How do you feel about onions?

Our guest blogger this week is a friend, former staff development coordinator and current high school dean of students, Eric Serbus. I hope you enjoy his musings on onions.

I honestly do not like to eat onions. The combination of an onion’s taste and texture makes me squirm. When I was a boy I would go to great lengths to extract any remnants of the shiny slivers before braving a bite. Whenever my mom made chili, my onion extraction operation could have been confused for a rudimentary gold mining operation. As I’ve grown older either my tolerance for the vegetable has increased or my patience for avoiding them has decreased. In either case, my palate and onions have come to a place of coexistence. I won’t seek onions out, but their presence won’t necessarily disqualify a food from being eaten.

In the past 10 years my relationship with the onion has blossomed, but not on a culinary level. I have begun to realize that an onion is arguably the most effective metaphor for reaching a deeper understanding about some of the complex challenges in teaching and learning. Here are just a couple of examples:

• Students, especially those at-risk, are onions that must be peeled layer by layer to understand, relate to, and ultimately educate. I’ve seen many teachers mistakenly respond to the behaviors and attitudes of challenging students as if they were rocks to be buried rather than onions to be peeled. Next time you encounter an unmotivated or defiant student forego the temptation to classify them as simply “lazy” or “naughty.” Rather, withhold judgment and peel away the layers by asking “why” the student has this attitude or displays that behavior. Only then can you intervene to effect real change.

• Time, experience, and stress can easily add additional layers to a teacher’s professional onion, layers that can potentially conceal the core of one’s purpose if not routinely peeled. As we begin the Professional Learning Community journey in our school, teachers have been forced to peel some of the dirty, old, dead layers off of their onions and refocus on the most important and effective practices in their profession. They are moving out of isolation and are beginning to engage in action/results oriented collaboration focused on student learning and continuous improvement.

It doesn’t take a lot of reflective practice to realize that many aspects of the education profession are more complex than originally thought. Whether it is grading practices, discipline policies, or any other pressing issue, educators must continually peel away layers to find the heart of every issue. I challenge you to see beyond the surface and explore the undercurrents of educational issues.

Whether you like to eat onions or not, I invite you to post your own onion metaphors.

Keeping the Funny When Nothing is Funny

Please welcome guest blogger, Stevie Ray!   He is a nationally recognized speaker concerning communication skills, customer service, leadership, and team management. He can be reached at stevie@stevierays.org

6337 Newton Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55423-1113
612-825-1832 www.stevierays.org

Carol Burnett once said, “Comedy is tragedy plus time.”

For educators, however, it seems like time can make laughter drift out of reach; the results can be devastating. To be sure, a small bit of stress is actually good for us. Stress, in moderate amounts, allows us to focus and remain productive. And human beings highly value productivity. Getting stuff done, especially stuff we like doing, creates a release of Dopamine in the brain. This pleasure hormone is what feeds our feelings of satisfaction. So work is not all bad, it just depends on how we balance it with play.

Ask most people what the opposite of play is and they will say, “Work.” This is far from the truth. Dr. Stuart Brown M.D. studied the effects of play on the brain. Quite simply, play is defined by any activity that is done for its own sake. It is non-productive, elicits joy from the participant, and tends to turn off our internal clock; time flies. It actually walks hand-in-hand with work to create a healthy brain. If the brain is starved of play behavior for long periods of time, healthy chemicals cease, and the brain shuts down. Essentially, the opposite of play is not work, the opposite of play is depression.

So educators must engage in behavior that brings a good hearty laugh occasionally throughout the day.

The best way to do this is to understand where laughter comes from. There are four main causes of laughter.

1) Laughter of Superiority. Most laughter is pointed at someone else’s foibles, making us feel a bit superior (but in a fun way).

2) Laugher of Recognition. We laugh when someone else talks about a situation that we ourselves experienced. It’s a sharing mechanism.

3) Laughter of the Unexpected. When we are surprised, we laugh.

4) Laughter of Delight. When in groups, people tend toward laughter (unless some sourpuss puts a lid on it).

People are sixteen times more likely to laugh at something if they experience it with other people. If you are sitting laughing all by yourself, we need to get you some help.
So the best way to keep laughter a part of your day, and keep a healthy disposition is to engage the Four Laws of Laughter. Do something to surprise a friend or colleague. Share a story about what happened to you recently. Make yourself the brunt of the joke if you aren’t sure who will be a good sport. And don’t isolate yourself! You can surprise yourself in ways that aren’t necessarily funny. Just doing common tasks in a new way shakes the cobwebs out of the brain and lightens your mood.

Remember, you are trying to be humorous, not funny! People who try to be funny usually end up being annoying. Humor draws everyone in, so be open about your experiences and others will do likewise. The result will keep laughter a part of your day, all the way until the end of the year.

What makes a great educator?

Our guest blogger today is Barbara Borland, a Program Manager at Colorado State University-Pueblo. She writes about a topic near and dear to her heart: quality education.

In this day and age of CSAP tests, No Child Left Behind, etc…we have lost the idea that education goes beyond the calculable test scores that school districts use and the federal government mandates to determine excellence and success in teaching.

What makes a great educator?
~Someone who takes time out of their day to explain for what seems the two hundredth time a concept to a student and does so with patience.
~Someone who cares enough about their profession that they seek continuing education classes that challenge them and that will make them better practitioners in the classroom (with or without their district directing them to do so, or giving them credit for the classes).
~Someone who understands that not all students learn the same way, and someone who goes out of their way to ensure that they are imparting knowledge in a variety of methods.
~Someone who treats all students as their customer, for surely without students, there would be no need for teachers.
~Finally someone who is able to share their excitement about learning with their students.

I can’t tell you the number of college students I have had who hold wonderful memories of a particular teacher in their K-12 education that encouraged them to learn and gave them confidence in the fact that they WILL be successful. Be that educator!

2013!!

Welcome 2013!

As you view the fresh, new calendar ahead –are you filled with a whirlwind of excitement for all the possibilities you hold in your hands?

Are you developing future readers and writers?
Aspiring freshman poets?
Future Marine Biologists?
The next American Idol sensation?

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
― Haim G. Ginott, Teacher and Child: A Book for Parents and Teachers

As you view the fresh, new calendar ahead –what will you stand for in 2013?
Consistent attendance so your students learn academics not street smarts?
Strong extra -curricular programs to develop young minds and bodies?
Curriculum that integrates technologies to motivate students and enhance instruction?

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Edge Pets

Tucker

Hi, My name is Tucker and I’m the office dog. I’m a Lab Aussie mix.

There was one other office dog, Forest, who came before me. I know everyone misses Forest, and she’s “big paws to fill,” but I am thankful for Forest because she paved the way for me to become the next office dog.

There are other dog lovers/owners here, too. Here’s is what the owners/dog lovers have to say about their dogs (I think it’s funny what people say about us).

Me: Tucker (Kyle)

Hurley

Hurley (Dawn) : Hurley is an Australian Sheep Dog/Border Collie cross. He’s a Humane Society Dog, and as sweet as they come – a gentle giant at 65lbs. When we met him, his name was “Sport,” and his muscles were pretty weak from non-use.  We had to teach him how to walk on a leash and how to play, even though he was 2 years old when he became part of our family.  Hurley likes to prance, and his eyes actually sparkle when he wants to play.  He has a love-annoyed relationship with our 21 month old son, but they are getting to be really good friends.  He loves coming in the office, because everyone likes to pet him, and Tucker is his buddy.

Jett

Major and Jett (Julie) :Major is a male, Yellow Lab, 7 ½

Major

years old, Jett is a female, Lab/Border Collie,  2 years old, Both naughty and sweet.

 

Raven

Raven  (John): Black Lab.  Raven was born on the 4th of July!   She is our third Lab….and was a rebound dog for us after Bailey was killed by a car.  She was just what we needed. She will be six this summer. She loves to swim at the lake… and is great around the little kids. She lives a dog’s life…sleeping most of the day.

Acey

Cassidy (Susanne):  Cassidy was my black lab growing up.  We spent a lot of time at Lake Harriet together and we played a lot of Frisbee. One Sunday, my mom put a 7 lb ham out to thaw while we went to church.  When we got home, all that was left was the plastic wrap.  She was thirsty for weeks.  Even though she was kind of a pig, we loved her like crazy.  Someday, I’ll get another lab, but for now, my backup is Acey, my friend’s dog.

Duffus (Kari): With the exception of finding a home with our family, Duffus didn’t have a lot of luck.  We were able to figure out that Duffus was deaf, and later, after being struck by a car, was blind in one eye. Duffus lived a long, and interesting life, eventually wandering off into the woods on our farm, and not coming back.  RIP Duffus.

Molly (Deb): 10 years old –Golden Retriever.  She loves our cat Reggie who looks up to her with great respect.  I think Reggie thinks he is a dog because of Molly’s influence.  Molly loves people and loves to greet all other dogs that walk by…or those that are staying nicely in their own yard!  Until a couple of years ago, she loved  to swim with the ducks/geese in the pond behind our house. Either she has gotten too old for that, or she figured out that they don’t really want to play.   Probably her favorite place to visit is the family hobby farm (Grandma’s).  It provides her with 160 acres of woods and grassy fields to run on as well as 4-wheelers and John Deere gators to run with, and lots and lots of squirrels and bunnies to chase.  The farm is her Heaven!

Bailey (Teresa):  My dog was a German Shepherd and her name was Bailey. She loved to watch TV when there were animals on.  She was smart and had a vocabulary comparable to a 3 year old.  In her prime, she could jump a 6 foot fence!  Our family was so sad when she passed.  We miss her and loved her dearly!

Max (Karin):  Standard Poodle. Max is just an all around great dog.  He loves car rides and walks.  He will sit in the kitchen and stare at the cupboard where his treats are for hours if I didn’t say something to him or get him a treat.  He’s quiet – but persistent.  He’s very protective.  He loves to run and would chase a squirrel for miles if he could.  Not sure what he’d do if he caught it but he sure loves to try. He can catch a Frisbee in the air and, although he is 7 years old, is still unsure of stepping in water and has never been in a lake.  He does love sitting on the boat and being on the water, just not IN it.

Other dogs in the office: Wendy has Jeter (Golden Doodle), Tamie has Bear (Lab/Springer Mix), and Joe has Dash(Miniature Dachshund)

Dash

Between the 14 people who work here at the Edge, there are 17 of us dogs.

The best part of my day is when I am greeted by each person and they pet me or give me a treat.  They always say hello to me “Hi Tucker!” “Hey Tuck, what’s up buddy?” “Tucker!!!” and my favorite “Oh, Tucker come here…” (treats, attention, and a belly rub).

There’s a lot that goes on here, and my knee high perspective teaches me a lot. Mostly, what I see is people writing, talking, creating, learning, collaborating, responding to emails, answering phones, and helping teachers to be the best they can be. Although people are working hard, there is also a lot of jovial banter and creativity that takes place.

When I’m not walking around the offices and saying hello to everyone, my favorite spots are under Kyle’s desk and the kitchen (especially during the Holidays).

I am especially happy when I hear laughter.  I hear laughter a lot.

I hope I help morale by hanging out at the Edge. It sure helps me feel like a part of the team and it beats staying at home all day.  Thanks for letting me hang out w/ all of you at the Edge, and for the attention, the love, and the treats.

And, to all of you teachers with pets: dogs, cats, birds, chickens…the people here at the Edge thank you for taking their courses.  For people, they really are pretty cool.
Have a fun-filled summer!
Woof,
Tucker

Lest We Forget

John Clementson is the Director of Academic Outreach and Development at Learner’s Edge. He lives in the country, and wakes up to deer and birds every morning (I am extremely jealous!). He is also “Papa” to four beautiful, awesome, sweet, and adorable grandchildren. He enjoys making heirloom furniture in his woodworking shop and has been known to barefoot waterski….but can’t figure out why his wetsuit keeps getting smaller every year.

One of my former colleagues, a Lakota man raised in missionary boarding schools, helped me understand some of my deep-rooted perceptions of race by saying… “we all have cultural tails.”   No matter how we wish our tail (tale) would disappear, we drag it with us throughout our life.  Often we become so comfortable with our standing in society or life that we forget it is there.  Such a comfort level is often easier for those of privilege, financial means, or a certain skin color.  However, every once in a while, and perhaps not often enough an event or an interaction occurs creating a dissonance in our comfortable world….and that ugly tail reminds us it is still there.   I am reminded of my own privilege and skin color each year when we honor and celebrate the work and memory of Martin Luther King Jr.

My tale begins as a young child growing up in an all white, small town in northern Minnesota.  I remember Native Americans from the nearby reservation being described by adults as “squaws, bucks, and drunken Indians.”   I remember the disdain most townspeople expressed toward the Native Americas who came to “our town.”  The local police were known to take drunken Indians to the reservation border to “dump” them on the side of the road for their “own” people to take care of…even in the dead of winter.

When I was an adolescent, my father, through National Science Foundation grants, was able to study at universities on both the East and West Coasts.  Living in Berkeley, California in 1966 was certainly an eye-opening experience for me.  The campus protests against the war and spirited public debates about civil rights were commonplace.  Living on the East Coast in 1967 and 1968 proved to be one of the most significant formative experiences of my life.  Seeing Peter, Paul and Mary sing on the steps of the LincolnMemorial in the summer of 1968, as thousands of “Poor People’s Campaign” participants rallied, will forever be a part of my tale.  The words of their song “Because All Men Are Brothers,” resonate in my ears and are written in my tail.

My brothers are all others forever hand in hand
Where chimes the bell of freedom there is my native land
My brother’s fears are my fears yellow white or brown
My brother’s tears are my tears the whole wide world around.
 
Let every voice be thunder, let every heart beat strong
Until all tyrants perish our work shall not be done
Let not our memories fail us the lost year shall be found
Let slavery’s chains be broken the whole wide world around.

Seeing Robert “Bobby” Kennedy’s freshly dug grave in June of 1968, and hearing the impassioned speeches from a rally that was supposed to feature Martin Luther King Jr.,  are seared in my memory and my cultural tail.  The National Science Foundation has no idea of the impact it had on my life.

As an adult, I had the privilege of seeing the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham.  The experience brought back a flood of memories for me.  One in particular brought me back to 1968.  The museum features a cutaway of a bus… one similar to the hundreds I saw lined up near the “Resurrection City” and the Reflecting Pool of the Washington Monument in 1968.  I made a promise to myself at that moment:  that my own children would have a sense of the struggle thousands of people endured in order to bring about a cultural revolution in this country.  When my son and daughter were adolescents my wife and I took them to Birmingham… and have continually tried to keep issues of racism and inequality a part of our conversations with them as adults.

My most recent tail reminders have come while volunteering to build a Habitat for Humanity house in my local community.  I am constantly reminded of what it means to be poor, or to be an immigrant in America.  Rural poverty is alive and well in America, and the anti-immigrant sentiment that swirls about our culture is, once again, a reminder of the struggles of the 60s.

Another painful reminder of my privilege and of our and their not so distant past, have been my experiences working in the poorest-of-the-poor townships near Cape Town, South Africa.  Apartheid’s legacy continues to play itself out in the daily lives of those banished to the fringes of a privileged, white society.  As an educator, I see the Bantu school system, with its racist and paternalistic views of education for blacks as nothing less than deplorable.   Lest we forget, Brown v. Brown, the landmark decision regarding the unconstitutionally of separate but equal schools for blacks and whites happened in 1954.

Today, while in many ways I feel we have made strides as a society toward the ideals dreamed of by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Robert F. Kennedy, I am fearful our contentious political divisions and the harsh rhetoric of various media outlets demonizes those that are the “other.”

I have a dream that one day my grandchildren will know our past, and realize a new future: A future that embraces the dreams and hopes of Martin and Bobby.

Etched in stone, and in my cultural tale, are the words found on Bobby Kennedy’s memorial reminding us all, especially those of us who are teachers of our responsibility to society, no matter how long or ugly our cultural tail may be.

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”   Robert F. Kennedy.

Starring YOU!

Learner’s Edge is proud to work with education professionals around the globe, and we are inspired by your creative ideas and your passion for teaching!  We want to celebrate you by inviting you to share your work with the world.

I am pleased to announce an open call for blog posts for ChalkBlog!

Who should be interested?
Take a look and see if you fit any of the following criteria:

• Anyone who became a teaching professional – and who can share their journey and their educational philosophy.
• Anyone who has ever tried something in a classroom and has been successful.
• Anyone who has ever tried something in a classroom, failed, and learned from the experience.
• Folks who have successfully implemented strategies and methods they learned from a Learner’s Edge course.
• Anyone who has amazing ideas for connecting with students.
• Education professionals who want to comment on any trends in education.
• Anyone who teaches in an unusual and/or innovative environment (flipped classrooms, virtual schools, etc).
• Education professionals whose districts have adopted and implemented Common Core standards- and who want to comment on the experience.
• Counselors or Social Workers who have noticed trends in student populations, and who desperately want to inform others.
• People who LOVE using technology in their instructional practices, and want to share what they do.
• Anyone who has worked with children who has an amazing story.
• Anyone who does cool and engaging stuff in their classroom.

(Sorry – what we can’t publish are advertisements or outside business promotions.)

The topics are endless, and since Learner’s Edge put me in charge of the blog (hee hee!), I get to work with you to highlight your best work, strongest epiphanies, and successful strategies.  I really, really want to hear from you!

How does this work?
Well, it starts with an email to me: dawn@learnersedgeinc.com.  When you email me, please share a little bit about yourself: what you do, who you serve, any Learner’s Edge courses you have taken (not a necessary qualification), and your idea for a blog post. You and I will work together to make sure your thoughts shine.  No deadlines- just an opening of the gates to share what you know.

What if you are worried about your writing?
I got you covered. Let me know what you want to say, and I will say it for you. You will be able to see the finished copy before it goes live.
If you do want to write your own post, I will do my normal editing thing with grammar and mechanics, but I will do my best to retain your style and voice.

What’s in it for you?
Your blog post with be cross-posted on our Facebook page, and you will officially be published on the Internet. You can share this with all of your friends and family, and you will be a hit at parties (I know being a blogger has done WONDERS for my social life).   If you already have a blog, you will be able to cross-post, and I will be sure to tag your blog.  Plus, you and your school will gain some notice – we do have quite a few Facebook friends, you know. Most importantly, your voice will be heard – saying something you are passionate about. Your words have the potential to inspire thousands of teachers.

Yay! You’re convinced! What do you do?
Email me! dawn@learnersedgeinc.com. Here’s what I need from you:

• The blog post (1-5 paragraphs), should you choose to write it, or your idea for a blog post.
• A very, very brief biography of yourself, including where you teach, the age level of your students, and something interesting about you (hobbies, special talents, etc).
• If you choose, a photo of yourself….this isn’t mandatory, but it’s nice to have a visual of who you are for the readers. If you don’t wish to have your picture up, not a problem at all.

What I will do:

• Read and edit your post for any mechanical errors, retaining your voice and your style
• Tag you in the post to insure that you get credit for the post on the Internet
• Post your writing on the blog and on our Facebook page
• Watch you become a SUPERSTAR.

I can’t wait to hear from you.
Dawn
dawn@learnersedgeinc.com