BACK AT IT

Well I've taken the summer off from blogging and the urge to write did hit a couple of times but it passed and I got on to several other things. I did find a couple of new blogs that I really enjoy and I think my next write will be the blogs and sites I do enjoy the most, not that it will have any effect on your world, but might give you some interesting reading.

I did come across an article by Alfie Kohn that I thought was excellent and wish to share with you. Mr. Kohn writes mainly on education and parenting and has some unusual ideas in some areas but if you read him with an open mind much of what he says makes sense. This article was about working with kids as opposed to doing things to them, here are the 10 suggestions he offers:

1. Reconsider your requests-Sometimes when kids don't do what we tell them, the problem isn't with the kids but with what we're telling them to do.

2. Put the relationship first-What matters most is the connection that we have, or don't have, with our children-whether they trust us and know that trust them.

3. Imagine how things look from your child's perspective-Parents and teachers who regularly switch to the child's point of view are better informed, gentler, and likely to set an example for moral development.

4. Be authentic-Your child needs a human being-flawed, caring, and vulnerable-more than he or she needs someone pretending to be Perfect.

5. Talk less, ask more-Telling is better than yelling, and explaining is better than just telling, but sometimes eliciting (the child's feeling, ideas, and preferences) is even better than explaining.

6. "Attribute to children the best possible motive consistent with the facts"-Kids live up to, or down to, our expectations, so its better to assume the best when we don't know for sure why they did what they did.

7. Try to say yes-Don't function on auto parent and deny children the chance to do unusual things.

8. Don't be rigid-Predictability can be overdone; the need for inflexible rules may vanish when we stop seeing a behavior as an infraction that must be punished--and start seeing it as a problem to be solved (together).

9. Give kids more say about their lives-Children learn to make good decisions by making decisions, not following directions.

10. Love them unconditionally-Kids should know that we care for them just because of who they are, not because of what they do, they don't have to earn our love.

There is my first post in quite some time, I hope some of these help and make sense to you, and I will try to post at least once a week.

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER

I'm sure Alice Cooper's song is about the most popular one on the airwaves nowadays, I know when I was a principal I would sing it over the intercom the last day of classes. Even though school is out and everyone needs a break including but not limited to students, parents, and teachers. We hope to make our people Life Long Learners and that learning can occur when school is not in session.

Students: Even though school is not in session your brain does not take a break and there are valuable things to learn that don't come from textbooks. You can learn important talent and skills from a job, working with others, or even a vacation when you are seeing anything for the first time. We don't want your learning to stop just because we aren't in school.

Parents: When you see an opportunity for a "learning moment" don't pass it up. Our students will listen to you more intently than they will any of us, as well they should, so take advantage whenever you can. Point out new things and open your children up to new experiences and opportunities whenever you can.

Teachers: After a much needed mental break, begin to ask yourself what you can do to better serve student learning. How can do the best we can to reach every student and adjust to their learning styles. How can we break the one size fits all brand of instruction to better facilitate the information we are trying to get across to our students. What new resources can we use to better accomplish student learning.

Have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you next fall.

Social Media

Social media tools and platforms gives us a chance to have conversations with anyone around the world. Facebook, myspace, twitter, google buzz, and various others have made significant changes on how we communicate. If you think these are a fad please consider the following:

If facebook were a country it would now #3 in the world behind only China and India.

Over half the world's population is under 30 years old.

96% of Millennials have joined a social network.

Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the US.

1 out of 8 couples in the US met via social media.

80% of companies us social media for recruitment.

Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Spears have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Sweden, Istael, Switzerlan, Ireland, Norway, and Panama combined-4.8 million each.

50% of mobile internet traffic in the UK is for Facebook.

78% of Wikipedia content is in languages other than English.

Still think its a fad and going to go away? I rather doubt it.

The Importance of Trust

Trust is everything.

Nothing can be done without it.

It can take years to build, but one moment to lose it.

Here are only some of the essentials that I believe in building trust:

1. Extend trust-If you want people to trust you, you must show that you trust them first.

2. Be open and honest-There are many times where tough conversations are needed to be had with the group or individuals. Trust that the people you work with can take the bad news and deal with it, and would much rather KNOW than wonder.

3. Admit mistakes-If you screw up, say it. Do not try to hide it. Not only will you build trust amongst those you work with, you will also build an environment that promotes risk taking.

4. Listen-Hear what people are saying, consider it, and act upon it. Even if you do not agree, when people see that you are legitimately listening to their thoughts, you will build upon your relationships with them. There is a difference between not listening and not agreeing. You do not have to always agree, but it is important that you always consider.

There are many other ways that you can build trust but these are just some that I work on. These qualities relate to any relationship. If you want things to get done effectively, trust is everything.

Apple Show

This past Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I was fortunate enough to attend the Apple Leadership Summit in Dallas, Texas. I am thankful to my Board of Education for allowing me to attend. The conference was very good and got some good ideas and different perspectives on using technology in education. It is marvelous what some individuals as well as school districts are doing about bringing 21st Century skills to the classroom.

We were each assigned tables, which was probably good since that does force you to meet other people, and the first person I saw was the Superintendent from Labette County in Altamont. It was refreshing to see a familiar face but it did me good not to be paired with Chuck since I did gain knowledge from different areas of the country. At my table were educators from Iowa, North Carolina, California, and Texas. At least Kansas isn't the only state with funding woes, everyone had the story as money is tight, so we choose not to discuss it. I ate one night with an Apple employee from Brisban, Australia, and that was an interesting conversation.

I think it really helps us grow as professionals when we venture out and take advantage of opportunities presented to us. To visit with educators from across our nation, and across the ocean, can benefit all we come in contact with. I am a strong believer in staff development and technology and this conference fit both areas.

Relationship Strength Key for Kids

What do schools need to teach their students? We are on the cusp of a great global educational change and the question we need to ask is not what do students need to learn, but what do we need to teach them?

Most everything students need to learn either can or will be able to be learned online. If you doubt this consider the advertising done on television for online institutions of higher learning, or take into account that the largest college, in regard to student population, is Phoenix University. Instead of students conforming to a traditional model of education they appeal to the sector that wishes to have convenience and a customized education.

We connect with others through a web of relationships with our family and friends as well as our business ones where we work in person as well as with people online we never meet.

Relationship strengths are the application of character virtues such as trustworthiness, forgiveness, loyalty, consideration, thankfulness, flexibility, and dependability. I agree with Charles Barkley that the best role models for a student is their parents, however, we can display these qualities on a daily basis and hopefully students will try to imitate these behaviors.

We rarely teach students skills to promote long-term success in their relationships. We tend to believe that experience will be the best teacher. Children should know how to choose friends, act on teams, listen, give and take, forgive and accept. Children socialize on the playground, cafeteria, and ball games and we hope they figure it out on their own. We throw kids in social situations and hope for the best, experience has shown us that most workplace failures are the result of relationship breakdowns rather than inability to master the tasks of the job.

Put On More Steam

At this time of year we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel which means school will quickly be over. With state assessments winding down and after a full year of academics the students have a tendency to hit the slack button and teachers as well feel the need for a mental break. Put as I have stated before we are in the learning business and that goes for the teachers also, so here are some points to keep the students motivated.

1. Be enthusiastic and positive about what you are doing.

2. Allow students to have some fun and discover things on their own.

3. Use visual aids, movies, demonstrations, and projects.

4. Take a field trip and make it real.

5. Let them how great it feels to succeed.

6. Give people praise for a job well done.

7. Care about each other, both students and teachers, talk to each other.

8. Reward people with different things, however, start slowing down on rewards and replace with praise.

9. Create tasks and work that students can have success with, make sure they have the resources to succeed.

10. Make sure the subject matter has personal meaning and value for the students.

11. Make sure students feel valued and special for their contributions.