Look What's Happening Up the Street

Today is a snow day here in Maine for most of our schools. One of the few happy remnants of our tenacious hold on the anachronistic agrarian calendar!

At NSDC Parker Palmer encouraged us to take back our profession and do what we know is right for our youth. Another keynoter, Jennifer James, also fomented revolution - a call to the Volunteers of America (and the world).

Jennifer is an urban cultural anthropologist whose main message is, "Civilization is ultimately the long process of learning to be kind. Take good care of yourself so you can take care of the rest of us." Before she began talking about schools in particular she created a context for the upheaval in which we find ourselves and our world. Jennifer defined culture as a tapestry that we constantly weave and unravel and re-weave. She said that currently the pace of change has been so fast and our leaders so focused on the short-term that our tapestry is in tatters. For us to have hope we need visionary leaders who can help us to see the new tapestry as we weave it, and who guide us to develop new wisdom traditions. Visionaries like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela unwound the old tapestries of their cultures and showed people what it would look like when we aligned our lives with our values. King had been to the "mountaintop" and had seen the "Promised Land." He knew he may not get there with us but was sure that we would. We wove a new tapestry and created a new culture. The roots of King's wisdom tradition grew from his faith, his values and his integrity.

Jennifer said that the "pace of change is robbing us of our wisdom traditions and we must bring them back -- we must be honest brokers of knowledge." She said that when we learn to concentrate our energy -- through technology, the economy, hierarchy -- we will begin to make real change. We can begin to change our belief systems, our mythologies, our culture. "When the peasants learn to read the kings lose power," she said, speaking broadly yet also referring to our current focus on corporate wealth. And, conversely, "the more you push poor people off the edge the more they will burn down the cities." This current wave of greed must be neutralized with compassion and the path of the heart.

Her message to us as educators was that we cannot in good conscience sit by and watch as the tapestry unravels. She sees teachers depressed, anxious and frightened by the learning curve ahead of them. As leaders in education we could learn from the leaders in the nursing profession, who, over the last generation, raised their own standards and pushed each other to meet them, and thereby elevated themselves to true professionals. Jennifer challenged us to give up tenure in exchange for professional respect, to demand higher salaries in turn for greater results -- and to take full responsibility to become more competent on our own. She challenged us to make reform through strategic partnerships with business and ocmmunity, and to not let what she called the "teaching lodge" (establishment) get in our way.

Lastly, in Jennifer's new book, Cultural Intelligence, she will teach us how to develop this skill critical to surviving and thriving in the 21st century. I am getting ready to read her book, Thinking in the Future Tense, while I await the new one...

...and while I join the rest of you in the street.

Put the Heart Before the Course

This is my first post for a while -- I spent the last week in Dallas at the National Staff Development Council Conference, immersed in professional learning with people of like mind on topics about which we are passionate. One of the reasons I went was to hear again one of the finest teachers I know, Parker Palmer. Parker's message resonates with those of us for whom teaching is a calling, a vocation, not simply a job. He speaks from roots in his tradition, that of the Religious Society of Friends, the Quakers, and its testimonies. The Quaker testimonies are based on the belief that there is that of God in everyone and that "worship and social action, the sacred and the secular, have no dividing walls between them." (retrieved from http://www.quaker.org.uk) This divinely inspired view of society grows from silent worship that waits on God and listens for Guidance, a mystical and practical approach to life.

Parker spoke to over four thousand people in Dallas, in a cavernous conference center surrounded by four huge screens that projected the speaker's image. He began his keynote by asking us all to join him in the Silence. I slipped into it, feeling enveloped by Love and full of admiration for this man who audaciously said to those to whom he was to speak, there is Someone else to whom you should first listen. The whole crowd quieted, and sat for many moments without speech.

Parker began quietly, naming our teachers as "culture heroes," those who are taking on all of the ills of society and doing it with heart and courage and little support. And, he spoke about how our government has increasingly foisted on schools mechanical solutions to complex problems, further taxing and demoralizing our teachers. Parker pointed out, as he says in one of his books, that: "Teacher-bashing has become a popular sport. . . . Teachers make an easy target, for they are such a common species and so powerless to strike back. We blame teachers for being unable to cure social ills that no one knows how to treat; we insist that they instantly adopt whatever "solution" has most recently been concocted by our national panacea machine; and in the process, we demoralize, even paralyze, the very teachers who could help us find our way." He spoke long and eloquently about how we need a revolution in America, a revolution that en-courages all of us in schools to share our hearts and souls with one another, to rise above the mandates and commit ourselves to the Light of learning and teaching. None of us can truly teach or learn unless we bring our whole selves to the process, and only then will we fulfill the promise of our society.

"I lift my lamp beside the golden door," says the Statue of Liberty. The golden door to the promised land is free quality public education for all. How can we, today and every day, honor and challenge ourselves and our colleagues to fulfill this promise by improving our art as well as our craft?

Silly Relevance

Here's a quick way to find out what kind of brain you have, for some fun.

http://web.tickle.com/tests/brain/index_main.jsp

A Whole Mind

I've read all of A Whole New Mind now and I feel like I learned quite a bit (and writing this blog helped, too -- there really is something to how writing can help improve one's thinking and learning). It also occurs to me that Pink's title refers to having a whole mind as well as a new mind. But I wonder how much my mind has changed as a result of reading the book, if at all?

Pink proposes that, to prepare ourselves for the incoming Conceptual Age, we need to further develop six essential abilities. These abilities are Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning, upon which Pink elaborates in separate chapters. At the end of each of the chapters, Pink has compiled a Portfolio which includes a variety of resources to assist the reader in growing the attributes described. To really grow my own whole new mind I need to go back in and use the book as a workbook, working deliberately through these Portfolios.

Or is that the way an old mind would do it? like an old school student studying for a test? The only test is whether I can combine these attributes to enhance my own life and thereby be of greater service to the planet. What is the next step for us who have read this book? What is the take away for us as we think about enhancing the learning of the youth in our care as well as our own learning?

My Response to "Meaning" - Pink's Last Chapter

It is First Day at the Dover Friends Meeting House. Old windows frame bare branches against a brilliant blue sky, eliminating the need for stained glass. On this bench against the wall I center down, joining my spiritual community in the silent worship of Friends, listening for the teachings of the Friend. "Thy will, not my will," I pray. As I go quiet within in the quiet without, deep indigo waves of calm pulsate behind my eyes and soothe my soul, connecting me to the highest power. For nearly 240 years Friends have gathered here in Meeting and I feel deeply connected in this timeless place.

By coming through these doors each First Day "Way opens," as we Quakers say, for Meaning to come into my life. In this setting I am called to co-create Meaning with those with whom I share beliefs and values. This is where I move beyond myself and join others in a tradition of serving the Light, and seeing "that of God in everyone." The Quaker testimonies to peace, truth and integrity, justice and equality, simplicity and community call us to actualize these beliefs in our daily lives. It is a real challenge for me to live these testimonies in my own life and I don't do it at all perfectly. Yet Meaning comes in the joint effort to attend to these values in all we do.

In a short yet I thought eloquent chapter, Pink highlights some important thinkers who have illuminated the importance of meaning in human life. He discusses the work of Victor Frankl, the Dali Lama, Martin Seligman, and others who have explored this essential human need. To this list I would add Parker Palmer, a Friend who has dedicated his life to the spiritual elements of education. One of his earliest books is subtitled, "Education as a Spiritual Journey." After reading Pink's chapter, I wonder if we saw our vocation as more of a spiritual calling if so many young people would be so disenfranchised by the education system in this country. The political climate steers us away from this aspect, convincing us that to "go there" would be dangerous because we must separate church from state. Yet I am not advocating the elevation of any particular religion - just the integration of the search for meaning into the learners' daily lives, through helping them discover what has heart - and meaning - for them, so they can follow their own path. And, in that way, perhaps we would find more meaning for ourselves.

Seriously, right?

I used to be very serious about play. As the early education consultant for the State of Maine, I wrote scholarly articles on the value of play, gave passionate presentations extolling its importance for young children and even joined a national network dedicated to the restoration of play to its rightful place as the source of learning for young children. From my current vantage point here in my dotage I have lightened up quite a bit! and, paradoxically, gotten even more serious. I see how important play is for ALL ages of people since it keeps us vibrant and connected to each other and to the life force. And, I have begun making play dates with myself and my friends. Last week I went contra dancing- a form of play since I am kinesthetically challenged! and intend to continue to find new ways to play in my life (and work, like this blog).

How do you play?

Monty Python Knew -- Before the Research!

In reading the chapter on Play in A Whole New Mind I was struck by this quote from Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, especially after tuning into him in my last post:

"There is no question that a playfully light attitude is characteristic of creative individuals."

My take on this is that stress/ anxiety/ pressure keeps us in a survival mode that precludes us using our innate creativity. Ironically, this stress can cause us to shut ourselves off from the very "lightness of being" that can liberate us from stress. No doubt about it, the world we live in is full of darkness, danger and diabolical tragedy yet the Light is also present. As Pink says, "Happiness is conditional; joyfulness is unconditional." The grimness of much of the modern world can only be transcended by our intentionality to open to the Light -- and to bring that to others, sometimes in silly ways.

Which brings us to Monty Python! In the mid-20th century, John Cleese and his crew had many of us laughing hysterically over their absurd, sometimes impenetrably, sometimes ridiculous yet usually delightful skits. Friday night had us gathered around the TV ready to laugh away our cares of the week. Pink talks about the health benefits of laughter, including its effects on diminishing stress hormones, boosting the immune system, activating the cardiovascular system increases the heart rate and pumps more blood to the internal organs -- and connects us to other people. And, he talks about a physician in India, Dr. Kataria, who has started "laughter clubs" that are now all over the world. Here is John Cleese -- and please read on after watching the video for a provocative proposition!



Here's a query for us school people: What if, instead of SSR (sutained silent reading) we had SAL (sustained audible laughing)?

Quoted from Blog of Proximal Development

In reading some posts from Classroom 2.0, I came upon this by Konrad Glogowski from Toronto and it seemed to really fit with what I had been thinking:
"Last month, in preparation for my K12Online Conference presentation, I re-read Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Good Business. Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning. In it, he states that the experience of flow - when the person is totally immersed in an activity and genuinely enjoying the moment - comes from “the steps one takes toward attaining a goal, not from actually reaching it.” He adds that:

People often miss the opportunity to enjoy what they do because they focus all their attention on the outcome, rather than savoring the steps along the way. Where does the pleasure in singing come from - finishing the song, or producing each note or phrase? … To be overly concerned with the ultimate goal often interferes with performance. If a tennis player thinks only of winning the match, she won’t be able to respond to her opponent’s powerful serve … our primary concern here is not with what constitutes a successful performance, but with the quality of experience during performance. If we agree that the bottom line of life is happiness, not success, then it makes perfect sense to say that it is the journey that counts, not reaching the destination.

In education, however, the product - the grade, the final draft, the test mark - still often takes precedence over the process of learning - the sense of personal journey without which the final destination is meaningless. What is even worse is that many of our students are very comfortable with that idea. To them, school is often about “playing the game.” They follow along, raise hands, submit assignments, study for tests. Of course, there is nothing wrong with these activities as long as they do not impede their progress as independent thinkers, researchers, and writers. Unfortunately, most of the time, “playing the game” means following the rules that we’ve set up for the students. We bring in the hoops, and the students jump through them. It’s an easy process for everyone involved."

He goes on to share a template he has ddeveloped to use with students who are starting to blog. It has a seed theme so of course I loved it!
What are your thoughts about FLOW in schools?

A Whole New Mind in A Whole New Space!

How many of us couldn't wait to get out of school and then find ourselves back in, seeking to change the system from the inside? Any one of us may not have the psychic resources to singlehandedly transform public education in these United States yet together we may. Margaret Mead, may she rest in peace, had it right in that comment about the small committed group of people changing the world.

Time and space can keep us from learning with and from each other. After a long day the last thing we want to do is go to a meeting! yet we may have ideas and energy we want to share. With these tools we can transcend space and time - and challenge ourselves to break down the brick walls that separate us from our ideals and potential ideal reality.

Consider the book we have been reading, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink. Here's a video of the guy so we can see what he looks like -- and maybe take his challenge. What will YOU do to put more of your innate brilliant creativity into your work at school? Share here!