It's All About the Benjamins

That's a Cheeto on fire!

I realized on my drive yesterday that I now have the mist dangerous classroom in the school. We have eliminated all shop classes so there are no more saws and drills presses to potentially remove an appendage.  Therefore the chemistry lab is one of the few places left where the students can be seriously injured. We use chemicals that can't be purchased except through special chemical companies.  We have acids, flammable substances, broken glass, hot metals, scalding water, poisonous chemicals and sharp objects.  And, I have labs in which I freely let the students mix these substances in whatever quantities they wish and I call it inquiry

learning.

And yet I really don't have discipline or safety problems. I don't have students misbehaving and running a muck in my room. And I have not written up a student for inappropriate behavior in over 10 years.  This doesn't mean my class is perfect, but I take a slightly different perspective on classroom management than a lot of teachers.

You see, my class is all about the Benjamins. And the Christinas. And the Jaimes and the Roberts and the Mohammeds and the Ericas and the Jordans and the Alexs.  Our class is all about the relationships.  Our class is about the mutual respect we have for each other.  Our classroom is where risk taking is rewarded and failure is learning.

Sometimes, as teachers, we get so wrapped up in lesson plans, state tests, and completing our curriculum that we lose sight of what who is most important in our classroom.

Yes, Man!

Ok, inspiration comes from the oddest places sometimes.  I randomly heard Jumper by Third Eye Blind on Pandora which made me think of this scene from the movie Yes Man with Jim Carrey.  The basis of the movie is that Jim Carrey gets convinced that in order to really change his life he has to say yes to EVERYTHING.  This means that he ends up going bungee jumping, taking flying lessons, learning Mandarin, and meeting the woman of his dreams.  

http://goo.gl/R964K

We talk in education about there being too many "Yes, men"; people who are only hired to agree with the boss and never contribute any meaningful ideas that are going to help move the program from Good to Great.

But maybe we actually do need more people to say "Yes, Man!"  People who are willing to try new things, to be the first to volunteer to pilot a new program, to say YES instead of maybe or that won't work here.  There are so many changes going on in education now that if we are not willing to say YES to change we are in real danger of becoming irrelevant.  

[Spoiler Alert] As Jim Carrey learns in the movie, you need to weigh your options before outright saying yes.  But when he lived his life in fear of change, he was miserable and alone.  When he took that leap of faith and put himself out there, he found a far superior version of himself.

What is happening in your school that you are going to say YES to?

Be that guy

There's at least one in every school.  The one who, when he speaks, people just stare at him dumbfounded.  Wait, no not THAT guy! This guy...

What does this guy do that others don't?

• Take risks?
• Stand up and be himself when others prefer to blend in with the crowd?
• Inspire others who are just as crazy as himself, but might be afraid to show it?
• Not fear failure or ridicule?
• Show others that yes, it can be done?

Maybe.  But, more importantly, he is just being himself.  He is passionate and enthusiastic for what he does, even if what he is doing seems ludicrous to others.

Schools need more people willing to be that guy.

Everything I needed to know about Leadership I learned from Ami James

http://goo.gl/JIUI7

One of my guilty pleasures is watching tattoo shows.  It started with National Geographic's Taboo series about tattooing in other cultures and then spread to Miami Ink on TLC.  I think my obsession comes from the fact that it is absolutely amazing how detailed these artists can make their drawings considering they are making it under the skin.  Ami James was one of the owners of the Miami Ink studio and is now on his own show called NY Ink.

Ami, hands down, is the worst leader I have ever seen.  Let me list off some of his leadership traits:

1. He has a violent temper that can erupt at a moment's notice.
2. He swears to make a point and puts people down during every argument.
3. He does not try to foster young talent.
4. He dumps his problems on his employees.
5. He hires his friends, then treats them like his employees, but wants them to keep acting like his friends.
6. He expects people to just do whatever he says because he is the "boss."

I think that's a pretty good start.  When you read the post title you probably thought I was going to show you a great leader, someone to aspire to.  Sorry to disappoint.  But, what I have learned over the years is it is almost easier to learn from the worst than it is from the best because you can stop doing something wrong, but sometimes it is hard to mimic the positive traits in others.

I want to talk about #3 for a moment because I feel this is Ami's worst trait.  He hired a woman (Jessica) to serve as his shop manager.  Now, typically a title like that means she is in charge of all areas of the shop and has authority over other members in the shop, but not the artists.  Jessica has a MBA and used to work as an executive in a bank.  She has expressed a desire to learn to tattoo and is actually a talented artist.  However, every time she tries to learn more, she is sent back to her "box" to deal with appointments and clients.  Jessica also has a temper and every time this happens she argues, complains and has a terrible attitude with everyone she interacts with.  Ami regularly complains about having too much work and not enough time to get back to Miami to see his family; this would be the perfect opportunity for him to train someone to take some of the workload off of him as well as reduce some of the hostility that flies around the shop.

Ami's shops are successful because of the fact that he is on TV and manages to get some of the best artists in the business.  He succeeds in spite of his failures as a boss.  Most schools (actually no school) would not survive under this type of management style.  School leaders need to hold themselves to a higher standard and be the leader they want to see in others.  Teachers need to remember to do the same because you don't need a title to be a leader.  If you want those around you to work hard and dare to fail, then you must do the same.

Walk the Talk!

Want ad

I want to redesign the want ads that I see for school principals that I see in the paper.  Normally, under qualifications, you see phrases like:

• experience in NCLB, grant writing, and school management
• a master's degree preferred
• knowledge of current instructional practices and experience implementing on a whole school setting
• Prior administrative and/or teaching experience at the elementary and/or secondary level preferred
• Demonstrated leadership capability in the areas of curriculum and staff development.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Curriculum and staff development
• Communication with community
• Innovative Staff Evaluation Strategies
• Recruitment and staffing
• Data Driven Decision Making
• N.J. Core Curriculum Content Standards
• Developing high performing teacher learning teams

While some of these are absolutely necessary, there are several really, really important ones that should be in every job description.  Why don't you ever see:

• Is an innovative educator who uses varied teaching techniques to maximize the potential of his/her students.
• Understands that technology is a necessary tool for instruction and should be incorporated into every aspect of the school.
• Inspires those around him/her to reach their potential and push themselves beyond.
• Is a creative problem solver.
• Has an open mind.
• Provides his/her staff with as many resources as possible to maximize the learning for the students.
• Is student oriented.
• Understands that sometimes learning is messy.
• Is supportive of the staff and assists parents and students who working through their problems with the teacher before calling the principal's office.
• Has a desire to foster a strong community relationship through the school's website, blog, facebook page and twitter account.
• Is willing to dare to fail.

While I absolutely agree that many from the first list are necessary for someone who is going to manage a program, I know that I don't want to be managed.  I want a leader; I want to be inspired; I want to be given the chance to shine in my own way.  In reality, I want someone who is daring and makes me want to be daring too.

Am I asking too much?  Does this person really exist?

That's the way we've always done it

I hope you cringe at this phrase as much as I do.  The problem is, I think I am starting to become that person.  I have procedures, activities, labs, assignments that I love to do and believe they are meaningful for my students.  However, as the last year of teaching has taught me, sometimes you need to just change, to reinvent what you are doing.  

So, I have decided to make massive changes this year starting with my classroom rules.  For the past 5 years my rules have been:

1.  Be Respectful

2.  Be On Time

3.  Be Prepared

4.  Be Safe

While this is a pretty concise list, I realized that I circumvent most of them.  I allow my students to be slightly late for class because if I send them back to their previous teacher for a pass they are going to miss valuable parts of instruction.  I also keep my room stocked with pens, pencils, paper, etc. just in case they happen to forget their supplies.  After all, they are kids and there is no way I should punish them for forgetting a simple writing utensil.  The biggest problem is that these rules are no longer meaningful to me.  I rarely refer to them and they just collect dust on my bulletin board.

I wanted to make a list that was better aligned to my new goals and philosophy of education; a list that was less about procedural rules and more about being a better person.  Below is my tentative list:

1.  Be Respectful

2.  Take Initiative

3.  Be a Critical Thinker

4.  Dare to Fail

When I look at this list I don't see rules that incur punishments when disobeyed.  These are more about common sense and making sure you are the best person you can be.

Thoughts?

Dare to Fail

I had one overarching goal for this school year:  do something you have never done before.  On the beginning, that was the Flipped Classroom.  I didn't know if I would have any success with it, but I knew I needed to try something different.  Then I started to get involved in other PLNs (Educator's PLN, Classroom 2.0) and through those I learned about Animoto, QR Codes, and so many other fantastic learning tools.  My students have really liked some of these and have been ambivalent to others, but have always been willing participants.

But it is the things that I have done outside of the classroom that I want to talk about because those are great examples of me failing like a champion.  The first is my work striving to be a Fred.  I have tried to boost the morale slightly in the school.  Contract negotiations were not going well, the school budget almost failed and teachers are being let go all over.  So, I began putting little token gifts in peoples' mailboxes.  It started with a Sharpie marker for members of the science department, then I put candy for Valentine's Day, followed up lollipops in March, and an Easter Egg filled with candy for Easter.  While some teachers have commented to the secretary next to the mailboxes how nice it is to get these gifts, some people still have them in their mailbox!  I noticed three mailboxes with lollipops and at least half a dozen with eggs.  Plus there was that incident of some Sharpies left on the counter by the boxes as a clear indication they were unwanted.  It is hard to make changes when my efforts are so blatantly unwelcomed.

Then there was the Teacher Tech Tip.  Every Wednesday I began posting Teacher Tech Tips in the faculty rooms as a way to expose the staff to some Web 2.0 tools they may not have seen before.  I have subtly asked around to see what they feeling was and if anyone was using.  Almost every person I talked to said that they never even read them.  Most had seen them, but never paid any attention to them.  I put them right by the photocopiers hoping that teachers would read them as they were waiting for their copies, but nothing.  That means basically no one benefited from the tips I was trying to provide. 

So, what I have learned from all of this.  First, even though most of my efforts were not completely welcomed, I felt really good while I was doing them.  I had so much fun sitting in my living room with my son stuffing what seemed like 1000 plastic eggs (it was actually closer to 160) with candy and I discovered a bunch of great websites while researching web tools.  Second, sometimes you have to water the rocks.  A few people (and it was only a few) keep asking the secretary who was the "little elf" who kept leaving them treats because it always made them smile or it was such a great surprise to find a little gift to brighten their day.  Maybe I didn't help everyone, but I helped a few have a better day.  Finally, you have to try to change the world.  Maybe you will succeed, maybe you will fail (and it's ok if you do), but no matter what happens you at least have to try.