Questions > Answers

In an economy and a society flooded up with answers,

it will be questions that will set us apart.

Only questions solve.

We have the solutions.

We need the questions.

Only questions solve.

Only questions solve.

Lower Your Standards

Over the weekend, I was trying to accomplish a million different projects – for home, for work, for that other job, for organizations of which I am a part, and for myself.  It was tough work, but I was enjoying myself – to a point.  I kept trying to think about when I would be done with everything on my list.  I hoped it would be sooner rather than later, so I would not be scrambling at the eleventh hour to finish up.  As I worked, I came across two important pieces of information.  The first was from Seth Godin – “the only path to amazing runs directly through not-yet-amazing” and another blogger who advocated for “lowering your standards.”

I am a bit of a perfectionist.  I like to make sure thing are done well, really well.  So trying to do a lot with really high standards can be stressful.  Really stressful.  I get asked a lot about how I can accomplish so much.  I have joked for years that you can get a lot done if you don’t care about quality.  It appears my joke held a hint of wisdom.

Not-so-amazing leads to amazing only because you have to start before you can finish.  You have to try before you can triumph.  By lowering my standards, I get started, I get more done, and I get closer to those high standards than if I had tried for them in the first place.  It is freeing – more creativity, more down on the page, more, just more.  And after there is more, you can go back and improve.  Use what you have to get better, to get even more.

Go lower, get more done!

(I wonder how low I have to go to get my dissertation done?!?!)

My Wants – Class of 2013

I want students with

minds open to taking in new ideas,

hearts open to share their passions, and

hands open to accept the opportunities that will bring them success.

 

I got all of that with our Class of 2013.  Congratulations and safe travels as your journey continues.

Dr. E. Almost

The title of this blog comes from a nickname given to me by several students, who know that I am working on my dissertation.

A senior this week asked if I was going to graduate with my doctorate at the same time that they were graduating.  Their graduation is only two weeks away, and sadly I will not be graduating with them.  I told her I still have my dissertation left to write.  This senior replied, “you can get that done in 10 days.”  I reminded her it was supposed to be 200 pages and needed to be reviewed by a committee of five university professors.  She agreed that I probably wouldn’t be getting it done to be able to walk across our stage with my cap and gown like them.

The conversation reminded me that I’ve made choices this past year.  We all make choices in our lives and we need to be responsible for them.  I don’t have many regrets, other than that I couldn’t make time to work on my dissertation. In retrospect, I kept myself pretty busy during the school year with all the activities in my district as well as a new family member and new opportunities to stretch myself beyond my role as a district superintendent.  As I sit here writing this, I do not believe that I would trade those opportunities and yet they consumed time I did not spend on my dissertation.  I have to recognize that.  I need to “own that”.

Most people would not disagree with the choices I’ve made, but I must remember that one of my goals will be left unfulfilled this year.  I think back to last September and I really have accomplished nothing towards meeting my dissertation.  That is a sad truth for me to realize and it is difficult to share publicly.  But perhaps by sharing publicly I can get some support from the universe to complete it.

More importantly, perhaps I can recognize that something of value to me is something that hurts inside me, but something I should prioritize and do.  Seth Godin recently said, “you don’t need more time, you just need to decide”.  I feel like I am there.  I don’t need more time to think about my topic; I just need to do it.  I just need to sit down and let the words flow like they are with this blog post.  I just need to do it, to make it a priority for myself, to sacrifice other things so that this becomes my goal and my accomplishment.

Well, I may not be in my doctoral robe at this year’s graduation, but I will remind students to be conscious of their choices, to own the consequences of their choices and to make sure they are fully aware of the implications of what they do.  That is success in life.  And I don’t need to Ph.D. (or Ed.D.) to know that.

And my hope is that I will no longer be “Dr. E. Almost”  in two years when her younger brother graduates.

Act on Your Faith

“If He takes you to it; He’ll take you through it.”

 

Have faith.  And act on it.

Believe.  Now.  

Achieve.  Now.

(simple message, profound impact - if we do something now.)

Stronger

Stronger.

Everyone of us asks for, in some way, to become stronger, to better take on the demands of our daily lives.  And in the process of asking for strength, we must honestly admit our weaknesses.  We must admit our threshold for pain and fatigue and weariness.  We must, in fact, admit our failures and shortcomings.

All of this in the hopes that we will be granted additional strength to take on bigger problems, better challenges or more difficult situations.  Sometimes we task for more strength because the amount of obstacles and challenges are too much for us.  We grow tired and we grow depressed and we begin to doubt ourselves.  And every moment that we doubt ourselves is a moment that we sap strength from ourselves.

We must, I believe, feel strong to feel stronger.  We must believe that we are capable of mighty things to feel we have the strength to tackle mighty things.  We must know our limits and be prepared to test them.

Rainbows and Reflections (#ASCD13)

The 2013 ASCD Annual Conference (ac13.ascd.org) was a highlight of my career for many wonderful reasons.

1. I presented at my first national conference!  It was on personalized learning and competency-based education efforts in my school district and my state.  I was lucky to have my 6-12 principal, Josh Griffith, there with me to present.  It was great to connect with other educators passionate about this work and willing to share their questions and answers with me.

2. Two teachers from my district gave their first presentation at a national conference.  It was great to know that the passion and knowledge they share every day with their students was also shared with educators who can impact thousands of other students because of their message.

3. The individual presentations that I attended such as Design Thinking, Socratic Seminars, and Off the Clock (competency-based education) truly stretched my thinking.  All presenters demonstrated a passion for improving the educational system as well as specific strategies for supporting all learners in the system.

4. The session with former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was informative and entertaining.  She explained to us her video game project, iCivics, as well as shared stories from her groundbreaking life.  Justice O’Connor had me thinking and chuckling at the same time.  She is an incredible woman, a great legal mind, and a late-in-life comic!

5. Finally, the general session with Dr. Maya Angelou will be an experience I hope I never forget.  Confined to a wheelchair with one eye going bad, Dr. Angelou energized the crowd, bringing fits of laughter and moments of tears.  She reminded all of us that we are “rainbows in the clouds” – sometimes in situations we may know, but many times in situations where we had no idea we made an imprint.  She shared stories from her life about the rainbows that guided her, supported her and nurtured her.  In turn, she applauded us for being rainbows to students, to parents, to community members and to educators both in the next classroom and around the world.  I am rarely speechless, yet Dr. Angelou said all that could – and should – be said for us.

I am a better educator now for having attending the 2013 ASCD Annual Conference.  I hope I can remain inspired by what I heard, saw, and felt.  I know my rainbow is needed!

Safer, Not Safe

The following is a re-post of mine from ASCD’s Whole Child Education Blog:

Safety. Before the Sandy Hook tragedy, we thought we knew what safe meant at Collins-Maxwell.  We are a small, rural community school district in Iowa serving 500 students with an elementary school in one town and a secondary school in another.  We are a community that knows each other; we are open, inviting, welcoming, and trusting.  We usually know the people who come into buildings, and we trust that those we do not know are here for a valid purpose.

All of that innocence, naïveté, and comfort were robbed from us when the shots were fired at Sandy Hook.  I wept at an administrative meeting that afternoon thinking of my students I had vowed to protect and my own children.  The following Monday, I stood at the front doors of my elementary school as staff and, later, students passed by.  I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing there, other than to provide a presence of protection and comfort.  That night I sat in a board meeting and listened to worried parents ask about our evacuation and lockdown procedures, plead for greater security, and suggest we arm teachers with stun guns.

When I asked one elementary teacher what she told the students as they entered her class filled with questions about Sandy Hook and the anxiety that it could occur here, she replied, “I told them I was here and they would be safe.”  Other teachers told me about how they had checked the weight of tables to use to barricade the doors, the width of windows to get students out, or what objects they would throw at an attacker.

As I write this, I am filled with hope and pride that I work with such dedicated staff.  They, too, would give their own lives to save their students’ lives.  I am also filled with a sense of dread and despair that as much as we want students to be safe, staff to be prepared, and administrators to act on policies in an instant, we cannot keep evil out.

But we are going to try.  Our school district is working with our county sheriff’s office to prepare our students and staff—and communities—for the threat of evil.  Our law enforcement department is training schools and other entities on the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) preparedness model.  ALICE is the only preparedness model supported by the Department of Homeland Security and is research-based.  The program empowers the participants to respond to a threat, not to become a victim. It gives tips for when it is appropriate to lock down the school as opposed to evacuation, how to alert law enforcement, how to inform people inside the building where a shooter is located, and when to counter an attack using objects found in a regular classroom.

We must accept this fact: even with the best security, the best policies, and the best law enforcement, evil still exists.  Mental illness and malevolent behavior are too powerful of forces to be stopped by a barricaded classroom door.  We in this country are once again forced to realize that our schools can be relatively safe places, but never completely safe places.  It is very difficult for me to admit this because I want a great school filled with a positive climate, strong relationships, and a collective spirit.  I have it now in both of my buildings.  What I don’t have, what I will never have again, is the sense of innocence and security like once before.  Locks, buzzers, and reinforced doors will only remind us of the danger that lurks; it will not end the danger.

As strong, proud educators, we must focus on the positive, build on our strengths, and prepare our students for this real world.  I do not know how to keep students safe.  But I do know how to make them safer.  The difference is vast and it is critical to me.  ”Safer” means that the students understand their reality and are prepared for it.  I can think of no greater duty for each and every educator.  We must teach them how to be empowered, to think for themselves, and to protect themselves.  We must teach them to be strong in the face of danger, not cower from it.

We must never teach our students to be victims and accept the ills of society.  We must be their champions, their guardians, and their warriors—until they can be them themselves.

Can you do more?

Can you do more?

It is a question I ask myself often.  In the midst of work, can I do more?  In the midst of playing with my family, can I do more?  In the midst of the work I do for other organizations, can I do more?

The real question for me is not “can I do more?” – it is “can I be more?”  Can I give my all to see my full potential?  Can I push myself to change, to improve, to grow?  Or will I maintain my status quo, remain as I am?

All the time that I am doing more, I am trying to make sure I am being something more.  I want to accomplish so much, learn so many things, grow in so many ways  - I hope to be someone better than I am today.

Lift Your Voice

In the last few weeks, we have been witness to too many educators having to stand in the face of danger to protect their students.  Recent events show once again the deep passion within educators.  So, how does my reflection of recent events connect with a blog post on advocacy?

Certainly, I will not use this space to discuss gun violence in schools.  Rather, I am struck by the notion that all teachers that I have spoken to recently about the tragedies in Connecticut and California have said in an instant that they would give their lives for their students.  But, when asked if they would advocate to politicians about any issue, most would not.

I am amazed by that reality – we will courageously give our lives for our students, but we are fearful to speak out.  What a powerful statement, in my opinion, about our profession – the honor to give one’s life in service and the humility to serve in silence.  Frankly, I feel we must change this dichotomy.  I feel it is long past time for educators to share our stories.

I admit I was one of those who felt my time was better spent focused on my students, my colleagues, my building and my district, instead of my politicians.  But over time, I grew frustrated that my legislators were making changes that negatively impacted my school, my peers, and – most importantly – my students.  I felt upset, frustrated, and powerless.

Upset?  Frustrated?  Powerless?  I wasn’t then, and I am not now.  I have a voice and a story to share.  We may think our stories are not worthy of the politicians, yet we share them with our students.  We use what we know and have experiences to help them grow.  More so, we have the stories of our students that we can, and should, tell.  Those stories need to be told, need to be heard, and need to be understood.

And the process is easy.  Simply write a letter or even an email to your legislators, or to other legislators that you can impact, and share your story.  Tell what you believe, what you observe, and what students need.  A legislator once told me that with the multitude of issues that they address in a legislative session, two or three pieces of communication are typical for any issue.  If they get 5-10 pieces, it is considered a major issue that they need to consider.

Just imagine right now that as you greet your colleagues in the hallway each day, if five of you wrote an email or letter, you would be making a meaningful impact on our legislators.  Or as you debate topics in the faculty lounge, if you stopped and emailed from your smartphones or tablet devices, you could sway a decision.  Your PLC or PLN could improve the lives of your students – and the lives of thousands more.

Every one of us has the power to lift up our voice, add it to the chorus of others, and deliver a powerful message to the Legislature, the Governor’s Office and the public at large.  I hope that you will recognize your ability to lead, and use it in another way to help your students.  We are a profession dedicated to help others learn.  It is time to help educate those making decisions about education.