Stepping Stones or Stumbling Blocks

I listened this morning to the BYU devotional given by Elder Steven Snow on 9-11-12.  He started his speech by giving this account of Francis Webster who said the following while sitting in a Sunday School class where members of the class were criticizing church leaders for allowing this handcart company to even start the trek. 

 

 

 

 

"I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter you

know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here for they

give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send

the Hand Cart Company out so late in the season? Yes. But I was in that

Company and my wife was in it. . . . I have looked back many times to see

who was pushing my cart but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the

Angels of God were there.

Was I sorry that I chose to come by hand cart? No. Neither then

nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted

with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged

to come in the Martin Hand Cart Company."

 

Elder Snow went on to discuss how we can use the obstacles in our lives as stepping stones or stumbling blocks.  He also admonished that the following stumbling blocks be avoided:  1) Pride, 2) Negativity and Pessimism, and 3) Modern technology and social media addiction. 

 

Standing for Right

Whether you are LDS or not, this is a profound example of standing up for what's right which we want to teach our Esperanza scholars to do.  This is why Service Learning (Social Action)/Character Education/Civics is a part of Esperanza. 

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  Edmund Burke

Painting from the Art Studio of Rose Datoc Dall's photo


One night the men had been kept awake by the guards, who were vulgarly boasting about their cruel acts of violence against the Saints. It was midnight, and the imprisoned men had been listening to the guards’ filthy language for hours. Unwilling to tolerate the abusive language any longer, the Prophet Joseph rose to his feet and with a voice of thunder rebuked the guards and commanded them to be silent. Parley P. Pratt later wrote, “Dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri.”

Who Are You Spending Your Time With?

More great advice from Kevin Eikenberry for all of us.  It's extremely important for Esperanza scholars to understand it. 

Who are you spending your time with?

How are they influencing you? What are these associations leading you to think about, read, listen, watch and do? These questions may take, and warrant, your time and attention.

Is this the influence you want or need? Are these associations and their influence helping you reach your goals? Maybe your reflection on these questions leave you with a resounding “Yes!” But maybe some of your associations aren’t helping – or are even hurting you.

With your attention to these answers, you can begin to handle or manage relationships or associations that are holding you back. Here are three possible next steps . . .
1. Move on. If your association with someone creates negative habits,thoughts or stress, you may have identified a person that you don’t want to spend time with anymore. This is not an easy decision, nor something you should take lightly, but in some cases it may be necessary. This difficult choice could lead you to much greater results, productivity, and happiness.
2. Limit them. Maybe you can’t or don’t want to remove someone from your associations or life, but you don’t have to invite them to dinner every week! Consciously spend more time with those whose influence is positive and affirming and less with those who have minimal or negative influence on you.
3. Expand and engage. I hope you focus here. Work to spend more time with those who support you, challenge you and spur you towards your goals. Since you know these associations are helpful to you (and likely this is true for the other person), look for more of them!

Animals in the Classroom

The Washington Post

Groups helping teachers pay for classroom pets that enrich students without family animal

 

By Associated Press, Published: September 18

LOS ANGELES — For many children, their first pet is a virtual one.
Experts say many children who enter the first grade can play video games but few have a pet to play with. And teachers say that’s a shame, considering how animals — real ones — can enrich a child’s upbringing.
So for a quarter of a century, educators such as Dawn Slinger in Farmington, Minn., have paid out of their own pockets to provide one for their classrooms. Only in the past few years have groups stepped in to help with the financial burden.
Two years ago, Pets in the Classroom, a Maryland-based project from the nonprofit foundation Pet Care Trust, began offering grants to U.S. and Canadian teachers in grades 1 through 8. The money can be used to buy starter pets, cages, food and other supplies. It issued its 10,000th grant this summer.
The $150 grants help offset the cost of the animal and its care, which helps teachers like Slinger who has been using her own money, said foundation executive director Steve King. Just an aquarium for a frog could cost more than a hundred dollars.
Teachers who apply for a second year or more get $50 for additional equipment, food and supplies.
Pet Care Trust first started introducing pets to classrooms through a joint venture with the Florida Aquarium in Tampa five years ago. A classroom fish project gave participating teachers a 150-gallon aquarium, supplies and fish, King said. Nearly 200 classrooms in the Tampa area got aquariums, and a similar program was started in Chicago.
Slinger believes the cost is worth the experience for her students. She builds lessons around two miniature Russian tortoises, a fire-belly newt, tree frogs, three types of gecko, several hermit crabs, two small ball pythons, a corn snake and a 45-gallon tank of fish. Students observe and draw the animals, and research and write about them. When the school year is over, each student’s work becomes a book.
Parents tell her their children are inspired by the animals and are excited about learning, she said.
She said that out of a class of children — hers last year had 26 — “maybe six will have pets at home, usually a cat or dog. Not many will have reptiles.” Since taking her class, “several students have gotten hermit crabs or fish for their houses. One got a lizard and one is working on a snake.”
The decision over what kind of pet to get lies with the teacher. Slinger chose hers because they fascinate children, their temperaments are right and they don’t bother students with allergies or asthma, she said.
Concerns from parents over disease, allergies and exposure to waste have led to bans or limits on animals in some classrooms, although service animals are allowed in most schools. The Pet Care Trust leaves it to the teachers to know their students and parents, and King said teachers and students must follow cleanliness guidelines.
Among applications for first-time grants, the most popular choices for classroom pets were small mammals, like hamsters, guinea pigs, rats and rabbits, King said. That was followed by aquarium pets, reptiles and amphibians, then birds, he said.
Classroom pets also have been enlightening for some families. Heidi Keating said her 8-year-old son Wayne has been begging for a snake since he was in Slinger’s class last year.
“First, I said absolutely no. Then Wayne said, ‘Come see the snakes in class.’ Even Grandma came. We petted it. I never knew they were soft. I am a little more open at this point,” she said.
Keating said the family wants to encourage his interest, so they took Wayne to a reptile zoo for his birthday.
“It helps me get over my fears too,” she said. “I am learning. I am honest about it, and he knows I am coming along with it. His (5-year-old) sister Quincy is too. When she had her face painted, she wanted a snake.”
But until Wayne is a little older, he’ll have to settle for the 4-month-old basset hound puppy the Keatings got recently.
Classroom pets also can be incentives for good grades, as when some teachers allow students to care for the animals when school is out, King said. Slinger visits her classroom pets two or three times a week during summers and vacations.
As for the animals that don’t return for another school year, that’s a learning moment too, King said.
“Lifespan is part of the life lesson that comes with having a classroom pet,” he said.
___
Online:
http://www.petsintheclassroom.org
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Love These Sticky Notes

More fun things can be found at this website: 

http://www.fasteners4schools.com/index.php/department.html?department=673

Esperanza Teacher Job Description

                                                          

Esperanza Elementary

Teacher - Job Description

 Esperanza Elementary (K-6) is a charter school built upon 4 pillars:  1) Invitational Education, 2) Glasser Quality School, 3) Best teaching/learning practices for all students, 4) Community Learning Center. A two-way Spanish-English dual language immersion program in the entire school is one component. Esperanza will be opening its doors in the 2013-2014 school year and is doing a nation-wide and international search for full-time teachers in all grades.

·         Location: West Valley City, UT

·         Salary:

 

Required

·         Bachelor’s degree (in the U.S. or in any other country)

·         Bilingual Endorsement or Dual Language Immersion Endorsement

·         Student teaching in a culturally and linguistic diverse school or two years of full-time elementary classroom teaching experience in a culturally and linguistic diverse school, especially with Latino students

·         Bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English

·         Advocate for  bilingualism, biliteracy, and multiculturalism for students and families

·         Excellent rapport with all students and families, especially among the Latino community

·         Supportive of the school vision and mission

·         Knowledge in technology and computer skills that support Esperanza’s vision/mission

Preferred

·         Teaching license

·         Experience teaching Spanish and English literacy

·         Experience/Knowledge helping students learn a second language and culture

·         Experience/Knowledge in dual immersion education, especially in a 90:10 model

·         Knowledge about Invitational Education/ Glasser Quality School/ Service Learning

·         Experience/Knowledge in WIDA, SIOP, TWIOP

·         Familiar with charter schools

Personal Characteristics

·         Grooming and personality which establish a desirable example for students.

·         Enthusiastic, dedicated, caring, and who sincerely enjoy working with diverse students

·         Skills working as a team member

·         Flexibility and desire to learn and implement new educational techniques, strategies, and programs

·         Physical and mental health.

·         Lifelong learner professionally and personally

\

 

Major Duties & Responsibilities

·         Follows the Utah State Office of Education core curriculum and will adjust the curriculum and differentiate instruction in order to meet the dual immersion goals of academic achievement, bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism for all students.

·         Promotes and validates students’ needs, interests, and values as well as students’ culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills in the lesson plans and their implementation in the daily teaching.

·         Creates motivating daily lesson plans as well as trimester and year-long plans

·         Provides lesson plans when absent- creates emergency lesson plans on file in the office

·         Encourages cooperative learning and flexible grouping

·         Provides students with computer instruction and encourages computer and technology skills

·         Evaluates students’ academic, linguistic (English and Spanish) and social growth and keeps records.

·         Provides students with the additional academic support as needed, including before or after school

·         Works collaboratively both vertically and horizontally with colleagues and participates in looping

·         Assists other staff members in helping students solve health, attitude, learning problems

·         Participates in committees to further school goals

·         Participates in grade level, faculty, PTA and other meetings as requested by the Principal.

·         Develops professional growth by participating in professional development activities, conferences and workshops related to dual immersion and/or other educational areas.

·         Follows the Principal’s and families’ suggestions and directions, and is willing to receive feedback and implement change

·         Completes all paperwork and assignments on time

·         Is responsive to teacher/administrative/families requests in a timely fashion

·         Emphasizes family participation and community involvement in traditional and non-traditional forms.

·         Communicates on a regular basis with families regarding the students progress and is always available to assist families with homework

·         Ensures that all students, families, community members, and visitors are welcomed in an inviting environment

 

 

For more information about Esperanza go to www.esperanzaelementary.org

Please send electronic versions of your resume and cover letter to:  Barbara Lovejoy (barbara.lovejoy@esperanzaelementary.org).  Please do not send letters of recommendation unless requested by Ms. Lovejoy

 

The Amazing Sticky Note!

This article from Edutopia on September 10, 2012 reminded me of an idea Suzi Ramos expressed while I was at DIA.  She suggested leaving a sticky note with a compliment when spending even just a few minutes in a teacher's classroom. 


This week, I watched a science teacher use sticky notes in a very creative way. To check for understanding, the teacher gave each student a sticky note and asked each of her science students to give concrete examples of the vocabulary that they had learned in class. As the students exited the classroom, they placed the sticky note on the door. After the students all left the classroom, the teacher collected the sticky notes and was able to tell right away which students understood the concepts and which ones needed some targeted assistance.
This not only helps the teacher, but the students also were able to confront their exact understanding of what they had learned and intuitively they understand the clear message that what they did in class today was important and they are expected to learn.
This got me thinking of all the other ways we use sticky notes to help students learn. We give students "way-to-go!" recognitions on sticky notes. I find that the more specific I am with my praise, the more power it has to reinforce the behavior. I put a note on a student's paper that complements her on her neat writing, and the next day, this student was much less withdrawn and more active in her participation. As a principal, I have seen teachers respond positively when they receive a positive sticky note about something great that I saw in a walk-through observation. Even email and texting have not replaced a well-placed sticky note for powerful communication.
In the Spanish classes I taught, I would use the small sticky notes to provide extra credit points as a reward for student participation and effort. I took a rubber stamp of a toucan that said Bravo! and created my Bravos! right on the sticky notes. If students made attempts to speak Spanish, answered correctly, did something nice, or won a game I would give them these by pealing off a sticky and placing it on their paper. The competition to obtain one was often fierce. The nice thing about this kind of extra credit is that the students are the ones that have to keep track of it. Because they are sticky, all they have to do is stick them on a test or a quiz. I put limits (only five Bravos! could be used on any quiz or test), so they couldn't save them up for the final. I also frequently had auctions of stuff that I got at workshops and conventions that they could bid on with Bravos!
Some of the ways I've seen sticky notes used in classrooms:

• When reading difficult passages from technical texts, I have seen teachers encourage students to summarize what is being stated on a sticky note and then place the note in the margin so it sticks out a bit to make it easy to find in the future
• Students use sticky notes to organize their folders, study cards and notepapers
• Students storyboard their writing with sticky notes so they can be moved around. This matches the idea that not all of us think sequentially, and allows students to take advantage of ideas spawned out of order
• Some students (particularly boys for some reason) when they get a pad of sticky notes seem to always want to draw the antics of stick men on the bottom of each one so that when they flip the pages, it appears that the stick men are moving. This actually requires planning and higher order thinking
• Students comment on other student papers or work and give suggestions for improvement and compliments on sticky notes
• Students sticky notes to identify things in the classroom, label items in a target language, or categorize items by type
• Gallery walks in which students analyze poetry, quotes or philosophies by placing their responses on sticky notes
• Teachers use colored sticky notes as disciplinary measures, green notes being exemplary behavior, and red ones warning of impending discipline if behavior doesn't change
• Here's a recent Edutopia video that shows how one middle school teacher uses sticky notes to help her assess her students.

Expectations

Once again Kevin Eikenberry provides some great wisdom. 

 

What Do You Expect? Four Areas of Expectations Required for Great Results

by Kevin Eikenberry on September 17, 2012

in Communication, Leadership, Leadership Communication, Learning

Poor performance, turnover, conflict and disengagement. This reads like a checklist of most leaders’ worst fears. I know, because they get mentioned to me nearly every day when I talk with, coach, consult with and train leaders.
While there is no single silver bullet answer to solve all four of these problems, there is one major component common to all. Dissect issues of poor performance, look at the causes of employee turnover, find the root of most workplace conflicts and disengagement and you will find unclear or mismatched expectations.
But don’t just nod your head and agree with me philosophically; think about one of the challenges you face today as a leader – I’d be willing to wager unclear expectations is playing at least some role in the situation. Keep thinking about your situation and consider the four areas of expectations that follow. For optimum performance and strong relationships, make sure expectations are crystal clear in all four of these areas…
The work itself. People need to know exactly what is expected of them for the work itself. What levels of work quality are required? What defines successful completion of work? What are the boundaries on responsibilities? What are and what aren’t the roles of the job? This all includes, but goes beyond, the job description. For optimum performance and strong working relationships, these must all be clearly understood and mutually agreed to.
Most people might think this is enough. And to be honest, there are often big gaps here, and if you close these gaps things will improve dramatically. But there are three more areas of expectations worth clarifying and codifying.
The communication. How do we communicate? About what? When? How often? Using what medium? Communication is a critical component of organizational life and is far too important to leave to chance. Without clear expectations here, people operate based on their preferences and their habits, which might not meet the needs of others in the organization. More workplace conflicts probably start here than any other place. If you want to improve the communication in your organization, spend some time clarifying what is expected in your communication.
The time. Time gets in our way a lot too. What does “I need it Friday” mean? Does it mean it is on my desk at the start of my day or is the close of business fine? Does it matter when people work or how they work? Do people know what the expected response times are for inquiries from Customers, co-workers and leadership? If not, people may swing far from what you assume to be obvious. Without clarity here, people could either be on their email device 24/7 striving for immediate response, or at the other extreme assuming a couple of days is fine for that request.
The culture. People don’t work in a vacuum – the workplace itself is an important component of the work itself. When people are hired either fresh from school or from another organization, they bring their past experience and habits with them. If those experiences and habits differ from “the way things are done around here”, there will be mismatched expectations. These mismatches can lead to a perception that people aren’t a good fit, can be the initial source of poor performance (perceived or reality) and the root of interpersonal conflicts. Make sure that the organizational norms and overall expectations are explained. Help people see that understanding and matching their behavior with cultural expectations, while more subtle than some other factors, is incredibly important to their success.
Human beings operate and perform based on their view of the world. In the absence of clear expectations, they create their own worldview. The nasty words we use for that are – we assume. To create great performance, improve employee satisfaction and engagement and reduce the incidences of workplace conflict, spend more time on setting clear expectations.
When you do that everyone knows the answer to “what do you expect?” and more success will follow.

The Blessing of Work

Honoring and celebrating work is something we will want to do at Esperanza.  The Blessing of Work

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

More than 1,600 years ago, St. Augustine is said to have taught this timeless truth: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” Indeed, our willingness to work can make a big difference in life. A leader who worked for several years in a service organization with hundreds of young men and women observed that the defining quality of the best young leaders was their ability to work. Those who knew how to work were happier, more confident, and better able to adapt to new situations. They were problem solvers. And most often, those young people went on to have successful lives. From early on, work spelled the difference. And so we celebrate work. In the late 1800s, the United States Congress designated the first Monday in September as Labor Day—a day to commend work and those who do it. It’s a day set aside to rest from labor, even as we remember all those who labor to build this nation: in the farms and factories, the offices and warehouses, the stores and schools—anyplace where honorable, honest labor is performed. Those who work fuel the progress of nations and the betterment of our communities. Truly, workers deserve a pat on the back and a heartfelt reminder of their importance in our society. Work is good for the soul. It builds muscle and character, it strengthens hand and heart, and nothing gets done or moves forward without it. And though work is different today than a hundred years ago, it’s still essential to life and happiness. Good work satisfies the soul and makes the world go round. And so, on this day when we praise work and workers, may we roll up our sleeves and celebrate the blessing of work. Program #4329 "La bendición del trabajo” Se dice que hace más de 1.600 años, San Agustín enseñó esta verdad eterna: "Ora como si todo dependiera de Dios, y trabaja como si todo dependiera de ti”. De hecho, el estar dispuesto a trabajar puede marcar una gran diferencia en la vida. Un líder que trabajó varios años en una organización de servicio, con cientos de jóvenes, comentó que la cualidad que más define a los líderes jóvenes es su habilidad para trabajar. Los que sabían trabajar eran más felices, tenían más confianza en sí mismos, se adaptaban mejor a nuevas situaciones y sabían resolver problemas. Además, esos jóvenes tenían más probabilidades de lograr el éxito. Desde un principio, el trabajo marcó la diferencia. Por eso celebramos el trabajo. A finales de la década de 1800, el Congreso de los Estados Unidos designó el primer lunes de septiembre como Día del Trabajo, un día para encomiar tanto la labor como a los obreros, y para descansar del trabajo al recordar a los que se esfuerzan por forjar esta nación en granjas, fábricas, oficinas, almacenes, tiendas y escuelas ---en cualquier lugar donde se haga trabajo honrado. Los que trabajan estimulan el progreso de las naciones y de las comunidades. En verdad, los trabajadores merecen nuestro encomio y el recuerdo sincero de su importancia en nuestra sociedad. El trabajo beneficia el alma, forma músculo y carácter, fortalece la mano y el corazón, y sin él nada avanza. Y aunque ahora el trabajo es diferente de lo que era hace cien años, sigue siendo esencial para la vida y para la felicidad. El buen trabajo satisface el alma y mueve al mundo. En este día en que elogiamos el trabajo y a los trabajadores, pongamos manos a la obra y celebremos la bendición de trabajar.

Faith

Feel like I am doing this every day as we get ready to open Esperanza.  :)  I imagine we will continue to do so even after we open. 

Teams

Felt Kevin Eikenberry had some great insights about teams. 

To Team or Not to Team?

by Kevin Eikenberry on September 19, 2012

in Collaboration, Leadership, Learning, Teams

Everyone thinks teams are a good thing. Leaders like to form teams. People, for the most part, believe in the value and purpose of teams . . .
“All of us are smarter than each of us.” and “1 + 1 = 3” are just two common phrases that reinforce and prove how pervasive our belief in teams is.
And that belief is justified.
Sometimes.
The fact is sometimes we would be better off without a team – with individuals contributing as individuals.
What?
No team?
At least not the type of team you probably think of, when you think of a team.
Two Basic Types of Teams
To keep things simple, I believe there are two basic types of teams. There are basketball teams and there are track and field teams.
Basketball Teams
Basketball teams (or soccer or hockey) are teams that require, by the nature of their task, that everyone play as one unit. On teams in these sports, the players are interdependent. At any moment of any game, in order to be successful, the entire team needs to be working in harmony. The role of each player is designated by their position (which takes into account their innate strengths and acquired skills). However, at any moment during the flow of the game, the situation may require any player to take any role.
And on good teams of this sort, all players are willing to be flexible, to assist, to change roles, to “do what it takes.” Because they know that without working together, they can’t achieve their team goals of victory – the nature of the game forces interdependency among the team members.
Track and Field Teams
Players on track and field teams, on the other hand (except in a few relay events), are not interdependent, they are independent. Shot putters have a skill set that is largely unrelated to the sprinters. And the high jumpers can be personally skilled and successful without any tangible help or support from the distance runners.
At the end of the day (or meet), if enough individuals win, the team will win. The most successful of these teams will have highly talented individual contributors, supporting each other to reach their common goal of winning. In this way, they are definitely a team. They may feel allegiance to the group. They certainly can have pride in being a part of the group. They want each other to be successful. They know that they can all be more successful when each individual is more successful. They can have a common goal (to win the meet or championship). But the fundamental relationship between the players isn’t the same as it is on a basketball team.
What This Means to Us
In our organizations, we most likely have both sorts of teams. We have teams that work in a process flow or project where the outputs of one person directly affect the work of the next – where the work and the people are highly interdependent.
We also have teams that look more like the track and field team. In these situations people are working toward a common mission and goal, but their work doesn’t intersect in nearly the same ways as for the highly interdependent teams.
The challenge comes because, in my experience, we tend to want all teams to think they are basketball teams. If the work or project dictates that focus, great. But if you have a track and field (independent) team, you don’t need the same focus on interdependence and traditional “team building” activities.
What Do We Do Now?
If you lead a team or form teams, you need to think about and talk about this distinction. Determine what type of team you have (or need) and gain agreement with others. This will allow for appropriate and effective expectations to be set as well as appropriate plans for training, development and team building.
Knowing which type of team your work or project dictates is the first step towards helping that group of people be more successful and the work being done successfully.
So maybe it isn’t really, “To team or not to team?”, but “Which type of team?” that is the question.
Answer that one first. And, using the answer as a guide, you will be helping all of your teams (and the individuals on them) be more successful.

Grades

Some thoughts from David Ginsburg on grades: 

The power to compel some students to do something by giving them points for it. And the power to compel other students to not do something, since kids who lack confidence often blow off graded assignments (or cheat on them to avoid a bad grade).

Fortunately, it isn't true that students will only do something if it's graded. As a substitute teacher, I gave students brainteaser worksheets when teachers didn't leave me lesson plans. And students worked on them bell to bell. Many kids even stayed after class to ask me for the answers and get more worksheets. And guess what? I didn't collect or grade their papers. I was a sub, and students were unaccountable to me. They weren't engaged because it earned them points. They were engaged because the activities were engaging.
     
The reality, of course, is that grades are part of our K-12 system (college too). And in today's "gotta get through the curriculum before the test" world, you may not have the freedom to let kids work on Sudoku puzzles in class. (What a shame, since activities like this not only stretch kids' brains but can help raise scores.) But even if your job has been reduced to test prep, this doesn't mean you should assign a grade to everything students do.

Few entertainers or athletes would perform to their potential in shows or games if there were no room for error during rehearsal or practice. Similarly, the less pressure on kids to get the right answers in class, the more likely they are to get the right answers on tests. So let's stop slapping a grade on everything students do, and instead create classrooms that support risk-taking and learning from mistakes.

Let's do for students what directors and coaches do for actors and athletes: give timely, meaningful feedback. Let's assess what students know (and encourage them to self-assess) rather than grade them based on what they know.

Why History?

David McCullough gives us important reminders as to why studying history is important. 

 

Author David McCullough: The pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of greater knowledge

By Benjamin Wood , Deseret News

Published: Monday, Sept. 17 2012 10:29 p.m. MDT

David McCullough speaks at a press conference as Utah Valley University hosts a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Center for Constitutional Studies Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, in Orem, Utah. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)

OREM — Renowned author and scholar David McCullough said the genius passed down by the Founding Fathers should not be disregarded. But neither should the current government become frozen by the Constitution, the nation's measure of good governance.
"Washington called it a guide and we should remember that," McCullough said, speaking at Utah Valley University on Monday.
McCullough's comments were part of a Constitution Day program at the UCCO Center, which coincided with the ribbon-cutting of the university's new Center for Constitutional Studies. Thousands of students and community members attended the keynote address, in which McCullough said there was a need for improvement in the teaching of history, particularly in regard to the founding of the United States.
"History is human" he said, emphasizing that the Founding Fathers were not gods, as they are sometimes portrayed, but instead were human beings of flesh and blood.

David McCullough speaks at a press conference as Utah Valley University hosts a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Center for Constitutional Studies in connection with the university's Constitution Week events Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, in Orem, Utah. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)

"The fact that they did what they did, despite their own personal failures, despite adversity, despite little or no seeming chance of success is one of the greatest stories in all of history," he said, "and it is true."
McCullough the author of "1776" and "John Adams," and recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, offered an indictment of the current state of student knowledge in history, even as he praised UVU's new center and the need for more at other institutions of higher learning.
He described the current generation of students as "historically illiterate," saying that overall, Americans possess a sketchy, thin level of understanding of the nation's founding and the constitutional framework of society.
"I think we're swindling students with the illusion that they're educated and they're not," he said. "I know students. I know what they know and I know what they don't know."

David McCullough speaks as Utah Valley University hosts a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Center for Constitutional Studies Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, in Orem, Utah. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)

Later on, speaking before the audience in the UCCO Center, McCullough said that compared to our ancestors, who studied literature, law, politics, art and agriculture while living shorter lives without modern comfort, we are "softies."
"We have been coddled," he said. "We have been comforted and made to feel secure in ways they never knew."
McCullough also pointed out the responsibility and accountability the founders took upon themselves by signing the Declaration of Independence – an act of treason against the British crown. He said there is a similar need for accountability and engagement among society today for what goes on in government. He called the pursuit of happiness the pursuit of greater knowledge.
"We are accountable for what happens in the government and the direction of our country and we are accountable for the education of our children and grandchildren," he said. "They didn't mean vacations. They didn't mean more stuff. They meant the life of the mind, the love of learning."

UVU President Matthew S. Holland speaks as Utah Valley University hosts a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Center for Constitutional Studies in connection with the university's Constitution Week events Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, in Orem, Utah. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)

While introducing McCullough, Rick Griffin, the founding director of the Center for Constitutional Studies, described him as a historical "tour guide." He said McCullough, through his writing, places a reader among Washington's army or in Independence Hall during the constitutional debates.
Near the end of his remarks, McCullough acknowledged the personal nature of his research and writing. He said parents should take their children to historical sites such as Independence Hall or the Capitol. He said teachers – who he said do the most important and influential work in the country – need to encourage the "adventure of learning" by having students write and read more than they are currently required to.
"I've had the great privilege of getting to know these people well," McCullough said of the Founding Fathers. "In many ways, I know them better than people in my own real life."

Utah Valley University hosts a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Center for Constitutional Studies in connection with the university's Constitution Week events Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, in Orem, Utah. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)

During the center's ribbon cutting, UVU President Matthew Holland emphasized that in addition to the honor of having McCullough participate in the university program, the true purpose of the event and the new center was an academic focus on the U.S. Constitution.
"It's what we will study," he said. "It's what we will reflect on. It's what we will try to defend."
In conjunction with his participation at the center's ribbon-cutting, McCullough was given the center's Inaugural Honorary Fellow Award.
The Center for Constitutional Studies is hosting a number of events in celebration of Constitution Day. On Thursday, George Washington University professor and writer Jon Turley will give a free address to the public at 11 a.m.

E-mail: benwood@desnews.com

Copyright 2012, Deseret News Publishing Company

Famous Failures

This helps to reinforce Carol Dweck's growth-mindset theory. 

Two Favorite Poems by Langston Hughes

Both of these poems have great messages. 

Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair,
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
and boards torn up,
and places with no carpet on the floor
Bare,
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light,
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard,
Don't you fall now
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.


Merry-Go-Round

Where is the Jim Crow section
On this merry-go-round,
Mister, cause I want to ride?
Down South where I come from,
White and colored
Can't sit side by side
Down South on the train
There's a Jim Crow car.
On the bus we're put in the back--
But there ain't no back
To a merry-go-round!
Where's the horse
For a kid that's black!

Communicating with Parents

I feel the info from FeedBlitz this morning had some great food for thought on how to communicate with parents. 

Recently I was asked about the idea of using specialized software to connect with parents so that they can login, see all of their child’s grades, marks, assignments, homework, and a ton of other information. Although I believe that these systems are designed to help make our systems transparent and ensure that we connect with kids, are they really effective for learning and improving our relationships with parents? If they are frustrated with the software, logins, etc., will this actually improve what is happening in our schools or do they actually perpetuate the “factory model” of school; go in, get information, and get out. I think that with the ease of many technology that educators, students, and parents use, there are other ways that we can bring parents into our classrooms and schools.

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Consider parents partners in learning. Any information that you think can deepen the conversations at home about the learning that is happening in the classroom will only help improve the learning of the child. The web levels the playing field that we all have access to the same information. Take advantage. Share articles that you are reading, blog about professional development that you have attended, and ask them for feedback. Don’t use “Web 2.0″ technologies in “1.0″ ways. Share what is happening in your classroom and give parents the opportunity to share their expertise and knowledge in easy and meaningful ways.
2. Go to where parents are. Try using things such as Facebook and Twitter as opposed to making grandiose systems that are complicated and hard to use. Many parents now understand how to use those sites so be where they are at. I am all for Twitter and think it is a great communication tool, but is it where parents are communicating this time? Find out what sites they are on, and try to create a presence to connect with them. If parents are uncomfortable, follow what Patrick Larkin does and have workshops on how they can connect, while also helping them build an awareness of digital identity. Why would we spend a ton of money on big systems when parents are also using social media sites that FREE! (Here is a great example of a school using YouTube to share what is happening in their classroom!) Use both of those things to your advantage and bring them in to the classroom.
3. Share student work. Parents don’t go to a Christmas Concert to see the teacher; they go to see their child. If you give them opportunities to see different work from students, they are more likely to be interested in the places you are communicating then by simply posting homework assignments. Make opportunities for parents to look at the learning and creation that is happening in schools to make it more meaningful for them.
4. Talk. The thing that scares me about these “automated” systems is that it actually lends to less opportunities for conversation about the children that we are serving. I think that phone calls, emails (only send emails that contain positive messages; save the tough conversations for either face-to-face or phone calls), and other ways of talking are important to helping not only an understanding of where the child is at, but also to help build a relationship of support and respect between the parent and teacher. With all of the technology that we have in the world, we still have to consistently take advantage and make time for face-to-face conversations. New and quick isn’t always better. Make time to have conversations. Technology can help make some great connections, but don’t go away from the old method of actually talking.

I have said many times over that the most important factor in the success of a child in school is if the parent is reinforcing the learning that is happening in the classroom. Not simply by hanging out in the school, but by reinforcing and discussing the learning. For example, the standard question for a child when they get home from school is, “what did you learn today?”, with the standard answer being “nothing”. Help change that conversation by sharing the learning that is happening in the classroom. The conversation could then become, “I saw that you were learning about _______ , tell me what your thinking is on that subject?” Totally different question which will probably lead to a more powerful and meaningful answer.
Help change those conversations at home by figuring out how to meaningfully connect with parents.

Aspire

Even if you don't speak Spanish, this picture says it all.  I think we should have use this picture to represent one of our values--maybe "aspire." 

Being Poor

Because Esperanza is specifically targeting Hispanic and/or low socioeconomic learners, I felt it would be helpful to think about the following:

Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.
Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.
Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.
Being poor is people surprised to discover that you are not actually stupid.
Being poor is a six-hour wait in the emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.
Being poor is never buying anything that someone else hasn't bought first.

Being poor is knowing where the shelter is.
Being poor people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.
Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.
Being poor is seeing how few few options you have.
Being poor is running in place.
Being poor is people wondering why you didn't leave.

Excerpted from "Being Poor" by John Scalzi
Book The Rich and the Rest of Us by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West--p.69

Mistakes

Some thoughts about mistakes that support Glasser's quality school and Carol Dweck's mind-set theory. 

"If you're not making at least 50 mistakes a day, you're not trying hard enough."  Anonymous

Give yourself as many retakes as you need.

"Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped."  African proverb

"Mistakes are the portals of discovery."  James Joyce

The goal becomes excellence, not perfection. 

Reflecting

More wisdom from Kevin Eikenberry:


This week’s quotation struck me hard when I read it. Not because of the words directly – but because of their implication for me and you. Check it out, read what I have written, and reflect on it for yourself.

“For the rest of my life I want to reflect on what light is.”
- Albert Einstein, physicist

Questions to Ponder

• How often do I reflect on anything?
• What do I want to learn about for the rest of your life?
• What interests me and compels me enough to keep learning about it?

Action Steps

1. Really reflect on the questions above.
2. When you have answers, get started.

My Thoughts

This quotation made me stop in my tracks.
It inspired me.
It convicted me.
It got me thinking about the power of purpose and the power of learning.
It reminded me too of what successful people do that others don’t. Most people wouldn’t have that single-minded purpose. Most people don’t reflect on much of anything, let alone something specific (and yes, difficult).
But most people don’t earn a Nobel Prize either.
If you want to achieve more in any area of your life, get more focused, and start learning.
Thanks Albert.

Esperanza Leaders/Teachers: Brand Yourself As a Reader

Donalyn Miller often posts wonderful ideas and counsel.  This is a great one!

 

What the Kardashians Taught Me About Reading Instruction (No, For Real)

By Donalyn Miller on September 9, 2012 9:57 AM

I don't watch the Kardashians and I admit that I cannot tell them apart. Thankfully, my colleague, Christopher Lehman, found a way to connect the reality TV family with my passion for reading. I hope you enjoy Chris's humorous and insightful guest post!

Christopher Lehman (@iChrisLehman) is an author, a speaker, and a lead staff developer with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University. His newest book, Energize Research Reading and Writing, is available now. Find him at his new blog.

What the Kardashians Taught Me About Reading Instruction (No, For Real)by Christopher Lehman

This all started on Twitter when Donalyn, I and a few friends somehow got on the topic of the Kardashians. And by "on the topic," I mean: I brought it up.
Which got me to thinking--and please follow me on this one--we could learn a lot about reading instruction from this particular reality TV family. Or perhaps my real message here is: if we take up a metaphor - even seemingly as non sequitur as Kim, Kourt, and Khloe - we can see our instruction in a new light.
Brand Yourself as a Reader, So Your Students Will Emulate
Kim Kardashian is on television, social media, billboards, magazines, ads on sides of buses, even Oprah. Love her or hate her, she is everywhere. And everywhere she shows up she is styled to be glamorous, branded to be the very fashionable friend you maybe, just maybe could have in your life if you shopped at the same places and bought the same things. We need to take a lesson from Ms. K and brand ourselves as readers just as carefully so our students have that vision to aspire to.
Donalyn is the consummate example of this, when you think "Donalyn Miller" you instantly think "reading." Why? Because she talks about books, posts about books, asks you about books, writes books about books, she is a one woman reading marketing blitz. So ask yourself, are you known as "a reader"? Do people look at you and think "that guy's got to know a great book for me to read next"? Do your students think "when it comes to reading, she's the real deal."
So this year, brand yourself as a reader:

• Have a predictable opening line. My friend Audra, for example, quite regularly begins conversations by asking, "What are you reading?" She has done that so often with me, that I have started doing the same thing with others. It's as catchy as a catch phrase.
• Any press is good press, as long as it's press. Don't think you can only talk about reading when you've just finished a great book. Even talking about how hard you are finding it to make time to read, or how you just can't find a good book, is still a book conversation: "I have four half-read books on my Kindle that I just can't seem to find the time to read. I'm particularly feeling bad about Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, because Melody, the main character just shocked her entire class and I'm nervous to find out what will happen next..." Ta-da, you're talking about reading. Even if you feel ashamed.


• Post your reading life anywhere you can. Place a "I'm currently reading..." white-board on your classroom/office/bedroom door. Post reviews on Twitter or Goodreads or Nerdy Book Club or anywhere you can think to. Wallpaper your room with book covers from books you have read or want to read next. Be as annoying-mazing with your branding as a Kardashian SlimFast ad followed by a Kardashian perfume ad followed by a preview of their next super new episode. Be everywhere.

If you are branding yourself as a reader, it also means you cannot dilute the brand by engaging in things readers just never do. Saying "I'm a reader!" and then forcing your children to turn to page 167 of Chapter 18 of the Language Arts textbook is like Kourtney posing for Us Weekly without make-up--it just doesn't happen on purpose. An anthologized textbook doesn't know your students, their strengths, interests or needs. Walk the walk, not just the talk. Readers don't let readers skim to answer chapter questions.
Treat Your Library as a Marketing Genius Would, To Attract Your "Buyers"
We are all consumers, our students are as well. We must be enticing, intriguing, flat out marketing machines. If you see your classroom (or home) library as simply "a place to hold books" and your role as "re-sorter of those books" then, my friend, you are very boring. Also, you are not living up to mama-manager, Kris Jenner's example: take every opportunity to promote your clients and your products.
This year, look at your library as if you need to sell those books, not just house them:

• Rotate your stock often. Put some titles in more prominent places, really highlight books that match your current study, and move untouched titles in the place of ones that everyone is reading. Then do the whole thing again next month.
• Special events boost "sales." Perhaps make some books "special" that students have to wait for. A section of your library cordoned off by "caution" tape, stating that those new nonfiction titles will be made public in three weeks (while making sure they are just visible enough to build intrigue).


• Poll your audience often and be responsive. Instead of labeling shelves "fiction" and "nonfiction." Ask your students what kinds of books they love, then slap those tags right on the shelf. "Drama, Drama, Drama" and "Scary Murder Books" are some of my recent favorites. Enlist focus groups of students to help you review, restyle, and restock your library often.

A good manager also has an ever expanding product line and list of appearances. If you go to the trouble of setting up a gorgeous library, don't just check it off the list. Instead, keep growing it (and when you run out of space, help the classroom next door or even one across town grow, too.) I wrote a post on the "book gap" and reasons for reading here (which contains some helpful statistics if you are making the case for more books to others!).

Reality Means Real (Mostly), Present It As Such
The Kardashian family is most well known for having cameras follow them everywhere, nearly all of the time. We see every fight, every joke, every move (and yes, maybe my wife and I make it a point to see every episode. Don't judge.). The point is that they aim to be real, well mostly real. Our reading instruction, then, needs to take up that same lead. To be as close to real as possible.
There is always a place for scaffolding in instruction, for sure. I doubt that when you bend over to tie your shoe as an adult you first say, "Make a bunny with the laces. He runs aaaarrrooound the tree. Jumps in the hole. Close that burrow up tight. Now my shoe is tied!" You do not say that today, but you may have said that at one point to do shoe-tying well. I am completely in favor of providing supports for students, like teaching them to jot about their reading on post-its, then eventually in notebooks, all to practice metacognition that is eventually in their heads. But, even pseudo-real reality TV has a lot of real in it.
Anything you aim to do in reading instruction should go through a "does this feel mostly real?" test that I image the producers of any more staged reality show goes through (I'm not suggesting Kardashians is one of those, lawyers).

• Ask, "Would this be how people normally act?" Meaning, does that funky seven-bubble chart worksheet feel exactly like, or a close precursor to, how you actually read and think about a text? If no, if it doesn't feel on the line to real--pseudo-real--then it's most likely not worth teaching with it.
• Ask, "Is it mostly real?" You improve your reading by reading. Not just by listening to people talk about reading, not by filling out worksheets about reading. By reading. This time is the most essential. Reality reading means time for reading, really.

Lastly, any major television production has tons and tons of behind the scenes work to have it run smoothly (seriously, just watch the Kardashian episode when Oprah came to interview the family - their house was taken over by Oprah's crew and equipment). You are your readers' set designer, lighting tech, director, producer, acting coach. Every effort you make to live as a reader, design spaces that inspire reading, and support real reading time, will in turn make each one of your students a star.

I'd love to hear more about ways you are making reading a celebrity affair and I know others would to. Please share your stories and ideas in the comments.