Parenting Classes

This morning I listened to the BYU Forum speech given by Dr. Laura Padilla-Walker on July 26, 2011. The topic of her speech was positive parenting. The principles and concepts Dr. Walker shared from her research could also be applied to teaching. Either way she would be a tremendous resource for us to do some parenting classes.

"The Country of the Blind"

The movie we watched the other day--The Music Never Stopped--is based on a story called "The Last Hippie." While doing a "google search" to find out more information about the character in the movie (and story) I discovered that the story was in a book called An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks. I checked the book out of the library and started to read it. In the book the author tells seven paradoxical tales of neurological disorder and creativity. Fascinating!

In the first tale there is a footnote where Sacks mentions a short story by H.G. Wells "The Country of the Blind." In this story for fourteen generations the people in this country have been blind and cut off completely from the seeing world. They have made for themselves new sensibilities and imagination. By a freak accident a "seeing" man--Nunez--finds them. He is determined to teach them about sight and what they have been missing. Yet, the people feel that it is he who is inferior for he doesn't have the sensibilities they have.

This story by H.G. Wells is a reminder that we should not look upon others who may not have what we consider assets as having deficits. The very things we may consider deficits may have allowed them to develop assets we don't have. As we recognize and celebrate those assets we can all be enriched.

Where Best to Invest the $$$

I had to go shopping today as I was in desperate need of some new shoes as well as some other items. In spite of the fact that I strive to be frugal it's hard not to spend at least $100 at times for needed items. It's hard to not be a little discouraged. The following poem which is a favorite came to mind while I was wallowing in some self-pity about finances.

One Hundred Years From Now
Author Unknown

One hundred years from now

It won't matter

What kind of car I drove

What kind of house I lived in

How much money I had in the bank

Nor what my clothes looked like

BUT

The world may be a little better

Because, I was important

In the life of a child

Therefore, guess I will continue to choose to invest in inspirational books about education and attend seminars and conferences that will make me a better educator...even if it means I have to buy the $15 pair of shoes instead of the $27 pair of shoes.

Bring On the Music

Last night we watched the movie The Music Never Stopped based on a true story about the impact music therapy had on a young man who had experienced brain damage. If music can be this powerful in an extreme case such as this it can definitely have an impact on our Esperanza scholars.

A study mentioned in the journal Social Science Quarterly in 2009 reveals that music participation, defined as music lessons taken in or out of school and parents attending concerts with their children, has a positive effect on reading and mathematic achievement in early childhood and adolescence.

The study went onto to mention that certain groups are disadvantaged in access to music education. Families with high socioeconomic status participate more in music than do families with lower socioeconomic status. In addition to social class as a predictor of music participation, ethnicity is also a factor. Asians and Whites are more likely to participate in music than are Hispanics.

We are committed to providing a schoolwide violin/mariachi program for all our Esperanza scholars. We will also encourage teachers to incorporate a variety of music in all feasible ways in their classrooms to not only learn vocabulary and concepts but also to feed the soul.

Kaisan

I really like the concept of the word “kaisan” as it fits so beautifully with Dr. William Glasser’s Quality School Model. Kaizen was created in Japan following World War II. The word Kaizen means "continuous improvement". It comes from the Japanese words 改 ("kai") which means "change" or "to correct" and 善 ("zen") which means "good".

Kaizen is a system that involves every employee - from upper management to the cleaning crew. Everyone is encouraged to come up with small improvement suggestions on a regular basis. This is not a once a month or once a year activity. It is continuous. Kaizen is based on making changes anywhere that improvements can be made. Western philosophy may be summarized as, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The Kaizen philosophy is to "do it better, make it better, improve it even if it isn't broken, because if we don't, we can't compete with those who do."

Kaizen involves setting standards and then continually improving those standards. To support the higher standards Kaizen also involves providing the training, materials and supervision that is needed for employees to achieve the higher standards and maintain their ability to meet those standards on an on-going basis.

Keep in mind that Kaizen is about action. Taking action to generate suggestions, and taking action to implement those suggestions immediately.

The Inspiration of Lafayette

This morning I finished reading Lafayette by Harlow Giles Unger. In the preface there was a quote by John Stuart Mill about Lafayette: "He was not the influence of genius, not even of talents; it was the influence of a heroic character. It was the influence of one who, in every situation, and throughout a long life, had done and suffered everything which opportunity had presented itself of doing and suffering for the right...Honor be to his name, while the record of human worth shall be preserved among us! It will be long ere we see his equal, long ere there shall rise such a union of character and circumstances as shall enable any other human being to live such a life."

I knew that Lafayette was a great man but this biography helped to realize how incredibly great he truly was. He faced unbelievable trials and afflictions, including personal attacks. Yet, he stayed true to his principles through it all. His life has inspired me to be a better person and a better leader...and to cultivate friendships with people of the highest calibre. This is what biographies of great people can do for us. Therefore, we want to find ways to introduce our Esperanza scholars to biographies and autobiographies of excellent men and women throughout history who can inspire them.

Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty

Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty is an unsung hero in his native Ireland. During the German occupation of Rome from 1942 to 1944, he ran an escape organization for Allied POWs and civilians, including Jews. He placed thousands in safety and was known as `the Pimpernel of the Vatican.' When the Allies entered Rome he had saved over 6,000 lives. He did this in spite of the Vatican's desire to remain neutral. He posed a question to Pope Pius XII as they discussed the risks the Monsignor's actions posed to the Vatican's political neutrality: "But what is our duty when we come face to face with evil?"

We want our Esperanza scholars to have this kind of courage. Knowledge isn't sufficient. There have been numerous examples of people throughout history who have used their knowledge for evil purposes. Therefore, we need to continually expose our scholars to examples of those who used knowledge to benefit others and to stand for the right, even in spite of danger to oneself.