Leading in the 21st Century

Just 3 Words

2007-10-18T05:46:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I saw a great segment on Good Morning America. They had viewers send in a summary of their lives using only 3 words. I loved the idea so I found the clip on ABC's web site and modified it to use with my students. Here are some of their responses. We were also able to get a great bulletin board out of the activity because the kids also cut out outlines of their hands and wrote their summaries on them. Great responses!!!

Dr. Williams' Mom

2007-10-09T06:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I experienced something very strange--I team taught classes with my mother. I was hired several months ago as a long-term sub, but when a full time opening in a different subject area opened up, I was very interested in it. The problem was that the classes I was subbing for were all gifted with demanding parents,and the class had already had several subs to start the year. The principal was understandably nervous about putting yet another sub in the room. Unbelievably, my mother, who has been retired from educating for several years, agreed to finish the last month of the long-term sub position if it meant that I got a full time job. I tease her that she was worried about having to pay my mortgage if she didn't do this for me... The principal understood that mom was doing this to help me out and tried to find someone else, but she couldn't find anyone else who was highly qualified in English, had years of experience, and had a doctorate in gifted ed and who did not admit openly that the reason he/she wanted the job was so that he/she would be close to the bar where he/she played the guitar at night. (Yes, someone actually admitted to that in an interview.) The end of the 9 weeks is fast approaching so we are going to team-teach this week, and I'll start the other job next week.

I don’t know if you are like me or not, but even at 33 years of age, I still want to please and even impress my parents. They never have put pressure on me, but I wanted mom to see that I am a great teacher. I thought I would be nervous because it was still my class and my students; however, I wasn’t. The kids’ reactions to 2 “Dr. Williams” in the class were very interesting. One asked if they could call my mom “Dr. Williams’ mom.” Thought that was pretty cute…I am one lucky person to have a mother who would sacrifice trips with my dad and little pay to help me out. Besides, she had gotten use to sleeping past 6 o'clock each day.

Off to dry my hair so I can go back to work with “Dr. Williams’ Mom” again today.

Something I Hardly Ever Do

2007-10-08T06:10:00.001-04:00

This weekend, I did something that I hardly ever do--I did nothing. When I left the house, I didn't take my phone with me to check in case I got a call or email. I didn't read anything except "mind candy" trash. It was great! I have to say that although I miss being an administrator at times, I don't miss feeling guilty for taking some time off...

Saw this morning that the temperatures are finally going to cool off toward the end of the week. Just in time for my trip to the mountains with friends. Two weekends in a row! What is the world coming to?javascript:void(0)

Banned Book Week

2007-10-04T06:17:00.000-04:00

The week is almost over, but it is Banned Book Week. My kids went to the media center yesterday for a talk with the media specialist and were amazed at the books that had been challenged according to the the American Library Association.

I know that people have personal issues with different books; however, I can't imagine ever challenging a book in order to take it off of a shelf. I am glad our media specialist shared this lesson with the kids because we have to hope that each generation is better than the last.

Blogging With Students

2007-10-04T05:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I got the go ahead to have blogs with my students! All of the teachers have a blog, but they have the comment ability turned off and use it as a place to communicate homework. I asked several different people if we were allowed to have the comment ability activated; I finally found someone could answer. Then, I was in a department meeting the other day, and one teacher shared how she use her blog with students. A rumble went through the room because teachers feared the amount they would have to moderate. The teacher presenting did a great job explaining the benefits and explaining that by blogging you can give something else up. As I was reading different blogs, I came across, Classroom Blogging, which has ideas for using blogs in classrooms. I can't wait to get the kids started, and I'll share how it goes!

Play.Blogger.Com

2007-10-02T08:45:00.000-04:00

Play.blogger.com In reading this morning, I came across Adventures in Educational Blogging. Susan shared this cool site that allows you to see a slide show of pictures being uploaded to Blogger.

Learning Styles

2007-10-01T18:15:00.000-04:00

In Ed Tech Journeys, PReilly discusses the importance of knowing our students. I so agree! As teachers, we are asked to differentiate instruction, talk to parents, work on discipline, provide extra help, etc. How do we do any of these if we don't know more about our students than what we can find out by looking at registration information? We must spend time with the students and look for every opportunity to TALK with them--hall duty, in line in the cafeteria, and blogs. As an English teacher, I can utilize their writing to learn more about them. Doing this allows us to design lessons that truly meet their needs instead of throwing in strategies and hoping that they will resonate with the students in the room at any given time.

Easy-no, but the best teachers realize that teaching isn't an easy profession.

Here are some resources that might help us all learn more about our students.

Free Learning Styles Inventory

Index of Learning Styles Questionnaires

Vark: A Guide to Learning Styles

I Entered the Day Thinking, "I Can't Believe I Thought This Was A Good Idea"

2007-09-29T05:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I used a strategy that I utilized as a principal with the staff and participated in as a conference attendee, and suprising enough, it worked! The Strategy--Jr. Raider Cafe (You can substitute your mascott for Jr. Raider). Earlier this week, I asked students to bring their favorite book with them on Friday so they could participate in the Jr Raider Cafe. I also allowed them to bring to share with their classmates. I typed up a "menu" that had several "courses" of questions that would guide a small group discussion on the book of their choice.

This activity is great because it allows participants to talk with each other, to move around the room, to share their ideas, and to learn with their peers. Yesterday morning, I was questioning my planning this activity because participants talk with each other, move around the room, share their ideas, and learn with their peers. I was pleasantly suprised when it went well with every class! Of course it was noisy, but I listened to great conversations about books. The hilight was when two students asked to go to the media center together so they could swap books! Even my most challenging class handled themselves well!

I am so glad it was successful, but I am also so glad it is over...Until the next time we have a Jr. Raider Cafe (the kids are already asking for it again.)

If you want a copy of the menu, just let me know, and I'll be happy to share.

Video Talks by Smart Folks

2007-09-27T13:40:00.000-04:00

I found great videos that I kept watching linked on the Stingy Scholar blog. Check it out. Here is a particularly good video that is short too. I am not a science person so I preferred the humanities section.
Why People Succeed

Don't Know Why I Was Suprised

2007-09-26T19:40:00.000-04:00

I don't know why I was surprised when several of my students reacted to Skype's start-up sound that occured when I turned on my personal laptop today in class today. Having asked many people if they use Skype I guess I assumed that Skype wasn't used wide spread because most of them had no idea what Skype is; now, I realize that I was wrong. My challenge is to figure out if I can use Skype in the classroom of the school system I recently joined. First, I have to figure out who to ask in the school...

What is it with the word test?

2007-09-26T06:28:00.000-04:00

We begin our yearly testing program today with a mental ability test followed next week by an achievement test. Shouldn't be a big deal-our kids always do an extremely good job on standardized tests. This being said, quite a few freaked out yesterday when I reminded them to bring a #2 pencil. A few even asked what they needed to study and weren't relieved after being told that they can't study for this kind of test--AND--these are 8th graders who have taken the same kind of test at least 6 years now! I hate to see them stressing over these things as much as they are. Now, if only they would stress a little over their personal narrative that is due in a week...

"Closed. System Temporaily Down"

2007-09-19T19:58:00.000-04:00

I have told myself for years that as soon as I was not as stressed in my job that I would give up Mt. Dew. I realized earlier this week that I was feeling very relaxed each afternoon after work and that there was only a few more cans in the fridge. I don't drink, smoke, or have any other vices except for the Dew, but I decided to give it up yesterday after drinking the last can of Mt. Dew that was in my house. God was watching out for me too because this morning I stopped to get gas. What would one hurt right? So I went to the door of the gas station and found it locked. Okay, so I went down the road a bit and pulled on the door of another gas station. Posted on the door was a sign, "Closed. System Temporarily Down." Okay, I don't have to be hit upside the head to realize that my decision to give up the sugar and caffeine was the right one.

"Closed. System Temporarily Down" Wouldn't it be nice if our kids had the ability to put a sign saying this when they had one of those kind of days? How would this change what I do in my classroom each day? Would I change how I interact with my kids? Is there a way for us to get this kind of message from our students?

From PC's to Macs

2007-09-09T10:55:00.000-04:00

I am becoming a Mac user. I haven't used an Apple since I was a small child and my school and my parents introduced me to computers on an ApplleIIE. I was about in the 4th grade or so and I remember learning Logo. My mother was a teacher so she saw the value in having technology at home so she and my dad purchased one for our home. Remember the floppy disks that were really floppy? I am having to get use to several things--maximize/minimize/close buttons are on the left not the right, but I can't wait to learn how to use it to edit pictures, make music, make movies.

Besides, the commercials are pretty cool: http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/ (Okay, I have to learn to hyperlink things too, but I am trying.)

Breaking Down Barriers

2007-09-09T10:44:00.000-04:00

I have been subbing in the same classroom for two weeks now while looking for a full time job. During the first 8 days, the students and I interacted pretty much only on the "business" we were about--lanugage arts, teacher to student, student to teacher. I'd ask questions about their football games, band practices, etc, and would get short answers with a very clear indication that they didn't want to be bothered. Then on Friday, I became very cool all of the sudden thanks to my new iPhone. In the middle of 6th period, one of the kids noticed my phone and asked me about it. A quiet buzz began going through the room and we all began talking about phones, computers, and learning with them. The kids entering the room for 7th period came in asking about my phone too. Although I would prefer to have kids leaving the room talking about the amazing things they learned about English, this time, I was okay with them leaving talking about anything. Now, how do I get them that excited about reading, writing, and grammar? Maybe technology should play some kind of role. This is going to be a fun challenge for the next 8 weeks.

Learning from the Comfort of My Bed

2007-09-02T18:47:00.000-04:00

I got up early this morning and for the first time in many months, I didn't have plans to go into the office. I pushed Lizzie, my 6 month old puppy, over and reached for my new lap top. Several months ago, I started reading different blogs but I hadn't made time to keep up with this--until this morning. I used several blog rolls to help guide me in my search. I read several blogs by new principals working to adjust to the different rolls and responsibilities. I read of those trying to bring change by fully integrating technology and the tools available in the classroom. I also came across several who were taking time off from blogging either due to vacation or due to personal struggles with sharing of themselves so openly and publicaly. Those who say that educators have it easy really have no idea.

I don't feel like I am as eloquent with my words as the authors of the blogs I read this morning, but I am treating my blog as I ask my students to treat their journals. This is a time for me to write freely, to reflect upon readings or my experiences, and to think "out loud."

Day 5 In the Classroom

2007-08-31T11:21:00.000-04:00

Wow, how different it is than I remember! I have been back in the classroom for 5 days now and am loving it. It feels strange not to be the one everyone comes to, but it is a good kind of strange. I sat in a meeting earlier this week and was thrilled as I watched teachers' facial expressions as the adminsitrators went over paperwork. I found myself smiling at the administrators as they worked because I remember the feeling of looking out on a room full of people who aren't too happy. Later, I was in a department meeting listening to the group of teachers complain about this and that. I was careful to stay quiet until finally one of the remembered that I had been an administrator. She turned to me and asked if they could ask me questions from the perspective of an administrator. Needless to say, the conversation was rich with all of us learning a little more about how the other "side" lives and opperates.

Admin--No More

2007-08-29T04:33:00.000-04:00

Well, I have had enough. I haven't had the time to do anything for myself including keeping up with this blog so I have left the role of an administrator and have returned to the classroom. As hard of a decision as that was, it feels great now! Between working 70 hours a week, having teachers roll their eyes in meetings, fighting with unions, and just always being tired, I realized that I wanted more out of life right now. I can actually move back "home" and spend time with family and friends while at the same time working closely with kids. Who could ask for anything more?

2nd Annual Charity Basketball Game

2007-02-20T07:28:00.000-05:00

We recently held our second annual charity basketball game. This is a great evening of fun with a great cause. Our 8th grade girl basketball team plays the 8th grade cheerleaders. Our 8th grade boys basketball team work after school learning the cheers and are our cheerleaders for the game. Our dance line does a special routine with a combination of wrestlers, football players, and 7th grade basketball players. Last year, our students raised $5,000.00 for a middle school in Louisiana that was affected by Katrina. This year, we have several teachers at our high school fighting breast cancer so we are making a donation of over $7,200.00 to a local breast cancer charity. It is an amazing night with lots of teenagers showing how great they really are!

Memories of Great Teachers

2007-02-15T06:01:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last post because of my grandmother's death a little over a week ago. Attending visitations and the funeral really made me reflect on what a wonderful woman she was and the legacy she left behind after a long life as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and teacher. Through the week, I heard many people talk about both her and my grandfather and the impact they had on the lives of students as teachers and coach. Here is what I heard from former students and from my family:

They taught us how to live a moral, Christ-like life.
They taught us how to serve others.
They taught us to work hard.
They taught us to persevere.
They taught us to love others--despite our differences.
They taught us to value books.
They taught us to never stop learning.
They taught us that you don't have to be mean to be in control.
They taught us to earn students' respect--you can't just demand it because of a job title.
They taught us to remember the sacrifices of others.
They taught us to be selfless instead of selfish.
They taught us to have high expectations of ourselves and others.
They taught us to begin and end each day with prayer and to pray for loved ones by name.
They taught us to make the best of whatever situation we find ourselves in even when we don't understand why we are in it.
They taught us to look for the bright side of things.
They taught us the value of sitting down at a table and eating together.
They taught us to value education.
They taught us the joy in taking care of loved ones.

I pray that when I die, my family, friends, and former students can say at least some of what was said this past week of my grandparents...

Change from Mr. Sherman's Blog

2007-02-02T07:21:00.000-05:00

I am still learning blogging etiquette so I am breaking it by copying and pasting this in my blog, please let me know. I take time to read several blogs and read Mr. Sherman's Blog fairly regulary http://blog109.org/communities/dsherman/default.aspx. When I pulled it up this morning, I loved what I read...

Change Is Hard...
Change was hard … for my parents, who grew up with a big, floor-standing radio as the only electronic entertainment in their lives. They still reminisce about the “good old days” when they would stare at the radio and listen to shows like “The Shadow,” “The Lone Ranger,” and “The Jack Benny Program.”
Change was hard… when they finally bought their first television set, and they complained that “you no longer needed to use your imagination” when you watched TV.
Change was hard… for my dad to finally succumb to years of constant pressure from me and my sisters to buy a color TV set when the black and white set worked perfectly well. “What do you need color for when you are watching on a little screen?"
Change was hard… for me when my friend, Steve, who worked in a record store, first told me that the music publishers would stop making vinyl records in the next few months. I was in shock and disbelief. I knew that CD technology was the new fad, but records would always be the best way to listen to music, right? There was a special feeling when you physically placed the needle down on the record and hit the blank spot between songs on the very first try. I remember spending hours reading the album covers and liner notes as I wore out my old records.
Change was hard… when I finally purchased my first CD player (an old Denon machine) and my first CD (Talking Heads, “Naked” 1988 release). I was blown away by the clarity of the sound and the ease in which I could call up a song. “You mean you can actually shuffle the songs and listen to them in a different order than they were burned onto the disc? Cool.” But, I had such a hard time reading the little print on the 5 X 5 inch sheet of paper that came inside the case. And placing the disc on the little tray that slid out of the machine was fun at first, but it was just not the same as carefully placing the phonograph needle down on the record.
Change WILL be hard… for me when the next wave of innovations takes over. I experienced a brief flash-forward into the future as I was driving to work the other day. I heard the morning DJ (Lin Brehmer) on my favorite radio station (WXRT in Chicago) talking about the future of the entertainment industry. He predicted that within the next five to ten years, all of our music, movies, videos, even books, newspapers, and magazines will be available via internet downloads. I know we already are able to access these media from the internet. What Lin Brehmer was referring to was that the internet will be the ONLY way to purchase our favorite media. No more CDs, DVDs, books, magazines, or newspapers for sale. No more opening that shrink wrap (does anyone else have trouble opening a new CD package besides me?) to get to the new disc and liner notes (small as they may be). No more ink on my fingers from the sports section of the Chicago Tribune.
Well, this digital immigrant is having a hard time wrapping his brain around this change. My kids, on the other hand, have stopped asking for music on CDs as birthday and holiday gifts. Instead, they ask for iTunes gift cards. For them, this is not change; this is the way it is supposed to be. They truly are digital natives. They want the music on their iPods fast and easy. No need to get a ride to the store to spend hours looking through the stacks to find the best new music or an old greatest hits compilation that you did not know existed. Does that bring back memories?
Change will be hard… but I will adjust."

I wonder, how are schools going to keep up with these changes? We can't keep doing things the way we have always done them!

Space Shuttles Remembered

2007-01-28T21:06:00.000-05:00

On January 28, 1986, I was a middle school student at home for a teacher work day. I remember my older brother answering the phone and then telling me that my mother had just called to let us know that the Space Shuttle Challenger has exploded just 73 seconds after lift-off. The space shuttle program was still pretty new, and if we had been in school, every television would have been tuned in so we could see the take off. What made this mission different than previous missions was that Krista McAuliffe, a teacher, was one of the seven astronauts killed. A second tragedy occurred the same week thirteen years later when the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded returning to earth on February 1, 2003, killing the seven astronauts aboard.

In 1986, President Regan said of the tragedy, “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.’” In 2003, President Bush said, “Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.” As we remember the fourteen men and women who died during these two adventures, may we hope that we are strong enough to embark on our own journeys.

Wikis--Collaboration in 2007

2007-01-28T07:18:00.000-05:00

We are developing a resource wiki based on the middle school curriculum in the state of Alambama. http://middleschoolresourceroom.pbwiki.com/ Our goal is to have a place where teachers can visit to get ideas, find resources, and post lessons so that teachers can work collaboratively.

This idea came about at our recent technology conference. Our system has only one school at each level--primary (K-2), intermediate(3-5), middle (6-8), and high (9-12). Since we are easily able to let all teachers in one grade level or in one department in a school work together, I felt there was a key piece of collaboration missing--more eyes looking at lessons, more brains working on lessons. After talking with our technology integration specialist, the assistant principal at our school decided this was a project he wanted to set up. It has only been up and running for about 3 weeks, so we still have a lot of areas to fill in.

As we shared the wiki with our staff, we have gotten a variety of responses. Some are very excited and immediately started sharing ideas. Others have been surprisingly territorial of their work. Questions like, "Why should we post things for others to use?" or "What if something I have done gets changed?" We patiently try to answer these questions, but we are still moving forward with our project.

Our newspaper teacher has also started using a wiki with her newspaper staff. Instead of creating a tradional paper, she has set-up a wiki. http://huskypawper.wetpaint.com/. I think she has it protected so you probably can't reply on it, but you certainly can check it out.

Classroom Happenings 1/26/07

2007-01-26T17:56:00.000-05:00

Amazing things went on at HTMS today! The 8th grade science students were spread out over campus discovering things about velocity and speed. Some were out on the mall shooting rockets made from soft drink bottles. Others were in the halls building roller coasters. Mrs. Hambey’s students dissected squids—man does that smell bring back memories of my days in science class. Mr. Brown’s class participated in a simulation designed to help students learn the workings of the ancient city-states in Greece. I loved watching each individual “city state” go from claiming all of the land possible alone to forming alliances with other city- states. We took pictures of the 8th grade students voted as this year’s who’s who for the yearbook. The focus of this year’s who’s who was the character education words we study throughout the year.

We are still hard at work with homework remediation. Unfortunately, there are still too many students not completing work on time, but we are working to help students make better decisions. We have moved into the next phase of homework remediation. Students who have been referred before for not having homework automatically go to detention. Eventually, students will grow tired of sitting in the cafeteria on the hard round seats for two hours after school. I become so frustrated when I see the same students over and over for having missing assignments. UGH!

So Much Out There

2007-01-21T05:59:00.000-05:00

I woke early and reached over for my laptop and began to just read. Man, there is so much out there for us to learn from. I know there is a lot of talk about helping students know how to search for quality material, but I have to say that I was a little overwhelmed looking at all there is. Internet sites, blogs, wikis, videos, podcasts--and I am sure that people are already working on something new. I wonder-are we as educators preparing our students to live, to learn, and to work in a world where these exists? I work in a very progessive district, but we still have a long way to go. I keep reminding teachers in my school that this is a marathon and not a sprint to the finish. We are all in this for the long haul. Just think how different things were even 14 years ago when I graduated high school. What is it going to be like for the kids we are currently teaching?

Pace of Change?

2007-01-15T17:09:00.001-05:00

Driving home from Atlanta I thought about a comment that I have heard many times, "Change is happening too fast." If the change is going to be in the best interest of our students, how do we slow things down? I feel a sense of urgency and a moral obligation to do all that we can for the students currently in our school. How do I lead change in a way that takes care of the teachers but also makes things better for the students?

The Future--More Questions than Answers

2007-01-14T08:33:00.000-05:00

As a middle school prinicpal, I am becoming more and more aware of how technology is changing the world for our students. In conference after conference, in book after book, and on blog after blog, we are being told and shown that what we currently do for students isn't going to prepare them for the world of tomorrow. This being the case, what do we need to do to improve what we do? How does a school that is a good school make the transistion to being a great school? What about the students who are in the building while we are making the transition--who will prepare them for the future?