SCHOOLS AND THE "REAL" WORLD

It has been confirmed that schools, K-16 and beyond, are part of the real world.  They are not isolated in a bubble of protection, separated from the rest of society while these young ones grow in an environment sheltered from the world’s harsh realities.  The internet of instant news has only exacerbated the downside of that issue.  One might wonder, in the day of lockdowns and stepped up security, what children are learning coincidentally along with the rest of the curriculum.

Schools help shape children’s beliefs of how the world works; at their very best, schools, and the good teachers in them, empower moral imagination to envision how the world could work better. In other words, schools could mediate between the ideal and the real by cultivating the right balance of critical thinking and hope.

What does it say to kids about priorities when the United States allocates 20% of its budget, or about $720 billion on defense and 4% or $11 billion on education?  One of the arguments is that we have to remain safe, well defended from our enemies, in order to have a free and open society.   Perhaps the question is about equity in education, not trying to take anything away but rather to consider the essentials.

Here is another example from the real world.  At the “power conferences” — the Southeastern, Big 12, Pac-10, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten and Big East — median athletic spending per athlete topped $100,000 in 2010, and each conference spent at least six times more on athletics than academics, per capita.  Many college presidents would like to pull back on athletic spending but because the constituencies for increasing spending are numerous and powerful, and the counter pressures are few and relatively powerless, guess what?  It’s unlikely to happen.

The hopeful signs are that real world problems are now much more part of good schools’ programs. Issues such as hunger, poverty, disease, the environment, violence, politics, health care and education itself are now being examined in schools using history, science, mathematics, literature and the arts, through project based learning, experiential education and great teaching.

Students today have an opportunity to do better than their predecessors with making the world a better, safer, healthier, more just and peaceful planet.  Our children deserve the best that we have to offer them in schools that are part of the real world where laboratories and studios are alive with critical thinking problem solving, and tangible results.

For related articles: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs184/1102752268498/archive/1120741074222.html

No Virtue in Being Busy

I receive a dozen or so emails, telephone calls or messages each week that contain comments about how busy someone is and I was once guilty of the same kind of remark.   And for those who must travel often for work, that adds a layer of time consumption, creating more pressure and stress on the schedule, calendar and one’s self.  Add up the demands and expectations of a family, a specific job or task, running a household, managing a business, dealing with the oxymoronic customer service, absorbing the news, being entertained, using the social media networks, watching and listening to others, and perhaps most importantly and more often neglected than not, taking care of ones own mind, body and spirit.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I set out to winterize our mist away system for the elimination of mosquitoes.  Without going into the details of installation early the previous summer, let me say simply that it is an engineering and chemical mystery and marvel that sprays pyrethrin (an organic compound derived from chrysanthemums) around our house and garden according to a programmed computer system and a 55 gallon drum of the mixture inside a garden shed adjacent to our house.  It had to be “winterized” and now I laugh at the scene although at the time it was anything but funny.  We had to call the “source” three times for directions to accomplish what should have been a simple task.  It took over an hour and a half.

I now watch or listen with some degree of amusement as a friend or colleague refers to an electronic calendar to find a slot where a meeting is possible or impossible and I do the same thing although my calendar and schedule have more leeway than in most of the previous 50 years.  When I served as an interim head of a school, I remarked that I was fortunate to be able to work half time.  That was 6 to 6!  And there were those evenings and weekends that added hours of work, most of it meaningful and productive.  How much was necessary, how much was essential and how much could have been given to others or simply avoided without any serious consequence?

Something I was fond of saying although it did not resonate all that well with some others goes like this:   A friend or colleague says, “It was a very long day” and I know what they mean but I have the audacity to respond with, “I have news for you. They are all the same length, 24 hours.”  The point is that we all have the same amount of time and it’s simply how we use it, how we spend it, how we choose to invest ourselves in the moment or the hour or in the day that has been given to us.  Why do some days seem longer than others?  Have we tried to jam too much into a finite amount of time, thus end up tired, frazzled and down?  When we are absorbed and immersed in what we're doing, the time flies by without even noticing.

Maybe there is a way of looking at the day or the week not as something to be filled up, but rather as this miraculous and precious gift of time which, in fact, could be our last day.  If that were to be, how would we spend it?  The point is not to create a personal drama but to be sure that we are including some of those things that we value the most, that we hold in highest regard, and not postpone them until we find the time or have the time.  Now, go put some of those into your schedule and on your calendar and see if it makes a difference.  Go ahead.  Just do it!  See what happens and let me know.

THE BIG PAYOFF

Many of us go about our work without being concerned about the rewards of what we do. We have chosen a profession (or been chosen by it because it called to us) of serving others.  The point here is why we do what we do and that what we say and do are simply reflections of what we believe to be important and worthwhile.

I received a letter recently from a former student who claims to have been influenced by my “leadership” and while I believe that I was acting on behalf of the mission, vision and values of the school where he was a student, those were also my closely held beliefs about what is right, what is good and how people should treat one another.

This student of 25 years ago said that “the learning environment was electric. We were encouraged… to gain multi-cultural literacy and to follow the school’s motto,  ‘Courage for the deed, Grace in the doing’.  The assembly talks that you delivered were inspiring to those of us who were actually listening!  If my memory serves me correctly, you had a picture on your desk taken with the late Martin Luther King, Jr. , which made a significant impression on those of us who knew the story of your Detroit days. 

"You … inspired me to teach.  It has been 15 enjoyable years thus far, teaching such subjects as professionalism, ethics, and clinical practice to dental students and residents.  You also taught me to help those less advantaged in life.  I have dedicated a significant portion of my practice to treating children with intellectual, neurodevelopmental, physical and social disabilities.  These kids are often marginalized and over-looked in receiving the primary and specialty healthcare they deserve. “

The former student went on to relate a more personal story that was very meaningful and touching and then concluded by saying, “Please accept this short note as a token of thanks for your everlasting impact on my life.”   This kind of letter comes every now and then when you have had such amazing opportunities to be in this kind of environment of teaching and learning.   I was both surprised and humbled to receive the letter and shared it with my son, an outstanding science teacher in his own right of over 25 years.  And this is what my son wrote back to me:

“What a lovely letter. It is such an honor to be in a place of creating possibilities for students to recognize more of themselves, empowering their voices to speak up in support of truth seeking. I am amazed so often at the impact of the little things we do that are simply an expression of doing what is right. Nothing special, just the ordinary practice of being kind, of speaking out for justice, of sharing encouragement or offering understanding, celebrating courage or unique accomplishment - these simple ordinary acts can mean so much to someone when they happen to take place at just the right moment in just the right place. What a gift and privilege to be able to stand in that place over many years and keep up the care, keep conducting the Great Experiment in human learning and development. Thanks for sharing that marvelous expression of genuine gratitude and appreciation. It's not why we do this work, but it certainly doesn't hurt to get some acknowledgment every now and then that what we have done made a difference to someone.” My hope is that every teacher and every educator can experience this kind of affirmation to know that what they do every day makes a difference and sometimes you might not know the results for years afterwards.  But, know this; it’s all worth every moment you have the chance to interact with your students and colleagues.  I had the blessings and benefits of 50 years of service and leadership.  May you enjoy much the same!

LESSONS FROM PASSOVER and EASTER and beyond.

Regardless of your history, tradition or religious preference, if you have one, one thing is clear about the calendar.   Every Spring (in the northern hemisphere, Autumn in the southern) Jews and Christians celebrate Passover and Easter respectively and according to ancient texts, Jesus observed the Passover Seder with this followers prior to his crucifixion.  Religious calendars have adapted to nature’s seasonal calendar and to various folk figures and animals.  The central focus of both Passover and Easter are stories that are told and retold, celebrations of memories to keep traditions alive with meaning.  This is also true of many of the world’s indigenous people.

When you strip away most of the practices and interpretations, it is the sun, the moon, the stars, and the earth that govern our life.  How we figure out our relationship to the natural environment, how we interact with it and what kind of regard we have for it reveals who we are as sentient beings.  It may be a big leap from Passsover and Easter to the environment and yet those who celebrate those two events are immersed in the latter.

According to John Grim of Yale,  “Ritual practices and oral narratives simultaneously connect native peoples to a world that is pragmatic and problematic, meaningful and ambiguous, of ultimate concern and felt beauty. While some in mainstream industrialized societies have begun to reflect upon the larger implications of evolution as a coherent story, the possibility of an environmental ethic developing from that story remains a challenge.”

What is evident in all of these practices is that there is an understanding that there are spiritual forces that can lead us to a higher level of pragmatism and self-understanding. Perhaps it is time that we consider how we are evolving in our relationship to the earth and to one another as human beings in the places where we live and move and have our being.  

When a spiritual leader such as the Pope, whether or not you agree with his religion, calls for an end to violence and oppression, is anyone listening? Or is it simply more noise in a world overcrowded with information, pronouncements and proclamations?  Take a little time to consider how you might respond differently this year and connect to a story that makes sense in your own evolution.   May your Easter season be filled with opportunities to celebrate the sanctity and beauty of life wherever you are.
 

7 BENEFITS OF 3 DAYS AWAY

Stepping out of the ordinary to experience a little of the extraordinary has numerous benefits, both personally and professionally.   A change of scenery and environment, no family or business obligations, unplugging from the world of electronic devices, time for deep reflection and renewal of mind, body and spirit is simply luxurious.

This is a gift you can give to yourself, perhaps with some encouragement and support from others.  It can be close or far away.  What is important is that the conditions are optimum for the best results with the least number of distractions from the focus and purpose of the experience.  It can be done solo or with a small group of like-minded individuals.

My most recent “retreat” was in Colorado Springs in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and although my residence is similar, at 7000 feet in beautiful northern New Mexico, a different and unfamiliar locale gave me a sense of something entirely new, and open for discovery.  That in itself set the stage and provided the context for the experience.  Here are my seven dividends from the investment of three days away.

1      -  Time to read and think about a topic in some depth.

2      -  Restful and relaxing accommodations in a comfortable, beautiful setting.

3      -  Simple, nutritious and tasty meals.

4      -  Physical exercise via walking (or cycling).

5      -  Mindful meditation in stillness or via a labyrinth.

6      -  Exploration of future possibilities without commentary.

7      -  Deep gratitude for the opportunities afforded.

Most of these benefits can be achieved wherever you are.  However, you have to commit to making them part of your daily or weekly routine; otherwise, work, people and worldly distractions will consume your time, attention and energy.  In the retreat setting there was no urgency to get on to the next thing whatever it might be. As Pico Iyer put it, “In an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow.”

For me, it was a kind of Spring housecleaning - mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually – and some rearranging of my own priorities.  If you’re in the southern hemisphere, it could be a Fall housecleaning.   It is not about where you are geographically but where you are at this particular time in your life.  And the truth is that most of us are in a transition of some kind or another in our work, our families and in the world around us. Give yourself the gift of a personal retreat and put those three days away on your calendar now.   Go ahead, it's easier than you might think.

STRESS, ANXIETY and RELIEF

People worry daily about everything from their work to their finances, about their children or their parents (or other family members) about their present or future condition, including health and wellness, and in some places about where they are going to live, what they are going to eat or how they might end up.  One of the better definitions of anxiety that I have heard is “prolonged worry over matters we can do nothing about.”

Perhaps it would help to understand the continuum of anxiety, not unlike the continuum of fear.  You can experience mild fear or stark terror as extremes on either end.  Likewise, there are the little worries that are not all that upsetting, concerns of one kind or another that you can do something about and take action to erase it.  There is also the enormous anxiety that can leave you feeling helpless and ultimately depressed.  That’s probably why the diagnosis in the DSM-V has tried to separate some of the related “anxiety disorders” from each other.

Much has remained the same in the areas of anxiety and depression, with refinements of criteria and symptoms across the lifespan. Some disorders included in the broad category of anxiety disorders are now in three sequential chapters: Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, and Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders. This move emphasizes how each category has its own distinctions while still being interconnected. What is clear is that being in a state of stress for very long produces a level of anxiety that will most likely upset your equilibrium.

The term “anxiety” is a catch-all term.  Louis Menand says, “people describe themselves as excited, nervous, apprehensive, tense, stressed out, bugged, worried, panicky, vapor-locked, scared shitless, sick to their stomach, and feeling like they’re gonna die.”   Sometimes it helps to give the feeling a name rather than keep it suppressed and hope that it will eventually go away.  It is what you cannot talk about that will come up and bite you in the backside.

There are numerous ways to alleviate stress and anxiety and as many people have discovered, drugs and therapy don’t always work.  There are those who have made enormous changes in their lives whether in life-style, locations, changes in significant relationships, or in the approach to solving the problem instead of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results (the classic definition of insanity). There are many people who have experienced a reprieve from anxiety that is most welcome and mentally healthy.  There are those who turn to a variety of physical, mental and emotional exercises for relief. Those who find these techniques effective tend to make them part of a daily or weekly routine.  Such activities may include working out with a regimen of physical exercises, or less strenuous activities such as meditation, listening to music or some creative activity like painting or writing.

What seems to be an obstacle to making a life change is the unwillingness to take a risk and step off into the unknown. That can be a stressful experience itself and some people would rather be in a state of stress-filled security than live in a situation without knowing the outcome.  Stress indicates the need for change and change can produce stress.  In the end, it boils down to choices.  You can consider and even create some options.  It is your opportunity to take control and decide whether to accept the status quo and keep things as they are or shift gears and invest in a thoughtful process to produce needed and welcome change. 

CELEBRATE SPRING TODAY and LEARN FROM MOTHER

When the Julian calendar was established around 45 BC, a date in March was fixed for the vernal equinox, that time and moment in the Spring when night and day are of equal length. It has to do with the tilt of the earth toward the sun and at this time it's approximately zero.  But the hours of night and day are not really exactly the same. George Greenstein, an astronomer had this to say: "There are two reasons. First, light rays from the Sun are bent by the Earth's atmosphere. (This is why the Sun appears squashed when it sets.) They are bent in such a way that we are actually able to see the Sun before it rises and after it sets. The second reason is that daytime begins the moment any part of the Sun is over the horizon, and it is not over until the last part of the Sun has set. If the Sun were to shrink to a starlike point and we lived in a world without air, the spring and fall equinoxes would truly have ‘equal nights.’”

In the northern hemisphere, we celebrate the return of the light, actually beginning at Winter solstice but even more so in the Spring with the advent of new growth that we can see and smell.  In the southern hemisphere, not so, as it's autumn there and the amount of daylight is descreasing.  While we may spend more time inside than outside in the winter, we are now glad to be outside again, except of course for some miserable Springtime allergies.  And the closer you are to the earth, the more enhanced the senses.  I usually remember at this time of the year that Easter (Eostre, pagan goddess of Spring) is the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the vernal equinox, a moveable feast to be sure.

What can we learn from Mother Nature?   Photosynthesis is as natural to plants as eating is to humans.  In fact, there are some similarities with several significant exceptions.  One is that plants seldom overeat.  They take what they need, water from the ground through their roots, CO2 from the air and sunlight to turn water and CO2 into oxygen and glucose.  The way they do this is called photosynthesis which means literally “putting together with light.”   

Lessons from nature abound.  The rhythm and dance continue in their annual display of new growth, especially that green, green, green of newness.  Here are some 10 lessons to consider.

1      Eat what you need to sustain your vitality.

2      Save resources for leaner times.

3      Add some color to your life.

4      Figure out what you don’t need and let it go.

5      Prepare well for the next season.

6      Wait and don’t try to rush the process.  Let it work.

7      Embrace and celebrate inevitable change.

8   Know that what is not seen is often more important than what is seen.

9   Drink enough water to help the flow and grow
10 Remember that too much sun may be more damaging than not enough.

Today, March 20, 2015, the vernal equinox takes place at 22:45 UTC, (Universal Coordinated Time). You can calculate your time zone accordingly.  Mine, MDT, will be 4:45 PM.

LEADING CHANGE

The most effective leadership will include dimensions of change whether leading change in strategies, in goals, programs or personnel.  If change is inevitable, then the question is what kinds of specific change does your organization need and what resources do you need to move forward?  Do you need a cultural shift, systemic change or do you need something less disruptive?

Charts and graphs based on gathered data can illustrate past and current activity as well as projections for the future.  It is good to know where you are before setting out to continue your journey or to shift gears to go in a different direction. And, perhaps more importantly, being sure that you have enough people or the right people on board before implementing the change is a good idea.  Good leaders look behind frequently to see who is following.

The dynamics of planned change include a number of features worth serious consideration as you design a blueprint for the future.  Here are 10 questions, not meant to be an exhaustive or an exhausting list, but questions to help focus your work and make it both efficient and effective.

·      1. Who is the key, go to person for the project? 

·      2. What kind of process do you have for keeping on track and on budget?

·      3. What is the overall purpose of the change and how does it fit into the mission and existing programs of the organization?

·      4. Is the timeline reasonable and realistic?

·      5. How is progress going to be measured and reported out?

·      6. Is the change adding to or taking away and what are the consequences?

·       7.Is there adequate support, both financially and organizationally, to insure the best possible result?

·      8. Have you devoted sufficient time and resources to preparation before launching the change?

·      9. Are there any additional needs that have not surfaced previously?

·     10. Do you have plans to celebrate the success upon completion?

Sometimes, an outside change agent can help facilitate the change, either by bringing a different perspective into the discussion or by providing guidance, support and external resources based on the experiences of others who have already implemented a similar change.

Your situation requires its own specific design that will work in your environment and at this time in the history of your organization.  While there may be similarities between and among different organizations, each has its own peculiarities worth taking into account as you plan and effect the change that will help you reach your goals and determine your success.

As the one who is charged with leading your organization, it is incumbent on you, in concert with your Board, to set the goals as well as to determine what you need to achieve success in reaching those goals.    If your organization is dynamic, change is inevitable.  Therefore, design the change you want and need, monitor it carefully along the way and celebrate your arrival at the end point.

Then decide how soon you need to revisit the plan to evaluate progress.

LESS IS MORE

This phrase, “less is more” appeared in a love poem (line78) in 1855 by Robert Browning , “Andrea del Sarto” called The Faultless Painter. The phrase was adopted by Mies van der Rohe, an architect whom I studied briefly in an undergraduate course called “The House.”  He, along with a number of others, including Frank Lloyd Wright, were leaders in the minimalist movement that tried to scale things down rather than up, clean lines, good design. 

Since then that phrase “less is more” has been popularized by all kinds of movements and people from philosophers to musicans.  Most notable among these are St. Francis,  Ghandi, Albert Schweizer, Henry David Thoreau, and more recently, E. F. Schumacher in his 1973 work, Small is Beautiful, a study of economics as if people mattered.   Two musicians known for their work in this genre are Steve Reich and John Cage.   There are numerous others from many fields, recently some in the environmental movement.

Living a more simple life has been espoused by various religious and secular groups, including the Quakers. Related notions such as self-sufficiency, reducing conspicuous consumption, sustainability, downsizing, intentional community, and the slow movement are all expressions from those who do not necessarily agree with the economics of a culture where GNP is the measure of success.  There are many people who believe that there are other values that could contribute to a meaningful and productive life so that that we do not base our worth on the market value of goods and services produced in one year.

What if we looked at a quality of life based not on how much we have but how much we can give?   What if the measure of a man or woman at the end of their lives was not how much they had accumulated but how much they had been able to give away?  Simplicity and clarity which lead to good design applies to more than objects. How about designing our lives around simple and clear rather than complicated and cluttered? 

The small house movement has gained in popularity the past few years as more and more people discover how efficient and economical it is to live in fewer square feet.  There is even a small house society whose tag line is “better living through simplicity.”  (http://smallhousesociety.net/) rather than the original, “better living through chemistry.”  (Dupont,, 1935)

You can find many people who live full time on boats of various sizes all over the world and we have met many fellow travelers on the road whose only residence is their RV or recreational vehicle.  These range in size and kind from small to large and ones that you pull behind a truck or that are self propelled by their own engines.  Most are self-contained and are able to provide adequate and comfortable space along with the necessary functions of heat, light, cooking, bathing and even connectivity with the rest of the world.

We took a step in that direction when we sold our house, barn and six acres and  lived for nine months in a home on wheels.  Gypsies, someone said, no house or apartment, just wandering here and there, working and living on the road.  Our theme song was Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TD_pSeNelU

That is only one illustration that afforded a level of freedom, independence and a significant reduction in possessions, equipment and property that had to be maintained and supported.  More importantly perhaps is asking this question. What would improve the quality of your life that is within your reach?  The answer may or may not have to do with “living space” but chances are at some point you will arrive at a time of transition and then you can design the change and make the choice.

The following questions may help inform your next change.  What is it that you need or want that you do not now have within your reach?  Less work, more time?  Fewer responsibilities, more freedom?  Less expense, more resources?   Form your own question. The answer is yours to pursue and enjoy.

TEN LESSONS LEARNED IN A 50-YEAR CAREER

1.    Keep learning alive – Commit to becoming a life-long learner and whether or not you are an early adopter, consider how the world has changed and you along with it.  If you are not growing and changing you are falling behind because to stand still is to lose ground.  You can participate in learning challenges whether through webinars and courses offered online or actual, real time group learning by topic, subject and issue. Find the fuel for your passion and exercise mind, body and spirit to stay on the growing edge

2.    Step out of your comfort zone – Whether in learning something new, understanding and appreciating the opposing point of view, or becoming more facile with technology, just do it.  Try an area outside of your expertise, something totally different from how you spend the majority of your time.  If you’re an engineer, consider something in the social sciences and if you’re in the world of business, have a look at art and science, unless that is your business.  Venture outside the confines of your profession.

3.    Know yourself to the extent that it is about who you are not being identified by what you do.   Your passion is your work; your job allows you to do your best work.  Ideally, who you are and what you are about will help to define what you do, not the other way around by what you do defining who you are.  Being authentic means that to the degree there is congruence between your ideal and real self will determine your degree of satisfaction with your work. 

4.    Practice this until it is ingrained in the fabric of every day.  “Tell the

truth, be kind and remember to say thank you.”   It is a simple, straightforward reminder and a litmus test to determine if you are on or off course with regard to your moral compass.  How you treat other people will help determine how they will respond to you.  You get what you give and sometimes you receive even more than you offer.  Courtesy is contagious.

5.    Celebrate special days, special seasons and special people.  It is easy to find them, hold them up for recognition and appreciation.  What many people need in families, in the workplace, on the street, is to be recognized and appreciated for who they are and what they do every day.  You can also make note of those special days and seasons in the calendar and use them as an occasion for a gathering and for sharing whether around a table or at an event.  Or treat someone else to an occasion with a surprise, an unsolicited, unexpected gift, regardless of size.

6.    Set realistic goals and empower others to help achieve them.  Success is achieved when people share a common vision, a common purpose and common goals.  There is strength in numbers and Margaret Mead had it right when she said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, for it is the only thing that ever has.”

7.    Attend to matters of your spirit, your soul, your psyche and make frequent deposits in your savings account.  If you haven’t needed to draw on those inner resources in a significant way, you will.  Because change is inevitable, and because there will be occasions of unwelcome and uncomfortable change, it’s best to be prepared with the mental, emotional and spiritual resources to deal with the change.

8.  Consider each new day as a gift, to make of it what you will.                  Neither you nor anyone else has walked in this new day and made any tracks.  The question is what kind of tracks would you like to make today?  How do you want to interact with others?  What will you say and what will you do to make a difference in their work or their lives?

     9.  Design and plan the change you want.  A clear and detailed action plan       provides a strong foundation for moving forward.  A plan can be adapted to changing needs and desires and very often the results are no better than the plan that helped achieve them.  If you are not satisfied with an outcome, go back and look at where you might have gotten off track and recalibrate.  Pay attention to active verbs such as create, collaborate and communicate. 

    10.  Take care of yourself often so you are better able to care for others. Give yourself time to reflect on what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and recharge your energy, commitment and resolve.  Rest, breathe and learn from nature by getting closer to those seasons of growth and renewal. One word that sums it up well, recreate!