#FF - Laura Gilchrist

Here it is, another Friday and Twitter is full of the hashtag:  #FF.  For those of you uninitiated Twitterers out there, that stands for Follow Friday.  In other words, Twitter users will use that hashtag in their tweets followed by the Twitter handles (usernames) of others that they deem worthy of gaining additional followers.

That's all well and good because I've blindly done the same thing myself.  I've mentioned others to follow and also gained people to follow from such tweets.  However, as in life, just because I like to follow someone doesn't necessarily mean that the Twitterverse will as well.

So, now when I issue #FF's, I would like to take the time to use this blog to explain WHY I recommend you follow these people--stuff that takes longer than 140 characters.

This week, my #FF shout out goes to Laura Gilchrist (@LauraGilchrist4).  She teaches 6th grade science and social studies in the same school district in Kansas City where I teach.  She's one of the ones that actually introduced me to the concept of being a connected educator.  In her 19th year of middle level education, she is the very definition of a lifelong learner.

Her blog, Shiny Happy Teachers, is truly one of the best ones around.  She skillfully incorporates lessons she has learned while teaching along with the technology and other ideas she has gleaned from social media as well as other respected educators.

Check out the other things she does as well...she is one of our school district's teachers who is test driving a set of classroom Ipad Minis in order to give feedback to central office about the ups and downs of the endeavor before it goes district-wide.  Laura also is on the pilot team for our district's venture into the workshop model.  Cris Tovani and Sam Bennett have consulted with our district and already did a great deal of large group professional development about the model with a number of teachers.  However, Cris and Sam wanted to directly work with a streamlined group of 30 teachers in the district in order to coach them through their subject area efforts in the model.  Laura, of course, is one of those.

She also is a HUGE contributing member of the Edcamp movement.  She attends a number of Edcamps in the area and is a co-organizer of #EdCampKC in November here in town.  In fact, she also participated in the first #EdCampHome last month as well.  She's a major presence on social media as well, including Twitter, Pinterest, Google + and Instagram.  She assists in moderating our state Twitter educational chat, #moedchat.  She leads a great deal of professional development regarding getting more educators in our district involved on Twitter.  I know she does a lot of other things that I don't even know about, so I'm sure this testimonial is incomplete.  Regardless, one thing I've learned from the experiences I've had with her, is that she is definitely willing to take risks and learn from her successes and mistakes.  She's the epitome of a continuous learner and practices what she preaches.

Outside of education, she is big into photography and will post much of her work online on the above mentioned social media sites.  Lastly, she has a love affair with puns.  One thing to know about her is that she isn't a cross-eyed teacher who couldn't control her pupils (was that one OK, Laura?).  In addition, no matter how hard she pushes the envelope, it remains stationery (how about that?).

Anyway, on a personal level, Laura has been the expert on being a connected educator in our district.  I have gained a great deal of knowledge from her about technology in education, as well as trying to become a better teacher through all sorts of informal professional development (like blogs and Twitter). In my mind, she is an educational rock star, and I hold her in the highest regard.

So, that's why I follow Laura Gilchrist, and so should you.

#FF - Barbara Madden

Here it is, another Friday and Twitter is full of the hashtag:  #FF.  For those of you uninitiated Twitterers out there, that stands for Follow Friday.  In other words, Twitter users will use that hashtag in their tweets followed by the Twitter handles (usernames) of others that they deem worthy of gaining additional followers.

That's all well and good because I've blindly done the same thing myself.  I've mentioned others to follow and also gained people to follow from such tweets.  However, as in life, just because I like to follow someone doesn't necessarily mean that the Twitterverse will as well.

So, now when I issue #FF's, I would like to take the time to use this blog to explain WHY I recommend you follow these people--stuff that takes longer than 140 characters.

So, my first #FF blog is devoted to a highly connected geometry teacher in Kansas City by the name of Barbara Madden.  Her twitter handle is @barbarawmadden, and she writes a spicy meatball of a blog called "that MADDENing teacher" where she not only covers education, but touches on social issues, tells a personal tale and throws out an occasional recipe or two.

I don't know her entire biography, but I do know Barbara was born in Italy, shortly thereafter came to the United States and was raised in the South before setting up shop in Kansas City.  She started teaching in her 20's but took a break to stay home to raise her four children before returning to the classroom about a decade ago.  Since then, she has jumped head first into the technology age becoming a networking force on Twitter and other social media.  She is working on her Ed.D. dissertation from Saint Louis University.  Her blog even touts the fact that "old teachers can learn new things!"  Plus, she is obsessed with the TV show, Duck Dynasty.  How can you argue with any of that?

My first Barbara Madden encounter was on Twitter where I saw her tweet about math (first red flag), then, when I clicked on her Twitter bio and found out she was in my school district (next red flag), I instantly started following her.  Right now, Twitter is still kind of slow on the uptake in our district, so I will follow anybody who is a fellow employee--birds of a feather, stick together, right?

Just by reading her tweets I could tell that Barbara was passionate (and opinionated) about our chosen profession, and I liked her Twitter personality.  It wasn't until I actually met her in person where my suspicions were nailed down completely.

We were at the Missouri Association of Secondary School Administrators (MASSP) Aspiring Leaders Conference where we recognized each other (I'm sure from our flattering Twitter bio avatars) and exchanged pleasantries.  I said, "Oh Barbara, it's great to finally meet you!"  I don't recall EXACTLY, but Barbara's response was something like, "Hi Ken, you're going to be my date for the dinner after the conference." It wasn't a request, from what I remember, it was a statement of fact.

And that's how Barbara rolls.  She calls things out like she sees them and comes on strong.  For instance, when she recently met our district's new instructional coordinator, who also has a significant presence on Twitter, she said to him that his avatar looks better than he does in person!  Ouch!

The best part, though, is that once you get to know her, she has a heart of gold.  I've never been in her classroom, but I can only imagine what the engagement and learning level is like in there...it must be off the charts.  Her personality along with her abilities to incorporate real life learning opportunities and making adjustments in the classroom on the fly, combined with her social media presence must make her room a very cool and inviting place.

So, that's why I follow Barbara Madden, and you should, too.

Abstract Blogging...Time To Play Catch Up

“I do a lot of painting.  Abstract painting.  No brush.  No canvas.  I just think about it.”    

     - Steven Wright

I started this blog last spring with the hopes of furthering myself in the educational world.  When my school year ended on May 31, I was so excited about reading, learning and blogging about new ways to help students learn!  It was going to be a non-stop blitz until school started up again in August!

Well, August has arrived, and I have yet to blog this summer.  Where did that time go?

Now, mind you, I have been reading and learning A LOT!  However, what I haven't taken the time to do is to reflect and write about what I've been reading and learning.  So, instead of blogging a number of times on each area of new learning that has taken place, I am now forced to create a last minute summary here before life turns insanely crazy next week when teachers in my district report back to school.

That seems like a pretty daunting task, but then I think about Steven Wright's quote above.  I have actually blogged quite a bit this summer--the only problem is that it has only taken place in my own mind.  I guess that's not too bad as long as my ability to recall events is sound...also the other advantage by the cumulative blog is that I can now make connections between events that I wouldn't have been able to make if I had blogged a play-by-play.

So, here goes nothing:

1.  For the first time, I was able to meet with some colleagues in my school district at coffee shops and Panera Bread restaurants a few times to have a show and tell about what we are reading and doing to get ready for next year.  We made a Vine (a six second video - https://vine.co/v/blYm9tBmWPU) showing our excitement during one of the sessions.  Another colleague and I logged into Google+ and horned in on a video call somehow just to see if we could do it.  For a few minutes we talked with a couple of people in San Antonio at the ISTE conference.  From an informal level of professional development, it was great fun!

2.  I teach in a Missouri public school district with four high schools, which is considered pretty large by our standards.  Our superintendent is very highly regarded and has a great deal of influence locally and at the state levels.  Therefore, it's very hard to catch him in one spot for too long, much less have a private conversation.

So, I wasn't sure what to expect when, in mid-June, I requested an appointment to speak with him.  He not only accepted my appointment to discuss various aspects of leadership, but I was able to have his attention for TWO hours!  In fact, he shooed away a television news crew wanting an interview so we could continue our discussion.

I asked him about many aspects of leadership, and how he reacted to various situations he's been presented with since taking over the district.  There are many people tugging at him from all sides.  Of course, there's learned behavior and reactions he has been able to pick up over the years that has assisted him greatly with making the best decisions for the district's children, as well as successfully handling the public relations that go along with those decisions.  I learned a great deal about leadership, along with confidence, power and patience, and how those aspects work together in order to head up a large public school district.  It was a tremendous opportunity that I will be forever grateful.

3.  Phil Jackson is the 11-time NBA world champion coach of the Bulls and Lakers whose latest book is titled "Eleven Rings--The Soul of Success."  While on family vacation in the Bahamas, I was able to read the book and reflect on Jackson's teachings.  My big takeaways from the book deal with leadership and trying not to overcontrol situations.  Give up control and trust the moment are continual lessons he illustrates over and over again.  In addition, he's a huge advocate of exercises that quiet a cluttered mind.  Being mindful when the pressure is on is the key to performing at critical junctures.  Overall, it was a terrific read as long as you understand the leadership parallels that exist between Jackson's world of high priced NBA superstars and the world I know best in a middle school classroom.

4.  I was fortunate enough in mid-July to take part in something called EdCampHome, and it was an incredible experience!  The EdCamp movement is a new, less formal, but more personalized way to approach professional development.  EdCamps are held at many places nationwide where people would show up without any agenda whatsoever.  Participants would create topic areas on site and then attend these sessions where discussion about a given topic would take center stage and the learning would organically evolve.  People sitting in these sessions would tweet or blog or broadcast them to engage others outside of the EdCamp in order to gain additional perspective or expert opinion on the topics at hand.

Well, EdCampHome took this concept to another level.  Using Google Hangouts (which I had never attempted before), people could sit in the confines of their own homes and take part in sessions that were created on the spot.  It really was quite something to see it all come together.  I don't have enough room here to fully explain it, but all of the Hangouts were video archived and can be seen at www.edcamphome.org - it was really was an amazing experience that I hope more people will be fortunate enough to take part in someday.

5.  One of my partners in #educrime, Laura Gilchrist (@LauraGilchrist4) who teaches in another middle school in my district turned me on to something called the EduTour.  Nick Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher) and Tim Gwynn (@tgwynn) are teachers in Michigan and North Carolina, respectively.  They have had quite an online presence in terms of providing professional development, so I've already been somewhat in tune with their insanity.  But they wanted to take it up a notch by putting their wheels on the ground and driving from Indiana (the site of a conference they were both attending) to California stopping in cities along the way to talk with other like-minded educators.  Thus, the EduTour was born.

So, I sneaked out of a family camping trip for a couple of hours to join Nick, Tim and about 20 others at one of these stops in a bar/restaurant in downtown Kansas City.  It was great meeting Nick, but unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to engage very much with Tim.  The conversation that I sneaked in on with Nick was about Evernote and also about effective teacher evaluations.  Although it was a short visit, it was enough to want to learn more about the topics we discussed and to network with some of the current rock stars in education.  Check out their other adventures along the way at www.edutour2013.com.

6.  Our district has a week-long Summer Academy where we actually get paid to attend professional development sessions that we normally wouldn't have time for during the school year.  This year, most of my sessions were ones that our district "strongly suggested" that I attend.  Even though I was somewhat strong armed into these math-related courses, I really did enjoy picking up some new techniques and management strategies.

When I was a basketball and volleyball coach, we would frequently attend coaching clinics.  The mantra of those clinics was that if you are able to learn just one thing that you could fully implement into your program, then the time spent was worth it.  Well, the same thing applies here.  I do believe there are items that I learned that I will put into my repertoire this year--success!  Our district is moving towards the workshop model, so much of my focus will be spent on real-life situations, collaboration, engagement and the proper incorporation of technology in my classroom.

7.  Well, I wish I could say that was all, but there was so much learning that occurred from reading tweets, journals and articles, that I can't even quantify those opportunities.  I was able to participate in a number of online Twitter chats (like #moedchat, #satchat, #sunchat, #edchat, etc.) and meet and discuss current educational topics with educators from as far away as Sri Lanka and Australia.  Also, I'm not done reading yet.  I still have yet to finish, "The Art of Non-Conformity," by Chris Guillebeau, "Teach Like A Pirate," by Dave Burgess and I just ordered a book called "Minds on Mathematics:  Using Math Workshop To Develop Deep Understanding in Grades 4-8," by Wendy Ward Hoffer.  In addition, I have a whole handwritten sheet of paper devoted to the ideas, ramblings and scribbles that fleetingly went through my head over the course of the summer that I want to try in my room beginning this fall.

I think that about covers it.  I still wish that I was able to blog on all these events separately, but I think the big lesson I learned here is that education (even my own personal education) is rarely pretty.  As much as I would love to take each individual experience and boil it down to its component parts and file it away properly, that won't happen as long as there are human beings involved.  Teaching and learning is a messy proposition.  Oftentimes, most of the notes that I so eloquently take on a book or at a conference are not going to be feasibly used in the classroom on a daily basis.  So, instead, what I take into the classroom are the memories that come to me off the top of my head.  That's what this blog was all about...the summative knowledge that I gained from these experiences cumulatively.

Man...and I thought I took the summers off...

The Right Fit

We all have that favorite pair of jeans or shoes that fits just right.  They're perfect...snug exactly where they need to be and loose in the same way.  It's very subjective and hard to articulate, but you just know when you've got the right fit.

I believe that the same concept applies to job interviews.  Of course, my viewpoint is limited because I have only been the person interviewed.  I have never been the person conducting the interview.  And my track record when it comes to being interviewed for administrative jobs honestly isn't very good.  In fact, out of nine career interviews, I have not been offered one position.

Now, I'm not trying to make a negative statement or have anyone feel sorry for me.  I'm just illustrating the fact that the right fit between myself and a school has yet to be made.  That's just the nature of the process.

Rather than bemoan my success rate, I completely trust the viewpoint of the interview teams that have taken the time to evaluate me.  In a lot of ways, the interview process is like speed dating.  You have a limited amount of time to put your best foot forward.  You're not exactly sure what the other party is looking for.  But, both sides have a vested interest.  In this case, it's the children at that school.  Unfortunately, in each circumstance I've been in, the experts in those districts have determined that I'm not the right fit for that specific scenario.

Some people may look at an 0-for-9 percentage as a sign that maybe that line of work isn't in cards for them.  I choose to look at each of those nine instances as an opportunity for growth.  Sometimes I may have made mistakes in my approach or in an answer I gave or my etiquette during an interview which led to another candidate bypassing me.  Sometimes I may have done everything correctly, but someone else just out shined me and proved that they were the best fit for that job.

If you think about it this way, three out of 10 is a great batting average in baseball.  All I need is one out of 10.  I have to stay patient and not get discouraged about the statistics.  Not in a narcissistic way, but  I must continue to believe that the combination of my personality, leadership skills and experiences will lend themselves well administratively to a school someday.  However, it must be beneficial to both parties, and for reasons not entirely known to me, I just haven't found that fit yet.

Here's what I do know, however, about the right fit.  Let's suppose for instance I did land one of those nine jobs for which I interviewed.  That job needs to be mutually beneficial.  So, if I got a job, that's great, right?  But what if it wasn't the right fit?  What if it was a job where my beliefs didn't mesh with the culture of the school?  What if it turns out that the administration I worked with didn't allow for me to grow as an educator?  What if I ended up being a drain on fellow faculty and staff with my constant ideas for change?

What that means is without the right fit, sometimes, one or more parties will turn out to be negative or even miserable.  Therefore, students will be able to sense that as well and have those emotions negatively impact the learning environment.  Nobody wants that, so that's why I'm confident that the people who decided that I'm not the right fit have made the right decisions in the best interests of the students in their schools.  Like the favorite pair of jeans or shoes, they may not be able to fully explain their decisions, but they just know--and that's good enough for me.

I would like to think that I am the right fit in all situations, but I only have tunnel vision of what I believe I bring to the table.  Those who ended up getting those positions were what's best for those students at that point in time.  As much as we would like to have a calculated and fully objective hiring process, we have to remember that this job involves human beings.  And human beings are messy and subjective.  Human beings sometimes have to go with their guts, and there's nothing wrong with that.

So, I could choose to be angry and bitter about my situation, or I could choose to look ahead to the next opportunity while keeping in mind what I've learned from previous interviews.  I choose the latter because I believe there is a right fit in my future.  At the risk of sounding like a Match.com commercial, my best fit is still out there--I just haven't found it yet!

I can tell you this much, though.  When I do find it (and increase my success rate to 1-for-10), the first thing I'll do is to throw on those favorite pair of jeans, enjoy the moment and thank my lucky stars that I have chosen education as my profession.  As long as I have the opportunity to work with students, things seem to fit just right.

The Quest For Continuous Improvement

In my personal Education Hall of Fame, there is a gentleman by the name of Tom Keating.  Currently, he is the principal of Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, IA, but he was more widely known as the volleyball coach at Wahlert Catholic High School in Dubuque, IA.  His coaching resume is extensive, but just to give you an small idea about his impact:  his teams won 11 state championships in Iowa and they were rated in the national top ten continuously, he was named national high school coach of year twice, he is still an outstanding presenter and continues to speak at clinics nationwide and is an all around great guy.

I have heard his presentations, watched his instructional videotapes, emailed with him and had conversations with him over dinner.  Back in the day, as a volleyball coach at an opposing school in his conference, he even let me watch one of his practices once!  He definitely cared about winning, but he cared about growing the sport and growing leaders more.  You could say that I'm a solid, card-carrying member of the Tom Keating Fan Club.

The point of this blog entry is to highlight one of his favorite sayings that has become one of mine as well.  So much so, that I would say that if I had to base my entire educational philosophy around one statement, this saying of his would be it:  "Every day, you get better or you get worse--there's no such thing as staying the same."

To paraphrase, every time a student comes into the classroom or an athlete walks into practice, they are presented with a choice:  to improve or to regress.  Of course, there are many factors that contribute to that ultimate result, but if you go into that day with the idea that you will improve, chances are you will.   Also, since others are continually improving, that means even if you stay the same, you are actually getting behind when compared to the growth of others.

I have stressed that point to my students and athletes daily.  Even if they walk out of my classroom or gym a tiny bit better than when they walked in, over the course of a semester or a season, the difference  between start and finish will be significant.  It's a philosophy that seems so simple, yet elusive for many students.

More importantly, though, do I practice what I preach?  In this new age of education where technology will be the mechanism for student engagement as well as professional development, I believe I have moved out of my comfort zone in an attempt to extend myself.  Every day, I connect with incredible educators nationwide on Twitter and other social media, as well as gaining knowledge and ideas on a continual basis from my new personal learning network.  So, while I don't profess to getting better every single day, as Keating suggests, I can certainly say that my intentions every day are to do so.  It's really an exhilarating feeling to be nearly 20 years into my educational career to say that I am still learning!

The other great thing about having this feeling is that it's contagious.  I have been able to find like-minded educators in and out of my building that provide me with encouragement, ideas and feedback often as well.  I have now prodded other educators, and they now have caught the bug, just like I did, and now are finding their own ways to improve themselves every day.

With as much pressure and scrutiny that educators are faced with from all directions nowadays, this notion of continuous improvement might be the very thing that keeps frustration with the job at bay.  Being able to acquire to skills and to keep things fresh is at the core of all human desires.  It's all right there for the educator who has the aforementioned proper attitude.

So, at my core, I believe that continuous improvement is a must if you want to succeed in this time (or any time for that matter) in education.  People who want to rely on what worked 20, 10 or even three years ago may have a point, but most everything has a shelf life and an expiration date, it seems.  If we're not trying to getting better on a daily basis, not only do students suffer, but a small opportunity to advance the profession is lost.

This not only is true for teachers, but administrators as well.  I know Tom Keating, the coach, well.  However, I left Iowa for Kansas City before I knew Tom Keating, the principal.  But if I know Tom Keating, the human being, I can only imagine what life at Xavier High School is like.  I would think that he would be the one growing teacher-leaders and therefore, having students achieve at high levels. He would think that risk is a necessary part of that growth and wouldn't admonish teachers for trying something new in the classroom and failing, as that is part of the learning process of human beings.  He would visit classrooms often and continue a working two-way dialogue with teachers in order to improve instructional strategies and methods and, in turn, student achievement.  And lastly, I bet that he would be the kind of administrator to learn side-by-side with his fellow educators.  He would be one to get right in the middle of a professional development session and discuss ideas with his teachers, not merely professing from higher ground.  Like I said, I don't know these things for a fact, but knowing Tom Keating, I'd be willing to place a hefty bet that all of this is true.

Someday, when I will be able to fulfill an administrator's shoes, I believe that this concept of continuous improvement will be at the top on my non-negotiables list.  To me, it's the one thing that sustains us as educators.  If that is absent, then other aspects of the job begin to drop off as well.  Every day, we all have an opportunity to get better or get worse.  Thanks, Tom for reminding me of that.

The Monumental First Post...Jumping Off The Log

There's an old joke that goes something like this:  There are three frogs sitting on a log and one of them decides to jump off...how many frogs remain?  The answer is three--deciding to jump off and actually jumping off are two totally different things!

So, that idea begins this blog.  After a significant length of time as an educational blog and social media lurker, I have decided to jump off the log.  

When I finished my doctorate a little over a year ago from Saint Louis University (where they have a very good Ed.D. program that I would highly recommend, by the way), part of the dissertation process was to provide a reflection on my experiences in the program.  The statement I wrote at that time that still rings in my head is that I believed that the doctorate was not an ending, but only a beginning.  It represents an obligation to further contribute to the educational body of work that exists in the world.  In order to do that, I must be willing to stretch myself and go into areas (like putting myself and my thoughts on a public blog) that involve risk and might even be a little dangerous!  I believe the discourse and learning possibilities far outweigh the occasional mistakes or negative outcomes that may arise from this endeavor.

I'm not sure how often an idea will motivate me to blog about it, so I'm not committing myself daily, weekly or monthly, but I'm sure each time I post, the easier it will become.

As for the title of this blog, the derivation comes from my senior year in high school.  I was the sports editor on The Surveyor--the school newspaper at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, IA (www.crwash.org).  My final column in the last edition of that year's paper was written (with pen on paper, mind you) in the basement laundry room at home while the dryer was tumbling away.  So, when that column went to print, it went under the title of "Thoughts While Waiting For My Socks To Dry."  That article was a random conglomeration of memories and opinions about what occurred that school year of 1991-92.

Fast forward to 2013.  This blog will operate under that same philosophy.  You will see random thoughts here about education, leadership and new ideas.  You'll probably even see a sports take or two.  I'm not looking to change the world, but crazier things have happened!  I don't know if two people or two million people will read these words, but at least I can say that I'm attempting to fulfill that statement and obligation I made last year to try push myself and, in some small way, the educational world as well.

So, here I go......  (jump)