The Real World and Success for Every Child

The Real World and Success For Every Child

When you’re assigned to a job and you can’t do it, you either learn how to do it or you’re fired.  Maybe you need to be in a different environment with different supervisors or mentors.  Maybe you need some remedial instruction or perhaps you need to find out what you can do and start there and build on that.   Too much time and energy are spent on correcting mistakes rather than getting it right the first time.

Every child can succeed at something and this is why kindergarten becomes even more important for starting to build the foundation for success.   Teachers need to be clear about how to make things work and take it a step at a time and keep backing up before going forward into unknown territory.  Before you can play a piece of music, it helps to learn the notes, where the fingers go on certain instruments and then practice, practice, practice. 

It’s the same with sports.  Much more time is spent practicing than in playing the game.  Certain kinds of athletic skills are developed and finally mastered in order to play the game at the highest level.  I wonder if we make the mistake of trying to get to the performance too soon before the skills are refined and there is a sufficient level of confidence in those skill sets to be effective?

We know that we have the education equation bassackwards.  We hold time constant and make education the variable.  If we really cared about a child's success, we would hold education constant and make time the variable.  Who cares if it takes some kids longer to learn the quadratic equation than others?  Isn't the more important thing learning it to be successful.  You can plug in different things whether language, science, history, literature or any other subject or learning experience.  What's the big deal about limiting the time?

School might be restructured more like the real world and organized according to areas of interest.  There are signs of that with magnet schools and some other specialized schools in science and the arts.  I am not particularly interested in mechanics and robotics but there are plenty of kids who are.   I would have been drawn to a school that focused on reading, writing and producing whether producing essays, books, plays and movies or in telling stories of people in different cultures.

I think it’s time to reexamine why schools are structured the way they are and perhaps shift not only the paradigm for educating kids but building entirely different models for different kinds of schools for different kinds of kids.  The schools all look too much alike and smell the same.  Kids are different and schools need to be different too.

Just think.  In the real world there are bakeries and restaurants and hotels and there are engineering, manufacturing and distribution jobs.  There is the world of design, retail and construction.  And then there is the government, local, state and national!  And we will end here before we get side-tracked on the topic of waste and inefficiency.  Just present that to the kids for some creative solutions of how we might do it better.

ANYWAY

Is it just me or has this word "anyway"  crept into conversations to the extent that it's distracting?  Is it the new "whatever" or is it merely a pause while the speaker collects her thoughts to figure out what's coming next?  Would silence be better?   The definition of "anyway" says that it's used to confirm a point or idea just mentioned.  Do we need the point confirmed?  I don't think so in most cases.  If you've made the point, why must it be confirmed?

What if you counted how many times you hear "anyway" in common conversations in the coming week and report in on what you find?   This is hard data, folks.  Useless, but perhaps interesting.  In some academic circles, maybe in those that study linguistics, there is possibly grant money available that will keep a research team gainfully employed over the next year.   You can listen to people on the street, in a restaurant, on their iPhones and become an "anyway" spy.  Forget the content of the conversations, just listen for "anyway" to pop up.

Anyway, it's hard to find much that explains the repeated use of the word, not just occasionally but what seems like continually in casual conversations.  One plausible explanation is the use of the word anyway as an adverbial conjunct,  (eg in addition, so, then, otherwise, anyway, therefore, however) and adverbial disjuncts (e.g. frankly, wisely, really, surely, etc.)  and that sounds to me like the speaker reaching for some kind of transition in order to continue talking.  How about just taking a breath and listening instead of filling in the void anyway?   Anyhow is a synonym for anyway.

Some of you must remember "valspeak" a common name for an American sociolect, originally of Southern Californians, in particular valley girls in the San Fernando Valley. This stereotype originated in the 1970s, was at its peak in the 1980s and lost popularity in the late 1990s and 2000s. One prime example was the widespread use of "like" as conversational filler. Elements of "valspeak" can now be found virtually everywhere English is spoken, particularly among young native English speakers.   Qualifiers such as “like”, “way”, "as if!", “totally” and “duh” are interjected in the middle of phrases and sentences as emphasizers.   

My conclusion about anyway is that it belongs to the same lexiconic genre as many of those expressions that come under that heading of "conversational filler."  I like that and anyway, it fits.  Seriously!

IMAGINARY BOUNDARIES

Part of my morning meditation included reading this article by Margaret Wheatley: //www.mindful.org/at-work/leadership/webs-boxes-and-boundaries and that took me back to all the times we have crossed a border, north, south, east or west. 

What I found was that regardless of country, language or culture, people are all of the same species, homo sapiens, although one has to question the wisdom part.  That we are the only surviving members of this genus is quite amazing when you review the history of wars, poverty, hunger and disease. 

I believe our survival has more to do with our being fairly adept at communication such as language and art for self-expression, the exchange of ideas, and organization. We have created many cooperating and competing groups, from families to countries. 

Our very human desire to understand and influence our environment, and explain and manipulate phenomena, has been the foundation for the development science and religion.  And both have created enormous conflicts in our world and why?   Is it because of the old territorial imperative, pride, jealousy or some psychological need for control?

Right now, the world seems a little wacked out over some big differences in values and consequent behavior of how we human beings treat each other.  On the one hand you have compassion, kindness and love and on the other side of the fence what seems like cold-heartedness, cruelty and hatred.

Each side is trying to prevail through various means and neither negotiation nor force is resolving very much.  The conflicts and disagreements continue to reinforce the boundaries and separation rather than breaking down those things that keep us apart and prevent our cooperation and collaboration to solve some of the common issues that affect everyone.

Sometimes it is like a bad dream and we hope that we will wake up and it will be over but such is clearly not the case.  Some of us have hope that the next generation of children growing up will do a better job at all of this and more, and make the world safer, healthier and more friendly. However, it is really up to us to do what we can while we can to erase those things that keep us apart and strengthen those things that bring us together around common concern for our mutual well-being.

SMALL HOUSE MOVEMENT

SMALL HOUSE MOVEMENT –

Check it out on a web search.  Fascinating and appealing, at least to some of us older folks who have lived in larger houses, in different places over the years.  We often hear people talking about “downsizing” and we all know what that means.  I like to refer to it as “right-sizing” which to me means having enough shelter and comfort to meet our needs.  The small house or tiny house movement began when people became concerned primarily about two things – the environment and finances. 

The typical American home is over 2000 square feet and we were definitely in that category for many years.  Some of the small houses are under 1000 square feet so you can see immediately that the impact is cut at least in half if not more.  Many of the designs of these houses are very creative and use space in interesting ways, often multi-use instead of separate rooms for everything.  I can remember when some houses even had a sewing room! Imagine that!  Who makes their own clothes today?

In January of this year, we sold our 2700 square foot house, six acres, a barn and several outbuildings and moved into approximately 370 square feet, plus an outdoor patio.  Never mind that it is a 47’ motor home with four slide-outs and a diesel engine.  Our carbon footprint is up for review but we often park it for several months at a time, usually in a great place.  This experience started us thinking about what’s next and what some viable options might be.

We had seen many RV parks and a number of them had modular houses or park models as they are called, some known as manufactured houses.  The history of those buildings is simple.  Once upon a time there were house trailers and a classic that has been around for a long time is the Airstream but there were many other brands as well.   They were built on a chassis with wheels, parked somewhere and people lived simply and inexpensively.  In the mobile RV market, there are travel trailers, camping trailers, fifth wheel trailers, Class C which is a truck chassis onto which a camper is attached, Class B which is basically a van outfitted for camping and Class A which is a self-powered diesel or gas motor home that comes in various sizes and configurations. And there is a percentage of RV folks who live and travel full time in these conveyances.

In one particular RV park we noticed a senior community of these manufactured homes, some 60 of them located behind the campground and we started talking with people who lived there and visited a few of the houses.  Voila!  The construction looked solid, the floor plans flexible and we could get everything we needed in a 16x68 single wide house that ends up being just slightly over 1000 square feet with two bedrooms, two baths, living and dining areas, utility room and we will add a small, covered porch/deck.  We rent the lot and we are ordering the house to be built to our specifications within the next few weeks.  It will be delivered intact and it will be our residence for the foreseeable future at least when we’re in town  Seems like a good choice for us given where we are, geographically, chronologically and financially.  And perhaps as important as the house, our neighbors are interesting people and we like them.  Check out the most recent issue of dwell, Clever Living Solutions for Homes Under 1,000 square feet.  Small Space, Big Design.  http://www.dwell.com/magazine

BIRTH OF A SCHOOL

On Thursday, August 14, I was witness to an historic occasion of a school being born.  This was the third such opportunity in my career and while each one was quite different, as you will see in a moment, there were also some surprising similarities.  What we might learn from these occasions will depend on our own insight, understanding and experience.  Starting a new enterprise of any kind can be an enormous challenge and starting an independent, private school has its own peculiarities.

The challenges for those who have a vision for what a new school should be include:

• inspired leadership
• sufficient financial support
• adequate and desirable physical facilities
• outstanding teachers
• a dynamic curriculum
• the enthusiastic support of the local community
• families and students who want to be part of the experience.

Fortunately, in each of the three cases that I will outline very briefly, these elements came together  because there were talented people who wanted to make a difference, who were passionate about the project and who were committed to see it through.  The most recent one, just beginning, does not yet have a track record of success but I believe they are well-positioned to head in that direction very soon with an opening scheduled for August of 2015.  In all three cases, advanced planning has been a key component in putting the pieces together.

1.  Bosque School, Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It opened in August, 1995, with 60 students in grades 6 and 7 and today has over 500 students in grades 6-12 on a campus of 40 acres, nine buildings and growing.  I was asked to become the founding head of school and began work in August of 1994 with a year to put it all together.   I had a lot of good help along with the vision of the founder, Peggie Findlay, who marshaled a field of energy, people and resources that took us forward.  We rang the bell on opening day that has rung every day since for the past 20 years.  The stories surrounding the beginning years has many aspects, more interesting to those of us who were involved than the current constituents.  Suffice to say that Bosque School would not exist without the early support of many people and all seven characteristics listed above.

2. Monte del Sol Charter School, Santa Fe, New Mexico.  In 1998, Tony Gerlicz and I had a conversation about his career path and I suggested that he consider opening a charter school since the legislation for these public schools of choice had just been enacted in New Mexico.  Tony worked diligently, as is his style, and the charter was granted in December of 1999 for five years.  I served as the founding Board Chair.   In the ensuing years, the first 10 of which were under Tony's leadership, the school received many awards and is still ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best high schools in the United States.  The fourth head of MdS has just taken the reins and the school continues to thrive with its innovative and progressive programs.

3.  The Delta School, Wilson, Arkansas.  Last year I was contacted by a former colleague who has known of my work these past 15 years as a school consultant focused on leadership. John Faulkner, formerly of Choate and Ensworth schools, had been hired as the town manager and developer for a small town in southeastern Arkansas about an hour north of Memphis.  John was working with Gaylon Lawrence, Jr. one of the principals of The Wilson Company and Gaylon believed strongly that the town and the region would benefit greatly with the presence of a new, independent school.
I agreed to help The Delta School find a founding head because I saw the possibilities and I had been in the search and consulting business for quite awhile.  I was no longer ready to take on a project of such proportions although it was very tempting because of the uniqueness of the situation.  The Delta School founding Board signed the papers this past Thursday and that paves the way to build this new school with all seven components churning away.  A 17,000 square foot mansion and surrounding property have been allocated for the opening in August of next year.  A new head has been hired, plans are on the drawing board and the next steps are being taken in the weeks and months ahead.

What I conclude from all three of these experiences is that while each one is very different from the other, the similarities may be more important than the differences.  The success of each of these schools rests on those seven characteristics at the top: 1- inspired leadership from both head and board; 2- sufficient funding that comes from numerous sources; 3- a teaching/learning environment that is optimum for both students and adults, 4- passionate, talented and committed teachers,
5- a program that is student-centered, developmentally appropriate, comprehensive, integrated and performance-based; 6- community recognition and support; and 7- students and families who are excited about being part of a progressive educational experience.

The stories of each of these schools are rich with people who care and who have what it takes to make it all happen and keep happening.  I am grateful to have played some part in each one and feel honored and humbled by the experiences.

OBSTACLES TO SUSTAINED THOUGHT

FOG

The origin of the word is obscure but we all know its meaning.

It is usually associated with damp, moist and thick air where

Sound travels better although it might seem muffled.

Apparently the drops of water in fog are not connected

And it’s really hard to see (or think) in a very thick fog!

That exercise of 55 words started a train of thought about some of the things that present obstacles to sustained thought.  I have often thought that I probably “suffered” from ADD as it has always been easy for me, at times, to be distracted by some peripheral, external activity.  In fact, it still is unless I am really concentrating and focusing on a specific activity.  I did not consider my deficient attention to be a disorder but rather a welcome diversion, at least on many occasions when I found something of interest even if momentary.

Here is one example.  We will be driving down the road having a conversation, which we do a lot, and I might say, “Look, there’s a chicken!”  I know it seems rude to my wife and for awhile it became a kind of joke that we could use as a reference whenever either of us interrupted the other with something other than the current thread of conversation.  You need to understand that I had a genuine interest in chickens and kept some for several years.  I was especially fond of French Black Copper Marans.  So it was easy for me to be drawn to chickens in the same way that classic cars might turn my head at another time.

Another obstacle is what I call overloading the circuit.  In other words, there is just too much draw on the amperage, the circuit breaker trips and off goes the current.  Everything stops until we can either reset the breaker or reduce the load and start over.  Too many simultaneous or diverse thoughts at the same time will do that and so, we start over.  We can back up, find out where we were and go at it again.  Actually, there are times when that’s a good idea anyway, to get a fresh start or review where we have been so we know where we’re going.  It’s really quite clarifying!

Here’s my last example and I hope you will think of your own obstacles and how you deal with them.  Or have a discussion with your “team” and discover what others may struggle with that prevents getting to where you want to be with your thoughts, ideas and activities.  I keep a mental list and sometimes write down what I am working on in terms of projects, things to do, what needs attention and who I need to contact for this or that.  When there is a lot on that list, I seldom reorder the priorities.  I just try to plough on the best I can.  I think there may be a better way!

CALLING TO MIND

Earlier this week, a name came to me, perhaps because we were talking about various authors, or for some unknown reason, but the name kind of popped into my head and I could not remember what he wrote.  It would have been easy to just “look it up” as Google dumbs us down and makes everything instantly available and I decided consciously not to do that. I decided instead to exercise my tired, old brain and see how I might come up with it on my own. 

For three days, consciously, and unconsciously I’m sure, I tried various associations to see if I might dredge up what he wrote and even why I might have been thinking about it.  When it finally came to me, it seemed like a flash of insight although it happened that the title came into my mind a little backwards and over time.  What I mean by that is that I got the last part before the first part and then after some time put it all together.  For those of you acquainted with American literature it’s probably a no-brainer but for my addled mind it was buried away somewhere in the deeper recesses and I had to find a way to access it.

Calling things up from a storehouse that is chock a block full of all kinds of memories is in itself an interesting exercise and finding something that is still there that has been long forgotten, but still available, is at some level reassuring that I have not lost my mind completely. 

We are in the travel mode these days and arrived in Ohio last week to visit my hometown where I grew up, went to school and managed to learn a few things.  We saw my brother and some other family members and that visit was probably the stimulus for some of these what might appear to be random thoughts.  It was in Ohio, at Miami University, where I took a course in American literature, also a course in sociology, and so Ohio was kind of lodged there in my conscious mind.  I did remember some studies by the Lynds, with the fictitious name of Middletown and the town was actually Muncie, Indiana which was thought to be representative of small towns in middle America.  There is a Middletown, Ohio but that was not it.  There is probably a Middletown in most states.

The Ohio name kept looming large and I thought that if I could just get the first part I would have the title but it just wouldn’t appear.  And then, while driving east of Cleveland, it came to me.  Was it possible that I was geographically near the town and was there some kind of affinity because of proximity?  That would just be very strange but not impossible.  You probably noticed that I have not mentioned the author’s name but that’s because I had that all along.  What I could not retrieve was the book title.  The author was Sherwood Anderson and the novel was Winesburg, Ohio, a group of short stories about small towns.  I felt rather smug or proud that I finally got it on my own and by plumbing the depths of a faded memory but it was there.  I knew it was there somewhere.  It was simply (?) a matter of fishing it out and calling it to mind, the conscious part.  You see, I was born and grew up in one of those small towns and there I was, smack dab in the middle of all of it and it was if I knew George Willard personally.  I actually did know someone from Clyde, Ohio where Sherwood Anderson grew up.

WHAT IS THE RUSH?

We have endured what a lot of people believe, which is more, faster and bigger are better.  Competition in many situations is all but out of control and cooperation has been sidelined in favor of winning.   It may be unfortunate that the U.S. Dept. of Education chose “race to the top” for their latest effort at rewarding innovation.   It sounds more political than it does educational.  I would have chosen “love to learn” or at least something that sounds more connected to children and teaching and learning.

In many instances, I believe that slow still has a certain value and that cannot be supplanted mechanically.  Just because it looks like a tomato does not mean what it used to mean.   We might want to encourage children (and adults) to look carefully into the purpose and value of GMO’s, (Genetically Modified Organisms) and a whole host of other products and materials.  Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare may still have something to say.

Being called number one could easily become a late night comedy sketch.  Just imagine being called number two!  It is why I smile when I see a team member who has just won a game holding up his finger to indicate that his or her team is number one.  In one of our early grades, we had to hold up either one or two fingers when we had to go to the toilet and that was to tell the teacher what it was we had to do.   I don't know whether or not she excused us quicker depending on the number or whether we were simply learning to ask for permission.  Regardless, it seemed to work and it was a quiet and symbolic way to communicate.

Action heroes - faster, stronger, more powerful - can defeat every enemy except for one.  Father Time will catch up, sooner or later

SOLSTICE

This coming Saturday, June 21, marks the annual event known as solstice, summer in the northern hemisphere, winter in the southern hemisphere.  Literally, it’s the moment when the “sun stands still” before it starts back in the other direction and for those of us in the north, it is the “longest” day, meaning the most amount of sunlight and marks the official beginning of summer. 

For half of the year we are inclined toward the sun and for the other half the southern hemisphere has this distinction.  Why this makes any difference to anyone or to me may be the question so let me offer a brief explanation.  It’s almost in the category of “if I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand” but I’ll give it a go anyway.

I am one of those who follow the sun along the horizon in its northward and southward trek, most often by watching the sun rise or the sun set and this way I have a fairly good idea of where we are in the year, on the planet.  I see this solar path that is a result of both rotation and revolution and I sense a deeper connection to the earth and the sun.  I happen to love the four seasons and I celebrate each one on the four dates of the two solstices and two equinoxes.

The lessons for me in all of this can be summed up as follows:  It is a very good thing to stand still before changing directions and to know on which axis I’m traveling and why.  Secondly, how I let external conditions affect my internal frame of reference informs me about how my response will impact those around me.   Finally, while I am “in motion” during each of the seasons, the directions, activities and conditions under which I operate fluctuate appropriately, especially when I am in sync with the sun, the moon and the stars.   And maybe, because my birth date is a mere three days after solstice, I am even more affected than I even know at the conscious level.

LEARNING FROM A SMALL STONE

Ever notice how little things can become a big irritation if you don’t do something about them?   This morning, while taking a walk, I got a small stone in my shoe and I could feel it moving around.  Sometimes it was more irritating than others but I thought I would keep walking and hope it would shift to a spot where I didn’t notice it as much.  That started me thinking about some people I have known and situations I have been in that were irritating and instead of doing anything about it, I just endured the irritation hoping it would go away or become less of a pain.

I know that had I stopped walking, removed my shoe, taken the stone out and put my shoe back on, I could have continued walking without the irritation although there was the possibility of another one to take its place.  How long do we put up with what we know we are eventually going to have to deal with rather than remove the source of the irritation or annoyance?  Why do we not take care of it right away?  There may be some good reasons to wait, especially when people and their lives are involved.  Stones are another matter.

What are the sources of irritations in your world?  Lousy customer service?  People who are habitually late?  Colleagues who have excuses for why something isn’t finished?  Poor or inadequate wifi connections?  Disappointing quality of products or services?  Too much traffic? Rude behavior by people who seem self-absorbed?  Political gamesmanship? Create your own list and then see how you might remove the irritant.  Simply ignoring it might actually work in some situations.  Brush it off, let it go, and walk on.

A stone in the shoe, a speck in the eye, a splinter in your finger, a hangnail, , something caught between two teeth – most can be dealt with successfully by removing them.  Perhaps therein lies the answer.  If you have the ability and the leverage, remove the source of the irritation and the sooner the better.  On occasion, you might even ask for help in the removal process.

How to keep the little things from taking over your life was the sub title of a book written 8 years ago by Richard Carlson.  The title: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff….and it’s all small stuff.  Often it is the little things, like a stone in the shoe, that keep chipping away and diverting our attention from more important things.   Perhaps the best response is the swift removal of the irritation and eliminate the pain for everyone.