Benefits of Membership in Professional Organizations

I recently joined ASCD (formerly Assn. of Supervisory and Curriculum Development). A couple of days ago I received the May 2011 edition of its publication, Educational Leadership. The theme of this edition is school, family, and community partnerships. The articles were excellent! The timing couldn't have been better since Carmen Thompson--one of our Esperanza Board members-- and I are going to be meeting soon about this very topic for Esperanza.

As I ponder on this whole experience a few things come to mind. First, just like any other profession, it is important for our Esperanza educators to belong to professional organizations and read their literature...and even attend conferences and participate in the organization when feasible. It helps us stay on top of what is happening in our profession. We wouldn't want to go to a doctor, dentist, lawyer, etc. who wasn't aware of the latest research. Second, I am amazed that when we have a focused goal how many serendipitous experiences occur. If we didn't have an Esperanza focused goal to be a Community Learning School I'm not sure this recent publication would have caught my attention--at least, not to the degree it did. Third, it is important to share what we learn so we will remember it better. Therefore, not only will Carmen and I be discussing this but I'll make copies of 3 articles from the publication (the allowable amount) to give to our future Esperanza educators. Fourth, a professional publication such as this can lead to more people, books, and other resources that can benefit us.

Obviously educators are extremely busy but it is well worth it to glean from professional organizations.

Is It Essential?

Yesterday morning I watched a BYU Devotional speech by Dr. Larry Howell. He spoke of a time he had meticulously planned for a trip to London only to find when he was ready to leave that his passport had expired. All of his planning went right down the drain because he had missed taking care of this essential item. He went on to explain how important it is not to neglect those things that are essential. Because it was a devotional speech he was obviously talking about things related to our spirituality, but the principle applies to all areas of our lives. It definitely applies as we plan for Esperanza.

I recently read a book by Michael Schmoker called Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning. It made me realize that rather than being all over the place trying to implement each new education fad our Esperanza scholars would be better served if we concentrated on what is essential for them to be successful.

This point was brought home to me again as I have been reading a book by Anne T. Henderson called Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships. There is a section in the book that talks about the need to focus parent activities on student learning rather than just have an activity for the sake of having an activity.

Talking about what is essential reminded me of a quote in the book The Little Prince: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." As we sort out what it essential for our Esperanza scholars it is critical that we use our heart as well as our mind.