people at the ground level are indeed being able to influence the situation because of their leverage with money, in schools, the money flows from the top and its dispersement is regulated by those at the top.  In such a situation, there is a huge dissonance between what many of us our seeing outside of education and what is taking place within the school settings. More and more, there is greater management required, and less leading, due to the amount of data and subsequent data-related paperwork and presentations. Whether it is at the school, division or provincial level, the amount of data-acquiring and related work has exploded as we work at proving that what is happening in schools is helping students to be the most successful they can be. Like many other industrialized countries, we are in a testing war to demonstrate to our public that the money being spent is giving them the greatest return possible in the manner of more students scoring higher on tests. The public still continues to believe that high test scores will translate into our students doing better in the world economic market.

Now, if you ask the students, they don’t see that more testing will in fact prove anything. They find that the testing isn’t really beneficial and, in the grades beyond the elementary years, their willingness to take part decreases. I don’t know if we will ever be able to demonstrate, through the mode of testing, the abilities of our students. The tests just don’t translate into skills that our students will need to compete in a global market. And maybe that is the greatest problem. Many of the people who are making decisions are just not aware of the changes that are taking place outside of education.  As many of the Karl Fisch Did You Know related videos demonstrate, what students in our schools will be doing in the lives is a great deal different than what many of them are being prepared to do while in school.

Now, Scott McLeod has been involved with Karl on some of the Did You Know projects so his taking time to step in here to add to the discussions adds a new perspective since I take what Scott says to me to heart. Now, I’ve never met Scott but there is a mutual respect for one another and a clear interest in educational leadership that we share. He offered four suggestions to the situation

1. Leave the dysfunction and work in a more change-conducive system.
2. Quit because you can’t / won’t do what is needed – you’re not the right person for this job at this time – and let someone else do the job who does have the ability to be a leader, not just a manager, within this school system.
3. Continue to be miserable because you can’t reconcile the cognitive disconnects between your recognition for the need for change and your inability to make it happen.
4. Reframe the situation, recognize that you’re smart and talented, not helpless, and start doing things differently than your current practice so that you’re more efficacious.

Now the subsequent discussion that took place in my comments section is worth a read since both he and Miguel Guhlin added some great perspective to the points above and the whole discussion about alternatives.

Finally, Jason Kern offered up some good advice to the whole situation. The one point that caught my eye and which I want to discuss is

I have often thought that if I cannot help to make change in 3-5 years in my position that I would go back to teaching. There I know I can make change with students and fly under the radar of the system in a way. Yes it would be less money and not what I have currently envisioned but it would help me see the change that I want on a small level.

I know that I could go back to the classroom and do a good job there. However, if we don’t strive for changes to go beyond the “one classroom at a time” idea, when do we see a systemic change in our schools? That’s why I  moved into administration in the first place, because I thought I could do a better job at it than most of the people that I saw in that position. I realize that there needs to be changes and that, without people who are willing to ask tough questions, take a stand and willing to push beyond what is now, schools will continue to be mass production facilities which continue to follow a paradigm that no longer provides the necessary skills for students. Having said that, I realize that sometimes you reach a point in the road when you can no longer follow that particular path and to continue to do so isn’t going create the type of return for which you are looking. In this case, I see that, without some changes in how the structures around me function, my continuing where I am will be counter productive. That’s the personal side.  However, what drew my attention earlier was the whole GTA discussions about the need for administrators to more familiar with the tools and the need to have them gather and network. Now, this may be true for some but there are many administrators who do not lack knowledge but, instead, are inhibited by the system they work in which halts progress at all levels.

The Administrative Level

The classic rock and a hard place is a good description of where most administrators find themselves these days, at least many who I know. During this current era where testing is a predominate theme, administrators struggle to be Leaders for Learning instead Leaders of Learning just as teachers struggle with Assessment for Learning not just Assessment of Learning. With AFL, teachers are using assessment to guide their practice, seeking to ensure that all learners in their classroom are achieving and able to do be successful at their level. It involves the use of Differentiated Instruction, Multiple Intelligences, various teaching strategies and assessment strategies AND involves the learner in the process. In the same way, LFL are helping their staff to access the tools necessary to create classrooms where AFL is a process that informs the learning process and is part of the learning process. Unfortunately, because so much of the focus is on Assessment of Learning – those final outcomes and so much emphasis is placed on students doing well on specific types of assessment – those bubble sheets – administrators become Leaders of Learning in the way they are required to be focused on data from the testing and assessing how well students did or did not do, how teachers are implementing new curriculum, preparing students for testing and following the new directives from the division.

Administrators are required to focus their energy, not on supporting teachers in developing and creating learning environments that encourage students to experiment and grow but in managing the data, fulfilling the mandated new curricula implementation dates, ensuring that testing and testing dates are met plus dealing with all the other managerial items that have become expected. There is a greater expectation to focus on gathering data to demonstrate achievement on particular assessment instead of ensuring classrooms are places where there is dynamic learning.

One at a Time

Yes, we could continue the mantra of “One classroom, one teacher” where

I know I can make change with students and fly under the radar of the system in a way.

But I don’t want to fly under the radar nor do I think that is the best way for an educational system to function. There is a need for change on a few different fronts in education and if we continue to give it our best only to then return to the classroom, how long will we have to continue with a system that doesn’t really prepare students for the world they will be entering? Will my 8 month old son still being doing what my 18 year old daughter is doing? When will we begin to see a globalization of our education system and a move away from bubble sheets and workbooks downloads? Administrators cannot continue to be expected to be the leaders for learning if they are required to continue doing all this leading of learning.

Put up the mural or shut up

In the end, it’s what each of us can stomach on an individual basis. For me, I will continue where I am for the rest of this year. I do see some areas where I can have positive influence. I know that, in the not to distant future, there will be the beginnings of change and maybe that will provide the necessary catalyst for some change in a number of areas for me. If not, I will be looking to position myself to be in a new position come the fall. At this point in my career, I feel that I can provide a school system with leadership in a number of areas. As we reach a critical juncture in our workforce when there will be people retiring at a rate which will demand some unique responses from those in leadership positions, we will also be faced with a situation in which many of our leadership positions in education have been occupied by these same people with little planning for how the shift in leaders will take place.

So, here’s the beginning idea for a mural I’m considering putting on my office wall …..do you think anyone will get it?

At risk of offending…

I’ve had a few moments to spend some time going through my google reader and watch the twitter world – even participated once or twice and had a few conversations! One thing that  caught my attention this past evening was a discussion about the GTA for Administrators that is being held San Antonio, Texas right before the ASCD national conference. Now, I took some time to read through Miguel’s thoughts then ventured over to David Jakes, Mark Wagner, Daniel Rezac and Kevin Jarrett’s blogs to see what they had to say on the subject. Although it might be great to enter the discussion about what the Academy should or should not be or the different pro’s and con’s of badges on blogs and what they represent, I’m going to, in my own fashion, wander away and look at this a bit differently.

I AM AN ADMINISTRATOR

We’re a rare breed, those of us who decide to sit as neither teacher nor central office staff. As schools have progressed over time and grew larger, there became a need, for some reason, for there to be a person who oversaw the whole enterprise at each location, the Head Teacher idea. Some are very good at what they do and, well, some aren’t and really shouldn’t be there but that is no different than any other profession in the world. In fact, if you were to look, there are many people who don’t particularly like their superiors – btw I didn’t google this but kind of gleaned it from reading many issues of Men’s Health and listening to what others say in various social gatherings. Principals, being in that position, usually receive a fair amount of criticism for their decisions and/or intelligence.

Now, as someone who’s been doing this for, well, really, only 10 years, not very long if you think about it but here I am, I have picked up a few things along the way. The one thing that I have come to understand is that unless you have been a principal, you don’t know what you are talking about. Period. You can guess and you can make calculated assumptions but, at the end of the day, you don’t know.

Also, not all princpals have no clue about technology or pedagogy or all those other things that they seem not to know anything about. Here’s my example from what I do right now. I sit as a vice-principal in a 8 – 12 highschool. It’s not large by US standards but it’s a decent size. There are 3 of us in our team – two of whom teach about 50% each. So, we have 2 full time bodies. This is my first year in the school and any ideas I had of making changes in the way of classroom innovations or such went out the window on day 3. The first 2 were inservice days. Why? Because reality smacked me upside the head. You see, as a public institution, we can’t pick our students, interview them, ask for a background or whatever some other schools do. We get whomever comes through the door and we have do work with them, trying to create and provide educational opportunities for them. We also don’t get to select the teachers all the time. You see, as a larger school, we sometimes have teachers assigned to us when they don’t fit in other schools. Yes, read between the lines! Because we are the largest school in our division, there is a sense, real or not, that the school needs to meet certain expectations and achieve at particular levels which aren’t always happening.

To add to this, we have a new set of curricula in all our middle years classes that will need to be fully implemented in the next 3 years and new curricula coming for all our senior classes beginning next year and continuing for the next 2 years. Our math program is completely changing next year but we haven’t seen the new curriculum. We also have a few division initiatives in the Reading, Math and Assessment areas plus some real pressure coming for DI across the grade levels. We’re into year 4 of our PLC’s that has really only been moving along for 2. There are also a number of other things, like a new SDS coming online, new financial software that the school and SCC are learning and that’s not including any of the extra-curricular that some of us do.

That’s a small snapshot of some of the things that, as an administrator, I work with each day. But, that’s only the non-student side of what happens. You’re right, there isn’t one mention of technology or the sort. Why you ask? Because the reality is that in order to swim, you have to have water. Right now, we have no water. It’s not that we don’t have technology in our school – in fact we have SMART boards in almost each classroom and many of our teachers use them every day – heck I use them when I’m in a classroom that has one – I get shuffled from classroom to classroom depending on which one is open during that period.

So, when a discussion starts about administrators needing to have a better understanding of the tools or needing to know what teachers’ can do with them or how they will improve teaching or…. I begin to tune out. You see, like David Jakes, I’m an administrator every day. Unlike David, I work in isolation with little to no support for innovation or a vision of what might be to come. So, I see this from a bit of a different perspective – I don’t need any of the Academy training – not that it wouldn’t be a great learning experience or wouldn’t give me all kinds of great ideas or wouldn’t help to give me insights to what others are doing or help me build my PLN but, once I returned, I’d be facing what I face now because much of society still sees education as what it was not what it could be which influences the decisions being made many different levels and leaves administrators like me, well, I’m not sure where……

I blog, I know about enought tools and how they could enhance learning, I’ve started nings, done wikis, set up school-wide learning sessions, done tutorials, created and presented and all the while getting no where. Maybe it’s my presentation……..

That’s the Crux

You see, knowing all this stuff is really cool but, it’s just stuff. Being an agent of change may seem like a great martyrdom thing in a system but, after awhile it, well, becomes old and, after being publicly humilated a few times for “improper technology use”, one sees that being an agent of change isn’t very glamorous and can be determental to your career.

You see, now I spend my time working with kids with ODD, ADHD and a whole host of other learning disabilities using RIT,  trying to work with parents to move things along so that we can establish some sort of program so that their child can, in fact, remain in a classroom without ending up out of the classroom.

I know you can’t change things overnight but, really, how long are we going to wait? We really began to discuss this when my oldest daughter was in grade 6. She’s graduating now and we haven’t moved – really. One teacher at a time is a great slogan but if it’s not my child’s teacher, we’ve a problem Houston! You see, my oldest son is in grade 3 and we aren’t changing – we’re still doing worksheet after worksheet and, because we can find different ones on different teacher sites, we’re calling it progress! Yes there are great examples of individual teachers but, at this rate, my 6 month old son will have graduated before we really begin to see any systemic change.

Solutions Anyone?

I do have one. We need to change those people who are making the decisions at the top level. Yeah, easier said than done. Or is it? You see, I agree with Principalspage idea that significant change is coming. Either we figure out how to bring about some significant change or it will happen to us. For administrators like me, it will only be a matter of time before we see even more responsibility handed over.  In my own province I can see the tides already turning. We’re seeing a greater emphasis on province wide testing with a comparison of results that, in some loose manner, might be tied to funding. Heck, the major city schools divisions are beginning to be scrutinized about graduation rates. Change is coming. We need leaders who will be able to move things in a different way. Telling them about the tools may give them some understanding, showing them how teachers use the tools may give them some information, connecting them with others who are the same may give them some support but we need to have leaders who have the time and energy to lead in ways that will bring about real change.

So David and Mark and all those others who have commented, although I see the Academy  being a great learning experience, I don’t see it having a real impact for change in education or in the educational world I inhabit.  We somehow need to have  leaders who will make hard decisions about what the future of our schools will look like.  Are we the last stop for all society’s woes or are schools more?  I’m hoping for “more” for my childrens’ sake!

We have to grow carrots too?

I just received my latest issue of Educational Leadership this week and it seems schools have taken on/been given yet another social responsibility to fix. Now, it seems, schools and education are being made responsible for the healthy eating habits of the children. I just wonder WHY!!!

My biggest concern is that schools are becoming the “anti” of society! The war on…… is being transferred from being a social responsibility to being a school responsibility. The various social concerns are making their way into the schools where educators are suppose to somehow make things all better.

I’m not against schools doing their part and helping but when does it stop? And if it isn’t going to stop, can we find someway to change how our schools function so that other professionals are also involved in this and not just educators? In fact, it would be really nice if we could reverse the trend that is happening where schools are the places where all the anti-social activities are disallowed (technology, rigid timetables, monochromatic colour schemes, uncomfortable furniture, excessive rules, constant testing and, now, healthy fixation on food and exercise) and have other places, like malls, youth centers and other public facilities adopt these policies and make school a fun place where fun things happen.

I mean, really, for 5 days a week we want children to go to a place that lacks any real sense of interior decorating, has strict timetables for everyone, disallows a vast amount of technology use and, now, a place where you have to eat your brussel sprouts, carrots and green beans and, if we continue the trend, grow them first. I get that we want our children to understand more about healthy living and making positive life-choices but, if that is what society wants from schools, then let’s be upfront about it and come up with a system that isn’t this ad-hoc, add-on but actually a thought out plan/process that will meet the expectations of people without creating a situation where, unless there is some sort of change, a huge crash is inevitable.

Can’t We Talk About This First?

I’m seeing more and more that adults, outside of schools, see that there is a problem that involves students and someone, usually in some political position, decides we need to do something about it so an action plan is created and schools receive some sort of pronouncement that this new initiative, involving some undefined support from some undefined agencies, will assist in some way to help the schools to bring this initiative forward. Really.

Well, I’d like to discuss with someone exactly how they see all of this unfolding – not in some exemplary schools dotted around the nation but in each and every school and classroom. I know there are a great many schools where specific initiatives have been demonstrated to work but all schools aren’t the same – and that’s the rub. Each school needs to have a specific plan that will fit their community, students and outside supports.

We’re Becoming Overwhelmed

I really wish I could remember where I read about the whole idea of teachers being overwhelmed and disengaging. It was an essay in one of the books I read for my MEd. I think it was lost in the flood. Seriously, we had a flood in our basement a few years back and it was in one of the boxes that went out – after the whole insurance thing.

The article discussed that in a great many cases, teachers aren’t disengaging because they don’t care but, because, they care a great deal and are infact being overwhelmed by the number of things that are being asked of them. Now, I was doing my work around 2000 so, if that was the case then, what about now? FCOL – we’ve added I don’t know how many more things since then with technology being right up there. Now there’s the fitness and diet push that is happening. As I said earlier, things need to change as educators cannot continue to be asked to do all these things – without there being some sort of actual plan to how this is going to work.

I know it’s good for students but….

so are many things. What’s crucial is that we need to make some distinctions. And, no, we can’t continue to expect teachers to do more. I have this discussion with many of the people who desire teachers to move forward with their technology use. Fortunately for me, the use of technology has been easier than for most but, and here’s where the discussion doesn’t always go well, I don’t always have the time as an administrator to do what I would like and (with some hand wringing and embarrassment) I actually lecture, give notes, assign questions and some other things. I just don’t have the time to make every lesson a great slideshare event or have students incorporate different things with cameras, ipods, voicethread, screenshare, digital recorders, blogs, audacity and the myriad of other tools I know about, or even the internet because I DON’T HAVE TIME. And, yes, I know all about Differentiated Instruction, Backwards Planning, Understanding by Design, RTI and a plethora of other things but, sometimes, I DON’T HAVE TIME.

“Small aside. I have a family although some people have actually questioned that fact given my involvement at the school and with division, provincial and international activities that I have done. My post on Friday night discussed this. My worry is that if we don’t stop something, we’ll be asking even more and, frankly, there’s nothing left to give. We worry about why teachers and administrators are leaving. Well, really, take a look. They’re leaving because the expectations have become almost, well, ridiculous. Where does it stop? Or can it? Have we already gone so far that there is no going back? “

As this new initiative rolls and is discussed, where are the people saying – “Hey, we can’t take on any more! We’re already stretched to the limit. We need to look at this in a different way because, in schools, there’s no more room.”

So, for all those out there that seem to think that teachers can do more, I’m going to take a small stand – really, this blog has a limited readership – and say STOP!! In the past 5 years, the initiatives and expectations have grown to beyond reasonable. Can’t we just stop, rethink this a bit and come up with a better plan? Really, the vast majority of teachers are still being shelled by the “web2.0/tech” side. They haven’t even stuck their heads up and now there’s the “fitness and diet” lobbyists. And, in all of this, when do teachers get to teach? Or educate? Or is that no longer a valid perspective? If it isn’t, then we need to really rethink this thing we call “school”.

For all the tech savvy non-teachers who work in education, maybe you can do some of the gardening. I’ve heard, via Spark, that we can grow gardens using Twitter. Maybe if you could get together with the fitness and diet group, the whole thing could be done without expecting teachers to do more. Just sayin’ …..

It’s Friday night, where are you?

Yesterday, I wrote about how I’m finding it tough to find direction as an administrator in education these days. I seem to have reached a point of standstill. Today, there have been several things that might reinforce this fact, the greatest being a seemingly difficult time with one of my own children and her transfer to the school where I am teaching. It’s way to political and involved but it is there. So what does a guy who feels like this do on a Friday night? Not what you’re thinking….!

Today, at 2:30pm, I packed up a bunch of senior high girls, drove 2plus hours to a small town so they could play basketball. I’m not their coach but I am a parent and want these girls to have access to doing these things. After arriving, I was standing in the wings, waiting for the game to start, when I ended up being called upon to referee the game. No whistle,  no runners and wearing jeans. They found me a whistle – let the game begin. This was the team’s first game and, well, it wasn’t pretty. They did get the “W” which was very important but it wasn’t pretty.

What was the chatter after the game? Was it about how they can improve their passing, shooting, offense or defence? Nope. It was what time I will have to get up to take them the 20 minutes into the city so they can go shopping for a few hours before they have to play again on Saturday.

Now I know there are countless parents across NA who give up their time so that their childrent can enjoy sports on weekends. That’s part of being a parent. However, it’s a bit different being a highschool coach who will sleep on a blowup mattress in some foreign staff room in order that the students can take part in a tournament. For the past 20 years, I’ve been doing this type of thing, usually beginning in September and ending sometime in April, coaching and refereeing sports so that students at all levels can play and partake in extra-curricular sports. This has meant, for all those years, that my own children have been without their “papa” for many Friday nights and their maman has had to take care of 4, then 5, then 6, then 7 and now 8 children as her husband has shuttled others’ children along many a mile so that they could play.

Over the years, I’ve learned a number of things from these trips. So, in no particular order, here are 10 things I’ve learned while out and about:

1. Letting girls bring Cosmo into a vehicle will always end up with you being asked a very embarrassing question.
2. Air mattresses leak, no matter how new they are!
3. Wait in the vehicle while the team goes into the corner store – you just don’t want to know.
4. Never take the game you are playing any more serious than what you are willing to take for criticism for your actions on the bench.
5. Always show respect to the referee – no matter what you think of the call.
6. You don’t have to tell them when they’ve had a bad game, they all ready know it.
7. Instead of a lecture after a bad game, buy pizza.
8. The pizza is more important than winning the tournament.
9. Listen to the conversations that take place while you drive – you’ll learn a whole lot about your school.
10. Never take yourself seriously – it’s highschool sports for crying out loud!

I don’t coach this year but, after this weekend, I think maybe that this is one of the things that is missing – one of the pieces to the puzzle. I use to get wound up when I coached but, as with my growth as an administrator, I’ve learned that a good coach doesn’t need to always say something, that saying anything in a voice louder than conversation isn’t necessary – unless you’re giving directions to someone who has lost their check and is across the basketball court.  As with being a good administrator, you have to inspire all the team to do their best knowing that the good players need to lift the not-so-good if the team is to be successful; that the team wins the game, not the coach; that you have to give the team time to breath before you can hope to have them reflect on what they need to improve while pointing out  what it is they did well; bad behaviour as a coach can NEVER be excused and, finally, they are highschool students – they’re suppose to make mistakes – that’s how they learn.

It’s a cold evening here, temperature is -20ish C tonight. The girls are watching a movie in the room, laughing and giggling and talking about things that I really don’t want to know about. Instead of being at home, I’m waiting for the night to wind down and for the team to be ready for some sleep – like at about 2AM! And you know what, it’s okay because I remember that the reason I do what I do is because others won’t. Right now, I’m helping another team do a scavenger hunt, writing out the words to Stayin Alive because I don’t have access to a printer and singing an original song to the tune of I’m a Little TeaPot.

For the past 20 years, I’ve been learning about students and what’s important to them by spending my Friday nights like this. As I think back about my time as a coach, I’m not always proud of the things I’ve done and I have made some mistakes which more than a few people have pointed out. Funny thing is, I’m still coming back, doing it all again, a bit wiser and a bit less intense. There’s new parents who come to watch their child play and then leave them with me, overnight, in a school. For once, one of my own is here but I’m not really her parent tonight – I’m the coach/supervisor. And those other parents? Gone.  Only in it for the short-term and not really seeing the long term picture which is much bigger than any one person – any one sport. It’s giving students a chance to learn and grow, build and develop, socialize and interact; to become more of what they will be as an adult and being there to guide and help them. No, I’m not the coach this time. But I’m here,  again. And maybe, just maybe, what I am need is here, somewhere, just waiting……..

So where are you this Friday night?

Out on a limb…. visiting with fear.

Well, I have to thank Bud Hunt for posting the link to The Benefits of Pissing People Off a blog piece by Tim Ferriss for spurring me on to get back at this.

The past few months have been crazy beyond anything I could have imagined. It began with a change of schools and a role change for myself. I went from being a principal to being a vice-principal, from working in a medium-sized K-12 school to working in a larger high school. A small change in title, a big change in what I do. As someone who has spent a majority of my time at the forefront of  leadership, this has been a change. As with all change, there has been the usual not being sure where things are going or what to do now moments that are part-and-parcel of the change process but I have been thrown off balance in a number of ways I didn’t imagine.

Not sure what to do for fear of…..

Fear is a powerful thing. For the first time in a long time, I’m almost at a complete standstill in my own development. As some may have noticed, the two or three who actually read my blog, I haven’t posted for months. Now, it’s not that I don’t have a plethora of things that I’d like to discuss or things that I could comment on but each time I begin to write an unnameable anxiety overcomes me and I stop.  I feel like I’ve lost my way. I’ve become worried about doing the wrong thing so I’m doing nothing. Being someone who has poured hours into developing different ideas and promoting different teaching strategies and ways of looking at learning, at this point, I’m doing almost nothing. Even writing this piece has my stomach all worked up with part of me wanting to just hit delete and not bother trying to examine what it is that has happened.

Some of the standstill is that I do feel overwhelmed with the number of things that seem to need to be done at my new school and the expectation that I will be the person to get them done. The anxiety that goes with this has been compounded by a number of other issues. These events have placed me in a position where I don’t know what to do as I’m not sure how it will be interpreted or how it will affect what is happening so I do, well, less than I am accustom to doing. Each day passes and things go on and, well, things go on.

What has me writing this? The fact that, in Tim Ferriss’ blog, he quotes Elbert Hubbard “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.” Now, this resonated with me because this has been the quote at the bottom of my school email for quite awhile. I have believed that, in education, we either are doing something and going forward or doing nothing and going backward. Not all initiatives are progress and the role I have as an administrator is to make sure that teachers are moving forward, even by small degrees. It has been my role to keep an eye on the vision of the school while keeping the other on what is happening all around and making sure that we are making progress in the school.

Ferriss goes on to say:

Right alongside the cash and credit cards, I keep a number of strange things in my wallet.

The largest is a folded-up page from the July 6, 2009 issue of Fortune magazine. In a profile,  Scott Boras, widely regarded as the most powerful agent in professional baseball, describes a dinner with one of his mentors after a record-breaking contract:

“He said that if you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be negative. Keep your head on straight, don’t get emotional, take the heat, and just make sure your clients are smiling.”

Doing anything remotely interesting will bring criticism. Attempting to do anything large-scale and interesting will bring armies of detractors and saboteurs. This is fine – if you are willing to take the heat.

So it has been for much of the time I have been an administrator – having a vision for the school and the students and willing to take the heat. As one of my superintendents said “No matter what has been going on, you’ve been able to keep your eye on the vision and stay the course.”

Now, I’m not sure. It could be I’m not sure about the vision – it’s not clear to me. I feel like the clean-up guy brought in to clean things up and put things on a right path but I don’t know where the path is or exactly what it is I’m suppose to clean up anymore. I’m floundering. No one seems to be able to clearly state what we are doing or where we are going – we seem to be just doing. It scares me to be part of something that is just doing. Especially where students are involved.

It’s affecting my sleep……

Yes it is. In fact, I’d rather be taking the heat about where things were going and what we were doing than this. At least then I’d feel like it was worth it. I can hardly say it but I’m no longer motivated to go to school – it hurts my stomach! Now I know how Charlie Brown felt all those years! Our students are too important and their education is too important than to just have things bob along. So, as I read somewhere before, when people, even people who care deeply, feel overwhelmed they disengage. I realize now that I have disengaged. At first I thought it was signs of burning out but, after some real soul-searching, I realize that I’m not burnt out. I’m disengaging and I don’t know how to get reengaged!

So I go through the motions, looking for something that will get me engaged. Funny thing is, I did two presentations over the past few weeks – one to the admin group and one a division inservice for School Community Council members – and I was engaged. I was back – looking for what would work and deliver the message I wanted. I was collaborating with others online while putting together the presentation for the admin group – searching and creating in order to bring together the ideas in a way that would engage the participants. It was then I realized I wasn’t burnt out – there was something else to what I was feeling. I realized that it was the vision – there was something there that I believed to be important. My last presentation was last Monday – by Tuesday afternoon the  feeling of being lost was back.

I don’t fear upsetting people – it’s part of what needs to be done in order to bring things forward. As Ferriss points out

Don’t go through life with kid gloves on. The stakes are too high, and it is oftentimes more important to give people what they need, rather than what they want.

Be criticized for doing small “safe” things, or be criticized for doing big things that you’re passionate about. That is the choice. The criticism will come either way, whether in the form of self-talk (the former) or ankle biters (the latter).

Let the critics criticize. It’s the builders who count.

I’ve always counted myself as a builder – until now. I’ve never been afraid to say what I think needs to be said or do what needs to be done. Not now. In fact, I’ve disengaged so much I’ve become a ghost in my PLNs. I visit rarely and comment less. So I wander hoping that something will bring me back. Maybe, just maybe, this is it. Maybe, by beginning to examine the fact that I’m disengaged, I can find the road back to being engaged. We’ll see…..

Giving thanks

This weekend is the Thanksgiving holiday in Canada. It’s a time to sit back and be thankful for all that we have living in one of the greatest countries in the world. Given this, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on what has been going on since school began and to do some reflection.

The first month and a half of school has just blown past. I started a new position at a new school in August and it’s been a bit of an adjustment. Besides being in a new school, I have to commute for about 40 minutes each way. The drive, which is mostly highway driving, gives me plenty of time to think and ponder the many things that go on each day. I’ve moved from a smaller K – 12 school to a larger highschool in a different community from which I live. To add to the mix, my one daughter is accompanying me as we have transferred her to on of the elementary schools near the highschool. She has made the transition extremely well and has adjusted to life in a new school. In fact, given how her life has been the past few years, it is so awesome to hear her talk about what she does with her friends and all the activities that she is doing. Each day we get to spend time talking about the day and what has gone on in the time we drive to school and home. As a parent, it’s so great to have time to spend one-on-one with any child and this time together has allowed me to share stories and laughs with my 4th daughter. It’s built in parent-child time that many people don’t have and for that I am very thankful especially since she hasn’t had such a great time at school these past few years.

Being at a new school has strengthened my belief that it doesn’t matter where the school is or the size of the school when it comes to creating a positive school climate. What matters is the attitude and caring of the adults in the building. People seem to expect that, in a larger school, there isn’t the time for all students. From my experience, that’s not true. Instead, it’s the attitude that the adults/teachers in the building bring with them each day. If people arrive with a negative attitude, it doesn’t matter the number of children in the building, the attitude is still there, being shared with everyone. In fact, the smaller the populace, the more likely that the negative attitude will spread. And children, being the sponges that they are, will absorb that attitude and actualize it. Students reflect what they see in the adults around them. So, I’m thankful that I’ve been able to move into a position where, for the most part, there is a positive attitude about the school and the students which is reflected in the care and concern the staff has for the students. Some days are trying, as are some people, but a positive outlook goes a long way at overcoming the stresses and frustrations that everyone has no matter where they are or what they do. I’m thankful for all the great staff with whom I work.

In my new position, I’m no longer the principal. Although it has been a bit of an adjustment, I’m enjoying my more supportive role, helping teachers and students, working with the other administrators to create a positive climate for the school. Not everything is roses but it’s a nice change. I’ve learned that no person is an island but being a principal is very close. As vice principal, I have a changed role that allows me to do a number of different things because I don’t have the administrative responsibilities that a principal has and I’m developing a different skill set within more supportive role. I’m thankful for the role I have within the school.

As many of you know, I’m a firm believer in the use of technology to support the learning of students. My new role allows me to do that in a much greater way than when I was a principal in a smaller school. I’m helping staff to see that there are technologies that will help them to enhance their teaching and give students different opportunities to demonstrate what they know. In the short time I’ve been in the school, I’ve been able to get small things going that, I hope, will be the building blocks for bigger things. So I’m thankful for the opportunity to share with the teachers on a new staff, some of the things I consider to be important in schools in the 21st century.

Really, as people who live in North America, we have so many things for which we can be thankful. As a husband and father, I have countless things for which I am thankful, from a loving supportive wife to 8 awesome children who have taught me more about life and living than I can mention here. I have met some extremely wonderful people in the 7 communities in which I have lived and taught and the internet has allowed me to meet so many more people whom I consider to be “friends”.  As educators, we have the chance to reach out to touch, and be touched, by so many. We do have much for which to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh how the mighty have fallen

Have you noticed a preoccupation by people to bring down people who are in positions of authority – willing to believe any bit of dirt or gossip. They’ll jump on a mistake, making sure that everyone knows that it has happened. Whether it’s people in celebrity positions or just those people in our society that are in positions of authority, people seem to take extra-pleasure in watching those in authority suffer for what they have done.

I examine this because I’ve once again experienced it myself. Now, what happened isn’t really important but I made a mistake, again! However, it wasn’t life altering and it was between me and someone else. Now, I know there is always fallout for mistakes and I’m willing to face the music. Hey, when you are an authority position you need to willing to admit you make mistakes. Making a mistake is human. It’s the gossiping and tale-telling that goes along with it that I don’t understand. Why do people take it upon themselves to make sure that everyone knows you messed up? I guess I just don’t understand.

Gossip has always been something that, as an administrator, I’ve had to deal with and rise above. I’ve had enough stories in the past 5 years I’ve wondered what people will do now that I’m leaving and going to another school. Who will people have to blame? In this particular case, what I did was just stupid but when I caught one of the staff of the school gossiping about it with other people a few times during the day, I began to wonder why? What’s the purpose? I mean, I’m moving on so what’s the point? Does it make them feel better? Does it justify their opinions? Does it make them feel better?

I don’t know. I don’t see the thrill in reliving others mistakes – glorying in their problems and, as an administrator, I definitely have the opportunity to see many mistakes by many different people – students, staff and parents. Even if I could, which I can’t because of the whole confidentiality piece, discussing over and over someone’s mistake just seems to be the wrong way to do things. Maybe once you’ve had to constantly try to find positive solutions and help people who have made mistakes, you realize that no one wins in such situations. No one gets ahead by making someone look bad.

Yes, I made a mistake. It was something that was said that I wish I could take back but I can’t. When I make a mistake, I realize that I have to take the fallout from it and be ready to endure whatever happens without defending myself or my actions. Wrong is wrong. But I don’t understand the pleasure people get from spreading bad things about others. As I overheard one of the people that was being told of my mistake “Well that’s just unforgivable. There’s no place for such things.” She’s right, in some ways. However, was it necessary to tell everyone about the incident when it was only between two of us? I was already having trouble saying goodbye – it was all I could do to endure the rest of my time. I guess maybe these people haven’t had to deal with mistakes or done wrong things or felt the impact on their lives of what such discussions will do. Needless to say, I’m still coming to terms that anything I did will be wiped out by this one mistake – which is part of facing the music that we who lead have to do.

As people mourn the death of Michael Jackson and media reflect on his impact on music and society, I was intrigued how so many articles had difficulty with how to portray him – musical genius or another fallen mighty. Even in death the fascination of the fallen pulls people as much as the genius. I guess I’m wondering why the fascination. Is it that we need to see others hurt or enjoy that others will have more misery than we do? Does it make us feel better to see those in authority positions fall and suffer? Has this become part of our culture?  Having dealt with more than my share of people who have had this happen to them, I worry that we underestimate the damage these acts. Do I think that I don’t need to be held accountable? Not in the least – I expect it. Is it necessary to ensure everyone knows a mistake was made? Only if the outcome one wants is to make someone suffer.

Ah well, I guess it’s part and parcel that comes with the making a mistake and maybe I’m making too much out of this. But isn’t it funny how we wouldn’t want our students involved in something like this – we know how much the gossip and hurt would create and yet, without hesitation, we’ll partake as adults if it gives us the upper-hand and feel completely justified for doing so, drawing others to our cause in much the same way that the children do and are admonished for when it happens. I guess that, as adults, our reasons for doing so must be much better. Yeah, that’s it. As adults we have a much clearer understanding of this authority thing and, really, some people need really need to be dropped a peg or two.

As one of the staff commented to me as I was leaving “I hope you find what you’re looking for” I didn’t know what to say. Can anything be said? I guess, like always, I have to take comfort in the fact that through all that happened while I was administrator, I was able to continue to keep the focus on students and learning and, in the end, that’s what its all about!

Are blogs going the way of the Dodo?

Summer holidays have officially begun, thank goodness and I’m spending some time figuring out what exactly I might do this summer and what I would like to accomplish in the realm of my own development. My last week of school was less than inspiring with a number of things happening that reaffirmed my thoughts about people enjoying watching those above them suffer but that’s a different post. Today I began with looking at my Google Reader and was amazed that, really, given the lack of attention that I’ve given it, there weren’t as many posts there to read through as I would have guessed. This might have several causes, one being that it is the end of the year and a busy time so people don’t write as much. Still, I wonder if we’re seeing the amount of blog writing dropping because other social networking, like Twitter and Plurk, are replacing that mode for some.

If you’re like me, I found the last few months tough to write. I was busy and just not feeling like sitting down and writing. I was, however, keeping up with my social networks, exchanging thoughts and interactions with a my connections through various social networks. I found that, although I didn’t have time to write too many posts for my blog, I did have time to check in and see how people were doing on Plurk and Twitter. I was able to keep up with what people were doing and how things were going.

In doing this, I was kept up on what was happening and the different things that were going on in the world of technology and learning. I read a few blog posts but spent more time communicating via different tools than I did reading blogs. Now that it is summer, I know that I’ll be able to spend some time getting caught up with some of my blogroll reading – I did take time to star a number of items to read. People will be busy doing summer things (like going to conferences which I don’t get to attend!) and just doing R&R things and then getting ready for school. However, once the new school year begins, will it again happen that the micro-blogging tools will once again become the primary tools while blogs will be again be left behind? If that is the case, do we need to begin examining how we can use the micro-blogging tools in our classrooms, adding them to our tools for teaching? Do we need to bring some of the popular learning methods that we do, like the online-conferences and the unlearning conferences to our classrooms?

Blogging still has its place, even in my schedule and life but it isn’t nearly as important as it once was because of the other social networks that I use to exchange ideas and thoughts with others. I like process of the writing that I am able to go through but, during a hectic schedule, there isn’t always time. Eventually, will the blogs go the way of the dodo and be replaced with micro-blogging aggregators that bring together the thoughts of many on a subject? Or do will blogs continue to exist having a crucial place in exchanging ideas and thoughts?